Her Lucky Love Read Free Page A

quarters, and she blushed.
    “Okay, Malones, let’s get you home,” he said as he pulled away from the side of the road.
    Aiden and Cameron talked to him as they drove while Lacy just watched, her eyes filled with their usual brightness when Bray was near. Brayden was patient, answering every question and asking a few himself.
    He was so good with them.
    Good with her.
    The man had never asked her out, yet he’d always been there.
    He didn’t love her.
    And she couldn’t love him.
    She just wasn’t that lucky.

Chapter 2
     
    Brayden Cooper got out of his truck and stretched, his back aching like a man older than his years. Though, in reality, he wasn’t as young as he used to be.
    He’d dropped off Ally and her kids at their apartment then took the car to the shop. When he’d left the Malones’, the kids had protested. Lacy, though cute as a freaking button, had pouted, her eyes filling with tears.
    He hated leaving them, but he had a job to do. And, frankly, he couldn’t stand watching Allison move away from him every time he got a bit closer. It pained him like a swift blade piercing his heart every time her smile gave him an inch or hint of invitation just before she stepped back as soon as she’d realized what she’d done.
    He didn’t fault her for it. She was a mom of three who’d been through more hell than he could imagine. He didn’t know exactly what happened, but he knew it’d been bad with Greg.
    Allison couldn’t trust another with her family, not when she had to prove to herself she could make it on her own.
    It hurt like fucking hell, but he understood that.
    It didn’t mean he had to like it though.
    He knew the town thought he had no idea he loved Allison Malone. But, they were dead wrong.
    Brayden loved that woman with every breath his body had, every ounce of everything his soul possessed.
    He loved the way she stood tall in the face of adversity. He loved the way she treated her family, cared for them above all else, including herself. No, most importantly above herself. He loved the way her auburn hair fell from its bun after a hard day’s work, trailing down her neck in a slight curl.
    He loved her big green eyes that held the pain she fought so hard to hide. He loved the creamy milk of her skin, the softness that begged for his hands even though he’d never touch her unless she told him to.
    Though he knew she never would.
    He’d loved her for ten years. He’d loved her when she’d been married to another man and had three babies with him.
    He’d loved her all this time, but that didn’t mean he could have her.
    He’d long since resigned himself to the fact he’d be the uncle to the kids he loved like his own. He’d stand on the sidelines, helping where he could because he loved Allison more than just a quick glimpse into a flirtation that would amount to nothing more than hurt.
    He loved her too much to be with her and take away her independence.
    Brayden wasn’t lucky enough to be with someone like her.
    He snorted at that last thought.
    Well, he was damn lucky at everything else he did. It was just too freaking ironic that he couldn’t be lucky at the one thing he most desperately needed. But, that was the life he’d chosen for himself, and he’d have to learn to live with it. No, he hadn’t chosen who he fell in love with—that was Ally’s doing. But, he had chosen to let her be the best mom she could and stand aside throughout the years. He’d chosen to watch her with another man and watch those kids grow up without him other than just a friend.
    Brayden shook his head and walked into Eddie’s, the town watering hole where he’d said he meet two of his brothers, Jackson and Tyler. Though the Coopers weren’t fans of the place, as they’d rather hang out and drink at Jackson’s, the old Cooper place where he’s grown up, sometimes variety was a necessary evil.
    According to his brothers, his current routine was a little too stale for their tastes.
    Going