Breaking Brandon

Chapter Twenty-One

Brandon

The phone rang, and without looking at who it was, Brandon sent it to voicemail. He had a feeling the moment he realized what he was in for today that before the day was over someone would get to Regina about him and Sofie, but he hadn’t expected for it to be her.

“You asked her if I was?” he said, staring straight ahead because he didn’t dare look at her.

He could feel her eyes digging into him. The whole time he’d been stuck standing up there taking those damn pictures he’d seen her with all the yentas and wondered what they were filling her head with. That Sofie would say he was a good guy surprised him. If he weren’t so paranoid about all of them, maybe he would have been glad instead of suspicious.

“No. She just brought it up all on her own,” she said then added. “It actually came out of nowhere.”

He fucking knew it.

His phone rang again. This time he looked down to see who it was, but he didn’t recognize the number, so he sent it to voicemail again.

“Out of nowhere, huh?” he said, pulling onto the freeway exit. “What else did she say?”

“Is there more . . .?”

She stopped before finishing, but the sound of uncertainty in her voice made his heart speed up, and he turned to her. “More what?”

“More to you and Sofia you didn’t tell me?”

Looking in her worried eyes now for as long as he could before he had to look back at the road, he didn’t see any anger or distrust—just apprehension.

“Why? Did she say there was?”

“Was there?”

His fucking phone rang again. It was the same number from before, but he’d be damned if he were answering it now.

“No, there wasn’t.” he said nearly through his teeth. “Now answer my question, Regina. Did she say there was?”

He turned to face her again, and she was peering at him now. The suspicion was undeniable now. “Why?” she asked, the uncertainty she’d spoken with earlier replaced with a more demanding tone now. “She didn’t say anything else, but is there something you’re thinking or worried she might’ve?”

Brandon gripped the wheel even tighter. His heated pulse was thrumming in his ears. “She didn’t? Did someone else?”

His brain raced, trying to remember if Regina had been alone with Alex or maybe Eric. Had the girls fed her any bullshit about how things had gone down between him and Sofie?

Once again his phone rang. Fuck! He was in no mood to talk to anyone right that second. He could barely contain the heat rising within him, enough to keep the conversation he was having with Regina under control.

Looking at his phone, he saw the same damn number on the screen again.

“Is that the same person calling again?”

Brandon nodded unable to even look at her at that moment. Thoughts of what someone might’ve told her inundated him. But the fact that she was sitting here questioning him with obvious distaste was what really pissed him off.

“You should answer it,” she said. “It might be important.”

Only because he thought giving his mind a break from his infuriating thoughts might help him calm, he hit the button on his earpiece. “Hello?”

“Brandon. Oh my God, I was about to give up and just call Regina. Is she with you?”

The female voice was familiar, but he couldn’t immediately place it. “What? Who is this?”

“This is Pat,” her sister said. “I didn’t want to call Regina because I don’t want her to freak. She plays it off pretty well, but I know when it comes to Daddy she just might. He was unconscious when I got my mom home.” Pat’s voice suddenly broke. “We have no idea how long he’s been out, but he was rushed to the hospital. They think he had a heart attack. I’m just getting here now. Is she with you?”

“Yeah, she is,” Brandon said, glancing at Regina, who was looking out the window.

Feeling the fear suddenly overcome him, fear of seeing Regina freak out replaced every ounce of anger that had started building just minutes ago. Suddenly, he couldn’t care less about any of that.

“Can you please bring her to Mission Hospital?” She rattled off the information about where it was. Then her voice broke again. “Don’t tell her he was rushed here, okay? Just say he wasn’t feeling well so we brought him in. We’ll tell her when she gets here.”

Brandon hung up and turned to Regina, dreading his next words to her. Her brow was arched a little too high, and he knew her interest in the phone call was zero—she was still thinking about whatever it was she’d been told about him and Sofie.

“That was Pat,” he said, and her expression changed immediately. “Your dad’s not feeling well, so they took him to the hospital.”

“What?” The panic was immediate. “That was Pat?” she asked, instantly digging in her purse. “Why did she call you?”

Brandon had no answer for that. He wasn’t even aware Pat had his number. “I don’t know, babe,” he said, reaching his hand out over her knee to try and sooth her. “She just said he wasn’t feeling well. Relax. It might not be anything.”

Regina’s hands were already beginning to shake as she dialed her sister.

“Pat!” she said. “What happened? What’s wrong with Daddy? And why didn’t you call me?”

She was quiet for a moment as Brandon jumped back on the freeway. He listened to her trying to get more out of Pat, but it sounded as if Pat wasn’t giving her much. “What do they mean you don’t know? What was he complaining about? Was something hurting him? Is he running a fever?”

As casually as he could, Brandon stepped on the accelerator. Talking to Pat seemed to have calmed her some, but apparently she wasn’t satisfied because she called her sister Bell as soon as she hung up.

Brandon listened quietly without saying a word, and he was glad she took his hand when he reached out for hers. Her hand still trembled a little, but it wasn’t shaking like when she’d first pulled her phone out.

“Are you sure you’re not keeping anything from me, Bell? Pat said she tried calling me first, but I had no missed calls, yet she called Brandon four times in a row.”

Glancing at the clock, Brandon wondered how long her dad had been out before Pat and her mom got there. He didn’t want to even think it, but if it had been a massive heart attack, her dad might already be dead. He’d hate to think of what Regina might do—how’d she’d react—if they got there and he was gone. Ever since she’d told him about her family not knowing a thing about her breakdown in New York, she’d reiterated how important it was that they never see that side of her. For whatever reason, it was something she was completely ashamed of. And worst yet, she was still insisting she didn’t need her meds.

By the time they got to the hospital, Regina had calmed considerably. Talking to both her sisters had done the trick. She explained to Brandon why Pat had his number.

“She asked for it the last time I had brunch at my parents. She said it was just in case there was ever an emergency. You’d be the closest one to me, especially since I mentioned how often I spend the night at your place.” This seemed to embarrass her, and he actually smiled when she added with a whisper, “My mom and Bell have it too.”

As soon as they were out of the car in the hospital parking lot, he came around and cradled her face with his hands then kissed her. “No matter what, baby, you can handle this. Okay?” He looked into her still-frightened eyes as she nodded. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back, and after seeing the suspicion in her eyes earlier, hearing her say it with such sincerity was music to his ears.

Fortunately, her father was alive, but he was in surgery when they arrived. It almost felt as if Regina had gone numb. She didn’t shake or freak out when she was told that her father, in fact, had suffered a heart attack. He was in surgery to have three stents inserted and would need to have more surgery to have two more inserted on the other side.

The hysterical Regina who’d begun to lose it in the car when she was simply told her father wasn’t feeling well sat next to her mother the whole time, assuring her mom that her dad was going to be okay. Romero held Bell a few times when she’d broken down and cried, and Pat sniffled the whole time. Meanwhile, Regina remained composed and focused on keeping her mother calm.

At one point, Brandon followed her out into the hallway when she excused herself to use the ladies’ room and pulled her aside.

“How you doing?” he asked, looking into her almost glazed-over eyes.

She nodded, glancing away. “I’m okay,” she whispered. “He’s gonna be okay.”

“He is,” Brandon agreed immediately and then said the exact opposite of what he’d always been taught to believe. “It’s okay to cry, babe. If you’re worried or afraid, you can let it out.”

Shaking her head, she smiled weakly. “No, I’m fine.”

He let her go, and she rushed away to the ladies’ room. Brandon actually hoped she was going in there to cry. He knew hearing her dad was in surgery because he’d had a heart attack had to be terrifying.

I’ve never dealt well with loss.

Remembering her story about nearly using a gun to help her deal with the loss of her late husband, made Brandon squeeze his eyes shut. He shuddered to think of how she’d deal if her dad didn’t make it.

The doctors seemed to think they’d caught it in time and he was safe. They’d insert the stents tonight. He’d be monitored for a few days in the hospital, and then he’d see his regular doctor and be scheduled for the second surgery to have the other two stents inserted. The most severely blocked arteries were being taken care of tonight. And while the other two were more than seventy percent blocked, they still could hold off on those so he wouldn’t have to be out so long and they could keep the surgery less invasive.

Brandon was in awe the entire night of how well Regina kept it together. Even after the doctors inadvertently mentioned the ambulance ride to the hospital and Pat and her mother had no choice but to tell Regina the truth that he’d been rushed there in cardiac arrest, she stared at them in silence but didn’t lose it.

By the time her dad had made it safely out of surgery and they’d all gotten a chance to go in and see him, it was early morning. Only two people were allowed in the ICU at once, and Regina asked Brandon to go in with her. The moment she laid eyes on him, Brandon saw it. For the first time since they’d gotten there, her face scrunched up, and for as much as she tried, she had no control over her quivering lips.

“He’s gonna be fine,” Brandon whispered, hugging her and kissing her head.

She clung to him and, to his relief, finally cried against his chest. He slid his hands up and down her back and continued to kiss her head. “Let it out, baby. It’s okay. You’ll feel better.”

As she continued to cry quietly against his chest, Brandon almost resented the fact that her sisters were willing and able to cry openly in front of Regina and she felt the need to be the strong one. Why?

Brandon had never been a religious person. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d prayed. But seeing how long and how despondently Regina cried against his chest scared the hell out of him. Her dad had gotten through this, this time. Brandon was now actually praying he’d be fine after the next one.

Hiding the impatience, Brandon kept to himself what he was feeling as he watched Regina clean her face up. She’d refused to walk out of the ICU with any evidence that she’d broken down. He wanted to tell her Pat mentioned she knew Regina played it off, that she knew she could freak. She had the right to. This was her father—her daddy. Why couldn’t she be allowed to fall apart? But he knew this was not the time to argue about this, so he waited silently as she reapplied makeup and powdered her red nose.

She looked up at Brandon from where she was sitting and smiled. “Is that good?”

“That’s perfect,” he said, reaching his hand out to her. “Let’s go.”

Regina stood, hurrying over to her father’s side one last time and kissed his forehead then shook her head and waved her hands in her already welling eyes.

“Stop, stop, stop,” she whispered to herself.

“You don’t have to.” Brandon finally addressed the issue, but she shook her head and walked ahead of him out into the hallway of the ICU.

On the way home, Regina explained that her Grandpa Boot was her daddy’s father. She also mentioned her father was the one who had labeled her the brave one early on. “My sisters were always so shy compared to me. Neither ever took chances, and while I wasn’t wild or anything, I did like having fun and trying things they never would. When I was younger and the boys would play baseball outside during the summer, I was the only girl who asked to play with them, and it was because of my dad’s encouragement. He said I was probably better than most of those boys, and he was right.” She smiled. “When I decided I was gonna go to school clear across the country, all my siblings stayed close by, and when I told him I was thinking of applying at Cornell instead of asking, ‘Why so far,’ like my mom did, he immediately smiled and said, ‘Good for you.’” She lowered her voice to an almost whisper as if there were anyone around that could hear her. “My sisters always refer to my dad as a bit cold and indifferent, but I never got that from him. Like with my grandpa, we always had a special bond.”

She was quiet for a moment, and Brandon turned to see if maybe she was crying again, but to his relief, she’d fallen asleep. Since she slept the rest of the way home, Brandon had plenty of time to ponder the day’s happenings. With Regina’s dad being in the hospital for what probably would be the rest of the week, Brandon was fairly certain any talk or even thoughts of Sofie and her family were the last things they’d be discussing in the coming days. As much as he wanted to know exactly what Regina had been getting at just before her sister called, he wasn’t anxious to feel what he’d begun to feel during that conversation. Infuriatingly, somehow his past with the Morenos was coming back to haunt him.

~*~

Regina

Walking into her parents’ dining room, Regina was surprised to see Alex and Romero there now too. When she’d stepped into the bedroom to see her dad almost a half hour earlier, only Valerie had been there with Bell.

Regina got the distinct feeling that whatever they’d all been discussing was cut short when they heard her coming. It was oddly quiet for a moment; then both Alex and Romero greeted her with Romero walking over to hug and kiss her. “How is he?” he asked.

Frowning, Regina shrugged. “Asleep now, but I got to talk to him for little while before he knocked out. He’s doing better, I guess.” She turned to Bell. “Why does he seem so listless?”

“Gina, he’s recovering from major surgery,” Bell reminded her, motioning for her to take a seat at the table with them. “You can’t expect him to be all chipper so quickly. Mom said the meds make him sleepy too.”

Regina frowned, taking the seat next to Bell and Romero across from Valerie and Alex. Bell poured her some coffee. “Thank you,” Regina said, reaching for the creamer and sugar. “How’s Mom doing?” she asked, turning to Bell.

She’d driven out to see her dad several times this week but hadn’t been there yesterday. Today was only her dad’s second day home. Her brother, Art, took their mom to the supermarket today while Bell and Regina stayed and watched over their dad. Pat was on her way as well. It’d been this way the whole time. Her mother hadn’t been left to deal with this alone even one day, but Regina still worried. Her mother had her own high-blood-pressure issues, and stress only added to it.

“She’s hanging in there,” Bell said, nodding as she sipped her coffee. “You know her. She’s like you, a real trooper during a crisis.”

Regina refrained from frowning, and after inquiring on whether her mom was taking her own meds, she reminded Bell she’d be willing to take time off if they needed her to come and stay with her parents for a few days. Bell assured her they had it all under control. Then Bell changed the subject to something Regina had given very little thought to all week.

“Did, uh . . .” She cleared her throat and glanced at Alex and Valerie. “Did Brandon tell you about him and Sofie?”

Him and Sofie. God, she hated how that sounded. She stirred her coffee, preparing herself to not sound defensive or jealous, though she was suddenly feeling both again.

“What about him and Sofie?” she asked then lifted a shoulder quickly meeting Alex’s eyes. “I mean I know way back something happened between them that didn’t exactly go over well with you, your brothers, and Eric since she was already with Eric, but I didn’t ask for details.”

“But he did tell you then?” Bell asked, sounding a little relieved, then gave Alex an I-told-you-so look.

Regina studied Alex’s strange expression for a moment then glanced back at her sister. “He’d told me about a girl in his past.” Regina thought about how Brandon said Sofia hadn’t even been a girlfriend. Yet she’d left such an impression on him. “He said it was someone he grew up around and later they’d had an experience. But it wasn’t until the baptism that I realized it was Sofie.” She turned back to Alex. “He had no idea either that I knew her or that he’d be running into all of you guys again.” She shrugged. “Like Romero said that day, ‘Small world, huh?’”

Valerie touched Alex’s arm, who frowned in reaction to Regina’s response. Then Bell spoke again a bit cautiously. “Did he mention what that experience had been exactly?”

Regina eyed Bell, feeling a little uncomfortable, especially given Alex’s reaction. Thoughts of Brandon and Sofia had lingered most of the week, but her father’s health had taken front and center in her mind.

“It’s been years, Gina,” Alex said suddenly. “I’m sure he’s a different guy now. And like I told Bell, as smart as you are, your judgment of character is likely spot on. I’m sure you wouldn’t get involved with someone unless you knew exactly what you’re in for. I wasn’t even gonna say anything, but it just didn’t feel right to not at least mention it.”

Regina peered at him curious now. “Mention what?”

Alex glanced at Bell as if it might be better if she told her instead of him. “Did he mention that he and Sofie’s brothers never got along?” Bell asked again, her tone a bit too cautionary. Regina was torn between being nervous or annoyed by that.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “He said something like that.”

The Morenos had always been sweethearts, as far as Regina was concerned. She didn’t want to tell them that she knew the main reason they’d been upset with Brandon was because they wrongfully blamed him alone for the indiscretion he and Sofia had had while she was already seeing Eric. From what Brandon had told her, Sofia had been just as willing. If they chose to be delusional about their sister’s innocence, that was one thing. She wouldn’t even go there unless she was forced to. But if they thought they were going to point fingers now and she’d sit there and allow it without defending Brandon, they had another think coming. So she braced herself for what Bell or Alex might mention to her next.

“Alex was just concerned because growing up it seemed Brandon’s character wasn’t always the most honorable,” Valerie explained, her tone as cautious as Bell’s, and now Regina decided it was annoying.

“It’s not even about the way he was when we were kids.” Alex shrugged. “None of us were perfect, and people grow out of stuff like that. It’s what happened later when he got back from the Marines after having been gone a few years. We all thought he’d gone on the straight and narrow and then . . .” He paused, and before he went on to say what Regina knew was coming, she interrupted because she didn’t want this to get ugly.

“He told me, Alex.” Regina informed him. “He and your sister shared a moment—a kiss—even though she was already with Eric.” She shrugged to show it was nonissue for her. “He thought they’d made a connection, especially since she allowed it.” She made sure she got that part in but wouldn’t harp on it. “He was wrong, and she admitted they’d made a mistake.”

“Honey, are you sure he didn’t have the faintest idea that you knew the Morenos?” Bell’s cautious tone was even gentler now. “That being with you would give him possible access to being around Sofia?”

“What?” Regina asked, completely insulted now. “No, of course not. He had no idea. When he told me about her, he mentioned her name, but it’s a common name. It never even dawned on me it might be this Sofia.” She turned to Alex now, attempting only for Valerie, her sister’s longtime friend, not to glare at him. “And there was no way he would know I had any association with any of you.”

“Sweetheart, I never said—”

“No one is accusing him of anything, Gina,” Bell interrupted Alex, touching Regina on the arm. “And Alex never once insinuated that this was the case, hon. It was just something that occurred to me just now.”

“Well, it’s not,” Regina said, no longer holding back her irritation.

She saw Valerie and Bell exchange glances, and then Bell took a deep breath. “Did he tell you that, even after he was warned to stay away from Sofie, he followed her to the beach to insist on talking to her? Then when she told him again that he needed to stay away, he showed up at their home, insisting on seeing her?” Bell asked with a wince. “That he was completely drunk and caused a huge scene just outside their home? And only after he’d been beaten pretty badly did he finally leave?”

Now Regina was stunned silent. She turned to Alex and Valerie. Both looked at her with sympathy. “Brandon stalked Sofia?”

That was a far cry from the tidbit he’d shared with her about this.

“I wouldn’t call it stalking, G.” Alex said. “We never heard from him after that day.” He shrugged. “He was drunk. People do all kinds of stupid shit when they’re drunk.”

“I heard that.” Romero laughed.

Alex turned to Valerie. “It’s not that big a deal really, but Valerie didn’t feel right not saying anything. Like I said, it’s been years. We’ve all made mistakes in our past.” He shrugged again. “Shit happens.” He turned to Bell as he pushed his chair back, and Valerie begun to push hers back as well. “I seriously doubt he had a clue Gina knew us. Brandon’s no dummy. If he’s with your sister, it’s because he knows what a catch she is.”

Alex winked at Gina, and under normal circumstances, she would’ve felt flattered. Instead, her mind was swimming with questions. Mostly she wanted to know if there was more she didn’t know. Alex and Valerie may’ve wanted to make sure Gina knew about this, but neither seemed eager to share anymore.

“Thank you for letting me know,” she said, standing to see them off, since they were obviously leaving.

They both nodded and then hugged her good-bye. Alex once again reminded her that what they’d just told her was a long time ago and even said that if her gut told her Brandon was a good guy then he probably was.

Romero started in on Alex about their new SUV. Bell had already mentioned to Regina that she and Romero were in the market for a new SUV as well. Just like that, the subject of Brandon was axed as the two couples began talking about Alex and Valerie’s Escalade.

Regina excused herself to the bathroom, saying her final good-byes as the two couples walked out the front together. They were now completely engaged in the conversation about how much room the back of the escalade had for the strollers and other baby things they constantly traveled with.

After using the bathroom, she peeked in on her dad again. He slept soundly, and she smiled, but her mind was still on Brandon. Romero and Bell walked back into the house just as she walked out of the hallway.

“Come sit and talk some more, Gina.” Bell said, pointing at the dining room table.

“I’m gonna call my uncles,” Romero said, turning back to the front door. “I wanna make sure everything’s still cool with the kids.” He shook his head. “I told them to just stay home. I’m surprised those two ain’t banned from Chuck E. Cheese yet.”

Bell laughed, turning back to Gina. “The first time they took Mandy, Max got stuck in one of the tubes. Another time they nearly got in a scuffle with a dad whose kid was hogging one of the games she wanted to play.”

Regina smiled, glad that Bell wasn’t jumping right back into the subject of Brandon. She was still trying to digest everything they’d just told her. She didn’t think she could take anymore.

Just minutes after Romero walked out, Pat walked in, holding a pie. “I just missed them?” she asked with a frown.

“Alex and Valerie?” Bell asked then nodded. “Yep, they left just a few minutes ago.”

“Oh well,” Pat said. “More pie for us. It’s Razzleberry, Bell. Your favorite.” She turned to Regina as she set it down on the table. Bell was already on her way into the kitchen. “I’ll get chocolate cream next time, babe.”

Regina smiled big at the pie. It was just what she needed to get her muddled mind off Brandon and Sofia. Bell came back with plates and silverware.

“Seriously, Gina,” she said as she set the plates down. “I hope you don’t think I was trying to insinuate that Brandon was in any way using you for his own ulterior motives. He seems absolutely love-struck with you. Even Mom and Pat thought so, didn’t you?” she asked Pat as they both took seats at the table.

Pat nodded but looked confused and turned to Regina. “Why would you think Bell was insinuating he was using you?” She then turned to Bell even more quizzically, lifting a brow. “What ulterior motives would he have?”

God no! The last person she wanted to be having this conversation was Pat. She tried getting Bell’s attention so she could give her a look that would make her stop. If anyone knew how critical Pat could be, it was Bell. Already she’d questioned Regina a few days prior about Brandon’s rank and if he was planning on moving up or if he was happy where he was.

Over the years and after a lesson well learned with her scumbag ex-husband, Pat had eased up a bit on butting into her siblings affairs, but she could still be quick to judge. Regina was in no mood to hear her take on Brandon allegedly taking advantage of Sofia—no matter how long ago it was. She’d enjoyed riling Pat in the past with Ricardo the beach bum, but this was Brandon. She’d be damned if she would let Pat speak badly of him.

Unfortunately, Bell was too busy slicing pie to catch Regina’s pleading expression. “Regina’s Brandon and Sofie had a thing once upon a time.” Bell said, handing Pat a plate with a slice.

“What Sofie?” Pat took the pie but peered at Regina.

“Alex’s sister,” Bell said, handing Regina a slice.

“It wasn’t a thing,” Regina reminded Bell, knowing full well she was now sounding defensive, but she didn’t care. This entire topic was beyond annoying.

“Wait,” Pat said. “Sofie and Brandon? When? How long ago was this?” She turned to Bell with a frown. “I thought Sofia and Eric were one of those couples that have been together since childhood?”

Once again, the reminder that Brandon had been the only one to tempt Sofia ever, not to mention the fact that he’d refused to stay away from her—even took a beating for her—was not helping Regina’s growing insecurities. She’d now have to deal with seeing them react to one another every time her sister had something where all the Morenos were invited, and that happened a lot. There was no question now that Brandon was an equally significant part of Sofia’s past as she was in his.

Even though this subject had made her lose her appetite, Regina ate quickly. She was so over talking about this that all she wanted to do now was leave.

“This was a long time ago,” Bell explained, “before Sofie and Eric got married. Brandon grew up in the same neighborhood, so she’d known them both just as long.”

Of course Pat pressed on as Regina continued to inhale her slice of pie. “So Eric and Sofie weren’t always together? She was with Brandon before Eric?”

Regina pushed her chair back, unwilling to hear more about Brandon and Sofia’s longtime relationship. It obviously ran far deeper than Brandon had made it sound. She stood up, picking up her coffee cup. “I gotta go.”

Bell looked up at her, instantly apologetic. “Oh, honey, I hope you’re not upset. I didn’t mean to—”

“Upset about what?” Pat asked. “If it was that long ago, what does it matter?”

“It doesn’t,” Regina said, trying to sound as assuring as she could. Then she forced a smile, glancing back at Bell. “And I’m not upset. I just have to go. I didn’t realize how late it was.”

She knew Pat well enough to know she wouldn’t be letting this go. They could talk all they wanted about Brandon and Sofia when she left, but Regina didn’t want to hear another word about it.

The whole way home she replayed everything that had been said. Then she replayed the conversation that had begun to escalate between her and Brandon on their way home from the baptismal party, before they were interrupted by Pat’s call. All week she’d pushed it to the back of her head, slowly convincing herself she didn’t have to continue that conversation ever.

Now she wanted the truth. The whole truth. She believed Brandon when he said he loved her. She felt it in the way he looked at her, held her, and kissed her. But after today’s revelations, she just needed something that would confirm he was completely over Sofia, because now she wasn’t so sure Sofia was over him.

Brandon grew up in the same neighborhood, so she knew them both just as long.

Was it possible Sofia had grown up torn between Brandon and Eric? Could seeing him after all these years have reawakened feelings from the past? Had she actually followed Regina into Bell’s house that day so she could try to find out more about her and Brandon? Shaking her head, Regina decided that was crazy. But she knew herself all too well. This would fester away inside her if she didn’t at the very least finish that conversation she and Brandon had started after the gathering. What had him so worked up that day? There was only one way to find out. She’d ask him.