Kellie and Brad Ch. 09

"I believe Jen's right," replied Amber. "There can't be any other explanation."

"I certainly don't blame you for being angry," Heather said as she approached her skip. "I still despise Anita for what she put me through, and what she did to you was far, far worse. So I can't blame you for lashing out at Brad. But Jen and Amber may be right. At the very least, you should try and find out the whole truth before doing anything else."

"How do I do that?" Kellie asked.

"Glenn's working late tonight," Jennifer answered. "Heather and I saw him on our way in. You should talk to him."

"Yeah, that's right," Heather remembered. "Said he was meeting someone from the board of directors tonight. Can't remember which one, though."

"Well, I might just have to go and interrupt that meeting." Kellie smiled, but it was a weary smile with a look of resignation to it. "We didn't get anything constructive done in this practice, but that's my fault. We'll reconvene on Monday and I promise I'll be better. OK?" Her teammates all agreed to this plan.

"In the meantime, thanks again for listening and being there for me. I don't know what I'd do without you girls." She hugged each of her friends in turn and they each told her she was glad to help.

"So if you find out he was right will you still be angry at Brad?" Amber asked.

"Still to be determined," Kellie said with a smirk. "He's not out of the woods yet!"

Jennifer, Heather and Amber all wished her luck and bade her goodbye. Kellie strode briskly and with purpose, making her way to Glenn's office. She knocked on the closed door to announce her arrival and, instead of waiting for an answer, she opened it and stepped inside.

Glenn looked momentarily startled but recovered his composure quickly. "Hello Kellie!" he beamed. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Kellie was about to tell him to cut the crap until she felt another set of eyes on her. Remembering what her friends told her, she turned her head to see the woman sitting across from Glenn, presumably from the board of directors. She looked dignified and carried herself well, but something about her physical appearance, familiar but at the same time not, and the way she was appraising her left Kellie unnerved.

"You must be Kellie Ferguson," the woman said.

"Kellie Galenchuk. Brad is my husband. Ferguson is my maiden name."

"Right, yes, of course. Please excuse my error in decorum," the woman apologized, though she didn't really look that apologetic. She approached Kellie and studied her some more. "You're wondering why I look so familiar even though we've never met before."

"You seem to know a lot about me for someone who's never met me before."

"I make it my business to know things about people that are involved in some way with either this club or my family. You, my dear, happen to be involved with both."

"I don't understand."

"Then allow me to introduce myself." The woman shook Kellie's hand and said "My name is Colleen Morriss."

Kellie recoiled in horror. "You mean, you are..."

"Anita's mother? I most certainly am. And right about now I bet you're wondering how someone like me can raise such a bitch for a daughter."

Kellie could only nod in agreement. In spite of the discomfort of the situation she felt some grudging respect for this woman. After all, Colleen had her sussed out pretty well.

Glenn cleared his throat, increasingly nervous over the direction this discussion was taking. The two women, momentarily forgetting he was even in the room, suddenly looked his way.

"Maybe I... uh," Glenn spoke nervously, stumbling over his words, "I think I... should be going."

Colleen gave him a pleasant enough, if slightly curt, nod. "That's fine. I think we were just about done anyway. Thank you, I'll call you if I think of anything else."

Glenn nodded at both women and left. Before Kellie could react, Colleen took her seat at Glenn's desk, assuming the power role in the exchange. More than a little miffed, she took her place across from her.

"Now, where were we?" Colleen asked rhetorically. "Ah yes, we were about to discuss how my daughter used to behave like a bitch."

"She doesn't just behave like one, she IS one!" Kellie retorted.

Colleen absorbed the verbal jab without flinching. "Kellie, I'm not unreasonable, and I'm certainly not stupid. Anita never told me directly what she did to you, but I heard all about it through the grapevine and had the story verified by multiple people, all of whom I trust. Her behaviour was reprehensible. I would never condone anything like that. I told her that at the time, in no uncertain terms, and I tried to make her realize how wrong she was. Unfortunately, she was in too deep in her downward spiral, and she couldn't be reasoned with.

"But something changed her. Something happened to her after she gave birth to her son, while she ran away from home. She told me the whole story and didn't hold anything back. And I believe she told me the whole truth, I believe that with every fibre of my body. She's a different person now, a better person. I love my daughter and always have, no matter what she did or may have done in the past. But trust me, I wouldn't stick my neck out for her like I am now if I didn't think she deserved it and if I didn't think she could live up to it."

Kellie was not convinced. "Colleen, I guess I'm just different than you. I don't believe people ever really change. Anita is what she is at this point. You believe she's changed... maybe she even believes it too. But I believe it's only a matter of time before her true nature comes out, and I fear for anyone who gets in her way. Most of all I fear for myself, because I'm convinced she'll make another attempt to seduce my husband. I know it will probably upset you to hear that, but I can't help how I feel, and I haven't seen or heard anything to make me think I should change my mind. Surely you can understand that. Besides, you can't help but be biased because she's your daughter."

"Do you have children of your own, Kellie?"

"Yes I do. A son and a daughter."

"And you love your children, and you'd do anything for them, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, of course!"

"I'm no different. I'm a mother, just like you. Anita's my daughter, I love her and I'd do anything for her. That's all I'm doing. Think of me what you will, but that's all I'm doing!"

Kellie sighed. Colleen was right, of course, but it didn't change her mind or improve her mood. She tried a different tactic.

"Colleen, I still don't understand how you think you can just get away with this without being called on it. I understand you're on the board of directors and all, but I still don't see what gives you the right to tell Glenn and my husband how to do their jobs."

"Kellie, let me answer your question with a question. How much do you know about the history of the Blue Granite?"

Kellie became quiet and pensive, partly because she hadn't fully expected this question, but mostly because she was embarrassed at her lack of knowledge about the club's history, and how Colleen would almost surely use that to gain further advantage in this confrontation.

"Not as much as I'd like," she said, couching her words.

"Well, I know all about it," Colleen said with conviction, "because it's very personal to me. My great-grandfather helped build this club, and I mean that literally. He was one of several strong and determined men who laid the foundation for this club, brick by brick! My grandfather steered it through two World Wars, and my father helped lead it into the modern era. All of them made this great club what it is today, and since my father stepped down I've done everything I could behind the scenes to make sure this club continued to earn the great status and reputation that was created through the blood, sweat and tears of my forbearers!"

She ended her speech with a proud smile and not a little bit of emotion in her voice. "If that doesn't give me a bit of stroke around here, I don't know what does!"

Kellie was speechless. She racked her brain, certain there was something else she needed to know but unable to remember what it was. She shook her head slightly, frustrated at both her forgetfulness and at how easily the woman across from her had swatted away her arguments.

Colleen made a point of checking her watch. "Oh, look at the time," she said. "As much as I've enjoyed our conversation, I really should get going."

"Wait!" Kellie blurted out, suddenly remembering what she wanted to say. "One more thing."

"OK," said Colleen. "What is it?"

"If my husband, or Glenn, or both of them said no to you, would they have been fired?"

Colleen paused for a moment before speaking. "Kellie, Glenn and Brad are intelligent, reasonable men. They understand it's important to fight for what they believe in, but they also understand when discretion is the better part of valour. But I never directly threatened to fire either of them, if that's what you're asking."

"But you never said you wouldn't."

"Well... let's just say I presented my argument in such a way that everyone understood agreeing to my plan was in the best interests of all concerned."

With that, she gathered her things and started to walk away before stopping at the office door. She turned to Kellie and looked at her for a moment before deciding to say one last thing in an attempt to end the encounter on a more positive note.

"I like you, Kellie. You're a great and talented curler, a strong and committed leader, and an asset to this club as one of its most prominent members. And you seem like a genuinely good person, someone who is honest, smart and reasonable. I hope you can get past your anger with my daughter and give her a chance to prove that she has changed her ways. And maybe we could also get to know each other better and be friends. I would really like that."

Kellie watched Colleen walk away. She was struck by the force of the elder woman's personality. It didn't mean that she would fully accept Anita's new role at the curling club and in Brad's working life. Nothing could ever make her accept that. But knowing what she knew now about Colleen made her wonder if Brad was more correct about being forced into this decision than she had previously been willing to admit.

If nothing else, Colleen gave Kellie a lot to think about.

**********

This was an unexpected development.

Brad was returning home that Friday evening, happy to be done with another work week but still nervous about being around Kellie for the weekend, especially if her mood hadn't improved.

The night he told her of Anita's hiring went worse than even he thought it would. It was the biggest and most bitter fight the two ever had. Last night she gave him the silent treatment in the few minutes she was home before going to the curling club to practice with her teammates. This morning, he awoke to an empty house, as Kellie had to leave early for a session with a client at the health club where she was employed and had to take the kids to the on-site day care facility so they could be properly looked after. That gave him no chance to properly explain himself to her. It was eating away at him that he couldn't break through her armor of anger but he was at a loss at what to do about it.

As he rounded the street corner with his home in view he was surprised to see two extra vehicles in the driveway, the minivan belonging to his parents, and Linda and Victor's car. It was always good to see them but he wasn't expecting them to visit this weekend. He wondered what it meant.

"Daddy!" E.J. and Kaitlyn squealed with glee when Brad opened the front door.

"Hey kids!" Brad smiled and tightly hugged both of his children.

"Guess what, Dad?!" E.J. said excitedly. "Nana and Papa and Auntie Lin and Uncle V are all here! They're taking Kaity and I to see a movie and then for ice cream!" The young boy's words came out in a breathless rush and Brad couldn't help but laugh and be caught up in his enthusiasm.

"Well you both have a good time and make sure you thank them for being so nice to you!" he kindly instructed. Both E.J. and Kaity promised they would and ran away giggling. Brad smiled at the sight and followed his kids to the living room, where his parents and his de facto in-laws had gathered. He gave hugs to his mom and Linda and firm handshakes to his dad and Victor.

"It's great to see all of you," he said, "but I didn't know you were coming. What's the occasion?"

They all looked at each other for a moment which confused Brad further. His mother finally replied, "We'll let Kellie explain it to you."

"Uh... OK. Where is she?"

"She's in the shower," Linda said. "She'll be out in a few minutes."

The adults talked briefly before both sets of grandparents gathered up E.J. and Kaitlyn to get them ready for their big night out. Brad waved goodbye and watched everyone pile into his parents' minivan. He retired to the bedroom where he shed his work clothes. He pulled on an old pair of jeans and was just about to throw on a shirt when he heard a soft female voice clearing her throat.

He turned to see Kellie standing at the doorway, wrapped up in a thick, plush bathrobe, drying her black hair with a bath towel. She nervously smiled at him. He returned her smile with an equally nervous one of his own.

"Hi Brad," she whispered.

"Hi Kellie," he whispered back.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"OK." Brad didn't know what to do with himself so he remained motionless. He watched Kellie deposit her towel in the hamper, slowly close the distance between them and take a moment to collect herself and her thoughts.

"I talked to Anita's mother, Colleen, last night," she said.

Brad arched his eyebrow, intrigued by Kellie's statement. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said, and smiled. "She's quite the VIP around the Blue Granite."

He let out a short, surprised laugh. "So I've heard. What's she like?"

"Not quite what I expected. She's calm and pleasant..."

"Not like her daughter?" Brad asked playfully.

Kellie, recognizing his game, smirked. "No. Not like her daughter. But they do share some similarities."

"Oh? Such as?"

"She's very strong-willed and persuasive. And while her approach may be different, she usually gets what she wants."

Brad realized that Kellie was trying to muster up enough courage to apologize to him. He remained quiet, not willing to do or say anything to get her off track. He was patient, figuring she'd get around to saying it in due time. Besides, he appreciated the effort, and he found her nervousness very sweet and endearing.

Kellie took a deep breath and said, "I learned a lot about Colleen after our talk. Besides what I already said, she's very perceptive. She commands respect without necessarily demanding it. She takes a lot of pride in the club, in herself and in her family. Despite what I think about her daughter, she clearly loves her and would do anything for her. And from all that, I learned something else."

She bowed her head, too nervous to look at Brad. He softly traced lines on her shoulder with his fingers, silently encouraging her to continue.

Another deep breath.

"I learned you were right. I learned you really did have no reasonable choice but to agree to hire Anita. I learned I was too hasty to judge you, and I learned I let my anger get the best of me and didn't give you a chance to tell me everything you needed to say."

She meant to say her piece sincerely yet calmly, and so far she had. But now, right at the end, with the most important words yet to say, her emotions burst through and she started crying. "I'm sorry," was all she could say before she buried her head in his chest and let the tears flow.

He held her tight, kissed the top of her head gently and stroked her back, letting her get it all out of her system. When she stopped, he took a step back so they could see each other. He kissed her gently and whispered, "I forgive you. And, I'm sorry for what I..."

She silenced him with a finger on his lips. "No, it's OK. You have nothing to apologize for."

"I'm not so sure about that. But... thank you."

Kellie smiled and blushed, still somewhat embarrassed at her behaviour. But she knew that Brad's forgiveness, simply offered and without conditions, would help her to forget that embarrassment. Every time she thought she couldn't love him any more than she already did, he did something to prove her wrong. Tonight was no exception, and, once again, her heart ached for him.

"I want you," she told him softly.

His blue eyes lit up with passion. "I want you too."

She undid her robe and let it fall to the floor. He sighed in pleasure at the sight of her beautiful bare body and the scent of her clean freshness. She grabbed his wrists and put his hands on her ass with a resounding slap. He growled in approval. She smiled and assumed what was by now a comfortable role for her.

"Punish me, Master," she said seductively. "Teach your pet a lesson for being so naughty!"

He did nothing of the sort. "No," he said, shaking his head.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

Brad cradled her head in his hands; his searching eyes found hers and zeroed in on them. "Thank you for offering yourself in that way. You know how much I love it, but tonight it's not what I need, and it's not what you need either."

"I... I don't understand."

"Then allow me to make it clear for you. Tonight, I want there to be no games, no roles, no anything else to get in our way. Tonight, all I want is you."

Kellie quivered and bit her lower lip. Tears spilled down her face again. Brad kissed each of them away, tasting their salty essence. They both smiled and relished the chance to be intimate with each other, to reconnect in that special way after such a difficult couple of days.

"Love me, Brad," she whispered.

Brad kissed Kellie with tenderness, and she gratefully reciprocated. They poured everything they had, every bit of themselves, into the kiss.

He caressed and patted her butt, and with that she instinctively knew what he wanted. She laid down on their bed, opening herself to him in mind, body and spirit. He unconsciously licked his lips as he saw her arousal, both in her eyes and between her shapely legs. He removed his jeans and kicked them away. She purred and felt herself moisten at the sight of his hardness.

Brad crawled on the bed and took another moment to drink in Kellie's beauty. He softly trailed one hand across her inner thigh; she sighed at the gentle, pleasurable touch.

"I'm ready for you, baby," she said, her voice little more than a feathery, sexy breath. The sound washed over him and caused his granite-hard erection to leap and twitch. He took hold of it and guided the tip to her pink feminine entrance. Slowly, almost agonizingly so, he inched forward, burying himself inside her, surrounding himself in her tight, hot, silky channel. She arched her back and groaned in bliss as he bottomed out inside her.

Brad made sweet, sweet love to Kellie with long, languid strokes. He was on sensory overload, brought there by the love of his life. Whether it was the sight of her nude body, alluringly lithe and curvy in all the right places, the feel of both her soft skin and of her liquid heat snugly molded around his manhood, the sound of her whimpers and moans of joy, the restrained scent of her body wash mixed with the heady aroma of her flowing juices, or the taste of her lips he'd get as he bent forward to kiss her... he took it all in and more, and it still wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

Tonight, however, instead of using that yearning to fuel his own desires, he held himself in check to ensure he gave her what she needed; for him to warmly express his love for her and prove that his forgiveness of her was absolute.