Fragile Read online

  Fragile

  Billie Parsons

  Contents

  A Bradshaw Brothers Novel

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Prologue

  Jackson

  1. Jackson

  2. Emma

  3. Jackson

  4. Emma

  5. Jackson

  6. Emma

  7. Jackson

  8. Emma

  9. Jackson

  10. Emma

  11. Jackson

  12. Jackson

  13. Emma

  14. Emma

  15. Jackson

  16. Emma

  17. Jackson

  18. Emma

  19. Emma

  20. Jackson

  21. Emma

  22. Emma

  23. Emma

  24. Emma

  25. Jackson

  26. Emma

  27. Jackson

  28. Emma

  29. Jackson

  Four days until the fight

  Three days until the fight

  Two days until the fight

  One day until the fight

  30. Emma

  31. Jackson

  Fight Day

  32. Jackson

  33. Emma

  34. Jackson

  35. Emma

  36. Jackson

  37. Emma

  38. Jackson

  39. Jackson

  40. Emma

  41. Jackson

  42. Emma

  43. Emma

  44. Jackson

  45. Emma

  46. Jackson

  47. Emma

  48. Emma

  49. Emma

  50. Jackson

  51. Jackson

  52. Emma

  53. Jackson

  54. Emma

  55. Jackson

  56. Emma

  57. Jackson

  58. Emma

  59. Jackson

  60. Emma

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peak

  Maxwell

  Did you enjoy Fragile?

  Coming Winter 2020

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Want to interact with Billie?

  A Bradshaw Brothers Novel

  Fragile

  A Bradshaw Brothers Novel Book One

  Billie Parsons

  Copyright © 2020

  By Billie Parsons and Parsons Publishing LLC

  ISBN: 978-1-7350433-0-2

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book whether in electronic form or physical book form, may be reproduced, copied, or sold or distributed in any way. That includes electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other form of information sharing, storage or retrieval system without the clear, lawful permission of the author. Except for limited, sharable quotes on social media, or for the sake of a review. There is absolutely no lawful permission permitted to upload a purchased electronic copy of this book to any free book sites. Screen shots of book text or kindle passages are not allowed to be shared on any public social media site without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, incidents and situations resembling reality are purely coincidental and part of the authors imagination.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work may have been used without permission. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Cover design: Kristi Leigh at Vanilla Lily Designs

  Editing: Brikitta H

  Formatting: Ashley Munoz

  Created with Vellum

  For Jenn and my husband.

  I would not have had the guts to do this without you.

  I love you both.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  This book has adult language and scenes. It is only recommended for age 18+

  There is scenes and language that can be triggering to some audiences.

  Prologue

  Emma

  Every day is the same. Get up at four am. Make a smoothie, go for a run, shower, grab a protein bar and drive to the hospital for my shift in the Emergency Room.

  Being a nurse has always been my dream. The adrenaline rush is just a bonus, not that I'm a junkie for it, well maybe a little bit. Moving to Washington from my small hometown in Georgia six years ago was not part of my dream. As how many things go, opportunity knocked, and I answered. Now at twenty-eight years old, I am a full-time nurse at Seattle General; which has one of the biggest and busiest Emergency departments in all the West Coast.

  That's my life. I have two good friends that moved with me all those years ago: Allison, or Ally for short and Samantha, do not call her anything but that; you’re liable to get bitch slapped if you slip up and call her Sam or Sammy. Romance let’s forget about it. Now that I think about it when was the last time I went on a date? Six, no wait seven years ago.

  Damn.

  Jackson

  Getting punched in the face four times in a row by probably one of the biggest guys I have ever seen hurts like a bitch the next morning. Thankfully I have Granny. While she isn't actually my grandmother, she does way more than she should for me, so when I walked into the boardroom this morning to start my weekly check-in with my employees, it didn't look like I got my ass kicked, and I was able to keep my employee’s respect.

  Street fighting is dangerous and illegal. With the strict life I have lived for the past thirty-two years, being a bit rebellious seemed, I don't know, right? Before my parents died when I was sixteen my mother and father; the pushovers that they were; use to always say to keep my hands to myself and use my words when I am upset. Uncle J, my mother's best friend, taught me not only how to throw a punch, but how to take one. After my parents died and my Uncle J left for good, I never had a reason or an inclination to fight. Until recently.

  Being the CEO of a multi-million-dollar software business would normally be overwhelming and too much for most people to handle, but I only hire the best. If I can't personally see to something, Maxwell, my older brother, co-founder, and right-hand bitch finds a way to get it done. The Washington office of Bradshaw Industries was the first one to be opened and is where I do most of my business. Now we have eleven locations in the United States, and two in the United Kingdom.

  Fighting might seem a tad odd as a coping skill and stress reliever, but it's better than doing drugs and over-drinking.

  Chapter One

  Jackson

  Usually, I'm an evening runner. There are fewer people on the paths, the view is better, the air is cleaner, and it is a good way to get some exercise and relieve some stress if I don't have a fight that night. Today is different. After my fight last night with BAD, Big Ass Dude as I'm referring to him as now, I could not sleep. Not because of the pain or humiliation of getting my ass handed to me. No, this is something else that I cannot quite put my finger on. By four AM I still couldn't fall asleep. So I put on a t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants, and my lucky pair of pink sneakers and decide to try and run myself to exhaustion.

  Partway through I see the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. She is beautiful in a conventional sense. No model or superstar. This woman is on the shorter side, definitely shorter than the women I usually go for. She’s not the thinnest woman I've seen either but, she is toned in the right areas. Her hair looks like dark brown silk, and her tanned skin looks so good sweaty that all I can think about is licking the sweat from her body. Not trying to be too obvious, when she stops a little way up the path from me and starts to stretch, I jog up beside her.

  “Hey, need some help?” I ask, looking at her face and not the rest of her gloriously sweat-covered body.

  “No. I'm good thanks,” She refuses.

  “I'm Jackson.” I hold my hand out.

  “Emma.” She ignores my hand.

  Just as I am about to ask her more questions and clearly embarrass myself even more so than I already have, her phone rings.

  “Emma here. How big of an accident? All right be there in twenty.”

  And she was gone without another word to me. I was still shocked by her ‘easy-going-ness’ about some kind of “big accident”, that I didn't even call out to her.

  Chapter Two

  Emma

  Thank goodness for the call. After looking up from a pair of pink running shoes to a face of probably the sexiest, raspiest voice I have ever heard; I saw a very handsome, clearly fit man, but if the black eye and split lip is any indication, he seems like trouble. I caught myself staring a couple of times, and when I realized he had his hand outstretched I had to force myself not to touch him. Just Jackson’s presence made my skin tingle and heat up a few degrees. I know that my parents used to talk about how it was love at first sight with them, I don’t think I would say that is what is happening to me with this stranger but there is some kind of attraction to him. It feels like our bodies are opposite ends of a magnet and we are being slowly pulled to each other.

  Either Jackson was new to this area or he was a new runner because I know I would have recognized him if I'd seen him before, he was already hard to forget.

  Throughout my shift, while covered in blood from one of the patients I was helping after they were part of a four-car pileup on the Interstate; I catch myself thinking about his large stature. His beautifully big hands, how they would feel on my naked body, and his bright blue eyes looking in mine while he comes. Instead of dwelling on why some random man was consumi
ng my each and every thought, I throw myself into my work. I quickly change my scrubs and run to the next bay. A man in a nice suit lays in the bed with a splint on his leg and a banana bag hanging next to him.

  “Hey there, I am Emma and I will be your nurse today. How are you feeling?”

  “I feel like shit, but I’ll make it.” The patient grunts out.

  I can hear a lot of commotion coming from the lobby area of the Emergency Department, but as usual I try and ignore it, until I recognize the raspy voice coming from behind the wall.

  “Someone called me and said that my brother was in a car accident. Now you don’t want to tell me how he is doing. What the hell is this?” Jackson yells at the nurse’s station.

  “Look. Mr. Bradshaw, I am not sure what is going on in there but as soon as I know something, I personally will let you know.” The receptionist tells him.

  Bradshaw? Did she really just say that? I grab the tablet that has our electronic records on it and pull up my patient, and in nice bold font Maxwell E. Bradshaw is listed at the top.

  “I’ll be right back Mr. Bradshaw.” I say as I leave the room, just as the doctor walks in.

  As I walk to the nurse’s station to give an update for Maxwell’s brother all the bells and whistles start going off. I turn to look at what bay is going off and I make eye contact with Jackson for a split moment from across the waiting room, but I have to keep turning and I can feel my heart fall through my stomach when I see that it is Maxwell’s room lighting up.

  Chapter Three

  Jackson

  She saw me. She knows that I am here. She knows that I know she is here.

  I pace the waiting room for almost two hours before the receptionist comes up to me.

  “Mr. Bradshaw?”

  “Yes.” I reply.

  “Please follow me.” She demands.

  “How is he?” I ask.

  “All I know, Mr. Bradshaw, is that your brother is in emergency surgery and that the doctor wanted his family moved to the fourth floor waiting room.” She tells me.

  I follow silently to the elevator and after we stop on the fourth floor, she shows me where to wait and to get coffee.

  “Do you know how long he will be in there?” I ask.

  “No. I’m sorry.” She answers before she leaves.

  Chapter Four

  Emma

  Fourteen Hours Later

  Typically, I would have switched out with a surgical nurse the second we got to the operating room but knowing that this is Jackson’s brother but something made me stay. Now that Maxwell is out of surgery, the surgeon and I walk to the waiting room to talk to his family. When we walk out, I see that Jackson is alone; I wonder to myself where their family is but quickly push those thoughts to the side.

  “Are you the Bradshaw family?” the surgeon asks as we walk up.

  “I am Jackson, Maxwell’s brother.” Jackson says.

  He makes eye contact with me and doesn’t look away.

  “Nurse, I know it is unconventional but please explain everything to the patient’s family and consult me if necessary. I have another patient to get to.” The surgeon says.

  “Jackson. Please have a seat.” I gesture to the bench behind him.

  “You’re a nurse?” Jackson asks

  “Yes I am. Now; Maxwell was in an accident.” I start.

  “Yeah, I know!” Jackson shouts.

  “Mr. Bradshaw was in a multiple car pile-up. He came to the Emergency Department in an ambulance that assessed him on scene; and he was deemed low in triage.” I continue.

  “Emma. Cut to the chase.” Jackson commands.

  “We knew that he had a broken tibia, part of his leg” I clarify. “What we did not know was that he was not wearing his seat belt when he crashed, and his chest was compressed between the steering wheel and his door. When the team got him free several of his ribs were free floating in his body, and one of them lacerated his liver; causing a small but fast bleed. The doctor was able to reset your brother’s leg and he was able to stop the bleeding. Maxwell will be on crutches for at least eight weeks and he will need to follow up with a doctor every couple of weeks while his body heals.” I finish.

  “He will be alright?” Jackson asks.

  “As of right now; everything looks good. You can see him once he is moved to the recovery suite.” I explain. “One more thing. I am not sure if you are aware but your brother was intoxicated when he showed up. On top of his injuries his liver is not doing the best. He needs to quit drinking alcohol.”

  Jackson stands up and lifts me into his arms, hugging me tightly and spinning around.

  “Thank you, Emma. We owe you” Jackson puts my feet back on the floor.

  “You guys don’t owe me anything. Just keep an eye on each other and stay safe.” I say as I walk away.

  Eighteen and a half hours later, I'm pulling myself out of an Uber and dragging my tired, sweaty, smelly body up the three flights of stairs to my apartment.

  “Wow you look like shit, girl,” Ally says.

  Samantha, looks up from one of her fashion magazines just rolls her eyes and states, “long day huh?”

  I just ignore their snide remarks and walk to my room, stripping off my third set of scrubs and throwing them away. The mix of blood, sweat, and vomit just do not mix, and no amount of laundry soap will get that out. I take a steaming hot shower and my thoughts somehow start to drift back to a handsome stranger with bright pink running shoes. I try and snap myself out of it and eventually throw myself face down on my bed and quickly fall asleep, wondering if he will think about me tonight too. .

  Chapter Five

  Jackson

  Another night without sleep.

  This time I know why. That woman I met all those mornings ago, consumes my every late night thought. After she runs off after Maxwell’s surgery, I tell myself that she does not care about me, that my instant attraction and obsession with her is purely one-sided.

  The first time I started to think about her today was at my brother's birthday party at a high-end club with his current fuck buddy and some of our friends from college. I wonder to myself if Emma would ever come to a nightclub like this, drink like this, come and sit by me, whisper in my ear that she thought about me, and let me take her home with me.

  “Brother! Why are you tight-assed this evening? Two hot blondes were just asking you to go home with them and you completely ignored them.” Max asks to break me from my thoughts.

  “It's nothing,” I bark

  “Yeah, sure it is. Don't be such a dick, it's my birthday. I survived the accident and being on crutches for eight weeks is nothing. Your birthday is in a couple of weeks. Perk the fuck up,” Max snickers back