She stood there in the closet for a few moments longer, trying to collect her thoughts. This wasn’t what she wanted. She hated she was causing trouble. Picking up her bag, she placed the last few pieces of her belongings into it, before she left the closet, heading to the bathroom.
As she was quickly gathering up the last few items belonging to her, she heard her bedroom door opening once more. She turned and walked out of the bathroom, expecting to find Dylan, but instead found Sean standing there.
Brook stopped dead in her tracks, having no clue what to say or do now.
“I knocked,” Sean said, glancing towards the door before he took a step further into the room. “But there was no answer.”
“That’s okay,” Brook replied, giving him a tight smile. “This is your home.”
“Yes,” he replied, giving her a smile that said he was as uncomfortable with the whole situation as she was. He looked at the bed, before he looked back at Brook, holding his hand out towards the bed. “May I?”
“Certainly,” she nodded, knowing that as this was his home, he didn’t need her permission to sit down.
“Would you like to sit too?” He asked, giving her a pleading look. Her instinct was to remain standing. She didn’t feel comfortable with Sean, and now she had a good reason. She’d known from the moment she met him that he wasn’t happy about her being there. But he was Dylan’s father, and she wanted to believe he was a good guy too. “I promise, I don’t bite, even if I look like I do.”
Brook released a long breath, before she walked to the bed, sitting down next to Sean.
“I owe you an apology,” Sean began without looking at Brook. Instead, he just stared ahead. “You are a guest in my home, and I should never have made you feel so uncomfortable.”
“It’s your home,” Brook replied, stealing a glance at him before she too returned her focus ahead of her.
“It is,” Sean nodded. “But it doesn’t mean I’m right.”
Brook looked at Sean, surprised by his comment.
“Do you know my dad was a cop?” Sean continued, once more surprising Brook with his change of direction. “As was my grandfather before him. So were my two brothers.”
“I didn’t know that,” Brook replied giving him another sideways glance.
“Yeah,” Sean nodded, still looking ahead. “Four generations of cops in my family. The day Liam graduated from the academy was probably the proudest day of my life. Don’t get me wrong. I love all of my sons equally, and I’m so proud of the men they’ve become — each one of them. But I’ll admit, seeing Liam wearing his blues. I felt like I had passed the tradition on. Probably for the last time.”
He stopped for a moment, and Brook had no clue what she should say, or even do.
“But today; today, I don’t feel so proud,” Sean sighed, finally looking at Brook. “To me being a cop is supposed to be about upholding the law. It is never about being above it.”
Brook stared at him, silently waiting for him to continue speaking.
“The truth is,” he continued with a sigh. “In the beginning, I didn’t want to believe that a cop could have done these things that have been done to you. Just like I didn’t want to believe that others stood by and let him get away with it. But Dylan never doubted you. Neither did Liam. So, what does that say about me? When he started hitting you; when you called for help, I was his Commissioner. They were my men who covered for him; who let this happen. And I guess having you here reminds me that I failed at my job.”
“But you didn’t,” Brook said, giving him a nervous smile. “You were their boss, but you are not responsible for what they did. They did that on their own. My dad always said that the most important job he had was being my father. He says that how a person acts are a reflection of their father. Look at your sons. They are all good, decent men, who stick up for people even when it’s hard to do. I think you didn’t fail at your job at all.”
“Thank you for saying that, Brook,” Sean sighed, giving her a genuine smile.
“I’m only telling you the truth,” Brook replied, returning his smile. She didn’t know why, but for some reason, she liked Sean Murphy. Despite her first impression, she could tell he was a good man. She could see part of Dylan, Liam, and Landen in him. “Besides, the thing is, Warren was very good at fooling people, including me. The first time he hit me, I knew in my heart I should have run, but he was so convincing. He cried and swore to me that it would never happen again.”
“But it did,” Sean sighed, giving her a sad smile.
“Yeah,” Brook nodded, then released a long breath. “And that time I did leave him. I went back to Seattle to my dad, but I never told my Dad what happened, at least not then. Warren followed me. He pleaded with me to come back. I knew it was a mistake, but he was just so good at getting into your head.”
“Men like him usually are,” Sean replied, giving her a sad smile.
“That’s very true,” Brook sighed smiling at him once more.
“For what it’s worth,” Sean continued. “If I’d have known back then, about what he was doing, or about the fact my other officers were covering it up, I would have put a stop to it. I would have made sure his ass was thrown in jail, and the others, they would have been gone too. There was no place in my police force for men like them.”
“I know you would have,” Brook smiled, wishing she had known this man a long time ago. “Because you’re one of the good guys.”
Sean smiled, but before he could answer, a sound from the door, made them both look up in unison.
Brook smiled when she saw Dylan standing at the door, his bag in his hand.
“He’s a pain in the ass,” Dylan said, giving them a cautious smile. “But you’re right, he’s one of the good guys too.”
“So I can see,” Brook replied, her smile widening, but when she looked at Sean, the look on his face surprised her.
“Why have you got your bag, Son?” Sean asked, giving Dylan a questioning look, and Brook could feel the atmosphere instantly change in the room.
“I’m going to take Brook to stay at my house,” Dylan said, looking at his father in the eye before he glanced at Brook.
“I don’t understand,” Sean said, standing up from the bed. “Why would you do that? When you go back to work, she will be alone for long periods every day. She’s still recovering, so she needs people around her.”
“I know she does,” Dylan replied, looking more than a little bit uncertain. “But Brook doesn’t want to stay here now, and I’m not letting her go to stay in a hotel. So going to my house seems like the best option.”
Brook could feel her face burn with embarrassment; she didn’t want to be the reason that Dylan and his father were at odds once more. As much as she knew Dylan was doing the right thing, she liked Sean and didn’t want him hurt either.
“But it makes more sense for her to stay here,” Sean reasoned.
“Maybe,” Dylan shrugged. “But Brook wants to leave, and I need to respect her wishes.”
“This is because of me,” Sean said, turning to look at Brook, a look of unhappiness etched across his face. “Because of what I said downstairs.”
“I…I just don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable,” Brook said, wishing she could close her eyes and just disappear. “In fact, I think the best place for me to go is back to the hotel.”
“What?” Dylan exclaimed, turning to look at her. “No! I don’t want you in some hotel room by yourself. I want you to be somewhere that you’re comfortable; somewhere you can feel like you’re at home.”
“Dylan, I’ve been on my own for almost two years now,” Brook tried to reason with him. “I’m used to my own company, and my own space. Besides, your dad is right. This is my fight with Warren, and with the others. I shouldn’t ask you to get involved. The police force is such a huge part of this family. I can’t ask you to take sides.”
“You’re not asking me, Brook,” Dylan replied. “I chose to. As your doctor, as your
friend, and as someone who cares a great deal about you. This isn’t about taking sides. This is about right and wrong, and what they did, or didn’t do, is wrong.”
“Dylan is right,” Sean said, surprising Brook. “And so are you. The police force is a huge part of this family. It is something I want us to be proud of, but I can’t be proud of officers who let someone think they are above others. Above the law. That being said, this is more than that. This family is more important to me than anything else in the world, including the SFPD. And right now, you are part of this family. So please, don’t leave. We want you to stay here. I want you to stay here, so we, as a family, can protect you, and make sure this animal pays for what he did.”
Brook stared at Sean for a moment. Part of her wanted to say yes. She would have been lying if she didn’t admit that feeling like being part of a family again was something she didn’t long for; she did. She hated feeling so alone in the world. But part of her, the part of her that had kept her safe for the last two years, was screaming at her to say no; to take her bag and just go.
She pushed up from the bed, having no clue what she should do for the best. She looked at Dylan, giving him a warm smile.
“It’s up to you,” Dylan said, slowly walking towards her, then reaching for her hand once he reached her. “If you want to go stay in at my house, we can go. If you want to stay here, then I will help you unpack once more. But please don’t ask me to take you to the hotel and leave you there alone. I can’t do that.”
She stared up at him, knowing that the right thing to do was to leave, take herself back to the hotel. It was what she knew. But something stopped her. Something deep down inside whispered. ‘What if you don’t have to do this alone? What if he is the one?’
Brook smiled before she turned to look at Sean.
“Can you promise me that me being here isn’t making life for your family too complicated?” Brook said, giving him a worried look.
“I think this is exactly where you belong, Sweetie,” Sean said, giving her a smile before he turned to Dylan. “Right now, this is where you both belong.”
“Does that mean you’re going to stay?” Dylan asked, giving her a hopeful look.
“I guess it does,” Brook replied, giving him a broad smile. “If that’s okay?”
“It’s more than okay,” Dylan replied, returning her smile, before kissing her softly on the lips.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Sean said, giving them both a knowing grin. “I’ll go down and tell your mother that you’re staying, assuming she’s talking to me now.”
Brook smiled as she walked towards, Sean. When she reached him, she leaned up, kissing him softly on the cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up into his eyes.
“No, Brook,” he said, kissing her softly on the forehead. “Thank you.”
He then softly patted Dylan on the arm, before he turned, walking out of the room, leaving Dylan and Brook alone.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asked, turning his attention back to Brook.
“Yes,” she replied, and to Brook’s surprise, she was telling the truth. She was okay. For the first time in the longest time, she was really and truly okay.
In fact, it was more than that. She was happy.
She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips.
“Thank you,” she breathed against his mouth.
“What for?” He whispered back.
“For being you,” she replied before she kissed him once more.
“I’ve got an idea,” Dylan said as Brook emerged from the closet once more, almost killing her with fright. Dylan had tried to insist that he would unpack for her, just like he’d said he would, but Brook wasn’t having it. Instead, she insisted he go do his own unpacking. She’d been so busy hanging up the handful of clothes she had in her bag; she hadn’t heard Dylan returning to the room, so she wasn’t expecting to see him sitting on the end of her bed.
“Jesus, Dylan!” She exclaimed, then laughed. “You almost killed me with fright.”
“I’m sorry,” he clucked, as he climbed up from the bed, closing the distance between them, quickly taking her in his arms.
It was still strange to Brook how tactile and caring Dylan was with her. The only time Warren had touched her was either when he was hitting her, or if he wanted sex. Near the end of their marriage, the two things weren’t necessarily exclusive from the other.
Brook tried to push the memories of how Warren used to force himself on her, and take what he wanted. She would try to fight him, but in the end, sometimes it was easier to close her eyes and pretend it wasn’t happening.
She looked up at Dylan, forcing a smile on her face.
“What were you thinking?” She asked, looking up into his beautiful eyes.
“Oh yes,” Dylan said, giving her a big smile. “I was thinking. You packed a bag for a few days when you came here.”
“I did,” Brook replied, having no clue where he was going with this.
“Well,” Dylan continued. “I thought I could take you shopping. I mean, you’re going to be here for a few more weeks, maybe even longer I hope. You’re going to need some more things to keep you going. So, I thought that maybe we could go shopping, then maybe we could stop and have dinner somewhere.”
“You want to take me shopping?” Brook asked, surprised by his request.
“I do,” he replied with a big grin.
“You don’t have to…” she began to say, shaking her head, but Dylan stopped her with a soft kiss on the lips.
“I know I don’t have to,” he finally said, as he slowly pulled his lips from her. “But I want to. Please, don’t overthink this.”
“Okay,” she replied, smiling at him, pushing all her stupid doubts and insecurities back down inside her. Dylan wanted to do a nice thing, that’s all it was.
“Good,” he replied, kissing her on the forehead. “Then get ready. We can leave in thirty minutes. I’ll just let my mom know we won’t be here for dinner tonight.
“Okay,” Brook replied before Dylan hurried out of the room. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Brook released a long breath, before she flopped back onto the bed.
Don’t overthink this, Brook! She scolded herself in her head. He’s one of the good guys, remember that!
Chapter 21
Dylan pulled his mother’s car to a stop outside the house. He switched off the engine before he turned to look at Brook. As she turned to him, he gave her a bright smile.
“This evening was amazing,” Brook said, giving him a tired smile in return. “Thank you so much. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.”
“It was my pleasure,” Dylan said, reaching out, picking up her hand, before bringing it to his lips. “It’s good to see you smile. It doesn’t happen nearly enough.”
Brook smiled once more, but she didn’t reply. Dylan would have loved to have known what was going through her mind at that very moment.
“We should get you inside,” he said giving her another smile. “You must be exhausted.”
“I am,” Brook replied, yawning suddenly. “It’s been a long day.”
“But you’re okay, right?” Dylan asked, giving her a worried look. “I mean, after everything that happened today. Are you okay with being here? Because if you’re not, we can still go to my house.”
“I know,” she replied, giving him another tired smile. “But I promise. I’m fine here. As long as it’s not causing any more trouble.”
“You could never cause trouble, so stop worrying,” he assured her before he reached for the handle of the car door.
They both climbed from the car, making their way up the steps to the front door. When they reached the top, Dylan pulled his keys from his pocket, slipping them into the lock. But instead of opening it, he turned to Brook, giving her smile before he leaned into her, kissing her softly on the lips.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” He asked, looking down into her eyes. “You
really are simply breath-taking.” He leaned in to kiss her again, but suddenly the door opened, and Brook instantly jumped back.
“I thought I heard the car,” Nell said, greeting Dylan and Brook with a broad smile. “How was your evening?”
“It was amazing,” Brook replied, with a genuinely happy smile of her face, even though her face was now flushed with embarrassment. “But now I’m so tired.”
“You must be,” Nell sighed, giving her another smile, as she reached up and tenderly rubbed her arm. “You’ve had a long, emotional day, Sweetheart.”
“Hey Mom,” Dylan said as he stepped forward and softly kissed her cheek, before he turned, heading back to the car.
“Where are you going?” Nell asked, giving him a worried look.
“Nowhere,” Dylan replied with a huge smile. “I need to get Brooks bags from the trunk. We’ve been shopping up a storm. I want to get them up into her room for her; then she can get some rest.”
“Okay, Sweetheart,” Nell replied, as she linked Brook’s arm, before leading her into the house. Dylan smiled to himself, as he picked up all the bags from the car. He liked that Brook seemed happier tonight. He could see she was relaxing, and even letting her guard down a little.
That said, when he insisted on paying for her new clothes, Brook was less than thrilled, and for a moment, Dylan thought he might have even crossed a line. Brook was so determined to look after herself, but Dylan explained this was something he wanted to do for her. She eventually agreed under one condition. He let her pay for their dinner.
Dylan, of course, didn’t want her to do it, but agreed in the end, just to keep Brook happy. He loved that she was so fiercely independent, but sometimes he wished she would let him do more.
Once he’d grabbed all the bags, he slammed the car closed, before he headed into the house too, heading straight for the stairs.
“Dylan!” Nell called from the doorway to the living room, stopping him in his tracks. “She’s gone up ahead.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Dylan replied, turning back to the stairs, but once more she stopped him before he made it more than a couple of steps.
Dylan (The Murphy Series Book 5) Page 20
