Never Let Go (Brothers From Money Book 9)

by Shanade White

  “When are you leaving for South Africa?”

  “I don’t know for sure, it will take a few days to make the arrangements. I didn’t want to make any plans until I knew you were one hundred percent better, and I can attest to the fact that you are,” he said, tickling her.

  After Brooke got Calvin to stop, she said, “Promise me that this is the last time. I can make it through one more trip, but it’s so hard not to worry, especially when I know that you’re putting yourself in danger.”

  “It’s not really...” Calvin started to say what he always did when she said that, but she put up her hand and stopped him.

  “Don’t say it isn’t because I know it is. Every time you come home, you’re in worse shape than the last time. Please just get this over with and come home quickly,” she said, framing his face with her hands. “I need you here with me.”

  “And that’s exactly where I want to be,” he said, pulling her under him.

  When the day finally arrived for Calvin to leave, Brooke helped him pack a few last minute things, then she sat on the bed and watched him checking his equipment. One of the first things she was going to do once he was gone was to move the bed back upstairs. Spring had changed the forest from a drab brown landscape to a parade of green as the bushes and trees began to wake up for the summer. The flowers would come later, but the burst of green was enough to let them all know that the long winter was over.

  It had been a week since the night that Brooke had made their romantic dinner and they’d spent almost every minute together since then. When they weren’t in bed, they were tromping around in the snow planning the landscaping for the yard. Brooke and Marissa had long ago decided where the garden, barn, and chicken coop would be going, but she also wanted flowers in the yard and on the porches.

  Calvin was glad that she’d have so much to occupy herself while he was gone, it would keep her from worrying too much. He hated that he had to make her worry, but after consulting with Donovan Terrell, who had contacts in South Africa, he decided it was best just to fulfill the contract instead of risking General Santiago trying to harm the family. Donovan had explained that it wouldn’t be all that hard to guard the canyon, but Calvin wanted it over with once and for all. Then he could begin his life with Brooke with nothing hanging over his head.

  Brooke walked him to his truck not wanting to miss a single second with him. When they got there, he opened the door and pulled out a gift bag and handed it to Brooke. “What’s this?” she asked, peeking into the bag.

  “Well, open it and see,” Calvin said, pulling open the top of the bag.

  Brooke reached in and pulled out a satellite phone. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Yep, I got one for you and one for me. Now we’ll be able to talk to each other every day. I should have gotten one a long time ago,” Calvin said, pulling his phone out of the truck. “Cooper is going to come over tomorrow and show you how to use it.”

  Brooke threw her arms around Calvin. “Thank you, Calvin. This means so much, the hardest part of waiting is not being able to talk to you.”

  “Now we can talk every day, even when I’m deep in the jungle,” Calvin said, taking advantage the opportunity for one more kiss.

  When he finally drove down the road, Brooke was holding the tears in with everything she had, but she’d barely had time to get in the house before she heard a truck pull into the yard. When she looked out the window, it was to see Marissa jump out of the truck, Paige not far behind her. Brooke met them at the door and they took turns hugging, then Marissa gave Brooke a questioning look.

  “I’m either here to let you cry on my shoulder or to distract you,” Marissa said, waiting for Brooke to answer.

  Brooke thought about that for a second then said, “I think I’ll save the crying for later, let’s go with distraction.”

  “Oh, good. I like distraction better,” Paige said, then added, “Especially when it comes with Margret’s coffee cake,” holding the bag in her hand up for them to see.

  Prepared as always, Marissa had the blueprints for the barn and chicken coop, a stack of seed catalogs, and a list of local farmers who would be willing to sell them the livestock they wanted. There were still lots of decisions to be made, not to mention all the things they needed to purchase for the house. It took most of the day to work their way through the stack of work that Marissa had brought, but by the end of the day Brooke felt much better, her mind more focused on the job in front of her than Calvin’s absence.

  Best of all, they’d all decided that a shopping trip was in order and they were going all the way to L.A. to do it. Brooke hadn’t spent any time there when she’d come to Coldwater Canyon and she was looking forward to the trip; even better, she’d be going with Marissa and Paige, a real girls weekend. Equally exciting was the fact that she had a bank account full of money to spend thanks to the generous salary the canyon paid her.

  It took her two days to compile her shopping lists, the chance to shop in the city didn’t come along that often, and with the farm house, the new barn, the yard, and the addition of animals, there was a lot to buy. Marissa and Paige too had lists of supplies that they needed plus Paige wanted to stop by the university while they were there, so they’d decided to stay for several days including an entire day at the spa as a treat for all of them.

  Although Brooke felt like her old self, she still found herself needing a nap in the afternoon. She felt guilty at first but knew that as sick as she’d been it was no surprise and Carter had warned her that it might take a long time for her to get back all of her strength. Those naps quickly became her favorite time of the day because Calvin always called just as she woke up and was relaxed, usually still a little groggy from sleep. He always asked how she was feeling first and then gave her a lecture about not pushing herself too hard.

  They didn’t talk about his business in South Africa, both knowing that too many questions would upset the delicate balance they’d achieved with the daily phone calls. Brooke knowing that at least for one more day he was safe kept her worries to a minimum and Calvin assured that Brooke was still on the road to recovery and waiting at home for him. He wore the locket she’d given him around his neck on a chain and never took it off, allowing himself to believe that as long as it was there he’d stay safe.

  When the time came for the big trip to the city, Brooke was anxious to go, glad to have the distraction since Calvin would begin his treacherous hike into the jungle that day as well. When she packed, the satellite phone and charger went into her purse; she planned to keep it with her at all times now that Calvin would be in the jungle. They’d planned to stick to their phone call schedule, but she wasn’t going to chance missing a call just in case.

  Marissa had booked them into a lovely hotel out in the suburbs instead of downtown, so they’d have more access to the kind of shopping they were going to do. She’d also arranged their spa day, but this time at one of the most exclusive places in Beverly Hills. Brooke was a little nervous, but Marissa assured her that it would be fun. Paige planned to spend the first two days at the university while they shopped for the farm, then they’d all go shopping for themselves together.

  They left the canyon early that morning and were checked into the hotel before lunch, which they shared at the restaurant on the first floor before going their separate ways. Much to her embarrassment, Brooke had to return to the hotel that afternoon, too exhausted to continue shopping, Marissa had taken it in stride but had looked concerned when she dropped Brooke off.

  Chapter 11

  It was the last day of their trip and they’d just returned from the spa, bodies tingling from all the wonderful treatments Marissa had scheduled for them. Brooke knew the manicure wouldn’t last long, but the color on her toes would last until Calvin got home. She was lying on the couch sleepily listening to Marissa and Paige decide what to order from room service for dinner. She didn’t particularly care what they ordered since everything she’d eaten at the hotel h
ad been wonderful. Smiling at how spoiled she’d become in the last few days, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, thinking that it would be nice to come back here with Calvin when he got back.

  The arrival of their dinner woke her up an hour later, the smell making her mouth water and her stomach growl. Marissa had as usual ordered more food than they could possibly eat, but Brooke found herself eating more than she usually did, telling herself that it was only because the food was so good. She didn’t notice the glance that Marissa and Paige shared when she took a second helping of desert, something neither of them had ever seen her do.

  After dinner, they gathered in the living room of the suite as they usually did to discuss the events of the day, but instead of the usual carefree banter they shared, there was a long silence when they all sat down. Brooke stared at her friends for a second trying to figure out why they’d suddenly gotten so serious, her first thought was that something had happened to Calvin, but she’d just gotten off the phone with him so that couldn’t be it.

  Finally, Marissa broke the silence by asking Brooke, “How long has Calvin been gone?”

  “It’s been almost a month,” Brooke said, confused by the question. Marissa and Paige knew how long Calvin had been gone, but they exchanged a glance as if she’d just confirmed something they’d been wondering about.

  “Carter had you on antibiotics for quite a while, didn’t he?” This time it was Paige asking Brooke a strange question.

  “Yeah, for almost three weeks, he said he just wanted to be super safe,” she said, looking questioningly at her friends, “What’s going on? You two are acting strange.”

  Marissa looked at her for a minute as if she was trying to get her courage up to say something. Finally, she said, “Um, Paige and I are a little worried about how tired you’ve been on this trip.”

  Brooke waved her hand at them. “Carter said it would take a while for me to get my strength back.”

  “Honey, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve never seen you eat so much,” Paige said, then grimaced when Brooke gave her a dirty look.

  Marissa jumped in then and asked, “Brooke, did Carter say anything about antibiotics interfering with birth control?”

  Brooke stared at her dumbly for a second trying to figure out what she was getting at, then she blushed and said, “I, um, I don’t remember.” The realization of what they were thinking sank in.

  Paige got up from the chair she was sitting in and got a plastic bag out of her purse and pulled out a pregnancy test. “Why don’t you take this just in case?” Then when Brooke only started at the test in her hand, she added, “You’re showing all the signs, Brooke.”

  “But I counted the days, I’m sure we waited long enough,” Brooke said, close to tears, not sure if she was happy or not.

  Marissa came over and sat down next to her on one side and Paige came over and sat on the other. “Sometimes the effects of the antibiotics can last for a while,” Marissa said.

  “Carter should have told you that, but if you’re pregnant, we’ll deal with it,” Paige said, rubbing Brooke’s back.

  Brooke thought about just denying what they said, but then it occurred to her that there had been some changes to her body lately. Her breasts were more sensitive than normal and her clothes had become tight, which should have been a red flag since not that long ago they were loose on her. Shrugging her shoulders, she silently took the test from Paige and went into the bathroom, waited patiently, knowing deep down what the result would be.

  When she came out of the bathroom with a shy smile on her face, Marissa and Paige were at her side immediately. “It’s positive,” she said, still in shock. “I still don’t know how you two figured it out before I did.”

  “Experience,” they both said together.

  “Now the question is are we happy or are we sad?” Paige asked, hoping the answer was happy.

  “I think we’re happy, but Calvin and I never talked about kids,” Brooke said, suddenly panicked and feeling a little faint. “I think I better sit down.”

  Marissa and Paige helped her to the couch, then sat down with her again, silently letting her get her mind around what she’d just found out. Brooke couldn’t quite believe that she was pregnant. It was the last thing she’d been prepared for when they’d sat down in the living room that night. She’d just assumed that the exhaustion she’d felt was due to her illness, not a baby, a baby that she and Calvin had never talked about.

  As the reality of the situation began to sink in, she heaved a big sigh and said, “Well, it looks like I’m going to be a mother.” Then the tears came, and it was impossible to stop them, but she was laughing as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Marissa and Paige hugged her and laughed. “Welcome to pregnancy hormones,” Paige said, remembering how she used to cry at a drop of the hat when she was pregnant.

  Then she had a horrible thought, “What if Calvin doesn’t want...” She couldn’t bring herself to finish her question. “We never talked about having kids or getting married. We were trying to take it slow.”

  “Well, I don’t think that worked, but, Brooke, I know Calvin, he’s going to be thrilled. Anyone can see how much he loves you. When you were sick he never left your side. The only way I could get him to leave was if I sat with you the whole time he was gone. No man does that if he’s not deeply in love with you,” Paige said, taking her friends hand in hers.

  Brooke listened to Paige’s words, thinking back over the last few weeks and Calvin’s words and actions and knew the truth of her friend’s words. “I’m sorry, I know I’m just being silly, but he hasn’t told me that yet and oh, I don’t know...” Brooke said, taking another deep breath.

  Marissa hugged her and said, “He going to be thrilled and so am I. I’m so happy for you two, maybe I should become a match maker.”

  Paige and Brooke laughed. “Yeah, maybe, but don’t forget that it took Calvin getting shot trying to save the boys for them to meet. Maybe you should introduce your next couple in a different way,” Paige said, making Brooke laugh.

  They spent the rest of the night talking about pregnancy and debating whether Brooke should tell Calvin over the phone or wait he got home. “He’s supposed to be home in a little over a week, I think I should just wait. If I was in shock, just think how shocked he’ll be, and the last thing I want is him coming back early,” Brooke finally decided.

  “That’s probably the best idea, I could see him coming home,” Paige agreed.

  “I want you to see a doctor before we go home. I’m sure I can find someone to see you on short notice, then you and Calvin can decide what to do from there,” Marissa said, getting to her feet. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m ready for bed, it’s been an exciting night.”

  The next afternoon when they picked her up from the doctor’s office, she was smiling and happy, a good night’s sleep helping her adjust to the thought of the baby to come. She’d refused to let her friends come with her, deciding that she was perfectly capable of going on her own. The doctor had not only confirmed her pregnancy but sent out enough blood to run every test known to man and used a sonogram to give her the first pictures of the baby.

  As soon as she shut the door, Paige asked, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

  Brooke laughed. “It’s too soon to tell, Paige. But the baby’s healthy and I’m six weeks,” she said, blushing at the memory of the night the baby was conceived. “I’m going to have to be more careful what I cook for dinner in the future.”

  Marissa and Paige laughed knowing exactly what she was talking about. “Well, I hope it’s a girl, we already have enough boys in the canyon,” Paige said.

  “I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl,” Brooke said dreamily from the back seat, finally embracing the life that was growing inside her.

  “If you want more girls in the canyon, why don’t you have one of your own?” Marissa teased Paige as they sped away from L.A.

  “How about we wait until after the
wedding? I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” Paige said, giving Marissa a shove when she laughed. “When are you and Scott going to have another one? Jonathan is almost three.”

  Marissa thought about it for a second. “We’ve been talking about it, but we haven’t decided for sure yet. Although it’s sounding better and better the more that I think about it.”

  Brooke let their conversation wash over her like a gentle breeze, her thoughts with Calvin and how she was going to tell him about the baby. She was more than convinced that he’d be happy, but she wanted it to be special when she told him, maybe another romantic dinner, it couldn’t lead to anything more than the last one had. As she fell asleep in the back seat, Marissa and Paige were discussing the possibility of building a medical clinic in the canyon.

  “The more the population grows, the more we’re going to need it. Carter had to stay two extra days when he was taking care of Brooke to see all the people in the canyon who had minor medical concerns. I think we need to be prepared for more than that, we’ve been lucky and there haven’t been any accidents yet,” Marissa said, putting emphasis on yet.

  “And now we’re having babies in the canyon, we definitely need a doctor,” Paige agreed, making Brooke smile to think of their baby safely in her belly just waiting to join their lives.

  When they dropped her off at her house, she swore them to secrecy. “You can’t tell Scott or Cooper, you know they’ll think they need to tell Calvin.” They both reluctantly agreed but made her promise not to wait any longer than necessary.

  “I don’t like keeping things from Scott, but since this is good news I guess I can make an exception,” Marissa said.

  “Don’t worry about me telling Cooper, he’d blab it to his mother and then everyone would know,” Paige agreed.

  Brooke spent the week keeping the knowledge of the baby to herself. She wasn’t experiencing any morning sickness so it was easy to hide her other symptoms from Tom who wasn’t as observant as Marissa and Paige had been. With only a week until Calvin would be home, she was sure that she’d be able to keep the baby a secret until then, but she wasn’t taking any chances so she stayed close to home.