Love Heals All (Once Broken Book 2)

by Alison Mello

  Kenzie, Remy, Aunt Kenderly, and Uncle Jasper all lead off the line for food, making their plates and heading into the dining room. Dawson and Kayla follow, and I help Becky make her plate. I can see the agitation on Mama’s face that Keaton still has not shown up. Mama begins to pace. She acts angry, but she’s really worried. “Lord help that boy if he doesn’t walk through that door any minute now. He better be close to dead or I’m going to put him six feet under myself for worrying me.” My father tries to calm her but it’s not really working. “Today is supposed to be about Kenzie, not him, and my mind is on his late ass.”

  He comes running through the door. “Sorry I’m late, Mama,” he pants, out of breath.

  Mama walks over to him, hugs him, he kisses her on the cheek, and then in true Mama fashion, she slaps him off the back of the head hard.

  “Ouch.”

  “That’s for being late and making me worry,” Mama growls at him. It’s actually funny to witness because Mama is so much smaller than Keaton, but she certainly has no problem putting him in his place.

  “I said I was sorry, Mama.” He rubs the back of his head. I laugh as I get Becky set up at the snack bar.

  “Auntie Brooke, is Uncle Keaton in trouble again?” She looks up at me, her eyes filled with curiosity.

  “Yeah, but you know what? That’s never going to change. He’s a big kid.”

  “Nana needs to put him in timeout.” She crosses her little arms. “It’s boring in timeout and it always makes me behave.” Her brows shoot up. She’s dead serious.

  “That’s a good idea, sweetie, but I don’t think timeouts are going to work for Uncle Keaton. He’s a little old for that.” I put her plate down in front of her with her food all cut up.

  “Thank you, Auntie.” She digs in and says nothing more about Keaton being late.

  The remainder of our meal is enjoyed in silence. Keaton sits on one side of Becky and I’m on the other. I don’t know what his problem is, but I can’t get into it with him when Becky is sitting between us, so it’s best to leave it be for now. I finish eating rather quickly and begin the process of cleaning up. The women are gathering in the dining room soon to discuss the wedding, and god knows what the guys are going to do.

  Mama comes into the kitchen with her empty plate as Keaton finishes his. He usually goes for seconds, but Mama stops him. “Go grab all the empty dishes from the dining room, Keaton.”

  “But I wasn’t done, Mama.” She whips her head around and gives him the glare. It’s the glare we all feared as kids. The glare that tells him he best put his plate down and do it.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Keaton mumbles. He puts his plate down and hurries off to clear the table. He comes back a few minutes later with a large stack of plates. He puts them in the sink and sighs in disappointment when he sees Mama put the leftovers into containers already. He’s now all out sulking and I think it’s hilarious. Since there’s no more food out for him to eat, he puts his plate in the sink and goes to sulk in the living room, where the guys are starting to gather.

  “What’s wrong, Keaton, Mama hurt your feelings?” Remy busts his balls.

  “Fu—” He stops himself before Mama yells at him for cursing. “Screw you, mama’s boy!”

  “Remy, leave your brother alone,” my father intervenes. Dawson is the calm one of the four of us. For some reason he never cared to pick on or mess with any of us, but Remy, Keaton, and I, we were always fighting and picking on each other as kids.

  I put the final dish into the dishwasher while Mama wipes down the counter and sink. “There, all done. Thank you for your help, Brooke.”

  “You’re welcome, Mama. Shall we join our guests in the dining room?” She nods her head and smiles.

  Kenzie has a binder out and she’s flipping through it when we take a seat next to her. She’s chosen her dress. Lilly, Kayla, and I all have our dresses taken care of, our church pastor is coming here to marry them, Remy’s friend is a DJ and he’s taking care of the music, and Mama has arranged for a caterer. “Kenzie, dear. Have you decided on the menu yet? I need to let the caterer know soon,” Mama asks her.

  “We have, but we can’t seem to agree on the cake.” Kenzie rolls her eyes. “I think maybe we should do a variety of desserts and call it done, but Remy wants to cut a cake to stick with tradition.”

  “Why don’t we schedule a cake tasting with you guys?” Aunt Kenderly suggests.

  “Remy, can you come here?” Mama calls into the other room. Kenzie shows Mama some of the cake options from a bakery she was referred to when Mama realizes Remy never answered her. “Remington Scott Bennett, come here, please.” They heard her this time and we all know it’s because Keaton messes with Remy now because Mama used his full name. Mama never uses Rem’s full name.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Remy practically runs into the room.

  “We are going to schedule a cake tasting. Is there a day or time that’s better for you?” Mama looks up at him from her seat.

  “No, I have plenty of leave time. Just give me enough notice so I can submit a leave slip to my commander and it should be fine.” She nods at him and he exits the room.

  “I’ll make an appointment and email everyone the dates as well as the menu we’ve chosen.” Kenzie makes a reminder in her notebook.

  “What are you doing about flowers?” I ask her.

  A huge smile lights up her face. “Remy took me to this open field not too far from here when we first started dating. It was surrounded by the most beautiful wildflowers you could imagine. He even sent me a bouquet of them when I tried to push him away.” Her smile slips slightly. “It wouldn’t be right to have anything but those same wildflowers.” She bites her lip. “He used to tell me they reminded him of me.”

  “Awww, that’s so sweet,” I gush. “I hope I find me a good man like that someday.” I nudge her with my shoulder.

  “I’m sure you will.” She winks at me.

  It’s getting late. Dawson has already called it a night. He needed to get Beau and Becky home to bed. I’m getting tired and I have a final this week, so I need to call it a night as well.

  When I get up to my room, I sit on my bed to check my phone and notice a text from a random number. I realize once I read it that it’s from Vaughn. He’s asking me about helping him pick a dog. I really want to help him, but with my clinic hours and a final later this week, I’m not really sure I can.

  Brooke: I’m more than happy to help, but can we do it next week? I have to study for a final later this week on top of working.

  Vaughn: Of course, sorry to bother you.

  Brooke: It’s no bother. I really want to help but I can’t do it right now.

  I wait for a response that never comes.

  Chapter 5

  Brooke

  It’s graduation day and I’m nervous as hell, but I don’t know why. All I have to do is walk across the stage, shake someone’s hand, and walk off. No big deal, right? Wrong. What if I trip and make a fool of myself? This place is going to be packed with students, faculty, staff, and family. I shake my head checking my appearance one last time. My hair is curled to perfection. I’ve applied enough makeup to look natural and have my eyes pop. I apply one last coat of lip gloss and run down the stairs. I’m wearing loose, flowing slacks that almost look like a skirt with a sleeveless top that hugs my curves. It’s comfortable and professional. The nude sandal heels I’m wearing are already killing my feet.

  “Are you ready, sweetie?” my father asks as soon as I’m downstairs.

  “Yes, let’s get this over with.” I step out the door he’s holding open for Mama and I.

  My father drives us off toward the campus, but because I’m running a bit late, there’s already traffic and parking is tough. My father groans at the people driving like lunatics, trying to get a spot. He finally finds one. It’s a bit of a walk, but we consider ourselves lucky to even have a spot. “I have to go, but I’ll see you guys at the end.” I quickly hug my parents and race inside the b
uilding to find my seat.

  No sooner do I sit than a gentleman takes the stage. He asks everyone to find their seats and announces the ceremony will begin shortly. I turn in my seat to see if I can spot my parents, but it’s no use, there are far too many people here. There’s a program on every seat. Opening mine up, I discover there are a few guest speakers and the valedictorian that needs to give a speech. I internally pray they don’t drag the speeches on forever. It’s the most boring part of the ceremony. We’re all so excited to be graduating the last thing we want to do is listen to people talk for hours on end. This is a difficult program, and we’ve all worked hard for this moment.

  The ceremony finally begins, and they announce the first guest speaker. Before I know it the speeches are over. Luckily they did not drag on forever with their well wishes and bits of advice. We finally begin the never ending process of handing out the degrees. Of course it’s alphabetical order, so I don’t need to wait long to get mine, but I still have to sit and wait while the rest of the graduating class gets theirs. This guy Jack is on one side of me. He’s cool, but we didn’t really talk much, although we had a lot of classes together. On the other side is this girl, Kim. We studied a lot together but never really hung out outside of school. We all hug to congratulate each other when we get back to our seats and then we sit quietly as we anxiously wait for this to be over with. At this point we want to meet up with our families for pictures and celebrating. The class only has about sixty students, so although it feels like it was going to take forever, it really doesn’t take too long.

  They’ve finally announced the last name and we are officially graduates. I’m so excited I hurry off to find my parents, passing a few friends along the way. We congratulate each other and hug before we continue looking for our families. My parents are in the entryway anxiously waiting with their camera handy to take my picture. They snap a few quick shots and we wander around. I introduce them to a few friends that happen to walk by. “Mom, I’m really not interested in hanging around. Are you guys ready to go? We can take more pictures at home if you want.”

  Mama smiles. “It’s your day, sweetie. Whatever you want.”

  I hug my parents and thank them for all the support they have given me over the years. I’m truly lucky to have such amazing parents. We walk back toward the car and there’s a pep in my step. I’m officially Dr. Brooke Bennett, DVM. When we finally arrive back at the car, my dad has a huge smile on his face. “What?” I ask him.

  “I’m so proud of you. You have worked so hard for this moment, and to have graduated in the top ten in your class is such an accomplishment.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” He hugs me one more time before we head home.

  We pull up to the house and I’m completely shocked. I knew my parents were inviting some family over, but half the town is here, and there’s a huge banner outside that says ‘Congratulations, Dr. Bennett’ on it. I’m so touched. “You guys didn’t have to do all this.” I jump out of the car as soon as it stops, my parents right behind me. They each wrap their arms around me and congratulate me one more time. Kenzie is there with a camera capturing the moment before she comes over with Remy to give me a hug. Mama takes the camera and snaps off a picture of the three of us with me still in my cap and gown.

  The pictures continue when Dr. Kramer and Courtney come over to congratulate me. He hands me a bag and asks me to open it. I dig inside to find a brand new lab coat with my name on it. ‘Dr. Brooke Bennett, DVM.’ I gasp tears welling in my eyes. “Dr. Kramer, thank you so much.”

  “You’re most welcome. Congratulations. I’m so proud of you.” They both hug me one more time and I continue on greeting people and thank them for coming.

  Aunt Kenderly and Uncle Jasper break my thoughts when they come running over. “Sorry we’re late.” She wraps me in a big hug. “You look beautiful, dear.”

  “You’re not late, and thank you so much for being here.” It’s a beautiful day and I’m getting a bit warm in my cap and gown.

  “We wouldn’t dream of missing it.” She smiles and gives me another hug.

  “Excuse me a minute. Mama, are you good with pictures? I want to take this off.” She nods. I quickly strip. I’ve spent the last thirty minutes or so greeting and talking with guests and I’m ready to move on to something to eat. Mama has already told our guests to get started.

  No sooner do I lay my gown over my arm than a voice comes from behind my back. “You look gorgeous.” His voice sends a shiver down my spine and I instantly know it’s him. My face lights up as I spin to see him looking down at me with a huge grin on his face. “Congratulations.” He looks deep into my eyes.

  “Thank you.” My words are barely a whisper. A blush creeps up my body, this man does things to me. My body responds to him simply being close to me.

  “You’re welcome. Do I get a picture too?” He looks at me with a slight grin and one eyebrow raised.

  “Of course you do. With or without the cap and gown?” I question.

  He laughs. “Without is fine.” He leans in next to me, pulls his phone out, and snaps a picture of the two of us. We both have huge goofy smiles on our faces, but it’s a great picture. “Thanks,” he whispers close to my ear. My body once again shudders. “Want to get something to eat?”

  “Sure.” His eyes tell me he’s leery on how to proceed, like he has fears of overstepping some boundary.

  “I’m going to put my cap and gown inside first.” I take his hand and pull him toward the buffet of food my parents have set up along the back of the house. He waits there while I run into the house to hang my stuff. I don’t want it to get ruined.

  “You two look quite intense.” My brother Remy leans against the doorframe with his arms folded

  I jump. “You scared the shit out of me, Rem.” He shakes his head at the use of my nickname for him. “I really like him, Rem. I have for a while now. When we were at the bar dancing it was like we had a connection. I felt it as he looked into my eyes, but then I hadn’t heard from him until the other day. Now here he is and it’s like he wants to ask me out but isn’t sure he should.” I look down to the floor. It feels weird to be talking to Remy about his friend.

  “Listen, he’s a great guy. Take it one step at a time, don’t force anything. Trust me, he wants to ask you out, and if it is meant to be, it will happen.” He hugs me. “Congrats, sis. I’m proud of you.” He walks out to the backyard, leaving me to my own thoughts. I watch as he shakes hands and man hugs Vaughn. They exchange some words and Remy walks off to make his plate while Vaughn stands there waiting for me.

  I better get back out there. I run down the back steps. “Thanks for waiting for me.”

  “No need to thank me. My mom raised me right.” He hands me a plate and places his hand at the small of my back, setting my skin on fire. We walk down the food line picking our favorites and I can’t help but notice we like a lot of the same things. “Where would you like to sit?” he asks when we get to the end of the line. All the tables are taken but there are a few open seats here and there.

  “Do you mind if we sit with my brother and Kenzie?” My back is practically pressed to his front when I look up over my shoulder to his gorgeous hazel eyes.

  “Not at all.” I take his hand and we make our way to their table. “Are these seats taken?” he asks and they welcome us to join.

  We take a seat next to each other and begin to eat. There’s a lot of tension at the table as we all figure out what to say. I figured this would be an easy place for him to sit, but apparently it’s not.

  “How’s things at the shop?” Remy finally breaks the silence.

  “Crazy, actually. We’re so busy and I have a few rookie mechanics right now. Two of them were working on a routine oil change not too long ago and screwed it up. Nearly blew an engine.”

  “Shit.” Remy’s brows shoot up in shock.

  “Tell me about it. The MPs and my commander would have had my ass.”

  “What did you do?” He le
ans back in the chair, far more comfortable now than when we first sat down. Kenzie and I continue eating while we listen to his story.

  “I chewed them a new asshole for making a silly mistake, and then made the entire team work overtime while they fixed it.” He places a napkin on his lap. “At the end of the day I lectured everyone on how these mistakes happen because we rush instead of following protocol and doing things one step at a time.” He shakes his head. “The two kids felt awful that the entire crew had to work late because of them and they got their balls busted for it, but you know shit happens. They bought a round of drinks the following Friday to apologize, and of course all is forgotten.”

  “You know how it is, man. These kids learn best from the mistakes they make. I guarantee you they will never pull that shit again.” Remy leans forward so his elbows are on the table. “I had one guy who nearly caused a huge firefight from bad intel. He wanted to show off, trying to be the hero that figures shit out, and it nearly cost him his career.” Remy throws his napkin onto his plate. “We can’t screw around with shit like that. The kid still gets his balls busted for it.”

  “I bet it brought him back to reality though, didn’t it?” Vaughn relaxes.

  “Fucking right it did.” Remy nods his head.

  “Remy, language,” Kenzie scolds him, slapping him on the arm.

  “Sorry, sweetie. I forgot where I was for a minute.” I giggle at my brother getting reprimanded. He hardly ever curses in front of Kenzie or the family. Unlike Keaton, he always minds his manners.