by Claire Adams
So maybe, just maybe, I was ready. Ready to start something fresh, something that could breathe life back into my stitched-up heart. But if anything was going to happen, it had to happen on its own and it had to be taken slowly. There would be no sense in rushing anything. I was on the verge of feeling ready, but not quite prepared to jump. But I was getting there.
A knock on the front door jolted me out of my thoughts and brought me back to the present. I checked the kitchen clock. Emerson was right on time.
I'd planned to take the bus to my parents' house for the barbecue, but Emerson insisted on taking me on his bike—not that it had taken much arm twisting to get me to agree.
I checked in the mirror one last time to make sure my makeup and hair were in place and then I opened the door. Emerson was standing there with a big grin on his face.
“Hey, Brooke!”
“Hi, Emerson, you're right on time!”
“Always,” he said with a wink. “You ready?”
“Yep.”
“Great, let's go.”
We walked downstairs and headed out to his bike, which he hopped onto and started up. Now that I’d had some experience riding on the back, I felt a lot less nervous about being on the monster of a machine. In fact, I felt pretty excited.
I climbed up onto the back and wrapped my arms around Emerson. A hot thrill shot through my veins as my hands slid over his rock-hard, bulging abs before I locked my fingers together. It was night and day compared to Andrew's very average, slightly soft belly.
I almost instinctively ran my hands up a bit higher, wanting to feel his broad, solid chest, but I stopped myself.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice slightly muffled through his helmet.
“Yeah, I'm good,” I said.
“Great. Hang on!” He clicked the machine into gear and took off. I tightened my grip. He must have realized I was more comfortable on the motorcycle because he was driving a fair bit faster than he had the first time I rode with him. I couldn't deny it was still a little scary, but also thrilling… and a turn on. It was pretty hot seeing how smoothly and confidently he was able to control such a powerful machine.
We arrived at the barbecue half an hour later. I dismounted with a huge grin plastered across my face. Emerson chuckled.
“It looks like someone isn’t so afraid of motorcycles now, huh? You look like a kid who's just gotten off a rollercoaster.”
I blushed and almost giggled, but tried not to come off as too much of a schoolgirl about it. “It was fun,” I said, keeping it simple and smiling. “I felt a lot less nervous this time around. Oh, and just so you know, my dad will probably want to see your motorcycle. He was very much into them when he was younger. I think he even used to race when he was our age.”
“Sweet. I guess we'll have a lot to talk about then.”
“I guess you will,” I replied with a smile. “Come, let's go in and say hi.”
We had to walk through the house to get the backyard where everyone was gathered. Having Emerson with me felt a little strange, especially considering the last time I had been home with a guy it had been Andrew. Still, I put the weirdness aside and walked in.
My mother was in the kitchen putting some final touches on the salad. “Brooke, dear!” she said with a smile as soon as she caught sight of me, hurrying over to give me a big hug.
She then saw Emerson, waiting in the wings to be introduced. She smiled at him and extended a hand, which he took. “You must be Emerson,” she said with a smile. “Lovely to meet you.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Mrs. Baker,” he said. “Thanks so much for inviting me here this afternoon. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, please, call me Cam. And the more the merrier, I always say,” she added with a laugh. “We've got a huge feast prepared for y'all! Go on out back and say hi to your dad, BeeBee, and introduce Emerson to the others. I've gotta finish up this salad, then I'll see you outside.”
“Thanks,” said Emerson. “I can't wait to try that salad, it looks amazing.”
“Old family recipe,” she replied. “You'll never look at salad the same way again after trying this!”
“I suspect that might be the case!” he replied.
“Come on, Emerson, let's go outside and meet the others,” I suggested.
“After you, BeeBee,” he cracked a grin.
“Ya caught that, did ya?”
He followed me through the house to the backyard, looking around him as we walked. “So, this is where you grew up, huh?” he asked.
“Well, no, not really. This is where I lived my last two years of high school.”
“Oh yeah, you said you moved around a lot when you were a kid.”
“Yeah, with my dad being in the military.”
“A Navy man, huh? Am I gonna have to salute him and give him a 'yes, sir, no, sir,' when I meet him?” he asked with a cheeky grin.
I rolled my eyes. “He's not like that at all! And he wasn't a drill sergeant or anything like that, he worked on computers.”
“I was just joking,” he said with a wink. “I'm sure he's not intimidating at all,” he added sarcastically.
We stepped into the backyard where Dad and some of his friends were gathered around the grill drinking beer and watching the meat as it sizzled above the coals. Despite being about to turn fifty, my dad looked years younger. He ran marathons and was in very good shape. So, when he noticed that Emerson was in great shape, he seemed immediately impressed. “Well, good day there, son,” he said as I introduced Emerson to him. “That's a good firm grip you've got there. You ever thought of joining the Navy? You'd make a fine candidate for the Seals.”
“As noble a calling as that is, sir,” Emerson responded, “I think my talents lie in the field of science.”
“Well, there's all sorts of things you can do to serve God and country, son. Especially if you've got skills like that.”
“I'll keep that in mind, sir. Of course, I still have to graduate before I can think of anything like that though.”
“No need to call me sir,” Dad commented. “Rob will do.”
Emerson acknowledged with a nod of his head.
“Say, you want a beer, Emerson? We've got a cooler full of ice cold ones here.”
“Thanks, Rob, but I'm still a couple of months away from twenty-one,” he replied.
I was surprised to see him do that; I'd have thought he'd take up the offer right away.
“Aw, that's fine! Go on and have one,” my dad said, nudging Emerson playfully in the ribs. “No need to act like you've never had a brewski before!”
Emerson chuckled. “No, sir, it’s not that. As long as you're okay with it, I’ll have one.”
“Wouldn't have offered if I wasn't.”
“But only one, I still have to drive your daughter home later this evening.” Emerson walked over to the cooler and grabbed a beer. He popped the top off and clinked the bottle with my dad's. “Happy birthday, Rob,” he said, “and thanks for inviting me here today. I really appreciate it.”
“Thanks for coming, son!” he replied. “Now, Brooke here tells me you're into motorcycles.”
“That's right. We actually came here on my bike.”
“You managed to get Brooke on a motorcycle? You must be some kind of miracle worker or she really likes you,” Dad said without even attempting to act like he was joking.
I shot him a look and he quickly tried to recover.
“So, what are you riding?”
“It's a Kawasaki ZX6R.”
“Nice,” Dad replied, a sparkle of admiration gleaming in his eyes. “I'll have to go out front and have a look at her later.”
“Feel free to take it around the block, if you'd like,” Emerson offered.
Dad chuckled, and a look of sadness entered his eyes. “If only I could, son. Thanks for the offer, but I can't ride bikes anymore.” He held up his left hand. “Carpal tunnel syndrome,” he said. “Can hardly do anything with this left hand of
mine. Certainly can't operate a motorcycle clutch.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Emerson said. “But I'll take you on the back if you want,” he added with a chuckle.
My dad laughed. “Only if you promise you'll hit one-sixty.”
Emerson laughed. “So, you were a speed demon back in the day, huh?”
“Damn straight. I used to race in the ’80s before this one was born,” he said, nodding his head in my direction. “But then the wife decided it was too dangerous a hobby, and she made me hang up my racing leathers.”
“That’s too bad. Geesh, Brooke, why’d you have to go and make your dad quit racing?” Emerson teased with a cheeky wink.
I laughed in response. “Well, gee, I'm so sorry for, you know, existing and all, thereby making Dad give up his hobby!”
“You should be!” Dad retorted, but then immediately pulled me in for a close bear hug. “Aww, you know I can't joke about stuff like that. You're my sweet baby girl, best thing that ever happened to me. I'd give up everything, a thousand times over, for my little BeeBee. Don't ever forget that!”
“Dad!” I exclaimed, blushing furiously. “You're kind of embarrassing me.”
We all laughed. I couldn't believe how well Emerson was getting along with my dad. I immediately thought of how Dad had been with Andrew. Not that Emerson was in the running to take Andrew’s place; we were just friends. Or so, I kept telling myself. But the difference in how they interacted was distinct. Dad had disliked Andrew from their first meeting. He’d always been polite, but very cold with him. I guess he had had some sort of fatherly instinct about the kind of person Andrew really was. But with Emerson, they had only just met, yet they were laughing and joking like two friends who had known each other for years. It made me wonder if maybe I had misjudged Emerson since the day I’d met him.
Chapter Twenty
Emerson
I sat on my bike watching as Brooke said her goodbyes to her parents, and something twisted inside me, just like it had the moment I saw her genuinely laugh and let go. Around her parents, I'd gotten to see a different side of Brooke, one that wasn’t hidden behind walls—the side she’d been trying so hard to keep concealed from me. It was a side that was extremely warm, loving, and caring. A side that was open to so much laughter and so many smiles. As she walked toward me, every fiber of my being was aware that things had changed. What had begun as a simple physical attraction to this woman had turned into something much more than that.
I didn't know what to call it at that exact moment, so I tried not to think too hard about it as she climbed on the bike and wrapped her arms around me. I knew all I could do was just let things happen; go with the flow, and see where it carried us. I wasn't sure if she was ready for anything serious after what she’d told me about her ex and all she’d endured. Hell, I wasn’t sure if I was, but I couldn’t keep lying to myself and trying to pretend I didn’t feel something more than friendship for Brooke. Something told me things may end up taking a turn in that direction and I was okay with that.
If there was anything I knew for sure, it was that Brooke made me feel something other girls didn't. Not only was the physical attraction there—and always had been—but getting to know the real Brooke amplified that attraction, making it so much more intense than I could have imagined. Having her pressed against me as I weaved in and out of traffic for the thirty-minute ride back to our apartments hadn’t helped.
These thoughts were running through my mind when we pulled up outside the apartment building and I parked the bike. Brooke hopped from the back and pulled off her helmet, that adorable grin pasted across her face again. She looked as if she was really at home on the motorcycle now. Perhaps a few latent genes from her dad had started to kick in.
“Thanks for the ride, Emerson,” she breathed, still beaming a smile.
“It was my pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it. But I should be thanking you for inviting me to the barbecue. It was awesome meeting your family.”
“I can tell you mean that,” she replied. “Especially since it was kinda hard to get you away from my dad. It was like you two were old friends!”
“We did have a lot to talk about,” I said. “He's a great guy. Hopefully, I'll get to hang out with him again sometime soon.”
“We'll see,” she countered with a cryptic smile until our eyes met for a brief moment and a jolt of energy rushed through me. It was so obvious, she had to have felt it, too. “Anyway,” she broke the connection. “We should get upstairs. I've gotta shower, and I've got a bunch of work I need to get done.”
“Yeah, me, too,” I replied.
As we walked up the stairs, I realized I didn't want to let the rest of the weekend go by without another chance to spend some time with Brooke.
“Hey, uh, since I've just eaten the equivalent of like three meals at your family's expense, how about I repay the favor?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“How about I make you dinner tomorrow evening? We should both have finished our work by then.”
“That sounds great, actually.”
A gust of excitement rushed through me. She actually sounded eager. I hadn’t even had to try to convince her, which I had mentally prepared myself for. That had to be a good sign. It had to mean she at least felt a little something for me.
“Cool. I can make enough for Leslie, as well.”
“Oh, don't worry about that. She'll be out all evening tomorrow.”
“Okay, so just you and me then?”
“Just you and me,” her tone fell to a whisper and a lump formed in my throat.
“Make sure to set up some candles,” I said with a wink.
She chuckled flirtatiously. “As long as you bring some decent wine, Mr. Reed.”
“Done.”
We reached her front door, which she unlocked and opened. She turned to face me before she stepped into the apartment and our eyes locked and held for a few silent, intense moments. I had the feeling that if I have moved in for a kiss, she wouldn't resist. Instead, I broke eye contact, stepping back. “See you tomorrow evening. Around six?”
“Six is perfect. Goodnight, Emerson,” she replied with a soft smile. With that, she slipped inside and gently closed the door.
“Goodnight, Brooke,” I said.
I walked over to my place and let myself in. Chris was lying on the sofa in front of the TV.
“How you feeling, bro?” I asked. Chris had been sick for the past week. He said it was flu, but I was convinced it was his body reacting to all the excessive partying and lack of rest.
“Better than I was earlier,” he muttered, his voice hoarse. “But still not great. How was your barbecue with Miss Bookworm from next door?”
I rolled my eyes. “Actually, it was really fun.”
“What did you guys talk about? Science and shit all afternoon? Maybe play with a chemistry set and a magnifying glass?” he asked with a condescending sneer.
“I talked to her dad about bikes, and we had a few beers,” I replied, not taking the bait. “And I ate enough to keep me going for at least a week. Anyways, man, I've gotta—”
“Study,” he interrupted, completing my sentence for me. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all you ever do these days. Got your nose glued to those damn books. You ain't much fun anymore, E.”
That one cut a little. I suddenly felt kinda bad. After all, despite his faults, Chris was one of my oldest friends and I had been neglecting our friendship over the past few weeks. “You know what,” I replied, “you're right, dude. I'll leave the books for tomorrow. Let's do something tonight, just you and me.”
He looked up at me from the sofa with surprise coloring his expression. “What, seriously?”
“Yeah, bro. But not going out and getting wrecked, alright? You're just gonna feel worse if we do that,” I said.
“Agreed,” he replied, to my surprise.
“Alright. Um, how about a round of mini golf at the mall and maybe a few sessions in the batting cages a
fter that? Nothing too strenuous, but it'll do you good to get out, get some fresh air and a little exercise.”
“Yeah, dude,” he said, smiling as he heaved himself up from the sofa. “That sounds great.”
“Cool. Get your wallet and let's roll!”
***
At seven a.m., my cellphone started buzzing next to my bed. If someone was calling me at that time on a Sunday morning, it either had to be a wrong number or an emergency. I looked at the number on my phone screen. It wasn’t a wrong number—it was my stepmother, Anne.
I rubbed my eyes, still groggy from the deep sleep I'd been in, and picked up the call. “Hello?” I mumbled.
“Emerson.”
“Hi, Anne, what's up? Is everything okay?”
I could tell by the tone of her voice that something was wrong. “It's your dad,” she said, cutting straight to the point.
Dread crept into my veins. “What's going on?”
“Well, I had to take him to the emergency room again. He woke up in the middle of the night with severe pain in his side.”
“Yeah, that's been going on for a while. Has it gotten that bad now?”
“Actually, Emerson, it has. He was hoping it wasn’t going to be anything and he wouldn’t have to worry you, but he went to the doctor earlier this week. They finally checked him out properly, and…” she paused. Trying to maintain her composure, but she was clearly on the verge of crying. “They've found a tumor, sweetheart. It’s cancer.”
I felt as if I'd just been kicked in the stomach and the breath had been knocked out of me. I wanted to faint and throw up all at once. “Oh, my God.”
“There is some good news, though. Well, as good as it can be under the circumstances.”
“Alright. What is it?” I half whispered.
“They're able to operate. There's a very good chance they can remove the tumor with surgery, and they said they don’t believe the cancer has spread. So, while the long-term prognosis isn’t too bad, the problem is the surgery itself. The tumor is close to his vital organs and it's going to be a risky procedure.”
