“At the time, that’s all I cared about. I was a twenty-seven-year-old prick, not ready to be a dad. Kelly didn’t want any money for herself, so I set up a fund for the baby to keep her quiet. Last I heard, she moved to Maine to be closer to her mother.”
Not that Brooke’s grandmother was very supportive either, but he didn’t suppose Ike cared to hear about that.
“And you’re here today because...?”
Ike leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. “I haven’t been on the media’s good side for quite some time, and it’s affecting my sales.”
“And you think flashing a daughter in front of their face is the way to get on the public’s good graces?”
He scrunched his face. “I’m getting too old for this shit. It was all drugs, women, and rock-and-roll for a solid twenty years. I’ve been clean for two. I tend to run my mouth, though, even more when I’m sober, believe it or not, and rattled off a shit ton of racial slurs and supported just about every anti-group you can think of. Mostly to get a rise out of people. That’s what we rock stars are like. Now I’ve got these hate groups following me and making me out to be some god.”
“And you think shoving Brooke in the media’s face will clear your name?”
“She served in the military. People like that. Respect that. And now what she’s doing with her camp... Maybe if they could see that an asshole like Ike Ross produced a good kid like Brooke, I might not be blackballed in every God-fearing town.”
“To be clear, you want to use your daughter to get you out of a mess that you made. What does she get out of it?” Blood rushed to his head. If Ike made it out of here without getting throat-punched, he’d be a lucky son of a bitch. Right now, Drew was doing everything he could to remain calm and not do anything that would hurt or embarrass Brooke. She was his number one priority.
“That was my initial plan. And then I saw her on the news. It aired on national television, did you know that?” Yeah, he did. Made him even more proud of her. “That’s a nice thing, this camp. I figured she used my money to start it up. Had my lawyers and private investigators look into it.”
“You had private investigators looking into Brooke’s life?” This time, Ike crossed the line. He stood and was about to tell him to leave.
“It’s when I learned about all the good things she’s done in life. Her service and awards in the military. My girl’s a hero.” Ike smiled in what could almost be fatherly pride. “And this camp of hers... She’s not gonna charge a dime to families. She’s reaching out to kids who’ve had some sort of shit dealt to them. That’s cool. A real cool thing she’s doing.”
Drew leaned on the table and glared in Ike’s face. “You still haven’t explained why you’re here. Don’t for a second think you’ll get away with exploiting the work Brooke’s done and claim that any of it has to do with you. You have no part in that camp or her life, and I doubt you ever will.”
Ike didn’t cower away and simply nodded.
“I realize that now. At first, my intention was to use her to soften my rep. Now I just want to tell her...” Ike swallowed as if the words were hard to choke out. “I want to tell her I’m proud she didn’t come out all fucked-up like I expected a kid of mine to be.”
He slid his chair back and stood, taking out his cigarettes and tapping them in his palm.
“This is about all I can handle of this sappy shit. I’m gonna go to my car and have a smoke. Tell Brooklyn... tell her if she ever needs money to let me know. I promise not to approach her again.”
Ike stuck out his hand and Drew was tempted not to shake it. Because his parents instilled proper manners in him, he held out his hand and shook Brooke’s father’s.
“I’ll show you out.”
When Ike’s fancy sports car was nothing but a low roar in the distance, Drew went upstairs to Brooke. He found her sitting on the deck outside their bedroom. She must have heard every word of their conversation.
“Hey,” he said, pulling her to her feet and wrapping her in his arms. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. So much.”
They held on to each other, swaying under the setting sun.
Later, much later, he spooned his body around hers, not falling asleep until her breathing slowed and her body relaxed under his.
WITH THE START OF THE school year, there was even less time to spend with Drew and fewer hours than she could put into the camp. The cooler nights had tourists heading home, which opened up the cheaper rental market.
Brooke didn’t want to ruin the good thing she and Drew had going. They worked well together, respecting each other’s need for space and time to work on individual projects. They made time for each other every night, making a concerted effort to have dinner together.
Other than her open house at school, she’d kept to the agreement, and so had Drew.
“How was school today?” he asked her with a kiss on the temple and a light tap on her butt. Without having to ask what needed to be done, he stirred the spaghetti on the stove while she chopped vegetables for the salad.
Salad. She smiled at how far they’d come. Who knew getting Drew to eat vegetables would be such a feat, and now he actually pretended to enjoy the green, leafy vegetables?
“Good. There’s such a vast range of maturity level in middle school. Some girls are way too advanced for their own good, while others are so young and naïve to the world. And the boys...” Brooke sighed. “They’re exhausting. They’re either full speed ahead, bouncing all over the place, or slow as molasses.”
“I get not wanting to change and participate in gym. It can be overwhelming. Especially if you are a late bloomer and haven’t hit puberty yet.”
“I bet you were a cute late bloomer.” She strained her neck to reach for a kiss, and Drew complied.
“You wouldn’t have thought so if you were in my class.”
“Well, since you’re five years older than me, by the time I hit middle school, you were a studly high school boy. I would’ve fawned all over you.” She scooped up the chopped tomato and dropped it into the bowl.
“As if.” Drew smacked her butt with a towel. “You wouldn’t have given me the time of day. Besides, I had my nose stuck in a book most of the time.”
“Smart is sexy.”
“Mm-hmm.” He stood behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I like how you look in my kitchen.”
“No wrong way taken. I gotta say, I like how you look in the kitchen as well. And the bedroom.” She twisted around so she could face him and captured his cheeks in her palms. “You’re too good to me, Drew.”
She didn’t want to have this conversation, but she couldn’t live with herself if she pushed him too far or took too much for granted. Needing to protect her heart, she put on a brave face. “I spoke with Ellen Day today.”
“Is she a social worker in your school?”
“No, that’s Ella Durn.” Kudos to Drew for paying attention, though. Few men remembered the little details like names of their girlfriend’s coworkers. “Ellen is a real estate agent in the area.”
Brooke waited for understanding to set in. He scrunched his face in confusion and shook his head. “Are you looking to buy the property on the other side of the camp?”
“No.” She slid her hands up his core and rested them on his chest. Strong and sturdy, he was. Her rock. Her future. But she had to know if they had one. “She’s my real estate who’s handling my winter rental. That was always the plan, remember?”
Drew stared at her and clenched his jaw. “That was before.” He unhooked his hands and stepped back, turning to stir the spaghetti on the stove. He set the strainer in the sink and dumped out the pasta.
“Don’t be mad.” She hated disappointing him. Hated herself for not being confident enough in their relationship.
“Mad isn’t the word I’d use.” He shook the strainer, then dumped the pasta back into the pot. “Hurt. Confused. Sad.” Drew opened the
fridge and took out two bottles of salad dressing—ranch for her and Italian for him.
“I’m not trying to hurt you.” She stepped in front of him, taking the bottles out of his hands and setting them on the counter.
“Then why?”
“When you asked me to stay here, you weren’t talking about forever.” Brooke glanced away, afraid of the words she had to say. Afraid of the response she might get from him. “I don’t want to put you in the uncomfortable situation of having to kick me out.”
“I don’t want to kick you out.”
“Not now, but eventually. Things don’t need to change between us. We’ll still have dinner together nearly every night. Sometimes at my place, sometimes here.”
“You need your space,” Drew said as if understanding. “Okay.” He picked up the salad bowl and carried it to the table. “If this is what you truly want, I’m not going to beg. You know there’s an entire floor downstairs you can take over, and I won’t even go down there if you need some personal space. But if you need to get away...” He shrugged and brushed past her for the pot of pasta.
“This isn’t about me.” She picked up the pot of simmering sauce and carried it to the table.
“So how is this about me?” He sat down and piled his plate high with food.
Normally he waited for Brooke to serve herself first, asked if he could get her a beverage. He doted on her hand and foot, and she loved his attention, never feeling smothered.
“You’re a private man. A loner. I came into your life and sort of took over. You opened your home to me out of the goodness of your heart, and I’ll always appreciate you for that.” She held on to his wrist, stopping him from eating.
“Appreciate. Sounds like a breakup line.”
“Then this is coming out wrong.” She pushed his plate to the side and reached for both his hands. “This is about me giving you an out. Someday you’re going to look back and wonder what happened to your freedom. We went from barely friends, to dating, to roommates in a week. I don’t begrudge you for wanting your space. You’re a private man. A loner is what you called yourself over and over again. You weren’t asking for long-term, knowing I’d have my own place in the fall. I’m not going to take advantage of your generosity.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Drew twisted his wrists until he had her fingers intertwined with his. “I don’t want my own space. I want you in my house, in my life, in my heart. Forever. Yes, when I first offered my home to you it was out of courtesy, but in these weeks, in these months, I fell in love with you. I don’t want to live without you in my life, in my house.”
Heat rushed up her neck, warming her cheeks, her head dizzy with love. Drew’s green eyes were as sincere and honest as ever, if not more so. There was a trace of vulnerability in him, and she loved him for it.
Before she could respond, he got down on his knees in front of her. “Marry me. I’ll prove to you how much I love you and want to be with you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Don’t.” He touched her lips with his finger. “Don’t answer me tonight. You need time to think about it, and that’s okay. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Brooke. Every damn day of it. If moving out to your own place is what you need, I’ll support you in that decision, even if I don’t like it. Because that’s what someone who loves you would do. I won’t pressure you, but I’ll be around. A lot. I don’t give a damn about my deadlines or book tours. If you need me, I’m there.” He kissed her knuckles and returned to his seat, sliding his plate in front of him and eating as if he hadn’t just... hadn’t just proposed to her.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” he said around a mouthful of spaghetti.
“You’re just going to carry on with dinner as if nothing has changed between us?” She was part livid, part turned on, and hugely in love with the meathead sitting in front of her.
“You said nothing was going to change when you move out.”
“I’m not talking about that, idiot!” She took his plate and slid it hard across the table, not caring when it tipped over the edge and crashed to the floor.
“Hey. I was eating that.”
“You just proposed to me.”
“I did.”
“And then shoved spaghetti into your mouth.”
“I’m giving you time.” Drew got up and moved toward the mess. Brooke jumped to her feet, chasing after him.
“You can’t propose to me and then go on eating dinner like you haven’t changed my entire world!” She trapped him with her body in front of the fridge.
“I don’t want to pressure you into an answer. When you’ve moved into your own place and had time to process, I’m hoping you’ll realize you can’t live without me, either.”
“I don’t need to move out to realize how much you mean to me.” She jabbed her finger into his chest. “And I don’t need time to process your proposal.”
“By the harshness in your voice and the intensity of your poke,” Drew rubbed his chest where she’d jabbed him, “I’m guessing it’s not the answer I’m hoping for.”
“You. Are. An. Idiot.” Brooke slapped the side of his head and yanked him into her, kissing him roughly. She watched his eyes widen in shock before they grew heavy-lidded and closed.
When he kissed her back with as much intensity as she gave him, she knew it would all work out. Gasping for air, she kissed the corner of his mouth and worked her lips down his jaw, stopping at his earlobe. Giving it a good tug between her teeth, she whispered in his ear, “Yes.”
“Yes?” Drew tipped his head back and squinted as if trying to read her face. “Yes, I’m an idiot?”
“Yes, you’re an idiot.” She smiled and looped her hands behind his neck. “An adorable idiot. And yes, I’ll marry you.”
“For real?” That boyish grin he liked to wear came on full force.
“For real.”
“Are you moving out until the wedding? As long as I know you’re coming back, I’ll be able to sleep at night. And if I can’t, I’ll come over to your place and you can rock me to sleep.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“No sleepovers? You’re not going to be the type of fiancée who puts off sex until the wedding night, are you?”
“Fiancée.” She liked the sound of that. “I’m more the untraditional type. I can’t even see myself wearing a white gown, so don’t get your heart set on that.”
“Sweetheart, we can get married buck ass naked for all I care.”
“I don’t think that will go over well with your family.”
“We can elope.”
“You’d do that? Won’t your parents be disappointed?”
“Our wedding is about us. No. It’s about you. Whatever you want. All I want is you.”
Her heart did that pitter-patter thing again, and she all but melted into a puddle at his feet. “You’re going to be a kick-ass husband.”
“That’s the plan.” Drew picked her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs to his room. To their room.
“Oh, and about my winter rental,” she said when he put her down. “I’m canceling it in the morning.”
EPILOGUE
“Cheers to you. The first sister to get hitched.” Charlie popped the cork off a bottle of champagne, and they all cheered.
“I’m not hitched yet.” Brooke held out her glass and watched as the gold, bubbly liquid filled it. Charlie filled all their glasses, and they did a group clink.
“Have you guys set a date yet?” Fish crossed her legs under her and settled into the comfortable couch on Drew’s bottom floor.
He opened his house to her friends, giving them free rein, and promised to stay clear of the bottom level, unless he was asked to join them. Brooke had told the girls she’d bunk with them, but they’d rolled their eyes and teased her about sneaking out in the middle of the night to be with her honey.
Yeah, she’d probably do that.
“
No date yet. Planning the camp is about all I can handle right now. I told his mom and sister they could do whatever they want, and I’ll show up.”
“What about the dress? Are you going to wear one?” Skye asked, her face filling up the computer screen on the coffee table. It was just like her to be all about the dress. She was the prettiest and girliest of the four.
“I’ll probably go unconventional there. I haven’t worn a dress or skirt since middle school.”
“We should go shopping tomorrow.” Fish clapped her hands in excitement. It was nice to see a smile on her face—a rarity since the accident.
“There’s nowhere to shop around your area. We’ll make a trip into Portland, or better yet, Boston when I come home. I’ll ask for a leave as soon as we hang up,” Skye said.
“Easy now.” Brooke took another sip of her bubbly and set it on the coffee table. “I’m in no rush. Rose and Katie are talking about a winter wedding. Planning it around my teaching schedule and Drew’s book tour.”
“I’ll move heaven and earth to be there. The more notice I get, the better.”
“I know you will. In fact, you tell me when you can get leave and we’ll make that the wedding date.”
“Done. I still can’t believe you’re the first to get married. I figured it would be Charlie. Or at least, she’d be the first to get knocked up.”
“Hey!” Charlie brought the bottle of champagne with her and sat across from them in a Lazy Boy chair. “I’m not a slut or anything.”
“You like men,” Fish stated the obvious.
“We all do. I just happen to be a little more forward than the rest of you girls.”
“You can say that again.” Brooke held up her glass in a toast. “And with you living here next summer, I pity the men of this small town.”
“You’re going to have your hands full keeping her in line,” Fish said to Brooke.
“Me? I’ll have my fireflies and Drew to keep me occupied. You’re the one who’s going to get stuck babysitting Charlie.”
“Great,” Fish murmured into her champagne glass.
“Enough about my lack of love life. Let’s talk about Brooke’s dress again.”
Ten Million Fireflies (Band of Sisters) Page 26
