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“Claiming her? She isn’t five acres of land, you idiot! She’s a young lady with a mind of her own and willpower to match. I haven’t claimed anyone, and she damn sure would never let me. If I’m lucky enough to get a date with her, I’ll consider myself blessed. But Wolfkill men know enough to not claim any woman for fear of losing our balls.”
“You afraid that girl’s gonna cut your balls off?” laughed the other boy. “Big boys all afraid of the little, tiny girl.”
“No,” said the decidedly female echo. Gil turned to see the triplet’s mother and grandmothers.
“He’d be afraid one of us would cut off his balls,” said Noelle. “Women aren’t possessions, Mr. Thomason. If you’ve been taught that, you were misinformed, and I suggest you get additional tutelage from men who know. Otherwise, you’re going to find yourself as a very lonely, very disappointed young man.” He looked down at his feet, blushing.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly.
He didn’t apologize to Brooke or East but turned and left the group standing there. Ethan smiled at his brother, walking back down the bleacher steps with the others while East spoke to Brooke.
“Are you alright?”
“I am. Thank you for doing that. He’s a lot bigger than me, and he was bugging me a lot. I blocked his number on my phone, but he kept coming at me anyway.”
“Everyone is a lot bigger than you, Brooke,” he smiled.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Great game. You really did well out there, and congratulations on third in the state. That’s impressive.”
“Says the girl who won second place in the nation in cross-country.” She shrugged, blushing at him. Although she was only a junior, she’d been getting college offers left and right for scholarships.
“Can I walk you home?” he asked.
“Oh, I think all the parents were going to take us out to dinner. Some new restaurant on the river. The Well.” East laughed, shaking his head.
“The Well isn’t new, Brooke. It’s been around for decades. We were always just too young to go since it’s mostly a bar. I’ll bet they rented it out for all of us.” She nodded, staring up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “Actually, I was just wondering if you’re ever going to ask me out on a date.”
“Do you want me to ask you out on a date?” he smirked. She pushed past him, heading down the steps, and he took two long strides and was in front of her. “Sorry. I do want to ask you out, but I need to speak to your father first. I’ll be leaving at the end of the school year, Brooke. I don’t want either of us to do anything foolish.”
“I know,” she whispered, looking down at her feet again. “I just, well, I just want to get to know you better. Just you and me. It’s always us and three dozen other kids from Belle Fleur. I like them, really, I do, but it would be nice if it were just us.”
“It would be nice,” he smiled. “Maybe we could write when I’m gone. What about you? Have you chosen a college yet?”
“I have it narrowed down. USC, University of Texas at El Paso, and LSU. They all have great running programs. USC is the furthest from home. Not sure how I feel about that right now.”
East gently placed a hand on her lower back, guiding her down the stairs as the crowd thinned out. He saw his father give him a nod, telling him he needed to change his clothes and meet them outside. All that was said to him in just one nod. It was a skill his father and grandfather possessed.
“Why don’t you go with the others while I shower and change.” He nodded toward the doors where everyone was standing, and she smiled. Before she walked away, he gently took her hand and bent down, kissing her on the cheek. “Thanks for waiting for me, Brooke.”
“I’m good at waiting.”
East smiled as he read the e-mail from Brooke. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was good at waiting. It had been years of being apart, rarely able to see one another, and yet she continued to write to him, call him when they could, and always tried to be home when he was there.
She ended up not going to any of the three colleges she’d selected, instead choosing Florida State. It was warm, humid, and felt more like home to her. When she majored in criminal justice, he worried a bit, but knew that he had no say in her career choice. Her father would handle that.
“Why are you smiling?” asked Rett. It was the night before his wedding, and the only place he wanted to be, other than in bed with Casey, was with his brothers.
“An e-mail from Brooke. She’s doing great. Loves the work that she’s doing with immigrants at the border. She’s sorry she couldn’t make it home for the wedding but sends her love.”
“Are you two ever gonna make it official?” smirked Ethan.
“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “We agreed that we would see other people and, if it got serious, tell the other person. But I just can’t. I mean, she’s all I’ve ever wanted, and she says she feels the same. I just didn’t want to start something I couldn’t finish.”
“We understand. You know we do. This will all work out, you’ll see.”
“I hope so. I know deep in my soul that she’s the girl for me. I’ve always known that. Hey, when I was in town the other day, guess who I ran into?”
