AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shook my head to disagree.
“No, it’s true. I think Brooks felt safe to be who he really wanted to be around you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even though Brooks and I were technically minutes apart, he always took on the role of the oldest sibling. Type A all the way. He was all about reaching his goals. I mean, the only reason he ran for class president was because it would look good on his college applications. I think he would have preferred to skip high school altogether, if he could have. But you brought out this side in him no one else seemed to. And I know he was sneaking into your room at night.”
I blushed, even though nothing had ever happened. “Um . . . we were only listening to music.”
“I know. I spied on you a couple of times,” she admitted.
“What?” I laughed.
She bit her lip. “I thought maybe you guys were having some secret love affair. I mean, you flirted with each other all the time.”
“Not really. It was me, not him,” I reluctantly admitted. I had never told Carly I was in love with her brother back in the day. It went against some unwritten code about not dating your best friend’s brother. Even when I’d asked him to prom, I’d told her it was only as a friend. Though I wasn’t sure she had ever believed it.
“No, Brooks was just always bad at flirting. But he was a better person with you. The nights I watched you two, I saw a side of Brooks I never had before. The way his eyes lit up when he was talking about music, which was something I hadn’t even know he was into. He’d hidden it, almost as if it would make him seem weak or like a human. More amazing was seeing him listen to your music, and though he balked at it, I could tell it made him happy. You made him happy, Gracie. In a way I’d never seen then, nor since.”
I tucked some hair behind my ear, begging myself not to believe her. It was detrimental to my heart and plans. “I’m sure Morgan makes him happy. Why else would he be with her?”
She let out a huge exasperated sigh. “That’s a good question. One I’ve been trying to figure out since high school. At least he plans on never getting married, so I’ll never have to have her as a sister-in-law.”
I grabbed my stomach. Why did that feel like such a sucker punch? Probably because I heard strange voices. “I guess that’s good.”
“It’s sad is what it is. He would be such a great daddy. You should see him with my boys. Not only does he spoil them rotten, but those boys use him for a jungle gym, and he loves it.”
I could picture it, and it was adorable. Too adorable. So adorable, I shouldn’t think about it.
“Maybe he’ll change his mind,” I offered her.
Carly stared at her daddy. “I don’t know. When your hero falls, it does something to you. Not only does it make you see how weak that person is but how susceptible you are too. And for Brooks, that is more than he can bear. I think he believes that by not getting married, he can say he was always better than Daddy.”
Tears pricked my eyes. Poor Brooks. It was a dangerous thought. I couldn’t allow myself to develop feelings for him again—or more accurately, I couldn’t let those feelings resurface. Being near him was only a reminder they hadn’t gone away. Was it pathetic that the only time I’d ever really loved someone was in high school? I had really liked some men. I’d even had some long-term relationships along the way, but I’d never felt a connection like I’d had with Brooks. That had been all one sided, though. Or had it? No. No. I couldn’t think like that. I had to find the perfect reunion date, and thoughts like that weren’t going to help my cause.
“I really am sorry, Carly. Your daddy is too.”
She turned my way. Tears filled her eyes too. “I just hope he wakes up so I can tell him that I forgive him.”
“Me too.”Chapter Ten“I know you’re cheating.” I flipped Tom’s cards over for him. He had a royal flush. I showed Tom his cards, begging him silently to open his eyes. “You’re on fire tonight; you should really wake up and take all my money.”
Tom didn’t move an inch.
“Come on now. We are way past being dramatic. You’ve made your point. You better wake up or I’m going to stack the deck.” I gathered the cards together and began shuffling them. “Seriously, Tom, you have to wake up. You’re family’s all here. Even Ryker and Axel came. They can’t visit you in the ICU, so you need to open those mischievous eyes of yours. Look at the cards they made you.” I grabbed the two bright and colorful handmade cards and giggled. “Little Axel looks like he’s choking you in this one, but I’m pretty sure he’s hugging your neck.”
