They sat on the couch and ate while the TV was on mute. Alec opened a bottle of wine, which he noticed Brooklyn only sipped, so he went to the kitchen and brought back her favorite ginger peach seltzer, which he’d picked up at the store.
“Any update on finding investors for Aurora?” he asked, between bites.
“Yes.” She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the corners of her mouth. “We’ve landed two big fish and we’re super close with a third. That could happen as early as tomorrow. Then we can officially make a proposal to our mom.”
“And what’s the latest on Cy?”
Brooklyn frowned. “There isn’t one. Honestly, I think he’s going to say no. Which is fine. I just need to find someone good. Someone I can trust.”
Before he could ask for more info, the iconic image of a ticking clock popped up on the TV screen, and Alec reluctantly reached for the remote and turned up the volume. Why wasn’t he feeling more thrilled by this? Maybe because he felt so pulled between the two things he wanted most—this job and Brooklyn. “My story is second. So we’ll have to wait for a bit.”
During the first commercial break, Alec took their plates to the kitchen, quickly scraped them and put them in the dishwasher, then tucked the leftovers into the fridge. He glanced at the cake and laughed quietly, swiping some frosting from the edge with his finger. Would they even feel like celebrating later? He hoped so. But celebrating what? That, he wasn’t sure.
Back in the living room, Brooklyn cozied up next to Alec on the couch, and neither uttered a word. When the intro started and he heard his name, then his own voiceover as the story began, he was filled with an emotion he hadn’t been prepared for. There was a lump in his throat, thinking about how much he cared about this chance. But also how much he cared about the person sitting next to him. And how those two things were inextricably tied to each other.
She squeezed his hand, as if to remind him that she was still there. “You look so handsome,” she whispered.
A half grin crossed his face. “Thank you.” He ran his free hand through his hair, then scrubbed his chin and jaw. He couldn’t stop critiquing himself, questioning every word that came out of his mouth, every facial expression he made. Even the shirt he’d chosen to wear. But despite all of that, there was this glimmer of positivity fighting for life inside of him. He wasn’t terrible. He’d done a good job. Solid. And when it was over, he turned off the TV, bracing himself. The mess of emotion he’d felt at the beginning of the segment continued to zero in on him. Push and pull. Happy and sad.
“You did such an amazing job.” Brooklyn scooted forward on the cushion and turned so she could look him right in the eye. “I’m blown away. I knew you’d be good, but I didn’t know you’d be that good. You were meant to do this.”
Was that really true? Was this his destiny? “Thanks.” He was about to say more when his phone started blowing up with congratulatory messages from a vast array of people in his life—his agent, Tilly Ann and Renata, and the one that meant the most, from his brother.You killed it. So proud of you. Mom and Dad would’ve been bragging about you until the end of time.
Alec laughed, but tears threatened to encroach when he saw that one word—would’ve. They should have been around for today. It might have made it feel less empty. Or at least a little more right.
Thanks. Love you so much,Alec responded.
“Everything okay?” Brooklyn asked. “I hope everyone is showering you with love right now.”
“They are. It’s overwhelming, to be honest.” He set aside his phone, needing to focus on the here-and-now. On her. “Thank you for being here tonight. It means so much. You totally took the edge off. You made it so much easier.”
“It was a total no-brainer. I wanted to be here,” Brooklyn said.
Good God, he loved hearing her say that. His gaze raked over her face. She was more than beautiful. She was pure of heart. And now, with the world at his feet, and his brain struggling to arrive at what it all meant, all he wanted was to get lost in her. “I want you, Brooklyn.”
She smiled, but it was a toying grin. She was messing with him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He draped his arm across the back of the couch and leaned closer. “I want you. Now. I want to kiss you and take off your clothes and make love to you, Brooklyn.”
She snickered. “Are you saying you want to be mylover?”
He shook his head, solely focused on the allure of her lips. “Please don’t speak in Prince. Not now.”
“His music is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
“For you.”
“For me. Yes.” Her voice dipped lower. “Isn’t that all that matters right now? You’re trying to seduce me, aren’t you?”
“Trying. Not sure I’m succeeding.”
“Oh, come on. You know you’ll always win this particular battle.” She nearly flattened him with a kiss, resting her hand on his thigh so she could be closer.
Alec leaned back until his head was on one of the throw pillows, allowing Brooklyn to put her full body weight on him. She settled between his legs and that pressure made his mind go blank. Her kiss was soft and playful. It was everything he needed right now. Light and fun. A break from seriousness. “Upstairs?” he asked.
“Not that into the couch? It’s kind of hot.”
“Well, I bought more condoms. And they’re in my bathroom.” In any other world, this would have been a responsible act and declaration. But Brooklyn wanted to get pregnant, and so really, Alec knew that his purchase was one more instance of him saying without words,I’m not sure. The thing was, she was breaking down his excuses. She was making him second-guess everything he’d been so damn sure of as recently as a month ago. It wasn’t even that she was directly attacking his reasoning. She was doing it by inviting him into her world, reminding him how spectacular it was to be with her. She was doing it by showing him every day that she was caring and loving—the two most important qualities in a mom. And as she did those things, it made him want to be a better man. It made him care a little more about the personal and less about the things that might make him feel “accomplished”.
