“I’m not sitting on anything. I just decided. Right now.” She turned back to face Brooklyn and Virginia. “It was always my plan to hand over the reins to you two. Then you left to start Posh Post and I thought that maybe the company might fail, so I held on to Aurora as a back-up plan for you both. When it became clear that Posh Post wasn’t going anywhere, I figured I had to sell. It never occurred to me that you might want to pull it into what you were already doing. So I will give it to you for one dollar. And an office. Near you both. So I can annoy the hell out of you as much as I want.”
Brooklyn laughed, then Virginia, and finally their mom. And the giggles became infectious, growing and ebbing, then roaring back. And it was time for one more hug, this time to celebrate everything the Monroe women now had ahead.
Chapter Twenty-Four
This year,snow didn’t interfere with Alec’s travel plans. He was able to fly from JFK to Orlando non-stop without a problem. He even caught a nap on the plane, a real necessity after the Thanksgiving Day parade. It always took it out of him.
His sister-in-law Zina and brother Nick had most of the holiday meal prepared by the time Alec landed, rented a car, and made the short drive to their house. He had little to do other than accept the offer of a glass of wine and sit down at the table to eat. In exchange, he helped Nick with the dinner dishes while Zina and his nieces got started on a jigsaw puzzle.
“I’m really glad you could make it,” Nick said as he stuck the big turkey platter in the sink, filled with soapy hot water. “Maybe next year we can come up. It’s just a lot with all four of us. It gets expensive, too.”
“You know I’ll pay for you guys to come any time. Money’s not an issue.” Alec started loading silverware into the dishwasher.
“Thanks. I’ll let you know.” Nick smiled and Alec noticed for the first time that his brother was getting those same wrinkles around his eyes that Alec had. Nick would be turning forty next year, so it wasn’t too surprising, but it was yet another reminder that time was marching on. “What’s the latest with the job switch? Is it going to happen?”
“We’re still negotiating, so it’s not a done deal. But the Barry Millner interview went over exceptionally well. They were very pleased.”
“You did the impossible. I’m pretty sure most of America was convinced the man didn’t have tear ducts.”
Alec chuckled softly. He was proud of that moment. It showed him that he was on the right track. That he was meant to do this. “It was very surprising. I’ll tell you that much.”
“Well, I’m proud of you for trying. A lot of people get a good job and they’re satisfied, even if it isn’t their dream. You weren’t afraid to put yourself out there. It was brave. There’s a lot to be said for that.” Nick began handing plates to Alec so they could be loaded as well.
“It’s funny, but it didn’t feel brave. It felt like this weird combination of dumb luck and desperation. The Brooklyn thing happened where they asked me to get the interview with her, and I had the presence of mind to ask for the one thing I was pretty sure I’d never get.”
“A chance at network news.”
“Exactly.”
“And how are things with Brooklyn? Is your second chance going to stick?”
Alec had filled in Nick soon after the tabloid story about the kiss at the premiere. At first, it had been to make sure they had their stories straight, just on the off chance that a writer reached out to his brother for comment. But in subsequent conversations, Alec had been able to let down his guard. He’d been able to express just how worried he was that that he was going to end up losing everything—Brooklynandhis long-awaited career break. “From the standpoint of me and Brooklyn, just the two of us at this moment, it’s going great. It’s the question of what’s next that’s the sticking point.”
“Because she wants a baby and you don’t.”
“It’s not that I don’t want a child. I’ve always wanted to be a dad. It’s more about being realistic about where I am in my life right now. If I get this job, my schedule is going to get unwieldy and unpredictable. I won’t have regular hours like I have onGood Day. And the two biggest stumbling blocks I have are that I’m worried I’m not going to have the time or stamina to be a good parent.”
Nick nodded, leaning against the kitchen counter and crossing his arms. “How much of this is because of Dad?”
Alec got choked up just thinking about it. The pain of losing both parents was ever-present, but it was their dad’s death that had been especially difficult to process. Mom had been sick for years. They’d all had time to prepare for it. But their father’s swift decline after she died was something no one had seen coming.
The loss was substantial. It left a void in both Alec and Nick. Their father had been everything a kid could ever want—patient and understanding, firm but loving, and most important, a constant presence in their lives. So there were two fears at play for Alec when it came to the question of parenthood—a fear of failing at fatherhood if he became a dad, and a fear of missing out if he didn’t.
“I get it. Dad was amazing,” Nick said. “He was always there for us. I’m sure there’s part of you that doesn’t want to fall short of that.”
Alec and Nick were so alike, it was uncanny. They understood each other on a molecular level. “Yes. Exactly.”
“Well, let me say this much. Nothing is going to prepare you for parenthood. You can think you’re ready, but once you hold that little baby in your arms, you’ll start to see the things you never considered.”
“Well, I already know I can’t be absentee. That doesn’t work for me. The guilt would crush me into dust, and I wouldn’t enjoy it the way I would want to.”
“Yeah. I took two months off when Maya was born and even more when Sophia came along. I can’t imagine you’d be able to do that.”
“No way. Not in a million years. Not with a brand new job. But I’d also feel terrible for not taking off that time.” Alec sighed, feeling the weight of everything that was hanging in the balance right now. “I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“There’s a chance Brooklyn might be pregnant.”
