“I can’t.” I keep my eyes closed, because I know if I look at him it’s going to be so much harder to stand my ground.
“Why not?” His fingers move to brush against my cheek, rough but gentle at the same time as his calluses scrape my skin.
My chin wobbles, and I suck in a shaky breath. “Because it’s not right. I can’t?—”
“Shh.” He strokes over my cheek again, and his fingers feel wet. “If you can’t right now, that’s okay.”
I finally open my eyes, blinking fast as I register the tears falling free. “I just…” Sniffing, I try to rein my emotions in. “Now is just not the right time. I’m sorry.”
Part of me expects him to be mad. Upset that he’s gone to all this effort and I’m not giving him what he seems to want.
But Tobias just gives me a slow smile that doesn’t look even a little bothered when he says, “I’ve waited for you for almost ten years, Brooke. I can wait a little longer.”
11
Tobias
“Come on, little man.” I follow Bruno around the yard. The sun is barely starting to lighten the sky as we pace from one end of the deck to the other in search of the perfect place to deposit his morning shit. “I’ve got things to do, and you’re putting me behind schedule.”
If Brooke is anything like she used to be, the woman is going to be up soon, and I want to make sure she gets her belly full before deciding where she’s going to spend the rest of her day. I’m hoping it will make her a little more open to the idea of sticking around my place.
Letting me take care of her just a little longer.
Would that have things between us moving faster than I planned to go? Yes.
Am I going to stop?
That’s a hard question to answer. Especially with her eating my food, using my shower, and sleeping in my bed.
I’m so close to having what I thought I’d let slip through my fingers, and keeping myself in check is provingto be difficult. I have to do it though. Brooke isn’t in the same place I am. She’s still reeling from whatever happened in California.
But I meant what I told her. I can wait. I will wait.
So if she wants to go back to my parents’ today, that’s what she’ll do.
Finally, Bruno squats, pinching off an amount of shit I can’t believe comes out of someone so small, before turning to kick grass dust in the opposite direction.
“Good job, buddy. No one’s ever gonna find that now.” I scoop him up because I don’t want to wait while he climbs his way back onto the deck, carrying the pup into the house before adding a little puppy chow to his bowl. After washing my hands, I begin digging items out of the fridge.
I don’t know what Brooke likes to eat in the mornings, but I do know she didn’t love a savory breakfast when we were in college. I’m not feeding her cold cereal, so hopefully oatmeal will suffice.
After toasting a couple cups of oats in a pan, I add in water, letting it absorb while I cut up a banana and some strawberries. Once the oats are tender, I stir in a little milk and a scoop of peanut butter and start assembling. Layering in the hot oats and fruit, I top the whole thing with a drizzle of honey before sticking a spoon into each serving.
I finish up just as I hear Brooke moving around upstairs.
Picking up the bowls, I grab a couple bottles of water, tucking them under my arm, and head up, thinking I might get Brooke to eat and go back to sleep. The more she sleeps, the better she’ll feel.
And the longer I’ll have her all to myself.
God, I’m an ass.
Giving the door to my room a tap with one foot, I quietly call her name. “Brooke? You up?”
I hear a few thumps on the other side of the door, along with a shrill yelp. It’s enough to have me twisting the knob as I call out a warning. “I’m coming in.”
Swinging the door open, my eyes sweep the room looking for her. “Brooke? Sw?—”
Her head pops up over the far side of the bed, saving us both from what I was about to say.
