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“We’ll walk behind her.” She shrugs. “At least we’ll be there when she falls flat on her face.”
Walking out into the nicely lit streets, we hurry to catch up to Carrie, who seems to be heading in the right direction for home, at least.
The closer we get, the quieter Brooke becomes. Unable to take it any longer, I ask, “What’s going on in that head of yours?” I wrap my arm around her waist, tugging her closer, which is how I feel the heavy sigh she releases.
“I was loving everything about tonight, and then, as usual, she has to go and ruin it. I shouldn’t be angry and upset, but I am.”
Reading between the lines, the reality of what she’s had to put up with hits me, and I find that I don’t like it. The need to protect Brooke overwhelms me and when Carrie stumbles to a halt and nearly ends up falling into the shrubs at the side of the road, I can’t bring myself to move. It’s unlike me, but the girl didn’t want help, and I’m too angry with her that I want to throttle her.
Brooke watches her sister stumble from side-to-side, and then we both let out a sigh of relief when the gate leading into the garden comes into view.
The relief is short lived though because Carrie crashes into the gate and slithers down it into a heap on the floor.
I groan and releasing Brooke, hurry to he
lp the idiotic woman.
With some maneuvering, and Brooke’s help, I get Carrie into my arms and follow Brooke through the garden, into the house, and up to Carrie’s bedroom. Brooke covers the bed with a blanket so releasing my load, I stand back from the bed.
“What’s going on?” Adelaide comes into the room and asks, looking between Carrie on the bed, Brooke and me.
“Too much alcohol, Mom,” Brooke says with a shrug of her shoulders.
Adelaide rushes to sit beside a passed out Carrie and brushes the hair back from her forehead.
Brooke turns to look at me and it kills me seeing the sadness in her eyes. So regardless of who’s watching, I gently tug her into my side. “Let’s go,” I whisper.
“She crashed our date, Mom.” Brooke turns into me and let’s me walk her from the room.
We both let out a relieved breath as the door shuts behind us. “Recently,” she whispers against my chest, “I think they actually forget they have another daughter.”
Having witnessed it first hand, I believe that.
Heading downstairs, I happen to glance over the top of Brooke’s head and spot her father standing at his office door with an unreadable expression on his face.
I’m hoping it’s because he heard Brooke’s words and not because I have my arm wrapped around her waist.
“She always has to interfere.” Brooke kisses my chest and moves slightly away, so I sling my arm around her neck, needing to keep her close. “The only peace I get is when we’re in two different cities, or countries.”
“I think she’s jealous of you.”
Brooke pauses and I feel her gaze on me so, holding her gaze, I continue, “Think about it Brooke. Why does she always have to be there and in your face? If she weren’t jealous, then why would she do that? It doesn’t make much sense.”
“Her being jealous of me doesn’t make much sense either.”
“You are beautiful, inside and out, so why wouldn’t she be?” I counter. “I don’t think you see yourself the way that others do.”
She sighs. “If you say so.”
“I do say so.” I get her walking again. “Do you think we can forget about her for the rest of the evening? I’d really like to spend the time we have left tonight thinking about you.”
She chuckles. “I’d like to spend it touching you, which I think would be a good distraction.”
Her throaty confession does things to my body that would be embarrassing if we weren’t alone. “I’m up for that.”
“I bet you are.” She slips directly in front of me with her arms going around my neck.
My hands grip her waist but soon, that isn’t enough as I drop them to her round bottom, and squeeze before lifting her up against me. “You’re not close enough,” I hiss when she’s completely wrapped around me.
