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I nodded. “Fair enough. Then, I’ll be honest. Brooklyn, I never got over you. My parents have no idea, I don’t know what they think about me still being single at twenty eight, but they think it’ll pass when I meet the right woman for me, and it was hard to tell them that I already had.”
Brooklyn bit down on her lip, her eyes misting slightly as she focused completely on me, blinking her eyes to get rid of the excess moisture in her eyes.
“My sister said I needed to see you,” I continued. “To know if I was going to stay the same or move on. I can't tell you right now what my choice is, but I know…in the few days since we met again, I’ve come to realize that I missed you so much more than what I’d originally believed, and I want more than just some fun. It was never like that between us from the beginning, and I wouldn’t have approached you if I wasn’t serious.”
I had been doing plenty of thinking, and those were the conclusions I’d arrived at. I had no idea just yet what I was going to tell my parents, if they would approve of this, but my mind was made up.
“You’re being serious with me, right?” she muttered.
I nodded. “Brooklyn, I couldn’t be more serious.”
We were silent again as she let that sunk in, eating as we waited for her to gather her thoughts. It wasn’t until we were done that she looked up at me again. My eyes hadn't left her the entire time.
“Nora’s wedding with Paul is cancelled,” she said. Before I could wonder what that had to do with us, she continued. “Because there’s no more wedding, it means I can't keep stalling. I’m going to have to go back to Cali soon, I have a life, and I have work. I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on either one just yet.”
“And you don’t have to,” I said quickly. “I swear I’m not asking you to give up your life for me, or anything like that. I’m willing to try and meet you half way, if it’s what you want. Is that okay?”
Brooklyn’s lips pursed, then slowly spread into a smile. The waiter interrupted us before she could give any verbal confirmation, but her happy expression was all the answer I needed. I dropped some bills for the food and drinks, and a tip, for the waiter, then Brooklyn and I stood up. I waited for her to walk around the table, then wrapped an arm around her. I remembered to pick up my briefcase, and we went out into the cold. Brooklyn stepped even closer to me, but the coffee must have warmed her up because she didn’t shiver.
“Where are we going now?” she asked, looking up at me with cautious trust behind her eyes.
I smiled gently at her, tucking her close as I led her back to my office building so we could head to my car, still in the underground parking.
“We’re going to my sister, Maria’s place. It’s close by and she’s supposed to be out of town, but she wouldn’t mind us using her place.”
After all, I was technically the one paying for it while she refused to live at home or stay at her university’s dorms.
Chapter Sixteen
Brooklyn
Abe drove his car through a gate to some overpriced apartment buildings. Driving into the space, I could hardly believe it was the same squished city, with four buildings, each with four floors, a parking lot and a lot of space to comfortable move around. He parked the car and we both stepped out, and I followed his lead.
We went to the nearest building to us. There were steps that led all the way to the top, but we only climbed up to the third floor. Abe pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.
“Every floor goes to a single person,” Abe explained, letting us into the apartment. “There are several rooms and bedrooms, and Maria actually has this floor and the one above it. Sometimes, I come here even when she isn’t around when I can't be bothered to go all the way home.”
“And is she home today?” I asked cautiously, looking around.
“Well, she’s been out of town the past few days. Actually, I think she went somewhere on Saturday, before I even called you up, and she hasn’t said a thing to me yet, so she might not be back yet.”
I scowled at him, but he didn’t see it. I moved farther into the apartment, anyway. Neither of us got very far, because we heard the sound of someone coming toward us. I froze in panic, but felt an arm around me before I could give into my need to run.
“It’s just my sister,” he murmured comfortingly. “My parents never come here, very few people don’t come here, and you’ve met Maria before.”
“Sure,” I muttered, “Over eight years ago when she was still a kid. She was barely twelve when we first met, in case you’ve forgotten.”
I waited as she came into view. I remembered Maria, and how much she’d looked like Abe when she was younger. She had the same dark hair and hazel eyes. She should be a young woman now, but in my mind I had the image of an awkward pre-teen girl. She’s just been coming into herself when I last saw her, but it had been a while—six years to be exact, before I had seen her and vice versa.
So, imagine my shock when she came into view in a baggy crop top and yoga pants, with bare feet, that showed off her very grown up body. Her thick hair fell around her with a bit of a curl at the ends, and she was running her fingers through the strands as she came toward us, only to freeze with one hand in her hair as she stared at me, her jaw dropping.
“Maria, hey,” Abe said slowly, looking between the two of us. “Sorry for intruding, but I expected you to be gone for a while.”
“What are you doing here?” Maria acted like she hadn't heard him, pointing a finger at me. “It’s definitely you, right? The woman from the event. What the hell are you doing here?”
The expression on her face was complicated, and I wondered if she would thank me for unmasking Paul in front of her, or curse me out for it. After a long moment where I couldn’t figure out what to say to her, Abe cut in.
