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“I could ask you the same thing.”
She rose, allowing me to get a full glimpse of the white cotton nightgown she had on, just thin enough that I could make out the curve of her breasts.
Fuck. Don’t think about her breasts.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I rasped, then cleared my throat.
“Me either.”
I eyed her for a beat—even with no makeup and bedhead, she was still so beautiful—not that she ever realized it.
She rose, clearly catching me staring. “I should go inside,” she said.
“Don’t go,” I said. “I invaded your space again. I’ll go.” I turned around, about to make my way back up the path, but it was like my feet had turned to cement blocks. Without turning around, I said, “Could we maybe talk? Just for a few minutes.”
I heard the sound of her exhale along with the crickets keeping us company.
“Just for a few minutes,” she agreed. I turned back around as she sat back down on the bench. “What do you want to talk about?”
I wanted to talk to her about so many things. There was no way my brain was going to settle on just one.
“Did you enjoy the party?”Christ.I was like a teenager who’d never talked to a pretty girl before.
She lightly laughed. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t get to try the shrimp puffs, but I met some nice people and got to know a little more about Liam. I think my favorite part though, was snapping at some guy who walked in on me in the bathroom.”
Her deadpan delivery was like nothing I’d ever heard from her before. The Brooke I knew was soft-spoken and had never been a huge fan of sarcasm. This Brooke was feisty, and I really fucking liked it.
“Wow. He just walked right in?” I said, my tone appropriately incredulous.
“And wouldn’t leave.”
“What an asshole that guy must have been,” I said dryly.
“He’s a real peach,” she replied, still not missing a beat.
She half-smiled and something squeezed in my chest. I took a step closer to the bench, leaving my sarcasm behind. “Brooke, I’m sorry I upset you.”
She looked at me intently as if trying to solve a puzzle, then after a beat too long, said, “Which time?” The words hit me like a slap. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she quickly added.
“No, no,” I stammered, “it’s fine. I deserve it. I—”
“No,” she said firmly. “I keep bringing up the past, and I need to stop. It’s not helping the situation.”
“Thesituation,” I echoed on an exhale, wondering what exactly the odds were that we’d even find ourselves in this situation. I should have bought a lottery ticket that morning. I snapped my attention back to Brooke. “Did you tell Liam about us?”
Brooke shook her head, eyes drifting to the roses. “He was in such a good mood, and he’s been so happy reuniting with his whole family. It wasn’t the time. Did you tell Leah?”
I shook my head. “Same reason.” I took another step towards the bench. “I’m going to tell her tomorrow. I learned the hard way once what happens when you’re not forthcoming about your past.” Her eyes darted to mine, her expression tinged with pain. Pain that was my fault. “Brooke,” I said, taking the last step towards the bench, and sitting beside her. “I need you to know something about back then… about Mariah.”
She shut her eyes. “Alex, I swear to God, I can’t take hearing her name. I can’t listen to you defend her or hear about your relationship or any of it.”
She rose, but I grabbed her hand. “Please,” I begged. “Please sit back down and hear me out.”
She huffed out a breath. Moonlight lit the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, and all I wanted to do was take her tears away. I tugged on her hand just enough, and she eventually sat back down.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I’d thought about this moment for years after Brooke and I had broken up. About what I would say to her when I finally had the chance. I’d even practiced it in front of the mirror for months at a time, but I’d never had the courage to call or text, and eventually, life got in the way.
“Alex, you have three seconds to talk, or I’m leaving. One, two—”
