Forever (Empire High Book 8)

Chapter 28

Friday

Brooklyn

“They were all basically the same as they are now,” I said.

“You have to give us more than that.” Daphne took another sip of her champagne. “Seriously, what were the four of them like back then? I need all the details.”

“Honestly? Kinda mean until they let us into their circle,” Kennedy said.

Penny shook her head. “I feel like I’m picturing them as little gangsters. Probably because of the name the Untouchables.”

I laughed. “In a lot of ways they were. Except the mobsters were in my family, not theirs.”

Daphne nodded. “But like…what were they like?”

I laughed again. “I don’t know. They were…” I let my voice trail off. Kennedy was right. They had been kind of mean. But there was a lot more to it than that. I’d gotten to know them better than she had. I could so easily picture them back in high school. James trying to forget his pain by drinking and smoking too much. Mason having the weight of the world on his shoulders. Rob masking his issues with jokes. And Matt. I remembered thinking he was the only one who truly knew how to smile. But I was wrong. He was hiding pain too. “They were all a little…sad,” I said. And I’d made Matt so much sadder. I pressed my lips together.

Penny put her hand to her chest. “I’m just picturing baby James all sad now.”

“Teenage James,” I said with a laugh.

“But baby James is such a better name for little James.”

Teenage James wasn’t as innocent as a baby. Especially when he was spending his free time blackmailing me. But the name baby James was definitely better than wasted teenage blackmailer. I hated what I’d done to Matt. But I hated what I’d done to James too. I’d added so much more pain to all their lives. And none of them deserved any more pain.

“And all I’ve ever known is sad Matt,” Penny said. “Until now I mean,” she clarified.

Hearing about the time we were apart killed me. I still couldn’t believe he hadn’t moved on. I couldn’t believe I was sitting here right now about to marry him. I couldn’t believe any of it. Someone needed to pinch me every day leading up to the wedding.

“The idea of sad baby Matt makes me want to cry,” Penny said.

“I guess they were all just sad, waiting to meet the loves of their lives. All girls from Delaware that had significantly less money than them. So random. And none of you knew each other? Like you didn’t introduce each other to them?”

Penny smiled. “No, it was fate.”

“Lucky bitches,” Justin said.

Bee smiled. “So weird though, right? Like what are the odds that four rich guys from New York City married four normal girls from little old Delaware?”

“Because they all had crushes on Brooklyn,” Daphne said with a shrug.

“Definitely not true,” I said.

Penny laughed. “James proposed to you. If that’s not a crush, I don’t know what is.” She didn’t sound upset about it. And I really appreciated how chill she was about this.

“It was a cry for help,” I said. “He knew he had to marry a Pruitt and anyone would choose someone other than Isabella.”

Penny’s eyebrows pulled together. “What do you mean he had to?”

“Oh, I…” I’d never gotten a chance to tell James what Isabella had told me. That their parents made a deal or something. I didn’t even really remember exactly what she’d said. And everything she said was crazy. I needed to leave the past in the past.

“It was just a crazy rumor,” Kennedy said.

“Oh.” Penny shook her head. “Good. James and his dad are finally in a good place and I’d hate for anything to cause another rift. It’s been nice having Mr. Hunter around. And the kids love him. It’s been really nice seeing James and his dad actually acting like father and son. I think James really needed that to move forward from everything.”

I nodded. Yeah, the past could stay in the past. Buried with Isabella and whatever other lies and rumors she’d tried to spread. My father had told me there wasn’t an arrangement between him and Mr. Hunter. And I needed to believe him. We were turning a new leaf. But thinking about my father made me press my lips together. I wanted to believe that Tanner could figure out how to get a hold of him. But we were running out of time.

I glanced at my phone again. Still no word from my dad. James forgiving his father helped them move forward from everything. I needed to have a real conversation with my dad. And I wanted to do it before my wedding. I wanted to get married without a cloud hanging over my head.

“Brooklyn, what was it like living with a gangster daddy?” Justin asked. “God, just saying it out loud is so hot.”

Bee laughed. “Such a daddy.”

“Right?” Justin said. “I’d call him daddy any day.”

“He’s more scary than hot,” Kennedy said.

I smiled. Kennedy nailed that description, just like she had when describing the Untouchables. But just like with the Untouchables…there was more to the story. So much more now. I thought about the stack of letters in my bedroom. “He was really protective. But it was confusing. I know now that he wanted me healthy for my kidney. But I do think he cared about me.” I remembered him worrying about me. It felt real. It felt like how a father would worry because it felt like how my mother worried about me. “And he wanted to protect me from Isabella. I know that was real. Because she was terrifying.”

“Ugh.” Penny took a sip of her champagne. “Whenever I hear that name I still shiver a bit.” She shimmied her shoulders to get the ick out of her system.

“Yeah, me too,” Kennedy said.

I nodded. “Me three.”

“Me four,” Justin said. “I still can’t believe she cut up all those beautiful clothes. That alone was a crime. She should have been in jail for life.”

“We’re just lucky we didn’t have to really know her,” Bee said and put her arm around Daphne.

“Except for the fact that she shot Rob when we first started dating,” Daphne said. “I wish I could have karate kicked her out that window. Not that I know karate. But I would have learned it for her.”

Justin laughed. “Here’s to a common enemy.” He lifted his glass. Everyone but me clinked theirs together.

And no one said anything when Bee didn’t take a sip. I really hoped she got pregnant soon too.

It was so strange. These women knew the Untouchables now. And Kennedy and I knew them better from high school. I loved hearing stories about the four of them. Except about the time they drifted apart. I hated that. But they were all back together now. Happily off doing God knows what at a bachelor party.

“I don’t know how you did it,” Daphne said. “Being uprooted from your life and being forced to live with a father that your mother didn’t want you to know. You’re incredibly brave, Brooklyn.”

I hadn’t felt brave then. “I wasn’t. The only thing that kept me going while I was living with my father was Miller. He made me feel safe. He wasn’t cruel like my father.” I’d given Miller a piece of my heart as soon as he’d shared his ice cream with me. I felt tears welling in my eyes.

The wave of grief hit me hard. Sitting here with my friends that were celebrating my new relationship felt…heavy. I was still mourning Miller. And I was bad at hiding it. This was why I didn’t want Matt to leave me tonight. Because I knew this would happen.

Daphne grabbed my hand. “It hits at strange moments, I know.” She squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to hide how you’re feeling around us. Ever. Okay?”

I nodded.

And then she pulled me into a hug.

How had I ever lived without a friend as understanding as Daphne?

“I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have brought up your hot daddy and all that,” Justin said and hugged my other side.

I laughed through my tears.

“Let it all out, gorgeous.” He kissed my cheek.

“Group hug!” Kennedy yelled and slammed into my side. Penny and Bee joined in too.

I couldn’t help but smile through my tears. Miller had held me together after everything. But now I had so many people to lean on. It was like Miller had known that if I came back here, it wouldn’t just be because I needed Matt. It was like he wanted me to have all these people in my life. To hold me when I cried. Since he couldn’t.

It was strange to feel so unlucky but so lucky at the same time.

“I love you guys,” I said.

“We love you too,” Penny said.

“Well, I love you most, since I knew you first,” Justin said.

“Justin, I knew Brooklyn first,” Kennedy said.

Justin pulled back from the hug. “Semantics. If I was straight, Brooklyn and I would already be married and we all know it. That’s true love. Which is more powerfully than best friend love.”

I laughed and wiped away the rest of my tears.

“What do you find funny about that?” Justin asked. “Don’t make me mouth kiss you again.”

The power cut out and Justin screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Justin, let go, I can barely breathe,” Penny said with a laugh.

“Sorry, gorgeous, but I’m not moving until the power is back on.”

I would have been freaking out, but everyone was laughing. It was hard to be scared when I was smiling.

“Do you know where the circuit breaker is?” Daphne asked.

“I honestly have no idea. Should we go look for it?” I reached out for her in the darkness and found her hand.

“Yeah, we can definitely fix this,” she said.

“Maybe you can. I have no idea how to. Let me get my phone so we can see.” I rummaged around for my phone on the coffee table. I hit the flashlight feature. The room lit up. And standing behind the couch were six men with black ski masks over their faces.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and dropped my phone, bathing the room in darkness again.

And then all hell broke loose.

The sound of glass shattering rung in my ears.

Penny screamed. “Get off me!”

Someone groaned.

One of the guys had definitely been hit based on that groan. Probably by Penny.

“Flip the couch!” Bee yelled.

That was a good idea.

Before I could move, someone put their hand on my shoulder. Men I didn’t know really needed to stop touching me. I threw out my elbow. But whoever my elbow collided with didn’t even flinch. He put his hand over my mouth. He was messing with the wrong person. I bit down on one of his fingers.

He cursed under his breath and released me from his grip. I crouched down feeling along the ground for a piece of glass. I’d heard something else shatter. I wrapped my hand around the stem of a wine glass. This will do. Whoever these guys were, they’d walked into the wrong house. I’d been kidnapped for the last fucking time! I stood up and spun in a circle, waiting for my eyes to adjust in the darkness.

“Get my mommy!” Jacob yelled.

“Jacob?” Panic wrapped around my throat. “Jacob, where are you?!” I reached out my empty hand in the darkness, searching for him.

“I’m a kidnapper!” he said happily.

Wait. What?

The lights turned back on. Broken glass and wine covered the floor. And pillows had been thrown everywhere. A glass lamp was shattered. I recognized Matt, Rob, James, Mason, Tanner, and Nigel even though only Rob had his mask off. They were scattered around the room. I was pretty sure it was Mason who’d knocked over the lamp because he was trying and failing to put it back on the end table. There was also a very little kidnapper I hadn’t seen before because you could only just see the top of his head over the couch. Jacob. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Jesus, Brooklyn,” said Mason and he dropped the lamp again.

I looked down at the wine glass in my hand. The top was broken, the glass shards sticking out precariously. It was the perfect weapon. But not against my friend. I let it fall to the ground.

“Oh, sorry,” Rob said who had his arms wrapped around Penny. “Thought you were my wife.” He let go of Penny’s waist.

“I didn’t mean to give you a black eye!” Penny threw her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Rob.”

Rob laughed. “You definitely didn’t give me a black eye. You lightly swatted my thigh. I thought you were just groping me.” He winked at her and then grimaced from his black eye.

Penny made a grossed out face and Rob laughed.

“How did you get a black eye?!” Daphne said and hurried over to him.

“I don’t remember,” he said. But then he quickly added: “But you should see the other guy.”

Tanner chuckled beside him. “Yeah, right.” He pulled off his mask.

“You guys,” James said and pulled off his mask too. “I thought we weren’t taking our masks off?”

Penny gasped. “James, what happened to your face?!” She rushed over to him, cradling his face in her hands.

Why were they all beat up? God, they were going to look like a street fight gang in the wedding photos.

“Did you kidnap a bunch of big strong men with mean right hooks before this segment of kidnapping or something?” Justin asked. He was looking back and forth between James and Rob. “Tell me more.”

“Kidnap, kidnap!” Jacob said and started jumping up and down on the couch.

“Is that a yes?” Justin asked with a smile.

“Kidnap, kidnap!” Jacob kept hopping.

He went to leap off the couch but I grabbed him before he could jump down onto the glass on the floor. I turned around and saw Matt. He’d been standing behind me. I should have felt bad about elbowing him so hard. And biting his hand. But I did not.

“Enough of the chitter chatter,” Nigel said. “We need to kidnap our prey.”

“Dude, read the room,” Rob said. “The ladies are pissed.”

That was an understatement. “Matt, what the…” my voice trailed off because I was seconds away from cursing and I didn’t want to curse in front of Jacob. I stared at Matt’s masked face. “What is wrong with you?! Kidnapping? Really? You thought that of all things was a good idea after everything?”

He cleared his throat. “Baby…”

“Yeah we did,” Rob said and lifted his hand for a high five. But Matt didn’t high five him.

I had a feeling this had been Rob’s master plan…

“Kidnapping commence!” Rob yelled. He threw a bag over Daphne’s head and then flipped the light switch.

Fuck.

Bee screamed.

“Coach, over here!” Jacob yelled.

I felt Matt’s arms around me again. And this time I breathed in his familiar scent. “Kidnapping, Matt? Really?”

“If you’ll excuse me, little dude,” Matt said and pulled Jacob out of my arms. And then Matt put a bag over my head and lifted me over his shoulder. The bag was silky soft. And it felt more like something from a sex club than a hardware store. Maybe Tanner had planned this instead of Rob…

The whole thing was ridiculous. But for some reason as I was hanging upside down, I was smiling.

“Who’s touching my butt?!” Kennedy yelled.

“Sorry,” Tanner said. “My hand slipped. It’s hard to make purchase in the dark with gloves.”

“And who’s touching my butt?” Justin asked in a much more excited tone.

“I’m not touching your butt,” Nigel said. “My hand is definitely on your thigh.”

“Then raise it,” Justin said.

“No thank you, sir,” Nigel said.

“Call me sir again.”

“No.”

Was Nigel carrying Justin right now? Justin had a whole foot on him. How was he doing that?

Matt carried me out of the apartment.

“Why does everyone look like they got into a brawl?” I asked. No wonder Matt hadn’t told me what his plans were. Because I would have said no to all of this.

“We were playing football,” Matt said.

Of course they were.

“Don’t worry, Mistress Brooklyn,” Nigel said. “I will have them looking right as rain before the wedding. Fresh faced and dapper. Because they get to be in pictures.”

He was throwing too many sayings at me to believe him. There was no way Rob wouldn’t be sporting a black eye at the wedding.

“You’re so strong, Nigel,” Justin said. “What’s your workout routine?”

“Thank you,” Nigel replied. “I’m a natural athlete. I don’t need to waste time with modern boy jazzercise.”

What is he talking about?I shook my head. “And you have an eye on Jacob?” I asked Matt.

“I’m right here, Mommy,” Jacob said.

“I haven’t let him out of my sight,” Matt said.

That wasn’t entirely true. Because no one had been able to see anything back there.

It was like he knew I didn’t believe him, because he added: “I’m holding his hand. He’s right here. He’s safe.”

I smiled. This must be the strangest sight ever. A bunch of men with women thrown over their shoulders. And one man over Nigel. And Matt holding a miniature kidnapper’s hand.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“It wouldn’t be a proper kidnapping if I told you that.”

“You should probably tell your fiancée who’s been legitimately kidnapped a few times where we’re going.”

“It was Rob’s idea,” Matt said as he pulled me off his shoulder and set me down on a leather seat.

I had a feeling we were in a fancy car.

“He was sad about not being the best man. I thought he could have this win. Besides, this isn’t the real surprise.”

“And what’s the real surprise?” The car started moving and I grabbed onto Matt.

“You’ll see.”

I kept a hold of Matt’s arm. I could make out a few other voices. Penny and James were definitely here. And I heard Rob laughing. We must have been in a limo.

I couldn’t believe Rob had come up with this plan. Right after telling me he was going to pull a prank during my rehearsal dinner. He was out of control. It was like my coming back to town had turned him into a high schooler all over again. Or maybe he was just always this poorly behaved?

We pulled to a stop and Matt grabbed my hand, helping me out of the limo.

“Ready?” he asked.

“As long as this is where the kidnapping bit ends.”

He laughed. “No more kidnapping, I promise.” He pulled the bag off my head.

I blinked. We were standing on the Empire High football field. But there were several tents erected on the field and a fire pit on the 50-yard-line.

Oh my God, we’re going to get arrested.