Chapter 15
Dancing in the Rain
The full moon bathed everything in silver as I sat at Niko's patio table, desperately trying not to stare at Brooke like some lovesick teenager.
Epic fail on that front, I was practically drooling into my Corona while she charmed my entire family with her adorable laugh and the way she kept tucking that one rebellious strand of hair behind her ear.
A warmth spread through my chest as I watched her gesture animatedly while telling some story. But with it came a twinge of panic. I'd never felt this way about anyone before, and definitely not this fast. This was the kind of feelings that made men do stupid things.
"So, Brooke," Leilani leaned forward and refilled Brooke's wine glass with suspicious generosity. "Matt tells us you own a café downtown."
Oh no. Here we go.
Brooke's fingers did this adorable nervous dance around her wine stem. "Yeah, my dad wanted me to follow in his lawyer footsteps, but my heart was more pastries and coffee than depositions and court dates."
"And your mother?" Leilani's eyebrow arched like she was conducting a federal investigation. "Law career pusher, too?"
I jumped in before my sister-in-law could demand Brooke's credit score and childhood pet names. "Okay, dial down the FBI routine there, Lei."
CHOKE.
Brooke's wine went down the wrong pipe, and I couldn't help but laugh as her cheeks turned the most amazing shade of pink. God, she was beautiful when she was flustered. She was beautiful all the time, but the flustered thing was particularly devastating to my self-control.
"Restroom," Brooke announced, smoothing her dress as she stood. "Need to... yes."
As she disappeared into the house, Niko offered me another beer, but I was already checking my watch. "We should head out soon. Early mornings tomorrow."
"She's perfect for you." Leilani stacked plates. "Bring her around more often."
My gaze drifted toward the house. "I'm trying to. But her ex really did a number on her. She's got walls that would make Fort Knox jealous."
"Then be patient," Leilani advised, suddenly serious. "And for the love of all that's holy, be honest about everything. One tiny doubt and you're toast. But if you're genuine…" She shrugged. "She'll come around."
I nodded, filing away the advice just as Brooke reappeared, looking slightly more composed and absolutely gorgeous.
The fifteen-minute walk to Brooke's apartment felt like both an eternity and thirty seconds. Every time her arm brushed mine, I got hit with this electric shock that had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with how badly I wanted to hold her hand.
"Your family's wonderful." She glanced up at me with that soft smile that made my knees forget how to function properly.
"They're nosy, but yeah, they're pretty great." I grinned. "They adored you, by the way. Especially after you let my five-year-old niece paint your nails that alarming shade of purple."
Brooke laughed, holding up her slightly smudged fingernails. "Princess Sparkle Purple is a very sophisticated color choice, I'll have you know."
She'd sat there for twenty minutes while Lilly carefully applied three coats of nail polish with the precision of someone performing brain surgery, never once showing impatience. That's when I knew I was in serious trouble.
"Do you want kids?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, but I genuinely wanted to know everything about her… her favorite color, her biggest fear, whether she preferred pancakes or waffles, what she dreamed about.
She hesitated, like I'd asked her to solve quantum physics. "I do." She shook her head. "I mean, I did." A smile flickered across her face. "I always pictured the whole perfect package, perfect marriage, perfect kids, perfect house with the white picket fence," She trailed off.
"But?"
"But maybe perfect is overrated," she said with a little shrug that somehow made her seem both vulnerable and wise.
"What does perfect look like to you now?"
She took a deep breath, as if she were diving underwater. "Honestly? I thought I knew, but I was completely wrong."
"Your ex really messed with your head, didn't he?"
She bit her lip. A habit of hers that was going to be the death of me.
"He made it hard to believe someone could want me for me.
But he also showed me what I don't want.
" She stared forward as we continued to walk.
"I think I want to focus on myself right now.
I want to travel and figure out what I want, and I don't know if that will ever include having kids. "
Relief washed over me. If kids were a must-have right now, I knew this was over before it ever began.
"What about you? Do you want kids?"
"Right now, kids don't really fit into my hectic life, but down the road?" I shrugged. "I think that's a discussion for later."
Her eyes met mine, and she smiled. "Yeah."
Thunder rumbled overhead, and I glanced up. "Rain's coming."
She tilted her face toward the sky. "I love the rain." Her voice went all dreamy and soft.
"You do? Why?" Most people complained about getting soaked.
Her eyes fluttered closed, as if she were remembering something beautiful. "There's something magical about it. My parents had this house with a wraparound porch before Dad's firm exploded and we moved to the city. I used to sit on the porch swing and read during rainstorms."
"But getting caught in it sucks…"
"No!" She shook her head firmly. "There's something incredible about dancing in the rain."
I stared at her. "How often do you dance in the rain?"
"Every chance I get," she said, eyes sparkling with mischief.
A raindrop smacked me right in the forehead. "Well, looks like you might get to show me this magic."
As the sprinkle turned into a downpour, I made a split-second decision that would either be the most romantic thing I'd ever done or land me in the hospital with pneumonia.
I took her hand and spun her under my arm as the rain started falling harder. She lifted her face to the sky, eyes closed, letting the raindrops kiss her cheeks, and I swear my heart stopped beating for a full ten seconds.
She was stunning.
I pulled her closer, my hand finding the small of her back as we swayed together on the empty sidewalk, no music except for the rain and distant thunder. We were completely soaked, and it was perfect in a way that had nothing to do with planning or expectations.
Her hand pressed against my chest, right over my racing heart, and our eyes locked. The rest of the world just… disappeared. I leaned down, she tilted her chin up, and our lips barely brushed.
CRACK. Lightning split the sky, followed by thunder that sounded like the universe clearing its throat.
"Shit," I muttered, grabbing her hand. "Inside. Now."
We ran, laughing and stumbling, to her building's tiny awning. We were both drenched, her usually perfect hair hanging in dark waves around her face, my clothes plastered to my skin.
She fumbled with her keys, her hands shaking, whether from cold or nerves, I couldn't tell. I stepped closer, officially to shield her from the rain, but really just because I needed to be near her.
She looked up at me, raindrops clinging to her eyelashes like tiny diamonds. Kiss her, my brain screamed.
Kiss her right now.
Instead, I cleared my throat like a nervous teenager. "Great night."
"Yeah," she murmured. Then, quietly: "Want to come in? Dry off? Wait out the storm?"
Did I want to come in? Was she kidding? I wanted to follow her anywhere she'd let me go.
"Yes," I said, probably too quickly.
She pushed open the door and I followed her up three flights of stairs, trying not to notice how perfectly her dress clung to her curves or how her wet hair smelled like vanilla and rain.
"I'll grab some towels." Brooke pushed open the door to her apartment and disappeared down the hallway.
I stood dripping in her entryway, suddenly very aware that my wet shirt was clinging to everything. When she came back, her eyes went wide, gaze trailing over me before she caught herself.
I couldn't hide my grin.
"Here." She handed me a towel, our fingers brushing in a way that sent electricity straight through me.
She wrapped a towel around her shoulders, fidgeting. "I could put your clothes in the dryer if you want. This storm doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon."
I raised an eyebrow, unable to resist. "Are you trying to get me naked, Brooke?"
She burst into laughter, cheeks flaming. "I guess it does sound like that."
I held up the towel, waggling my eyebrows. "Tell you what, you go change, I'll wrap up in this towel like some kind of Roman senator."
"I think I have sweatpants that might fit you," she said, then caught my expression and quickly added, "They were my brother's. He was built like you."
Were. Past tense. "Your brother?"
Her smile turned soft and sad. "He died a few years ago. Car accident."
Shit. "Brooke, I'm so sorry…"
She straightened, visibly shaking it off. "It's okay. I'll go get them."
"No, I don't want to wear…"
"I kept a lot of his things that are important to me," she said gently. "His old sweatpants aren't one of them. Trust me."
As she disappeared again, I found myself hoping the storm would last all night.
Because leaving her was the last thing I wanted to do.