Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
CALEB
November
H erman Blackstone and Ellen Casterley were married in a small, elegant ceremony at Stone Church with the autumn sun shining in an arc over Blackstone Island where it merged with the sea.
It appeared that Mother Nature had clued in that the day was a celebration.
As I held hands with Brooke and witnessed their vows, the irony wasn’t lost on me that a Blackstone and a Casterley were being joined in holy matrimony.
And if I had to guess, I was pretty certain the same thought was crossing more than a few minds in this ancient stone chapel right along with me.
Only Wyatt was missing from my siblings, which wasn’t a huge surprise given he kept his life a mystery and could be in another country at the moment for all I knew.
Herman’s children were there to support their dad, obviously.
Reese, Jason, and Jordyn had been blessed with the temperament of their father rather than their mother—thank God—or I doubt we would have ended up so close to our cousins.
Aunt Cynthia’s death fifteen years ago had loosened her hold on her children, but her marriage to Herman had been long over when she’d died.
My mother had pseudo filled the role of mother to Cynthia’s children, even if in her own particularly detached method of parenting, for the intervening years.
My mother and Herman had an understanding over his three kids, and neither overstepped each other’s roles.
They both adhered to the cardinal rule that blood family took precedence over all else—even when you couldn’t stand to be around said family member.
Personal feelings were the last thing to matter in our world.
Wealth and status were next in line, right below blood connections.
Which was the very reason she had to grace us with her presence today.
Madelaine Blackstone was showing support for her brother-in-law at his wedding.
The key word was show . We all knew she’d rather chew glass.
The whole thing was just another example of ignoring the pink elephant in the room.
My family had a whole zoo full of elephants we ignored. Fucking experts—every last one of us.
My mother had managed to behave herself thus far, but I didn’t trust her to continue with the celebratory charade for very much longer.
She would grow weary of faking it after a while.
It took exceptional energy to swallow the bitter pill of knowing her former housekeeper was now her sister-in-law.
That part was legitimately weird, though.
Brooke’s grandmother was now my aunt. My uncle was now Brooke’s step-grandfather.
We were definitely connected by family, and as much as I tried to set the thoughts aside for the time being, it was impossible for me to deny my truth.
It was very simple really. I was going to marry Brooke.
Someday, it would be the two of us in front of a priest. Another Blackstone and Casterley would be joined in holy matrimony.
I knew she wasn’t ready yet and probably wouldn’t be for a long time, but I would wait until she was. We had plenty of time to get there.
The few weeks since I’d been back from Abu Dhabi had been the best of my adult life because of her.
Every simple and mundane task was interesting and fun when doing it with Brooke.
She liked cooking for me and said it was healthier than eating out all the time.
In fact, she didn’t want to go out very often because clubs and parties did not interest her.
When I could convince her to stay overnight at the penthouse with me, we did simple things like shop for the ingredients to make dinner and watch cable TV.
More likely we were making love in front of the fireplace while the TV was on because I don’t remember much of anything about the shows we “watched.”
Even right now in the middle of a wedding ceremony, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.
She had on a pale gold, lacy dress that only served to make her eyes.
..shine in contrast. My golden girl looked beautiful, of course, but today she didn’t have one trace of the usual present sadness.
Today she was joyful. Joyful for her grandmother—and it showed.
Seeing Brooke this way gave me a goal. My plan was something only I needed to know as I worked out a way to achieve it. But achieve it I would.
My goal was to give her more reasons to be joyful than opportunities for remembering the sadness of the past. I couldn’t delete it or take it away. The fucker who nearly killed her was gone. But I could ensure happiness for her future.
When we filtered out of the chapel after the ceremony, Brooke and I were the last ones out because we’d been the first ones in after the bride and groom.
She was quiet beside me as we waited for the people ahead of us to move aside so she could go to her grandmother and Herman.
“It was perfect, Brooke. You did a wonderful job of planning and making everything come together.”
“Thank you. I am so happy right now.” She squeezed my hand and leaned into my chest.
Supporting her body against mine, I propped one shoulder in the doorway while we continued to wait. I kissed the top of her head and breathed in the flowery scent of her hair. “I know you are. I can see it as clear as day, and happiness is a very good look on you, baby.”
“You’re a big part of it, Caleb.” She said it softly as we paused in the entryway of Stone Church.
I heard every word.
Yeah, I’m marrying this girl.
“ S o, Brooke tells me Herman is taking you on a cruise around Europe. Are you looking forward to being on a boat for all of that time?”
Brooke’s grandmother gave me a leveled look.
“I am thrilled to be free again after so many weeks of therapy, quite honestly. I feel like I’ve been let out of prison, albeit my guards were very helpful during my incarceration,” she joked with me as we took a moment to chat together during the reception.
“Herman feels the confinement of the ship will keep me from overdoing it with the new knees. We can take a leisurely pace with touring at ports, or stay on the ship if it becomes overtaxing for me. I’m not too worried because I feel strong, and I’ll be busy looking after Herman. ” She winked mischievously.
“Mrs. Caster—ah—I mean, Mrs. Blackstone, you reminded me so much of Brooke just now. I could hear her saying the same witty comebacks.”
She smiled warmly. “Now, Caleb, I think calling me Mrs. Blackstone is a bit too formal, don’t you?”
It was awkward, because I really didn’t know what to call her. She was still just as approachable as I remembered her to be, but she’d married into my family now, and I sure as hell couldn’t call her Mrs. Casterley anymore. “Well, probably yes,” I answered honestly.
“I think Aunt Ellen would be appropriate if you feel comfortable with that. Technically, I am your aunt now that I’ve married your uncle.”
“I will surely make the mistake of calling you Mrs. Casterley regularly. In fact, I know I will, but I’ll be honored to call you Aunt Ellen as often as my poor brain can remember to say it.”
She laughed and agreed to still answer to Mrs. Casterley for me. “Caleb, I’m so glad we are getting this chance to talk, because there is something I’ve been wanting to discuss with you. I feel as if I don’t have a choice in the matter, because I am the only advocate she has.”
“Brooke?”
“Yes, I mean Brooke.”
“How can I put you at ease, Mrs. Caster—shit, I mean—sorry for the language...er...Aunt Ellen…” Not the best start, but I was curious about what she wanted to discuss.
She patted my hand in reassurance. “Don’t worry, Caleb, I come in peace, truly I do. I am just a concerned grandmother looking out for my precious Brooke. You see, I just want to make sure you understand how her past has shaped her.”
“She’s told me about her husband and about losing her baby. I know her life with Marcus was terrorizing for her. Brooke has shared everything with me.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I know she has shared with you. She told me. And, Caleb, I feel, or rather—I can see you care for Brooke. I can see she cares for you. That part is for the two of you to figure out, although I don’t imagine you’ll have much of a problem with it. ” She winked at me again.
“Aunt Ellen, you are going to make a grown man blush.”
“Well, good then. It only further supports my observations about you two, but this is not what I want you to take away from our conversation, Caleb.” She patted the back of my hand two times with firm taps. “It is about Brooke and how her whole life has been impacted by a lack of choice.”
“How do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, her illegitimate birth was out of her control—just something she had to accept. Limited time and access to her father, being his little secret was her reality, and something over which she had no control. The death of her parents was a horrifying shock, of course. Being ripped away from her home to come to live in a completely different country was suddenly mandatory. Having to live with me became her only option, regardless if we did end up making a wonderful life together. Just at the moment when her life seemed to finally be on track with the path she was choosing for herself, Marcus came along and ruined everything she’d worked toward.
Becoming pregnant, marrying Marcus—neither are things she’d ever have chosen for herself at such a young age.
He stalked and trapped her deliberately.
Add in the terror she endured the whole time she was imprisoned in her marriage, and you can see how most of her life has been forced down her throat.
The ability to choose has been taken from Brooke time and time again, and nearly ended her life in the process. ”
“I think I understand where you’re going with this.”