Forever - 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 powerful 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!”