Chapter 24
Luke didn't sleep well.
Not because of the anonymous notes.
Not even because of the venue worksheet folded inside the nightstand drawer beside his bed.
It was because he found himself questioning memories he'd never examined before.
He remembered the charity gala where three people had congratulated him and Brooklyn on "finally making it official."
At the time, he'd laughed.
Brooklyn had laughed too.
Neither of them had corrected anyone.
He remembered thinking it wasn't worth interrupting the conversation. Now he wondered why neither of them had.
He remembered a Christmas party where someone had jokingly asked whether Grace was jealous of Brooklyn.
Grace hadn't even been formally in the picture then. He'd laughed that off, too. He'd spent years assuming people simply enjoyed teasing childhood friends. Had Brooklyn assumed the same thing?
Or...
Had she quietly enjoyed it?
He honestly didn't know. That uncertainty bothered him more than almost anything else.
The following morning, Luke called someone he hadn't spoken to in nearly six months.
"Marissa?"
A surprised laugh answered.
"Well, this is unexpected."
His former wifesounded exactly as she always had.
Direct.
Warm.
A little amused.
"Hi."
"Should I be worried?"
"No."
He smiled despite himself. "I actually need a favor."
"You know that's usually how horror movies start."
Luke laughed. "I promise it's not that."
There was a pause.
"Okay."
"I need to ask you something about when we were together."
Silence.
Then...
"That sounds considerably more terrifying."
"I know."
"So why do I suddenly feel like I'm about to end up on a therapist's couch?"
Luke rubbed a hand across his forehead. "Because I should have asked this years ago."
Her voice softened.
"What is it?"
He stared out his office window before asking. "When we dated..."
Another pause.
"...did Brooklyn ever make you uncomfortable?"
The line went completely silent.
Not for two seconds.
Not for five.
Long enough that Luke pulled the phone away to make sure the call hadn't disconnected.
Finally Marissa spoke. "...She finally did it."
Luke frowned.
"What?"
"Grace finally said something, didn't she?"
Luke's stomach dropped. "You knew?"
Marissa laughed once.
Without humor.
Luke sat down slowly.
"Tell me."
"I spent the first six months of our relationship convincing myself I was insecure." Marissa's voice was calm. Matter-of-fact.
"I'd mention Brooklyn, and you'd immediately explain why I didn't need to worry."
Luke closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not telling you that to make you feel guilty."
"I know."
"I'm telling you because you genuinely didn't see it."
Luke listened.
"Brooklyn was..." Marissa searched for the word. "...clever."
He didn't interrupt.
"She never flirted with you."
"No."
"She flirted with your life."
Luke frowned. "What does that mean?"
"She always knew things before I did."
His grip tightened on the phone. "What things?"
"That your mom had invited us to dinner."
"That your cousin had changed graduation dates."
"That your dad needed help after his knee surgery."
Luke stared at the wall.
"She'd call before I even knew." Marissa sighed.
"She'd show up first."
He felt something cold settle in his stomach.
"I thought I was imagining it."
"You never told me."
"I tried."
She laughed softly.
"You'd always say, 'That's just Brooklyn.'"
Luke remembered.
God...
He remembered.
Not the conversations.
The phrase.
He'd used it dozens of times. "Did you think she was in love with me?"
Marissa was quiet.
"Luke…"
Luke blinked.
"What?"
"I think..."
Marissa chose each word carefully.
"...she wanted to be the woman everyone associated with you."
Luke frowned.
"That's different."
"Very."
She continued.
"I never caught her doing anything inappropriate."
"No touching."
"No declarations."
"No obvious flirting."
Luke nodded slowly.
"She just..." Marissa exhaled. "...occupied space."
The exact phrase Paige had used.
Luke felt almost dizzy.
"Eventually," Marissa continued, "I got tired."
"Tired?"
"Of competing with someone nobody believed I was competing with."
Luke couldn't speak.
"I started sounding irrational."
He closed his eyes.
She was right.
He remembered defending Brooklyn. Not because he'd chosen Brooklyn over Marissa. Because he'd honestly believed Marissa had misunderstood.
"I'm sorry."
Marissa's voice softened. "I know."
"I really am."
"I know." There was affection in her voice now. Not romantic affection. The kindness that comes with enough time having passed.
"Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"Grace is handling this much better than I did."
He swallowed. "I know."
"You should handle it better too. Don't waste that."
Luke drove straight to Grace's office. He didn't call first, he simply walked into the lobby and asked the receptionist if Grace had five minutes.
She appeared moments later. Concern immediately crossed her face. "What happened?"
"Can we take a walk?" She grabbed her coat without another question.
The autumn air had turned crisp. Leaves crunched beneath their feet as they crossed the small park behind her office building.
Luke didn't speak until they'd reached a quiet bench. "I called Marissa."
Grace blinked. "You did?"
He nodded.
Then he told her everything.
By the time he finished, Grace's eyes had filled with tears. Not because of Brooklyn. Because of Luke.
He looked devastated. "I failed her."
Grace took his hand. "You did." She didn’t sugarcoat it.
Luke nodded once."I know that now."
"I also think..." She squeezed his fingers.
"...you've spent weeks making sure you don't fail me the same way."
He looked down. "I wish I'd understood sooner."
"So do I. But you understand it now."
Silence settled between them.
Finally Luke looked up. "Marissa said something else."
"What?"
"She said Brooklyn didn't flirt with me."
Grace waited.
"She flirted with my life."
Grace felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.
Because that was exactly it. Brooklyn hadn't been trying to steal kisses. She'd been trying to become irreplaceable.
The person who knew.
The person who remembered.
The person everyone called.
The woman who belonged beside Luke in every story.
Luke looked at her.
"I don't think this ends on its own."
Grace had been thinking the same thing.
"No."
"It ends because someone ends it."
"And who does that?"
Luke looked toward the trees.
Then back at the woman he was going to marry.
"I do."
That evening, Brooklyn unlocked her apartment to find Hannah sitting on the hallway floor outside her door.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Hannah stood.
"We need to talk."
Brooklyn smiled uncertainly. "Okay..."
Hannah didn't smile back.
"Marissa called me."
Brooklyn froze.
For the first time in months the carefully composed expression slipped completely.
Hannah saw it.
"Oh, Brooklyn." Her voice was filled with disappointment.
Brooklyn looked away.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Yes." Hannah stepped closer. "You do."
She lowered her voice. "Tell me the truth."
Brooklyn's fingers tightened around her keys. "What truth?"
Hannah held her gaze.
"Are you trying to stop Luke from getting married?"
The hallway fell silent.
Brooklyn could have denied it. She almost did.
Instead… Very quietly… She asked, "What if I am?"
Hannah stared at her. Then slowly shook her head. "Oh, Brooklyn."
Not angry.
Not shocked.
Heartbroken.
"I thought you were grieving."
Brooklyn laughed once. A brittle, exhausted sound. "I was."
"And now?"
Brooklyn closed her eyes. "Now..." When she opened them again, there were tears she made no effort to hide. "...now I think I've been lying to myself."
She wasn't grieving the loss of Luke's friendship.
She was grieving the future she'd secretly believed might still become hers.
And for the first time… She had finally admitted it out loud.
Hannah stared at Brooklyn for several long seconds.
The hallway suddenly felt much too small. "What did you just say?"
Brooklyn looked down at the keys in her hand. "I said I think I've been lying to myself."
"No." Hannah shook her head. "I heard that part."
She stepped closer. "I mean the part before it."
Brooklyn didn't answer.
"Brook." Her voice softened. "Tell me."
Brooklyn unlocked the apartment and walked inside without responding.
Hannah followed, closing the door behind them.
The apartment was immaculate, as always. Fresh flowers on the dining table. A stack of fundraiser folders lined up with military precision. A candle burning on the kitchen island.
Everything looked composed. Brooklyn did not. She stood with her back to Hannah for nearly a minute. Finally she spoke.
"I never had a plan."
Hannah folded her arms. "What does that mean?"
"I never sat around thinking..." She laughed bitterly. "'Someday Luke will leave whoever he's with and marry me.'"
She turned around. "It wasn't like that."
"Then what was it?" Brooklyn sank onto the sofa.
"I just..." She searched for words that had somehow become impossible to find.
"...thought he would always come back to me."
Hannah's expression changed. "When he dated someone..."
Brooklyn shrugged helplessly. "...I assumed it wouldn't last."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"You do."
Brooklyn looked toward the window. "Because it never had."
Marissa.
Before her, Kelly. Before that, Jess. Before her, another girlfriend Hannah barely remembered.
They had all disappeared eventually.
Luke had always remained. Had always had Brooklyn by his side.
Brooklyn swallowed. "So when he proposed..." She laughed softly. "...it felt temporary."
Hannah stared at her. "You thought he'd change his mind?"
Brooklyn shook her head. "I didn't think anything." She closed her eyes. "That's the problem." She had never actually imagined the wedding. Never imagined Luke standing at an altar. Never imagined him building a house with another woman. Having children. Growing old.
She had simply... refused to picture it.
Even though he and Marissa had gotten married, that hadn’t been permanent either.
She didn’t believe his latest one would be the exception.
Until now.
Hannah sat beside her. "Brook."
Brooklyn looked up.
"Have you ever actually wanted a life with Luke? Romantically"
Brooklyn frowned. "What kind of question is that?"
"A serious one."
Silence.
Then, very quietly, Brooklyn answered. "I don't know anymore." She looked exhausted.
"I wanted..." She stopped. "...to matter. To be the most important person to someone. Luke made me feel that way."
Hannah's shoulders relaxed just a little. "Those aren't the same thing."
"No."
"They really aren't."
Brooklyn nodded. "I know."
"But somewhere along the way..." She looked at the engagement announcement still pinned to her refrigerator. "...I stopped being able to tell the difference."
Luke called his mother the next morning. "Can you come by after work?"
Elaine immediately sounded concerned. "Is everything all right?"
"I hope so."
Elaine arrived at his apartment just after six carrying a container of lasagna. "I know that face." She set the dish on the kitchen counter. "You've been thinking too much."
Luke smiled faintly. "Probably."
She looked around. "Where's Grace?"
"Working late."
Elaine nodded. "Good." She took off her coat.
"Now tell me."
Luke didn't ease into it.
"Mom."
"Yes?"
"Did you ever think Brooklyn and I were going to get married?"
Elaine froze. Just for a heartbeat. Then she sighed. "Oh."
"You did."
She sat down slowly. "I hoped."
Luke remained standing. "For how long?"
Elaine looked embarrassed. "A long time."
"Even after I started dating other people?"
"I thought..." She smiled sadly. "...I thought eventually you'd both realize what was right in front of you."
Luke rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "You never said anything."
"No." She laughed softly. "You would've ignored me."
"Probably." A reluctant smile tugged at his mouth.
Elaine reached across the table. "I never wanted to interfere."
"I know."
"I loved having Brooklyn around."
"I know."
"She lost her mother."
"I know."
Elaine's eyes filled. "And she'd already become part of us."
Luke sat across from her. "Mom."
She looked up.
"Did you ever tell people Brooklyn and I would end up together?"
Elaine thought for a long moment. "I don't think so."
"You don't think so?"
She sighed. "I probably said things."
"What things?"
"Oh..." She smiled sheepishly. "...'They're practically family already.'"
Luke closed his eyes.
"'They've known each other forever.'"
Another nod.
"'Maybe someday.'"
Luke let out a slow breath.
Elaine covered her mouth. "Oh." She understood. "I helped create this."
He reached across the table and took her hand.
"You didn't create it."
"No?"
"No."
He smiled gently.
"You created expectations."
She looked down.
"Brooklyn chose not to correct them."
Elaine nodded slowly. "That's true."
"And I chose not to notice."
Silence settled between them.
Finally Elaine whispered, "I owe Grace an apology."
"You've already apologized."
"Not enough."
Luke smiled.
"I think she'll tell you the same thing she told me."
"What?"
"Just do better."
That evening Grace arrived just as Elaine was leaving. Elaine hugged her unexpectedly tightly. "I'm very glad you're marrying my son."
Grace smiled. "So am I."
Elaine kissed her cheek. "And I promise..." She looked directly into Grace's eyes. "...from now on, I'm going to remember that you're the woman standing beside him."
Grace squeezed her hand. "I know."
After Elaine left, Grace looked at Luke.
"What was that about?"
Luke told her everything. The conversation. His mother's hopes. The years of assumptions.
Grace listened quietly. When he finished, she sat beside him on the sofa. "You know what's strange?"
"What?"
"I don't feel angry with your mom."
"Neither do I."
"I feel..." She searched for the word. "...sad."
Luke nodded.
"Me too."
They sat together in silence for a while. Finally Grace rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you think Brooklyn knows your mom hoped for that?"
Luke didn't answer immediately.
Then he said something that made Grace's stomach tighten.
"I don't know." He looked toward the window. "But if she did..." He frowned. "...she's been living inside someone else's dream for a very long time."