Chapter Eight
“W ho is the cutest baby in the whole wide world?” Brooke cooed as she lifted Fallon’s chubby one-month-old baby into her arms. They sat in Fallon’s bright white kitchen, each on chairs at the table.
Girls abounded in the Sterling family and Fallon was no different. Gabriella, Gabbi for short, stared up at her with big, blue eyes. She hadn’t started smiling yet, which made her seem like such a serious little girl.
Grasping for Brooke’s face, the baby tried to reach for her nose and missed.
Fallon laughed.
“I warned you,” Fallon said, opening a bottle of water and taking a long sip. “She’s trying to touch anything she can get her hands on.”
“Gabbi is just curious, aren’t you, baby girl?” Brooke ran her finger down the infant’s soft cheek. She’d come to Fallon’s new house after work, wanting to check on her and see her bundle of joy.
Her best friend had given birth a month ago, but she looked great. Of course she had dark circles under her eyes, courtesy of sleepless nights, but Fallon was thrilled to have her baby here at last.
“How are you doing?” Brooke asked, reaching out to grab a cookie from the white cardboard box on the kitchen table. Knowing Fallon had a sweet tooth, Brooke had brought an assortment of treats from her favorite bakery.
“I’m good,” Fallon said, smiling fondly at Gabbi. “It’s just amazing how tired I am, considering that all this lovebug does is eat and sleep.”
Brooke laughed. “How often does she wake up?”
“Every couple of hours. Noah tries to help with her as much as possible, but he can’t help with the feedings, and that’s what keeps me up at night.”
Brooke laughed. “Yeah, it’s too bad men can’t breastfeed. Where is he now?”
Smiling, Fallon said, “He took the twins to the park. The girls are over staring at a newborn who does nothing but sleep and burp, according to Dylan.” She grinned when speaking of her stepdaughters, her husband’s twins from a prior…
well, Brooke would say relationship, but it had actually been a one-night stand.
Noah split custody with his ex, Charlie, who happened to be married to Jared Sterling now. Since they were also expecting a baby soon, the twins were about to have another little half-sibling. The Sterling family kept expanding.
“They’re great with her, but they’ve already realized that babies can be boring. Dylan can’t wait until she’s older and more fashionable . Her new thing is that she wants to become a fashion designer, so I have a feeling that Gabbi has a ton of outrageous outfits to look forward to wearing.”
“Until she changes her mind and wants to become something else. What about Dakota?” Brooke asked about Dylan’s twin.
“You know her, obsessed with facts about archaeology. She’s already planning to teach the baby all she knows.”
Dakota’s interest in archaeology came from Charlie, her mom, who had spent time on a dig overseas and now worked in a museum.
The girl was eleven years old and talked about death all the time, but in a factual way, sharing morbid information about ancient civilizations and how they performed their burials, how scientists used bones to learn about their owner’s lifestyle, or how human skin shrunk after death.
That last one had been explained while Brooke was trying to eat fried chicken, and her stomach hadn’t been able to handle that particular food ever since. “Well, I supposed it’s nice that she wants to connect with her baby sister that way,” Brooke said.
Fallon laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll be having some talks about what is age-appropriate before Gabbi is old enough to be traumatized.”
They hung out for the next half hour, chatting about everything and nothing.
Fallon confirmed that she was recovering well from childbirth, but she leaned forward with a grin.
“I have to admit I’m happy that the six-week mark and getting clearance to have sex again is around the corner.
No one ever told me how attractive fatherhood can look on a guy that steps up and takes care of his baby.
It’s kind of driving me crazy that I have to wait. ”
Brooke shook her head. “Must be nice to have a man that you want so badly.”
Fallon placed a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rub your face in my happy relationship.”
“I didn’t mean it that way, and I wouldn’t want you to walk on eggshells around me just because I’m hopelessly single.” Brooke’s thoughts went to Aiden, who she’d seen in the office today. He’d treated her to a simple wink and her panties had been soaked through.
Fallon frowned. “There’s no one that you’re interested in? Maybe someone at the office or your gym?”
“No,” Brooke said, even as her mind conjured up the heated look in Aiden’s eyes last night when he’d pinned her against the wall on her front porch. “There’s no one I feel a connection with.”
“Is it possible you’re being too picky? I mean, you don’t have to feel insta-love with a guy to have a little fun. Scratch that itch, girl. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Way too long, Brooke thought. But Fallon had always been more of a free spirit than she was. It was part of what made their friendship work so well. They complemented each other with their differences.
“I don’t know that I’m really the type to have casual sex. I want to at least be attracted to and like a guy before we sleep together.”
Fallon tapped her finger against her cheek, looking thoughtful. “Are you sure there’s no one you’re interested in?” she asked again, this time more pointedly.
Brooke knew exactly what her friend was implying. Everything came back to Aiden.
Fallon wasn’t stupid. Despite Brooke’s silence on the subject, she’d been with Brooke and Aiden at college while they’d grown close. Fallon had even asked what was going on between Brooke and her brother, leading Brooke to admit she had feelings for Aiden.
But that had been before that night and his breakup—if she could call it that—the next day.
Since then, Brooke refused to talk about Aiden at all.
When Fallon mentioned him, Brooke changed the subject.
But Fallon had to know that something occurred to turn Brooke against her brother.
She just never pushed, respecting Brooke’s boundaries.
“Nope. There’s no one I want to be with,” Brooke said. Lying to her friend felt wrong, but Brooke was starting to realize she’d been lying to herself about her feelings for Aiden, so what difference did it make?
“Okay, but I worry about you. You rarely date, which wouldn’t be a problem, but sometimes you seem so lonely.”
Brooke winced. Fallon’s blunt honesty was the kind that only a good friend would give, but it still hurt to hear.
“I’m not lonely…” she started to say, but trailed off at the no-nonsense look in Fallon’s eyes.
Brooke couldn’t bullshit her. “Okay, I’m lonely.
I mean, I have friends and coworkers. I have my mom.
And my career is important to me. I have a pretty full life.
But lately, it seems like everyone around me is in a happy, fulfilling relationship, and I just wish I had that too. ”
Fallon touched Brooke’s hand, which still held the baby. “You deserve it.”
Brooke nodded, doing her best not to let tears well as she spoke. “I want to come home to someone that can’t wait to see me, and who wants to spend time with me. I want to feel a warm, masculine body pressed against me in bed at night and wake up to someone’s smiling face in the morning.”
The someone in her mind was Aiden, and she hated that she couldn’t get him out of her thoughts and dreams. After all this time, she should be over him.
Fallon’s eyes softened. “That’s beautiful, Brooke. I really want that for you.”
“I’m sure I’ll meet someone eventually.” She looked down at the infant in her arms and lowered her voice. “I think she’s asleep.” The subject change was deliberate.
Fallon stood and carefully took Gabbi from her arms without waking her up.
Brooke followed her down the hall, opening the door to the nursery.
The room was dimly lit by a nightlight, but Brooke could make out the various animals painted on the walls.
An elephant, a giraffe, monkeys in trees, and birds flying near the ceiling.
Fallon was an amazing artist, and she’d painted all this herself.
Brooke lingered in the doorway, watching as Fallon crossed to the wooden crib and slowly placed Gabbi on her back. Turning on the mobile, which had bunnies hanging down over her, Fallon silently tiptoed back to Brooke and slowly closed the door behind them.
A pang of longing hit her unexpectedly. In all her musings, she’d never thought about wanting kids.
Of course she did, someday, but this was the first time she felt that biological urge.
Did she see herself having a family or did the specter of Aiden linger and shut down that hope?
Because she couldn’t envision the scenario with anyone else.
Once back in the hallway, Fallon let out a relieved breath. “Let’s go to the living room.” They settled side by side on the comfortable sofa. “Thank God she’s finally getting used to sleeping in the crib,” Fallon said.
“I bet.”
Fallon met her gaze. “I’m so glad you came to visit. I’ve missed you. Besides, I have something to ask. I don’t know if you’ll agree but now that you’ve admitted you’re not interested in anyone, I hope you’ll keep an open mind.”
“About what?” Brooke asked warily.
Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, Fallon opened her photo gallery and held it out for Brooke to see. A man with dark eyes and dirty blond hair cut short on the sides and longer on top stared back. He had a clean-shaven jaw and a dimple in his chin.
“He’s cute, right?” Fallon asked.
Brooke raised one eyebrow. “You do remember that you’re married, right?”
Fallon slapped her arm playfully. “He’s for you. His name is Mark and he’s a lawyer from Noah’s firm. I want to set you up with him.”