Chapter Twenty
B rooke sat at a café near the office, waiting for company. At her invitation, Fallon had agreed to come into the city for lunch. Noah had taken the day off to work from home, so he was going to take care of the baby.
It was time Brooke leveled with her best friend.
Fallon arrived ten minutes late, rushing into the restaurant, a harried look on her face.
She wore one of her staple long, pleated skirts and a top that fell a drop below the waist. Brooke understood her friend’s desire to cover her still swollen belly, but Fallon would be back to her cropped tops in no time.
Or not. She looked amazing no matter what she wore.
Brooke waved and her friend walked over to the table, taking the seat across from her. “I’m so sorry. I missed the train I planned on taking because it took me forever to leave Gabbi and—”
Reaching across the table, she clasped Fallon’s hand. “I’m sorry I asked you to come into the city. I should have visited you after work.” She released her grip, wishing she’d thought more about Fallon before asking her to come.
“No! I wanted to see you. Don’t forget I’m going back to work at the gallery after my three months are up. I need to get used to leaving Gabbi.”
Fallon co-owned the art gallery with Clara Morganville, an older woman who’d taken Fallon under her wing.
Also a talented artist, Fallon worked from home on her pop art paintings and sold them for a hefty sum.
But she’d taken three months off from any kind of work to bond with her daughter and spend time with the twins.
“Well, I appreciate it.” Brooke shook her napkin onto her lap and Fallon did the same. “How is the little munchkin?”
Fallon let out a long moan. “Exhausting. But also exhilarating. I won’t lie though. I can’t wait until she sleeps through the night.”
Before Brooke could reply, a server walked over to their table, a young woman with pink tips at the ends of her hair, and smiled. “Can I get either of you something to drink?”
“Just ice water for me,” Fallon said.
“A club soda with lime, please.” Brooke loved a bubbly drink.
“You’ve got it,” the woman said. “I’ll be right back.”
A short time later, Fallon and Brooke were each eating a salad for lunch and biting into pieces of the best French bread they’d ever tasted.
While eating, they caught up on things with the family, Fallon’s baby time, Brooke’s work… and then Fallon changed the subject. “Can I ask what happened with Mark?”
Despite inviting Fallon for just this reason, Brooke inwardly cringed.
“Mark told Noah he had a nice night with you, but he got the sense you weren’t interested in him and he hasn’t called you since.” Fallon looked to Brooke for answers.
She patted her mouth with the napkin and faced her friend. “Explaining that is part of why I asked you to meet me today. I need to talk to you.” Nerves fluttered in her stomach.
The last thing she wanted to do was lose her best friend because she’d kept her relationship with Fallon’s brother a secret.
Fallon leaned forward in her seat. “What’s going on?”
Brooke swallowed hard. “Remember you asked me if I was interested in anyone?”
Fallon nodded. “So there is someone?”
Brooke bit down on the side of her cheek and gathered her courage. “There’s always been someone. Again, do you remember asking me in college if there was anything going on between me and Aiden?”
“I knew it!” Fallon slammed a hand on the table. The drinks shook and she cringed.
Knowing Fallon had questions, Brooke said, “Go ahead and ask.”
“For starters, why didn’t you tell me the truth when I asked way back when?” Fallon’s tone was filled with hurt and it broke Brooke’s heart.
“At the time, there wasn’t anything to tell. I had feelings for him, but I didn’t know if they were reciprocated. It felt awkward to tell you I liked your brother.”
Fallon nodded, seeming to accept that answer. “Okay, when did you two get together and why did you stop talking for years? Because it was beyond obvious things changed between the two of you. And you avoided talking about or even looking at him. We all noticed.”
Brooke took a sip of her drink before replying.
No matter how many times she replayed the past, talking about it wasn’t easy.
“Aiden and I got together the night before your birthday party. The next night, he announced he’d taken that journalist job traveling abroad.
” Answering the basics was easy. Going over what came next would be more difficult.
Fallon’s eyes narrowed, and Brooke could almost see her working out the situation in her mind.
“I really don’t want personal details that involve my brother, but assuming you two were together that night…
” Fallon made quotation marks in the air with her fingers.
“Then you must have already known he was leaving?” More hurt laced her tone, no doubt because Fallon thought Brooke had hidden that information from her, too.
Letting out a deep sigh, Brooke shook her head. “I had no idea.” And she proceeded to explain the details, doing her best not to paint Aiden in a horrible light. The same light Brooke had seen him in for five years.
“So let me get this straight,” Fallon said. “You slept with him, and he informed you he was leaving in front of the entire family?” Fallon asked, sounding horrified.
“Can I get you ladies anything?” the server asked, walking up to the table and surprising them both.
“No, thank you,” Brooke said. She and Fallon needed to finish this conversation. She pushed her plate aside and clasped her hands together on the table. “How Aiden handled the situation was wrong, but I shouldn’t have painted happily ever after and rainbows in my mind, either.”
Fallon shook her head, then rubbed her temples with her fingertips. “I’m going to kill him.”
Brooke’s stomach twisted in a panic. “And that’s why I never told you what happened between us. He’s your brother and I never wanted to put you in the middle or make you feel like you had to choose between us.”
“But—”
“No.” Brooke leaned forward in her chair. “I don’t want you in the middle now, either. Aiden and I have finally begun to work through the past. You getting angry at him won’t help the situation. It will only put you at odds with your brother. So please, promise me you’ll stay out of it?”
Fallon pouted, pursing her lips. “Well, I reserve the right to give him a brotherly smack. How’s that?”
Brooke chuckled. “Fine.” She supposed it was the best she could hope for. Then she turned things more personal. “Are you upset with me? For not telling you?”
With a sigh, Fallon shook her head. “I’m hurt that you went through that kind of heartbreak alone and didn’t share your pain with me. I’d have been there for you, you know.”
“I do,” Brooke whispered. “Part of me was utterly humiliated. I didn’t even tell my mom. But when it came to you, I just couldn’t put you in a situation where you felt you had to choose a side.”
Fallon opened her mouth to speak, but Brooke beat her to it. “And before you yell at Aiden for not telling you either, I asked him to keep it between us for the same reason. I didn’t want anyone in the family to feel pulled one way or the other.”
“I understand. So where do things stand now?” Fallon asked.
At least Brooke had good news to share. “We agreed to date and see how things go.”
Fallon’s lips curved upward in a big smile. “That’s great news!”
Brooke nodded, though she was still wary. “I hope we can make things work, but you know your brother. Travel seems to be in his blood.” Though he did admit he’d come to terms with the main reason he’d left home. Escaping pain that had followed him anyway. So maybe he was home to stay.
Fallon drummed her fingers on the table.
“Aiden seems different now. When he used to visit, he was antsy. I could always sense he had one foot here and another in whatever country his latest story was in. Now, I see a more settled version of my brother.” She paused, even her finger tapping stopped. “I think that’s because of you.”
“Time will tell.” Brooke refused to jump to conclusions or assumptions. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“Well, I’m sure living under the same roof gives you quality time together.”
Brooke merely hummed, not answering. She didn’t want to discuss her sex life with Aiden’s sister. No matter how close they were. Besides, it was more like her lack of one.
Despite having slept together last Saturday, Brooke refused to sneak into his room at night or let him join her in her bed. She didn’t know what either parent suspected, but Brooke had too much respect for Alex Sterling and her own mother to do it again.
“I think it’s time for me to look for my own place.” The words surprised her, but Brooke was ready. And so, she sensed, was her mom.
Her mother had survived her dad’s death all those years ago and she was no longer alone. Though she lived in the gatehouse, she was dating Alex and that wasn’t about to change. Brooke could move out without guilt.
Fallon nodded. “I love that for you!”
The more Brooke thought about the prospect of living on her own and decorating her own space, the more excited she got.