Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Brooke
I loved Denver. It had been years since I had lived anywhere near the city, the mountains, the atmosphere. Yet it felt as if I had come home.
Though I had been to more than my fair share of cities, Denver always felt different to me. I could easily find my way around the city as if it had always been ingrained in my mind.
Part of me might have found that weird, but since I used to love travel, figuring out the lay of the land was usually the first thing that I did.
My home in Arvada was just now feeling comfortable, and I was as unpacked as I was going to be for a while. Today I was planning to explore the downtown area a little bit more. I would be working at the university in another suburb, so I wouldn’t be in the downtown area often. But I used to like coming here for lunch, coffee, or to enjoy myself.
I loved that I could get the “city feel” and look at the Rocky Mountains all at the same time.
Luke was at kindergarten, that odd feeling of my baby growing up twisting the knife in my heart a little bit deeper. He had been in daycare and PreK since he was a baby, since I was a single mom and I needed to work, and my boy loved being with others. He loved socializing and learning and was just a joy to be around most days.
At least that’s what his teachers told me.
But today was his first day of half-day kindergarten, and I was nervous.
Parents weren’t allowed to stay and watch since that wasn’t our job. And I needed to get used to this because even though we were in a new city and a new environment, this should be easy for him.
He had held my hand as we walked into the building and then had run off to his teacher, waving behind him after he said goodbye to me.
That knife dug a little deeper, and I told myself that this was good.
I told myself that though Luke and I were a team, it was good that he was so independent. That he was ready to face his new day and fears and was ready to leave me behind.
Alone. Because he didn’t need his mommy.
I nearly kicked myself at that thought, knowing I was being overdramatic. Just because Luke could handle things on his own for a few minutes didn’t mean he didn’t need me.
And I was going to be working full-time, long hours, and starting a new phase of my career soon. I should be grateful that he could be so independent.
That afternoon, his new nanny and I would go and pick him up.
I had interviewed May before I moved here. We’d done online chats, and I had met with her when I came to buy the house. I liked May and figured that she and Luke would be a good team when I wasn’t around.
I wasn’t one of those mothers who felt that Luke gaining a relationship with his nanny or caretaker would take anything away from our relationship. I didn’t believe that that could happen. Because Luke and I were a team, and he needed other members on that team to be a self-reliant and healthy human being.
So, this afternoon, Luke would spend the day with May, and I would head to work for a couple of meetings. This morning was all about breathing in that mountain and city air that somehow meshed well into an amalgamation that was in Denver.
There was just one street that I absolutely loved. It seemed to have nearly everything that I needed, and none of it was cookie-cutter or franchise. And every single one of my favorite places was still there.
There was a little boutique called Eden where I had bought my first pair of fancy shoes. I would probably go shopping there again as long as the merchandise felt about the same. As I walked around the tables and decorations, I smiled, knowing that I would still come back here though I was on a budget.
The woman who owned the place was gorgeous, with long, nearly auburn hair, and though it had been nearly a decade, she still looked the same to me.
“Hello there, is there anything I can do for you?”
I shook my head as I smiled at the owner. “I’m just walking around browsing today. It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I was pleased to see that you guys are still here.”
The owner grinned. “I’m glad that I’m here, too. We had a few facelifts and updates along the way since we first opened all those years ago, but I’m proud to say that Eden isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
“That’s good to know. And, I’m looking at that scarf over there, I think I have to have it.”
“My name is Sierra, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Brooke. Thank you for being so welcoming.”
“I’m just glad that you’re back. No matter the time between, repeat customers always make me happy.”
We spoke for a little bit longer as we went over the scarf, the silk smooth on my hands.
“I love it. And I think this will be my welcome home present to me.”
“So, you’re moving to the area? I think that’s what I got from what you were saying.”
We went over to the cash register as Sierra packaged up my scarf, wrapping it in tissue paper and placing it in a gorgeous bag.
“I am. It’s been a while since I lived in the Denver area, but I’m glad to be back. And though I don’t need a silk scarf, I still want one.”
“A girl always needs pretty things.” Sierra winked as she told me the total.
I blinked. “I think you have the wrong price. I’m sorry, I thought it was a bit more.”
Sierra beamed. “Aren’t you an honest one? I truly appreciate that. However, you’re getting the welcome home discount. Welcome back to Denver, Brooke.”
She handed me the bag after I gave her my credit card, and I tried not to cry. Tears stung my eyes and I swallowed hard. I didn’t have any other family. Luke was it for me. No one had said welcome home yet, although Lake and Leif had tried. They had been welcoming, sweet, and yet this just felt different.
“Thank you. Seriously. And I’ll be back. I promise.”
“That’s exactly what I want to hear. Enjoy your day.”
I said goodbye to Sierra and made my way down the street, looking at the familiar yet different places that had been here for years, scattered amongst the newer shops and cafés. There was a bookstore that I vaguely remembered had burned down at one point. But they had built it back up, and I figured that I would bring Luke here one day so that he could find a book of his own. Yes, there were probably places closer, but the street called to me.
I looked at a tattoo shop and grinned before nearly tripping over my feet because I knew that name and had to wonder if that was truly connected.
Montgomery Ink?
No, there was no way that this place was connected to all the other Montgomerys. Even though I had a feeling it was. Because Leif told me where his family worked. Spots of conversation and memories hit me again, but I told myself that I was just making things up.
There was no way, in a city as big as Denver, that my life would be this connected to a man I didn’t want to think about.
This had to be another tattoo shop that just happened to have his family name on it. I didn’t remember the name that he’d used for the shop, just that his last name was Montgomery.
And I was just losing my mind.
Next door was a little café called Taboo. I blinked, wondering if it was a café that was also a burlesque club for some reason, but through the windows I saw baked goods, coffee, and people milling about, enjoying their morning. Since I loved coffee, I figured I would go in and get a cup for myself. I was pretty sure I’d been here before, but then again, I hadn’t remembered the name.
I had moved so many times that I seemed to have forgotten some essential things, like the fact that a Montgomery business was right next door.
No, I wasn’t going to think about him or his last name.
It was just a coincidence.
A woman with bright red lips and long blond hair stood behind the counter and beamed at me.
“Welcome to Taboo. What can I get you?”
“I would love a vanilla latte. And whatever smells so good,” I said with a laugh.
The woman grinned. “That could be a few things, but I did just pull some cinnamon rolls from the oven.”
“Did you say cinnamon rolls, Hailey?”
I turned and looked at the open door separating the café from the building next door. A woman with striking dark hair, bright blue eyes, and full sleeves leaned against the doorway.
“I swear, as soon as I allow cinnamon into the air, you just come strolling through, Maya,” Hailey said with a laugh.
“It’s my curse.” The tattooed woman looked at me and grimaced. “I’m sorry for cutting in line. I would say it’s my prerogative since we’re next door, but that still makes me a jerk. You go ahead. I’ll wait in line for my cinnamon rolls.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Well, they do sound amazing, and since they seemed to have drawn you in like a moth to the flame, I’ll take one.”
“Two cinnamon rolls and two vanilla lattes coming up.”
“She knows my drink,” Maya said at my questioning look.
“That’s sweet,” I said, honestly. I liked the fact that this place was so welcoming.
“I’ll know your drink soon, too. I always do,” Hailey said as she went to work.
I held up my credit card and smiled. “I’ll buy hers too. I had a good morning.”
“You do not haveto do that,” Maya put in, waving me off.
“Let me. I just moved to the area, and everybody’s been so nice to me. I want to be nice back.”
The other woman smiled. “Well, thank you. And if you ever want a tattoo, you should come on over. We would love to have you.”
“Aunt Maya, if she wants a tattoo, she’s coming to me. Sorry.”
I froze, that tingling sensation crawling up my spine. I told myself I would not press my thighs together, swallow hard, or react in any way. I knew that voice, that deep rumble that did things to me that I couldn’t think about. Everything twisted in my brain at once as I tried to figure out exactly what happened.
I turned to see Leif standing there, a slight knowing grin on his face. He had pushed his hair back and his beard was a little scruffy. His bright blue eyes were on my face, and I tried not to lick my lips or think about exactly what effect his voice had on me in the past.
I had just had an entire afternoon and dinner with this man, his cousin, and my child. I hadn’t reacted in any way then. I wasn’t going to do it now. Not in public, and especially not in front of his freaking aunt.
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” Maya asked, laughter in her tone.
“It’s not like anything,” I blurted, and Leif raised a brow.
“Sure, Brooke. Whatever you say. Though of all the coffee places in the world, you have to walk into mine.”
“Oh good, I’m delighted that I get to hear these lines,” Maya said with a laugh.
“Your coffee and cinnamon rolls are ready,” Hailey said from behind me. I whirled and tried not to trip on my own two feet.
“Oh. Thank you. Seriously. It smells amazing.”
“No problem. But you do realize that you will have to tell us how you know our boy here.” She winked as she said it, and I swallowed hard.
“Your boy?” I asked, my voice squeaking.
Leif let out a rough chuckle that did bad, bad things to me. “I told you that we Montgomerys take over the world. You just happen to be on our street.”
Maya came forward and took her coffee and cinnamon roll as she raised her brow at Leif’s words. “Seriously, Brooke, is it? It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry that my nephew here is being a dork and not introducing us properly.”
I knew that there were other people in the café, but most weren’t paying attention to us. They either had headphones on and were working, or paying attention to what was in front of them rather than the antics of whatever the hell was happening to me.
It was as if they were used to this, and knowing Leif, and how he told tales of the Montgomery family, maybe they were.
“Seriously, is everyone I’m going to bump into related to you?” I asked, my eyes wide as I looked over at Leif.
“I don’t know who you’ve met yet. And technically, Hailey isn’t related to me, but she’s an honorary aunt,” Leif answered.
“I am an actual aunt,” Maya said as she held out her hand. “Maya Montgomery-Gallagher. It’s nice to meet you.”
I put my hand in hers. “Brooke Adler. It’s good to meet you, too. Are you Lake’s Mom?” I asked, trying to get the family tree right.
Maya raised a brow. “No, Lake is my cousin’s kid. But I think of her as my niece as well. Leif over here is my brother’s child. Austin, who owns the shop with me.” Maya pointed behind her towards the open door of the tattoo shop. “His mom owns Eden, the boutique across the street.”
I looked at the bag with my scarf in it and then up at Leif. “Your mom is that gorgeous woman with auburn hair, isn’t she?” I asked, feeling like a poor gazelle surrounded by a pack of Montgomery lions.
Leif grinned. “She is. Dad’s not working today because he’s off with my siblings at some parent-teacher thing, but Mom is on guard at the shop. I just went to visit her, and she spoke of a lovely woman who was moving back to Denver and had bought a beautiful scarf. She also mentioned that she was pretty, and I should find her and ask her out. Because my mother is constantly trying to get me to settle down,” Leif mumbled.
Maya and Hailey both leaned against the counter, staring at us and our byplay.
I let out a slow breath. “I’ve always loved that shop. You didn’t tell me that your mom owned it.”
“I want to know what’s going on here, but I feel like if I ask anymore, Leif will pull you out of here and I’m never going to know.” Maya laughed.
“Brooke and I go way back,” Leif explained, and I was glad that was as far as he went. Because nobody else needed to know exactly how far back we went and what happened between us. I still couldn’t quite believe it. “She also just moved in next door to Lake.”
Maya’s eyes widened and she beamed. “Oh, you bought that house, my brothers built it, and my sister did the landscaping.”
I shook my head, rubbed my temple, and then took a sip of my latte.
“First, this coffee is amazing. Second, did I just step into a different realm I wasn’t aware of? What do you mean your family built it? Or do I want to know?”
Leif laughed. “Some of my family own a construction business, and they just happened to have built part of the neighborhood. Seriously, it’s just a coincidence. And you happen to be on the one street in all of Colorado where many of my family members own businesses. I swear you will not run into us in the grocery store or anywhere else around town. You just happened to be where we’re mostly congregated.”
“You mean on my favorite street in Denver,” I mumbled.
“Sweet,” Hailey said. She looked over at Maya. “I still have so many questions, but I think that we should leave these two kids alone.”
“I guess you’re right,” Maya said with a sigh. “Thank you for the coffee and cinnamon roll. And I’m serious. If you don’t want this big lug over there to do your ink, we would love to have you.” She turned to Leif. “Say hello to my boy later, and will we see you this weekend for dinner?”
“You know it. Now I’m going to take Brooke out of here, so she doesn’t run away screaming.”
“I don’t know if that will help,” I said with a laugh. I wasn’t joking either. I was just trying to keep up with everything.
Then Leif picked up his coffee, that I hadn’t even seen him order, and I walked outside next to him, with him holding my bag from Eden and me nibbling on my cinnamon roll as we walked in silence.
“So, your family does own everything here. And all of my favorite spots.”
“We own a lot of it. One of my aunts owns that bookshop, and a few of my aunts—that are technically second cousins or something—own places in Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs.”
I blinked. “How is that even possible?”
Leif shrugged. “I told you that my father had seven siblings, and they all needed jobs. They have lives, and nobody moved away from this area. My uncle Shep moved down to New Orleans at one point, but he moved back up here with his family later on. My cousins have moved around the United States for college and such, but we all end up coming back. This is home.” He met my gaze, and I swallowed hard. “You know all about Colorado being home, right?”
“How is this even possible? I met you in Paris, Leif. Paris . I know we both said at the time that we were from here, but what are the odds? After all this time. How is this happening?”
I wasn’t even going to touch on the fact that I was still bitter. Still angry. It had nothing to do with what happened in the past five years. Nothing to do with Luke’s father, my new job, or the reason for moving.
No, it had all to do with what happened after Paris. Or rather, what hadn’t happened.
“I don’t know, Brooke. This is just my home. I don’t know what else to think.” He was standing in front of me, and I hadn’t even realized his fingers were touching my skin, trailing along my jaw.
“Leave.” It was the only thing I could say.
“Brooke.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
He hadn’t shown at the time, hadn’t met me as we had promised.
I should be angry, push away, and forget everything that happened. But I wasn’t that little girl anymore. I wasn’t a teenager who thought she was an adult. I was an adult, a single mom, and I wanted to know him.
That was the problem with Leif Montgomery. I had always wanted to know him.
So when he lowered his head to mine and pressed a soft kiss against my lips, it was as if everything came back in a heartbeat. Memories of who we were and what we thought we wanted out of life assailed me.
“Just like I remember,” he whispered.
I swallowed hard, licked my lips, and stepped back. “I’m not that person anymore, Leif. A lot of things have changed.”
He studied my face and I wondered what I meant by that. What did I want? I wanted a new life, a change. That was why I moved here.
Leif might be part of my past, but he wasn’t part of the past I was leaving.
I just didn’t know what that meant, and since everything was so confusing, I needed to breathe first. To take things slow. To make a list, go through all of my options and then decide. That was the only way I could function.
“Welcome home, Brooke.”
“To the same home you’ve always been,” I whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere, Brooke. I never did.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
But he didn’t answer, and I wasn’t sure that he could. So we stood there on a busy street, one filled with so many memories, and yet, somehow, they were all tangled with Leif. I just hadn’t known it. Once again, I stood on a precipice, waiting to fall.
Knowing the landing could only ever end in heartbreak.