20. Clover
TWENTY
Clover
The mood in the house is better that evening, Brooks suggests that we have a family game night—one of Darby’s favorite activities. We order pizza instead of cooking, and even though it takes forever to get to us all the way out on the ranch, it’s hot when it arrives, and Darby is thrilled.
“We’re not that far from town. It’s like a fifteen-minute drive.” Brooks is teasing me, and I roll my eyes at him. “How long does it take to get delivery in the city?”
“Hmm,” I mumble, my mouth full of pepperoni that I have to swallow down quickly, “it depends. Are you doing pizza? Cuz there’s a pizza joint every block or so downtown. Asian, Italian, sandwiches? That might be a little longer. But to be honest, I didn’t do it much. I usually ate at work.”
Brooks rolls his stare up as he throws his head back for an exaggerated nod. “Oh, that makes perfect sense.”
“Oh, get out of here.” I toss a wad of napkins at him, but they don’t go far.
Laughing, Brooks just chews on his pizza slice, and Darby comes back from getting himself a glass of orange soda—his request.
“Okay, what are we playing? You said board games, so anything in particular?”
Darby lights up as I ask, and he takes a seat at the dining room table where we’ve gathered to both eat and play.
“Yes. You probably don’t know it, though. It’s not like a normal whatever game.”
Brooks struggles not to laugh at his kid as I look between the two of them. With a shrug, I gesture for Darby to continue.
“Okay, so what is it?”
Looking at his dad for just a moment—his expression like some fiendish villain ready to twirl a mustache—Darby grins.
“Small World.”
All I can do is laugh. “Well, you’re right. I’ve never heard of it. So go on. Teach me.”
It takes a bit for me to figure out the rules, but eventually, I get the hang of it. Still, the game is a bit similar to Risk as we have to play a group or population who’s looking to keep or gain control of a region.
The creatures we play are all fantasy in nature, and the tiny little world they’re all fighting for is set up on a hexagonal grid. I choose the amazons, while Brooks plays as the humans—quite the boring choice according to his son—and Darby picks the orcs.
We have to use our troops to push the other players off the earth, and while that sounds simple enough, I’ve determined that it is, in fact, really damn hard.
Oh, and that I suck at this game.
There are power cards and apparently a reason to let a bit of your troops just die, and after three rounds, I haven’t managed to win one game.
“Alright, I think I prefer Monopoly. At least when I lose at that, I can blame some of it on the fact that the game is designed to be rough on players.”
Both the dudes in the room laugh, and I just glare at them. “Yeah, yeah, Laugh it up. I hate this game.”
Brooks finishes his giggle fit, and I narrow my eyes on him as he reaches across the table and pats my arm.
“You can’t be good at everything.”
“Except you. You won twice, Ace .”
He looks slightly bashful for a moment, and I can’t help but admire the way it looks on him. Brooks tries to hide his smile, failing miserably, and if that’s the only thing he’s going to be bad at, I guess I’ll take it.
“It’s hard, Clover. Don’t feel bad. Dad really had to teach me how to do it.” Darby offers a kind smile, but it’s broken as he yawns.
“Uh-oh. I think it’s time to get someone to bed.” Brooks turns back to the group after looking at the clock. “Come on, bud.”
I glance up, seeing that we’ve stayed up way past his bedtime playing the game. Thankfully, it’s a weekend, and we’re fine. But damn, he’s been up almost two hours extra.
“Oh, come on,” Darby whines. “We could play just one more.”
He holds his hands up, pleading for another game, but another yawn is what sneaks through, and Brooks and I both chuckle.
“You want to try that again without yawning?” Darby makes a sheepish expression, getting up from his chair and heading toward the bathroom to brush his teeth. “That’s right.”
“Oh,” Darby pauses, stopping in his tracks with his eyes wide, “I forgot to tell you something.”
“No stalling, young man.” Brooks eyes him, pointing down the hall.
“I’m not! I’m serious. I saw a guy earlier.”
Brooks and I both frown, and my stomach clenches as Brooks holds out his arms for Darby to come closer.
“What guy?”
“He was walking along the side of the highway. His car was parked pretty far down the road, back toward town.”
“When was this?” I ask, my pulse already climbing higher and higher.
“Umm, earlier. I was outside playing in the yard. I don’t know when that was, but today.”
Anxiety grips me, and I can’t find any words. Thankfully, Brooks is right there to get more details.
“What did he look like, bud?”
“Oh! Umm, he had a baseball hat on. It was pulled way down but there wasn’t a team on it. Weird. Anyway, he also had a jacket on. And it’s like a million outside, so he had to be super hot. Or he’s like Mrs. Crupe who has a sweater on like all the time.”
Mrs. Crupe is Darby’s math teacher, but I don’t think that whoever was here had her blood condition. If anything, it sounds like they were trying to keep their identity hidden.
Kyle?
“Anything else, Darby?” Brooks is on the edge of his seat, holding his son’s arms.
“No. I couldn’t really see anything else and then the guy just walked back to his car and drove off.”
“Okay, bud. Thanks. Go brush your teeth.”
Darby scampers off, not the least bit concerned about the stranger who was eyeing the house from the road.
“Brooks,” I get his attention, leaning closer so that I can whisper, “I’m worried. What if that was…you know who? Darby was all alone outside. If something had happened…”
“He’s fine, Lucky. Darby is totally fine.” Brooks sighs, pushing a hand through his hair. “I don’t want us to jump to conclusions. It’s very likely it was someone lost. We get that a lot out here since we’re right on the highway. They miss a turn and have to turn around and go back.”
“Seriously? Someone lost? You know about my ‘colleague.’ What if it’s him?”
Clenching his jaw, Brooks holds my stare for a moment before he closes his eyes and sighs. He pinches the bridge of his nose, nodding as his other hand goes to mine without him even looking.
“We’ll step up security. No harm in that.” Looking up, Brooks offers me a smile, and I can’t help but return it. “It’s all good, Lucky. I’ll make sure all the locks and fences are good to go. You’re safe here. You’re safe with me.”
Electricity rings through the air. Brooks is still holding my hand, and I squeeze it. God, I don’t want to let him go. Being next to him like this feels…it feels too good. I’m not supposed to want this.
But I do.
“Brooks, I?—”
“I’m done!” Darby calls out and then comes into the room with a big smile, showing off his clean teeth.
“Awesome. Good job, bud. Let’s get in bed.”
And then they head upstairs to get Darby in bed, leaving me at the table alone, dwelling on how Brooks’s hand felt against my skin.
Something is playing on the TV, but I’m not paying attention. I’m not even sure who put it on. Brooks is sitting next to me on the couch. He’s a respectable distance away, but all I can think about is how he could be closer.
He’s right there. He’s always right there, and dammit, avoiding all these thoughts I’ve had about Brooks is getting harder and harder.
Especially when he goes and promises me that I’m safe here— with him .
“You alright there, Lucky? You’re quiet.”
Flustered, I yank myself out of my head and give Brooks a smile. “Yeah, fine. Just thinking.”
“I know you’re nervous, Clover, but I promise the ranch is safe. I’ll make sure nothing happens.”
He’s turned toward me, his arm on the back of the couch while the other rests on his knee. Brooks is wearing his typical work jeans, faded from the sun and frayed at the bottoms.
But he’s ditched the loose button-down he usually wears to block the sun while he’s working, opting for just his navy blue t-shirt, a pocket right over his heart.
I can feel how much he wants to take my hand, how much I want him to take my hand.
That’s a terrible idea, though. Right? He’s…he’s Brooks. We’re supposed to keep this platonic. He doesn’t even like me…right?
My thoughts churn, my stomach roiling. I’ve never been in a situation quite like this one, and I don’t know how to handle it.
Attraction is one thing. You can want to kiss or fuck someone but not really like them. I have to believe that’s what this is.
All the times that Brooks and I have almost…done something, they’ve been flukes of attraction grown from the sheer fact that we’ve been around each other a lot—and neither of us is terrible looking.
But he’s been so genuine about wanting to protect me, and I don’t know what to do with my feelings about that.
I don’t know what to do about any of them.
“Hey,” Brooks reaches out, finally taking my hand, “you’re going to be fine. He’s some spoiled rich guy who can’t take failure. Don’t let him make you small.”
“Why do you care?” It comes out harsh, and I have to immediately correct myself. “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, why do you care about a stranger? I’m just some chick who watches your kid. You don’t have to be this nice to me.”
Brooks smirks, rolling his eyes. “I’m not an asshole, Clover. I know we’ve…argued a bit, but I’m not looking for anyone to get hurt, and you’ve done more than ‘watch’ Darby. You’ve made him feel safe. Appreciated. I’ll always be tremendously grateful for that. For what you’ve done.”
My heart swells in a way that I can’t deny. Hearing Brooks talk about the difference I’ve made in his kid’s life is amazing, and I love Darby like he were my own, so knowing that it’s paying off is incredible.
“So,” I drag out the word, smirking back at Brooks because I just can’t help myself when it comes to teasing him, “not that bad for a city girl?”
He makes a face, playfully glaring at me. “I’ve already said as much.”
Scooting up onto my knees on the couch, I lean forward toward him as the ridiculous excitement grows, pointing a finger at him, even if I keep it right by my chin.
‘Uh-un. You have not said as much. And I want to hear it. I want to hear the great and mighty Ace Man Brooks say that I hold my own on the ranch just fine.”
The muscles in Brooks’s jaw work, and I smile as big as ever, a little surprised that I can, considering the low-level fear that does churn through me at the thought of Kyle finding me here.
Still, Brooks always has a way of making me feel more at ease—and certainly more playful. A side effect of his presence that I’m still trying to understand.
“You’re not going to drop it, are you?” Brooks eyes me, licking his lips to wet them, which has my stomach flip-flopping.
“Nope.” I stare him down, not willing to lose this silent challenge.
“Ugh,” Brooks sighs, rolling his eyes before meeting my gaze again. “Yes, you hold your own fine on the ranch.”
“Ha!” I burst up, too undeniably happy about that to keep it in. “Hell, yes.”
I’m kneeling in the couch cushions, though, and I pitch forward, tumbling into Brooks, who only just catches me before I fall face-first into his lap.
“You dope,” he groans, helping me up so that I can sit on my heels.
“Eh, a small price to pay.” I do a little bow. “And thank you, thank you. Just your resident NYC chick carrying the weight of the ranch while you mend your terribly broken arm.”
He laughs, and God, that sound.
“Terribly broken?” Brooks raises his brows at me. “It was a normal break, and I would have gotten that damn cast off sooner if?—”
“If you had actually listened to the doctor? Yeah, I’m aware, Mr. I Have To Do Everything Myself.”
“Watch it, Lucky.” Glaring playfully at me, Brooks leans forward, the heat spiking between us.
Don’t, Clover. Don’t.
“Or what?” I return, challenging him. “ Ace .”
Our stares connect, and I can’t look away. I can’t do anything, for that matter. I’m consumed by the way Brooks is looking at me, and I know that this is that thing between us.
We should be backing away. We need to be getting the hell away from each other. But I just…can’t.
“Clover,” Brooks’s voice pitches lower, and he probably doesn’t realize it, but he leans closer, his eyes going to my mouth, “I…”
“You what, Brooks?” Why am I like this? “Cat got your tongue?”
Oof, the tension is wild right now, and I am so terrible. Why am I doing this? Still, I can see that look in his eyes, and I know I’m giving it right back.
It’s too hard. We’ve been fighting this connection between us, our attraction, for too long. I…don’t want to anymore.
I’m not sure if I ever did.
What I do know is that I feel safe with Brooks, and being with him lights a storm of firecrackers in my belly, that’s undeniable.
And I won’t anymore. I won’t deny it.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Brooks hovers closer, and I can feel the weight of his presence, the heat of his body, pressing down on me. “You just have to use that smart mouth of yours. It’s like you want me to punish you.”
Fuuuck. Okay, this is definitely…something.
“Maybe.” I blink, staring down before daring to return my eyes to Brooks’s. “You gonna put your money where your mouth is?”
This is it. This is where one or both of us snap out of this and go back to what we should be doing. Or…
It’s where we don’t.
Brooks stares at me, his eyes roaming my face. After a moment, I think he’s going to pull away again, and I can’t lie to myself and say that I’m happy about it.
But then, quicker than I can track, Brooks wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me forward, crashing his lips down on mine.
Just like that, the entire world has changed.