Chapter 22
Drew finished telling Vera goodbye. When she turned around Frank was standing by the front counter. She watched as he rubbed his neck anxiously with his hand.
“I have to admit that I didn’t expect you to stay all the way through those sessions.”
Drew tried to make her words sound casual, but she knew there was a knife’s edge her words slid down.
“Well, I was already here. I figured I should wait,” Frank chuckled, obviously nervous.
“Yep. You’re here. I can only assume you have something to say,” Drew folded her arms across her chest.
Frank cleared his throat before beginning.
“I didn’t expect to see you the other night. But I’m glad that I did. Now that I found you again there’s no way I would leave without at least trying.”
Drew huffed a laugh, but she bit her tongue so she wouldn’t make a snide comment.
“You have every right to hate me. Every right to be angry. Any feelings you have towards me are justified. I’m not here to make excuses. I’m not here to explain things away.”
“Why are you here?” Drew asked.
“I want to tell you how sorry I am. I regretted the decision to leave you and your mother every day.”
“And yet, it took you long enough to make your way back here,” Drew accused.
Frank nodded his head.
“You’re right. It took me a long time to get sober. Then it took me a long time to work through my shame and guilt. Drew, I’m sorry that I wasn’t the father you needed me to be.”
Drew’s heart pounded in her chest. How many times had she wished she could see Frank again? Thousands, maybe more. But that had been when she was young. Now she was grown and she found her heart steely where Frank was concerned.
“I don’t deserve blanket forgiveness. I would just like a chance to get to know you. I want to know who you’ve become.”
“What if I say no?” Drew asked. She watched as Frank’s face twisted in pain. To his credit, Frank schooled his features quickly.
“If you don’t want me in your life then that’s your right. I’ll leave my number in case you change your mind and then I’ll leave you alone.”
“And what if I say yes?” Drew asked.
Frank brightened his smile wide. It chipped away something inside of Drew.
“Then we’ll move at your pace.”
“I’m not ready to let you all the way in.”
“I would never ask you to,” Frank lifted his hands, showing Drew his palms.
“So, we can go slow?” Drew asked.
“We can go slow,” Frank agreed.
“Maybe you could meet me for a coffee sometime?” Drew asked.
“I would like that,” Frank answered.
They stood in awkward silence for a time.
“I really like your art,” Frank smiled.
“I get that from you,” Drew admitted.
“Nah, I always just doodled. You’ve always been the artist.”
“You bought me my first art set,” Drew remembered.
“You drove your mother crazy leaving crayons all over the house.”
Drew’s heart swelled, this moment was more than she’d thought it could be.
“Okay, leave me your number and we’ll make plans for coffee,” Drew promised.
The smile that spread across Frank’s face told Drew just how excited he was.
Drew had always been good at leaving the past in the past where her dad was concerned.
Now, she felt the long dead embers slowly warming back up where Frank was concerned.
Once Frank left, Drew’s eyes scanned Brooke’s store. Her eyes landed on Brooke like she was her horizon line. Drew went back to her cupboard and grabbed the rose tea. She turned quickly and walked straight to Brooke’s store.
Brooke was working behind the counter. Drew stood there watching for a moment. She took the sight of Brooke in for a moment before clearing her throat. Brooke turned, her eyes narrowing when she saw Drew. Drew’s heart tightened at the glare. Drew held up the box of tea.
“Do you want some tea?” Drew asked, plastering her best smile across her face.
Brooke shook her head and sighed. She flashed Drew a smirk that let her know that Brooke was mostly teasing her.
Brooke grabbed the tea and headed towards the back of the store.
Drew walked to the highback chairs in the back of the store.
Brooke brought two cups of tea to the chairs. She handed a bright pink mug with a smiling flower on it.
“Thanks,” Drew said, she suddenly felt shy.
Brooke sat in the yellow velvet chair leaving Drew to sit in a purple one.
Drew could tell her chair was at least somewhat popular with the kids that came to the store.
There was a faint red line where marker had bled through while someone drew on the color sheets Brooke provided.
Drew took a tentative sip of her tea, the liquid warmed her all the way down to her chest.
“Is this still something you’re willing to fight for?” Drew asked, resignation in her tone. She’d waited days to come back to Brooke to repair the damage in their relationship. It would be fair for Brooke to have changed her mind.
“I do,” Brooke answered. Her tone was firm without any wavering. Drew could only smile sadly. How often had she wanted a partner to be willing to fight for a relationship, to stay and work things out? Yet when Brooke had offered Drew had bolted.
“Then that’s what I want too,” Drew met Brooke’s eyes and saw that there were already tears beginning to fall from her blue eyes.
“I missed you,” Brooke choked the words out. Drew’s tears came more as a reaction from seeing Brooke in pain. She let the tears fall without trying to stop them.
“Brooke, I’m so sorry. I know you were trying your best to reach out to me. I know you were trying to find a way to make things better. I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I should have stayed and had that conversation with you,” Drew declared.
“You weren’t ready. I caught you at a time when you were overwhelmed. That was a fair reaction. You had every right to feel overwhelmed. I’m sorry that I didn’t see that. I’m sorry that I was busy trying to fix something, when what you needed was comfort,” Brooke answered.
The words did more to heal the pain inside of Drew’s heart than she could have imagined. On reflection Drew reached out to hold Brooke’s hand. Brooke stared at her hand for a moment before reaching out her own to meet it. Brooke interlocked their fingers up to the knuckles.
“It does mean something to me to hear you say that. But going forward I want to slow down. When I feel the need to bolt I want to find a way to let you inside instead,” Drew promised.
“I want that too. You’re not the only one who has those moments. I’ve been known to bolt from time to time.”
“What? You?” Drew said with not-so-subtle notes of sarcasm. Brooke shot her a glare but smiled warmly.
“This isn’t the right time for this, but I simply can’t wait any longer.
Drew, I love you. I have loved you for a while.
I’m not simply falling for you. I’ve fallen already, but my love keeps growing.
Sometimes it scares me because I’ve never felt this with anyone else.
But I wouldn’t change the way I feel for you, not for anything in all the world. ”
The admission left Drew shocked. Of the two of them, Drew was certainly the more outspoken about her feelings.
There had been plenty of signs that Brooke had fallen for her.
Still, it was nice to hear the words spoken out loud.
Drew swallowed hard, it was her turn to tell Brooke exactly what she was feeling in return.
“It was exactly the right time. We can build from this moment. Going forward knowing exactly where we stand with each other. Because I love you, too. There’s nothing I want more than to come home to you every night.
I know that side of things happened fast. But I miss not sharing a bed with you.
I miss not having you close. You have become so important to me in such a small window of time.
And it is scary. But I wouldn’t change it either.
Because my heart belongs solely to you.”
“Drew?”
“Yeah?” Drew answered.
“Take me home,” Brooke demanded with a smile.
“Gladly,” Drew smirked. She rose from the chair and pulled Brooke to her feet.
Home. It was such a simple word. Yet the apartment where Drew lived had not been her home before Brooke moved in. Brooke and her unruly cat had shaken her life up and made her apartment a home. Now home would be the place where they made a life together.