Chapter Twenty-Six
“HEY, NO PEEKING!” brOOKE PLAYFULLY swirled her paintbrush in front of my face, threatening to leave a few colorful strokes on my cheek.
We were checking off another item on Brooke’s bucket list: paint a painting. Brooke had let Sophie choose which piece of art to copy, and she’d picked Van Gogh’s Almond Blossoms . I had a sneaking suspicion that the women in the room—Brooke, Eden, and Sophie—were all doing a better job than I was.
“I’m just making sure you’re doing it right,” I said, pivoting left to dodge her paintbrush while sneaking a peek at her canvas.
“This isn’t a competition,” Brooke reminded me. I loved that she didn’t turn everything into a race; she just wanted everyone to enjoy the journey with her.
“Then why can’t I look?” I asked, clearly still struggling with the concept. I wanted to be the best.
“Because it will be more fun at the end when we all present our masterpieces.”
“What if someone’s isn’t quite a masterpiece?”
“I’m still going to love it because you painted it. Now, go back to your canvas.” Brooke flashed her charming smile.
“Did I say it was mine?” I feigned offense.
“I think it was implied.” Eden smirked.
“Quit cheating, Uncle Logan,” Sophie added .
“All right, all right.” I held up my hands, feeling ganged up on, but I couldn’t think of a better gang. I stole a quick kiss from Brooke before stepping back to my canvas, which looked like a toddler’s finger painting.
Eden caught my eye and gave me a look that said, There’s my big brother. She’d made several comments over the last few days about how thrilled she was to see me happy again. I gave her a knowing nod before glancing at the reason for my change.
Brooke was looking back and forth between her canvas and a large poster of Almond Blossoms that she’d placed in the middle of my great room. The room, now covered in canvas drop cloths, looked like an art class. I’d volunteered my place since she was worried about getting paint on her rental’s flooring. Never did I think a paint smock could be so attractive, but Brooke had proven me wrong. She looked adorable in her pink smock that hugged all her perfect curves. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection for her.
“So, have you heard anything from SoundWave?” Eden asked Brooke.
Brooke lowered her paintbrush and looked over her canvas, a shadow of disappointment crossing her face.
“Not a word,” she replied, frustrated. “The last inkling of anything was five days ago when Claire told me someone had reached out to the radio station I used to work for.”
As disappointed as Brooke was, her news came as a relief to me. Of course, I wanted Brooke to land her dream job. I just didn’t want it to be connected to Maxwell Harrington. The man was up to something. He’d looked at her way too affectionately during that book launch, and it made my skin crawl.
“I’m sorry,” Eden commiserated with her. “You know, I was thinking about your podcast,” she treaded lightly. “What would you think if I was a guest on your show and I broadcast it to my followers?”
Brooke dropped her paintbrush onto the drop cloth and ran straight for Eden, her eyes wide with excitement. She threw her arms around her, nearly knocking her over. “Are you serious? You would do that for me? I would never, ever want to use our friendship. You’ve been too good to me all summer. ”
Eden wrapped her arms around Brooke. “I would never accuse you of using our friendship. You’re so talented, and the world needs your voice. I need your voice. Of course, there’s no guarantee that it will get you more fans, but it’s worth a shot.”
“I don’t even know what to say.” Brooke’s eyes shimmered with tears. “ Thank you doesn’t seem adequate.”
I wanted to hug the life out of Eden. She had no idea what this meant to me. I hadn’t even mentioned my misgivings about Maxwell Harrington to her. The last thing I wanted to do was start unfounded rumors. But if Brooke’s podcast could gain attention, then maybe she could make it her full-time career. And she wouldn’t need help from the Harringtons of the world. I knew Eden would expect nothing from Brooke in return for her help.
“Zero thanks are necessary.” Eden patted Brooke’s back.
“Seriously, you’re the best.” Brooke kissed Eden’s cheek. “We are going to do the most amazing episode together,” she said, bouncing with joy.
“I can’t wait,” Eden responded, just as excited as Brooke.
“Thank you,” I mouthed to Eden, even though I knew she wasn’t doing it for me.
As soon as Brooke let go of my sister, she zoomed my way and threw her arms around my middle. “Can you believe this?”
I drew her as close as possible to me, but it didn’t feel near enough. I was finding I could never get enough of her, and that was a difficult thought. It didn’t help that her body seemed to conform perfectly to mine. But so had Erica’s.
Thoughts of my late wife were always on the surface, though I was getting better at not letting them interfere with my time with Brooke. But they were there all the same, and they served as reminders of my past and the things I had said to Brooke about us not having a future together.My mind was constantly playing tug-of-war between the love I had lost and the possibility of a love I knew I couldn’t let myself have.
“You deserve your shot.” I breathed in Brooke’s sweet scent, trying to soak in our time together.
Before Brooke could respond, the doorbell rang .
Reluctantly, I let go of Brooke. “Are you expecting anyone?” I asked Eden.
She shook her head.
“Don’t peek at my painting,” I teased Brooke before walking over to the door. I opened it, and the best woman in the world immediately accosted me, hugging me and kissing my cheeks.
“My boy.”
“Mom,” I stammered, staring at Victor, who was carrying two large suitcases and wearing a sheepish grin. “I thought we decided it would be better if you visited in September.”
“That’s what you decided, but it wouldn’t be summer without a trip to the lake, and I wanted to meet Brooke.” Mom pulled no punches.
That was what I was afraid of and had been trying to prevent. The nature of Brooke’s and my relationship didn’t warrant meeting the parents.
“Why are you wearing a smock?” Mom asked.
“Well ...,” I hesitated, not really wanting to own up to it. Not that Mom wouldn’t find out any second now, but I knew how she was going to react.
And find out she did. Sophie zoomed our way. “Nana! Grandpa!”
“There’s my baby.” Mom pushed me to the side and reached for the apple of her eye, her favorite person. She took Sophie’s hands and held them out, taking in every inch of her beloved granddaughter. “Look at you. You’re so beautiful and grown up and wearing a smock too.”
“We’re having a paint night with Brooke,” Sophie explained.
Mom’s eyes lit up like she’d struck gold. “Well, let’s go meet Brooke.”
I watched Mom and Sophie skip off while Victor walked in and dropped the suitcases in the entryway. He patted my shoulder. “I told her we should call, but you know how she gets,” he said fondly.
“Believe me, I know. It’s good to see you, Victor.” While he would never—and had never tried to—replace my father, he was a good man, and I was happy he was part of the family.
“You too. You might want to go save your friend,” he whispered conspiratorially .
“Don’t worry; Brooke can hold her own.” All the same, I thought I better get in there.
Victor chuckled as we walked back together.
When we arrived on the scene, Mom and Brooke were high-fiving while Mom laughed hysterically.
Eden sidled up to me to fill me in on what I’d missed. “Brooke asked to high-five her. Said she deserved it for making a human as beautiful as yourself.”
Brooke never ceased to amaze me or make me smile.
Mom looked mischievously between Brooke and me, wheels spinning behind her eyes, which looked especially refreshed. She’d probably taken a trip to a plastic surgeon while they were in Portugal, although she would never admit it. She liked to claim she was too down-to-earth to do anything like that and all she wanted to do was age gracefully. But we knew the truth—she was always on the lookout for the latest and greatest treatment.
There was nothing wrong with it. Eden and I just found it funny she would never own up to it. Especially because the treatments had paid off. Mom looked like she was in her fifties instead of her mid-sixties.
I smiled uncomfortably at Mom, hoping she wouldn’t make more out of Brooke’s and my relationship than was necessary.
“Brooke, I see you’ve met my mom, Marianne,” I said, hoping to stave off any uncomfortable topics or comments. “This is her husband, Victor.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.” Brooke’s smile said, Why didn’t you warn me your mother was coming? I hoped she didn’t think I would just spring something like this on her. Or was she worried that I wanted to go back on our deal and make our relationship more official? Not that I hadn’t thought about it, but then I would think of Erica and of Brooke’s wish to not play backup quarterback, as she put it, and I would push the thought to the back of my mind.
“I hope you don’t mind the intrusion,” Mom said. “We just thought it would be fun to surprise you. Right, Victor?”
“Yes, dear.” Victor didn’t skip a beat .
“And of course, we wanted to meet you.” Mom patted Brooke’s cheeks. “I had to come see for myself why my son is so happy.”
I cringed, and Eden laughed.
Brooke blushed and smiled, her eyes dancing with a mix of embarrassment and amusement. “I’m glad he’s happy. He deserves it. But I don’t know if I can take credit for that.”
I wanted to tell her she could take all of it, but that thought scared the hell out of me, considering in a month I would say goodbye to her.
“Oh, I like this girl,” Mom trilled with too much delight.
“I do too,” I admitted out loud, the truthfulness of the words hitting me like a tidal wave—overwhelming and undeniable.