18. Brooke #2
He turned and started down the hall as he said, “I’ve gotta grab a few things.”
I stood alone in the living room, listening to drawers open and close, and it felt like my life was suddenly spinning out of control. A few minutes later, Ryan returned with his bag hanging from his shoulder. He went to open the front door, and I called out, “Ryan?”
He paused and turned back to face me. “Yeah?”
“I did love you. Not the way you wanted me to… not the way you deserved, but I did love you.” Tears blurred my vision as I added, “And Anslee loves you, too. That isn’t going to change just because we’re moving out.”
Anguish filled his eyes, and I could tell this was just as hard for him as it was for me, if not more so. But I needed him to know that I didn’t want to lose him. “I hope you’ll always be a part of her life.”
He held my gaze, and for a long, heartbreaking moment, I thought he might say something.
I thought he might give me a little hope that our friendship wasn’t over.
Instead, he gave me a slight nod, opened the door, and walked out.
The click of the lock echoed through the house, hitting me like a slap in the face.
And for the first time since I’d moved in, his house didn’t feel like home anymore.
I dropped back on the sofa and pulled the cover back over me, and it wasn’t long before the tears started falling.
I wasn’t crying because I’d just lost the love of my life.
I was crying because I’d lost my best friend, and that hurt in a way I hadn’t expected.
Ryan had been there through every ear infection, every sleepless night, every bad day at work, and every moment I’d questioned whether I was enough. He’d celebrated my victories and held me up during the hard times.
I’d done the same for him. I was there when his father passed.
I held him while he cried and listened to every story he wanted to share.
I’d encouraged him to go for that big promotion, and when he got it, I stayed up drinking wine with him until we were sick as dogs.
I went to his sister’s wedding with him, went to work parties, and watched all his favorite war movies, even when I hated them.
Because that’s what friends do.
And now, neither of us would have that, and it broke my heart. But the truth was, there was only one man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and it wasn’t him. Ryan deserved someone who would always choose him, and now, maybe he would finally find that.
I thought about the changes coming my way, and while the thought of finding a new place to live was daunting, I knew I wouldn’t be doing it alone. Brayden would be there to help. And that brought a smile to my face.
I could still remember when Cyrus offered him the room above the garage. He hadn’t had it for long and was still trying to make a home of the place, but he was so eager for me to see it. There was an unmistakable spark in his eyes when he motioned me through the door and said, “Come on in.”
The walls weren’t dark brown like the rest of the building. Instead, they were a soft sage, so I asked, “You painted?”
“I did,” he answered proudly. “I used that green color you said you liked. What do you think?”
“I love it.”
I glanced around the small room, and while there wasn’t much to it, he’d made it look warm and inviting. There was a sofa against the back wall with an old quilt draped over the back, and not just any old quilt. It was the one I’d seen at the arts festival several months earlier.
I walked over and ran my hand over it, making sure it was the same one. “You bought this?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “I knew you liked it and wanted you to have it.”
There were fresh flowers on the kitchen counter and several of my favorite snacks nestled in the basket next to them. And even though he didn’t drink coffee at the time, there was a small coffee station set up beside the stove. “Was this for me?”
“It’s not for me,” he chuckled. “I’m not really into the girlie stuff, but I wanted you to feel at home.”
“You’re the absolute best.”
“I try.”
“Well, I got you a little something, too.”
“What for?”
“It’s a housewarming present.” I stepped back over to the door and stuck my arm out, grabbing the gift I’d hidden in the stairwell. “It’s not much, but I think you’ll like it.”
I offered him the gift bag, and his eyes lit up as he reached in and pulled out a wrapped canvas. “What’s this?”
“Open it and see.”
He peeled back the paper, and it wasn’t long before a painting of the Smoky Mountains came into view.
There was a river at the bottom edge that weaved through the valley below, and the sky was etched in the evening glow of orange and blue.
It reminded me of the place he’d once described when he talked about his brother.
Brayden stared at it for a long moment, then muttered, “Brooke…”
“It reminded me of the place you and Aiden always talked about going.” I started second-guessing myself as I told him, “You know, the hiking trip to the mountains and the fishing in the stream…”
“You remembered?”
“Well, yeah.” I walked over and glanced down at the painting, almost imagining Brayden there with his brother. “I know what Aiden meant to you, and I just thought …”
“It’s perfect.”
For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. He just stood there, staring at it. Eventually, he walked over and hung it on the wall next to his bed. He came back over to me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight. “It’s the best gift anyone’s ever given me.”
“It’s just a picture.”
“No.” His voice was barely a whisper as he said, “It’s so much more than that.”
A new wave of tears trickled down my face as the memory faded and reality crept back in. In a few days, Anslee and I wouldn’t be living here anymore. I looked around the room and drew in a deep breath. It was time to start figuring out my life and where we were going to call home.
And I needed to figure it out fast.