Page 64 of Love and Other Chances

WILL

What about Teeks? Like teak wood?

SARAH

NATALIE

Noooo Will, that’s terrible! You can’t name them after wood!Definitely Breegan

WILL

What, like Brie cheese? How is that better?

My phone continues dinging, but I pocket it and smile up at Brooks.

He gives a mock sigh. “Look what you’ve started.”

“Look whatwestarted,” I emphasize. Whatever sarcastic reply Brooks had dies on his lips when I lean up to kiss his cheek. The feel of his skin beneath my lips sucks me into a black hole of wanting more. I’m suddenly dying to kiss him for real, for him to kiss mefor real.

I tug on his hand to start walking instead. “Time to get you home before your big day back to work tomorrow. Let’s go, Breegan.”

When Brooks pulls up to my duplex, he lingers in the car. “Teegan, there’s something I think that I should probably tell you really plainly.”

Swiveling my body toward him, my mind races with potential scenarios that could make his voice so serious. I start to panic until he takes my hand and traces soothing circles on my palm.

“Given our history,” Brooks begins, voice tight. “I want you to know that I’ve personally committed to waiting until marriage to do anything more than kiss a girl I’m dating. Including you.”

I slowly exhale the breath I didn’t realize had ballooned in my chest. “Thanks for telling me that, Brooks,” I say, squeezing his hand.

He gives me a tentative smile as he fidgets with my fingers. “I know you’ve told me to stop apologizing for the past, and I promise I’ll stop after this one final time. I’m sorry for how disrespectful I was to you and your boundaries in high school. I regret everything about every decision I made during that time in my life, but I promise I’m committed to doing better this time, treating you the right way. We’re on the same page now, and I felt like you deserved to hear that from me.”

“I do appreciate it,” I affirm. I tilt my head to one side as I reach up to trace my finger along his jaw. “But now you really do have to stop apologizing,” I add with a smile, gently pressing the cleft in his chin.

Brooks catches my hand and presses a kiss to my fingertip. “Promise.”

Chapter twenty-five

The following week, our small group practically throws a party in our honor. Even though we drive separately, Brooks waits for me outside of Joy and Caleb’s house so we can walk inside together. Our entrance is met with cheers and enthusiastic hugs. Sarah even has a cookie cake with “Breegan” written in frosting.

“Hey, I thought we were taking an official vote tonight!” Will whines.

“You’re the only one voting for Teeks,” Catherine says, rolling her eyes.

“If we made it an anonymous vote, you might find out there are others who are secretly with me,” Will counters.

Brooks unabashedly claims the loveseat, pulling me along to sit next to him. The group eventually settles in, and we begin our discussion of the first chapter of Hebrews, the book of the Bible we’ll be studying this semester. For the hundredth time, I find myself thinking about how grateful I am that Lana and Amaya pushed me to join this group. For so many reasons.

That night, I fall asleep smiling. The smile is still plastered to my face the next morning when my alarm goes off at 7:30. I’m reluctant to get out of my cocoon of blankets. The air feels too frosty.

Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I feel it vibrate with a notification.

BROOKS

SNOW DAY!! Let’s go sledding!

He sent the text an hour ago. I wrap myself in a blanket before padding over to the window to peek outside. Fluffy layers of whitecover everything in the morning light. The sliver of the yard bathed in full sunlight, just beyond the roof’s shadow, glimmers with snow diamonds.

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