Page 124 of Crossing the Brooklyn Briggs
Someone whistles a bird-like tune on the other side of the gate, to which Mateo responds with a lower-pitched whistle, like a secret code.
I roll my eyes as I unlatch the gate and pull it open. “Was that really necessary?”
Alejandro scrunches up his face at me as he comes into the backyard where we’ve set everything up. “And you used to be the fun one. Now you’re just old.”
Maybe it’s immature of me, but I wrap my arm around his neck and drag him down toward the ground anyway, hoping to get him in a headlock. Unfortunately for me, I somehow managed to forget the fact that my little brother is a decorated Marine and way stronger than me, which means my attack ends with me on the ground in a heap. I need to stop letting this happen.
I groan. “When are you going back overseas again?”
“Hopefully never. Where’s this girlfriend of yours, anyway?” He grabs me by the wrist and lifts me back to my feet. “I need to make sure she’s strong enough to put up with you.”
Alejandro has only been home for a few days, spending most of that time with his wife and kids (perfectly understandable). He hasn’t met Brooklyn in person yet, and I’m dying for them to connect because he’s the last piece to this puzzle that is my life.
But to do that, I need Brooklyn. “She’s coming,” I tell him. “I hope.” I put Houston in charge of getting her here, and while he’s been fine with the two of us dating, this might be more than he’s bargained for. After all, it’s only February, and a lot of people have already told me it’s too soon to take this step.
But I knew back in October that I wanted to marry Brooklyn. It’s honestly a miracle that I’ve made it this long without putting an engagement ring on her finger. For the sake of Houston’s sanity—not that he has any room to talk with the way he acts with his girlfriend—and maybe out of slight fear of Brooklyn’s older brother, Chad, I’ve been patient.
That patience is at an end.
Alejandro whistles again, this time as he takes in the yard. I left a grassy section on the side where we’re standing, big enough for some lawn games if we wanted to have family or friends over. A stone patio sits behind it, leading to a built-in gas grill and dining area next to a raised firepit. Eventually, when I can afford a hot tub, it’ll go over by the house, and I’ve fenced off a little section for a vegetable garden in the east corner. When I was searching for a house, I wanted one with mature trees, and several large sycamores run along the fence line providing shade and perfect branches for hanging a hammock or two. Once spring comes, flowers will be popping up all over the place, and I’m planning on filling the western edge with daisies once it gets a little warmer. Brooklyn’s favorite.
“Okay,” Alejandro says, “you might actually be good at your job.”
I punch him in the arm. “What do you mean byactually? Why is this always such a surprise?”
Mateo chooses to answer my rhetorical question with a roll of his eyes. “You’ve never been a very serious person so it makes sense that you wouldn’t take your business seriously either.”
“Ouch.” I put a hand over my heart. “Just because I’m not some genius, it doesn’t mean I’m incapable of running a successful business. You should have seen me when I was in California.”
“I’m glad I didn’t.”
I’m glad too. It’s hard enough getting Mateo to look up to me as it is when he is way smarter than I ever will be, and if he thought I was too busy for him a few months ago, he would have hated me during my PR days. Over the last few months, I’ve dedicated time for us to get to know each other, and he’s a really good kid. He could probably stand to work a few hours in the sun, though. Get his hands dirty.
Okay, maybe I’m just jealous that he gets to spend a lot of time with Brooklyn after school working the tutoring gig they set up together. When she’s at the lab every other weekend, I want to claim every second of her time that I can.
Hopefully I won’t have to fight for her time for much longer. I bought this house—with Houston’s help—so we can have a place of our own and neither of us has to leave at the end of the night. I just have to hope Brooklyn likes it.
I pat my pocket, making sure the ring is still there. “Why is this so terrifying? Alex, were you this nervous when you proposed to Paige?”
Alejandro laughs. “Yeah. You’ll get over it.”
“It’s not like this is your first time,” Mateo reminds me, rolling his eyes again. It’s his favorite thing to do with me. “You’ve done this twice before.”
“Twice?” Alejandro asks.
I groan. “The high school prankdoes notcount.”
“Uh, I’m going to have to hear this story immediately.”
“Later,” I grumble.Or never. “Right now, I need to make sure everything is set up.”
My watch buzzes, and my heart rate kicks into overdrive as soon as I read the text from Houston.
Houston: Inbound
So much for double checking everything. “Mateo?”
“Locked and loaded,” he says with a smirk. I really don’t like the way he’s playing with the lighter right now.
