Page 64 of For the Boys
Brent chuckled. “I loved it.”
Berkley beamed. “Good!”
“Bye,babe.”
“Bye.” She ended the call and turned around to find her brother standing at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, jaw clenched.
“Logan!” Berkley gasped. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry,” he replied. “Want to tell me who that was?”
“No.”
“Berk, c’mon!” Her brother walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You know you can tell me anything.”
“If I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out.” Logan nodded. “And you can’t tell Mom or Dad or Jess. You have to let me do that.”
“Fine,” he conceded. “Now who was it?”
“His name is Brent Jean…” Berkley waited for the realization to sink in.
“Wait,theBrent Jean? As in Warriors player Brent Jean? The one I went to college with?”
“Well, you didn’t technically go to collegewithhim since your nerdy ass never left the library, but yes, that one.”
“How in the hell did that happen?”
“If I’m going to tell you, I need another drink.”
After grabbing some beers from the refrigerator, Berkley and Logan sat on the barstools in the kitchen while she told him her story. He cringed when she told him about Brent renting out an entire bar for her birthday; he hated surprises as much as she did. When she finished, Logan regarded her for several long moments, squinting and pursing his lips.
When he finally spoke, he didn’t say what she had expected. “Are you happy?”
“Wait, what?”
“Are you happy? I’m serious, Berkley. Answer the question.”
Without hesitating, she answered, “I am.” Then she added, “But it’s still pretty new.”
“As long as you’re happy, I don’t care how long it’s been.” Logan clapped his hands together, as if settling the matter. “But if he ever makes you shed even one tear, I will rip him to shreds.”
She laughed and hugged her big brother before they headed back to the basement.
In the Daniels family, it was tradition to wake up before the crack of dawn on Christmas morning and gather in the closed-in sunroom to watch the sunrise.
Berkley sat on the couch next to her mother afterward, sipping her coffee. Her dad and Logan were in the kitchen getting breakfast started, and Jessica was asleep on the other side of her mom.
Her mom sighed and said, “I miss days like this when you’re gone.”
Berkley turned and kissed her on the cheek. “I do too.”
“Are you sure you’re happy in Detroit?” her mom asked. “You sure you don’t want to move home?”
Berkley laughed. “Ask me after I finish law school.”
“Deal,” her mom said, then sighed. “God, I can’t believe how fast that’s coming up.”
“It can’t come fast enough, if you ask me.”
