Page 104 of Brooke's Bliss
“Me, too,” Lucy said, getting into position.
Nell sank back, her words coming out in a breathless sigh.“My mother always said we came from another place.From a faery world.I know.A little on the odd side she was, but maybe she wasn’t lying.She claimed I hada bit of what she called the sight.I never believed her until I starteddreaming of my children.When I close my eyes at night, I see Lucy with a swordin her hand, and Poppy tends the gardens.My girls.In my dreams we live by ashining river like the one we do now, but we’re in a brilliant white palacewith my kin from there.My girls are princesses of the realm.They have morepower than anyone knows.”She touched her belly, stroking it.“She likes thisname better.I can feel it.She’s Lucy Brooke, and she’s ready to be here.Shewon’t be a princess in this world, but she will move mountains.”
Lucy took a long breath and Brooke watched her calm herself,settling herself to take on the herculean task in front of her with grace andcompetence.“She is definitely ready.She’s crowning.All right.Brooke, makesure no one gets in.Let’s have a baby.”
Brooke gave Nell’s hand one last squeeze.“I won’t letanyone get in.”
Nell clenched her teeth as another contraction hit.
“All right, let’s do this,” Noah said.“Lucy, I’ll walk youthrough it.Nell, it’s going to be okay.”
Brooke moved into position, staring at the barn door.
She was ready to defend her people.
She prayed Henry saved Shane and that Bay stayed far away.
ChapterSixteen
Bay sat next to Max as his old but beautifully keptFord rolled toward the ranch.
“See, I should have punched Nate or something.”Max’s headshook as they approached the drive that would take them to the big house.“Icould be having jailhouse sex right now.”
Nate had told Gemma that it was time to take a break theminute Rachel showed up and started yelling at her husband.Apparently she’dbeen having a lovely day when she’d been told her husband was in jail.
“Uh, she seemed real upset,” Bay pointed out.Rather likeBrooke, who was having none of him when it came to jailhouse sex.That could befun.He and Shane could pretend like they were prisoners and she was the prizein some kind of wicked game.He could come up with some fun scenarios.
If she ever forgave him.
He was going to lose her because he hadn’t proven himself.She was still wary, still worried he wouldn’t do what it took to make herhappy.
“See, that’s where you don’t understand women.Rach waspissed off, but we made a deal a long time ago.When I do something to upsether, I owe her sexual servitude.Usually that’s my place because it’s hard tobe the charming, funny one all the time.Some of my adventures don’t go the wayI want them to, and I end up hanging out with Nate.Rye doesn’t usually getinto the same kind of trouble, but I have to give him this one.Those two needto reconnect.I’m actually happy she walked in yelling.It means she’s comingback to us.My baby has some anger issues.I can handle those.What I can’thandle is her being sad all the time.Especially when we’re the cause.We’vebeen parents and not spouses, and being her husband is my favorite thing onearth to be.We have to remind her of that.”
He didn’t hate the sound of Max’s reasoning.“So you’resaying if I want to get Brooke back, I should make her happy in bed?”
Max winced.“No.I am not saying that.Not saying that atall.”His hands tightened on the wheel, and he let out a long sigh.“But I’malso notnotsaying that, damn it.Where is yourdaddy?”
“Well, he’s dead, but if you’re asking why I’m not talkingto him about this instead of you, it wouldn’t matter if he was still alive.Iwouldn’t be talking to him.My dad was pretty pathetic.I always talk toShane.”
“Son, that is the dumb leading the even dumber,” Maxquipped.“Well, I guess the only thing to do is take you both in hand and undermy tender care.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I think my sister is in love with you, and while Iwish like hell I could blame you for all of this, we might be looking at aproblem of my own making.Or rather my other half’s.Hell, I’m involved toobecause I never wanted Brooke to leave at all.I would have been perfectlyhappy with her coming home and staying in that house we built and being auntieto all our kids.It’s hard when you have to deal with the fact that the peopleyou love, the ones you watched grow, turn into actual adults who need to maketheir own way in the world.We handled it poorly with Brooke.We made her thinkshe owed us something.We didn’t try to but that’s what happened.”
“She loves you.”
“Which is why she’s hurting.We haven’t been communicatingwell.See, this is the funny thing about a great love story.Which is what Ihave with Rach.She and Rye have a regular old love story, but the outcome isthe same.”
He wasn’t going to debate with Max about whether Rye had thebetter love story.It was ridiculous because they both loved her.It was alltheir story.But he was curious.“What outcome?”
“See, when you get married you think it’s all settled, buthere’s the hard part.You still grow, and you have to make the choice to dothat together.You have to watch the woman you love more than life itselfbecome a mother and give herself to those babies you made together.You have towatch them become their own people and know that one day they’re going to leaveand you won’t be able to protect them anymore.They want their own stories, andyour story never stopped.If you aren’t careful, you’ll forget that love is anactive choice you make.And you start using the kind of words I just did.”
Bay felt a deep well of emotion open inside him, and hischildhood spilled out.His parents hadn’t loved each other.They’d gottenmarried because it was time and they were dating.There had been no grand lovestory for them.He’d grown up in a house where they didn’t even like eachother.They stayed together because someone told them they had to in order tobe good human beings.They hadn’t chosen each other.They hadn’t chosenthemselves.They had chosen misery.
He knew the words Max was talking about.“You don’t have to.You get to.You said that was the bad part, but it’s the good part.You get towatch the woman you love become more.You get to hold her hand.You get to havea partner to watch your kids grow, and no matter what happens you stand besideher.Those kids are there because of you and her and the love you have.Itisn’t an obligation.It isn’t a sacrifice.It’s the whole reason we’re alive.”
“You’re going to be all right, Bay,” Max said quietly.“Andso are we.We’re going to be family.I know you’ve been the big brother allyour life…”
