Page 95 of Brooke's Bliss
This was her out.
And she should want it.She should keep them right wherethey were.A good time.A couple of wild weeks.
But it hadn’t been.Sure, the sex was crazy, but most of themoments she would remember had been sweet.Quiet and loving.She felt safe withthem.She didn’t honestly feel the wild anxiety she sometimes got when shedecided she was in love.
And yet she knew she was in love with them.
“I can’t be the reason you leave again,” she said quietly.“I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“I don’t know that I can give you one.”She was overwhelmed.Once again it felt like her life had flipped on a dime and she was left tryingto pick which way to go.
She wanted them, but she wasn’t sure she should.
Why?
Tears filled her eyes because she didn’t want to make thisdecision.She wanted to float for a while, to be with them without having tothink about changing their lives along with her own.
“Hush, baby.”He kissed her again.“Calm down.I can seeyour brain working, and it’s been too much.Do you want me to leave?I can giveyou time, but I can’t let you walk away unless you tell me it’s over.”
“I don’t want it to be over.”She wrapped her arms aroundhim.“Maybe I don’t know what I want at all.”
But she did.She didn’t know if she should want it.
The fight with her brother weighed heavily on her.What Markhad said.Was moving to LA the right thing?She loved it here.She missedseeing Rachel and the kids, and she seemed so far from the brothers who hadraised her.
She could breathe when his arms were around her.
“Baby, let me take you home.We can help Nell and Henry withthe goats, and I’ll make us dinner and you and me and Bay will go to theplayroom and you’ll feel so good.We’ll go to dinner at your brothers’ placethis weekend and you’ll see that Rye didn’t mean shit.He loves you.He’sscared, and the world is changing.”
“It’s too fast.”Tears pierced her eyes, but she held on tohim.
“I know, so we’re going to slow it all down and bring itback to you and me and Bay.No decisions.Just being together,” he promised.“We don’t have to talk about the future.We have some time before openingnight.We won’t talk about the future at all until then.If you don’t want meto say it, I won’t.I won’t pressure you.”
She knew what he was offering.“I don’t want you to not sayit.”
“Good,” he whispered.“Because I love you and not saying itdoesn’t make that go away.I’m going to love you for the rest of my life.Butwe don’t have to deal with that today.All we have to do today is breathe andmaybe deal with the dental health of goats.”
She laughed.He was so good at making her laugh, at makingher let go of all the bad shit because she was safe with him and Bay.
“Okay,” she said quietly.“Let’s go back.But we’ll have todeal with it eventually.”
“And we will,” he vowed.“We’ll deal with it together.”
She took his hand and let him lead her away.
* * * *
Shane pulled the SUV into the drive as Trev washustling out of the big house, Bo running right behind him.There was adefinite harried look in Trev’s eyes.Bo had one of the kids’ bags over hisshoulder, and while he moved a bit more slowly than his partner, there was noway to miss his tension.
“That doesn’t look good.”Brooke unhooked her seatbeltbefore he got the car slowed down.
He noticed there were two young men standing on the porch.They looked to be in their early twenties, and they were wearing standardcowboy gear.Jeans, Western shirt.They had bolo ties on and belts neatlywrapped around trim waists that let Shane know they were dressed to impress.
Trev paid them no mind, simply ran to his truck, but Bostopped.
“Hey, Shane,” Bo said and tipped his hat toward Brooke.“Beth took the kids into town today after her consultation with Hale, andMiranda fell off the monkey bars at the playground.Her arm might be broken.Iwould ask Jamie to take over the interviews, but he took Hope into Alamosa toshop for baby stuff, and Noah’s in the barn with Nell and Henry and Lucy.”
