Blindsided by Brooke

by Theresa Paolo

  “Until your girlfriend offered me a job and everything crumbled around us.”

  Chase laughed. “That’s Bex; one phone call from her is like an earthquake.”

  “You were being nice, don’t ruin it by being an ass.”

  “Then come to trivia night with me.”

  “Why?”

  “When have I ever steered you wrong?” he asked.

  “Let’s see when I was five and you told me riding a bike without training wheels was easy, and I wound up stuck in a bush. Or how about when you insisted, I go with you to catch that frog only to wind up knee deep in mud.”

  “A little mud never hurt anyone.”

  “Until Mom saw us and she wanted to kill us.”

  “Nothing a hose couldn’t fix.”

  “It was the middle of October, and that water was freezing,” Brooke said.

  “Okay fine, I’ve made a few mistakes, but who hasn’t?” he said, and she was fully aware of the point he was trying to make.

  “Subtle,” she said.

  “I’m just saying… show up at trivia night and see if the guy has anything to say.”

  “If he had something to say he could have picked up a phone. Or he knows where I live and work. He could have just as easily came to see me.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t know how.”

  Brooke rolled her eyes. “It’s easy. You get in a car.”

  “Don’t be a smartass. You know what I mean. You’re not exactly the easiest person to apologize to.”

  She shrugged. “If you accept apologies too easily, that’s when people start taking advantage of you.”

  “Or,” Chase said. “You realize that they really are sorry and an apology saves you a shit ton of heartache.”

  “Or you set yourself up for constant disappointment. He apologized once and told me he would do better. He didn’t. End of story.”

  “Either you come with me to trivia night or I’m going to sit here and sing every rock song I can think of.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  Chase cleared his throat and started in on a chorus.

  “That’s just cruel,” she said, but Chase kept singing.

  “Fine! I’ll go.”

  “Great. I’ll drive,” Chase said, picking up his keys from the end table.

  ***

  The drive went by fast as Chase told Brooke about Bex’s new movie and the upcoming European tour she was going to be joining her for. She knew most of it, but it was nice to talk to someone about it.

  Chase pulled into the closest spot, and Brooke immediately noticed Tyler’s truck. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath, and if she had her own car, she would have turned right around. And now she knew why Chase was so eager to drive.

  She took a deep breath and got out of the car, following Chase inside. All the usuals were there, sitting at their designated tables and waiting for the game to start. Brooke joined Louise, Daisy, and Layla who was still in her scrubs from her shift.

  Chase squeezed her shoulder as he joined his fellow firefighters across the brewery.

  “We’ll start in two minutes,” Mason announced. “Last call to grab your beers and hit up the bathroom.”

  Brooke spotted Tyler at his table, and she wanted to pretend like seeing him didn’t bother her, but she couldn’t stop staring at the back of his head, wondering if he was hurting as she was. She wanted to go to him, force him to speak to her. She hated to think their last night together would be the vision that flew with her across the world.

  But she didn’t know what to say to him because no matter what words passed between them, she would still be leaving, and he had told her as bluntly as possible that he wouldn’t wait for her. So really, there was no point. It was better to cut her losses and be grateful for the time they had together. And she was grateful.

  She never cared about her virginity; it was just something that stuck around, but now that she had lost it to Tyler, she was happy she’d waited. While she didn’t think it was a big deal, he made her first time special, and it was something she would remember for the rest of her life.

  She made small talk with Layla, Louise, and Daisy.

  “I talked to Shay,” Louise said. “She’s totally on board. She said you can advertise that if they come in and mention they’re staying at the rental property, they can get a free cupcake.”

  “And Mason said he’ll donate a new growler for each new booking to keep somewhere in the house with a tag that says they’ll get ten percent off the growler fill and the growler is on us.”

  “That’s great.” Brooke forced a smile. “But you should tell Tyler. I’m no longer a part of that.”

  “What?” Louise said.

  Layla glanced in her direction, but instead of speaking took a sip from her coffee cup.

  “Bex offered me a stylist job and I took it. I’ll be leaving for the UK in a few weeks.”

  “Are you serious?” Daisy said. “For how long?”

  “Three months.”

  “That’s amazing,” Daisy said. “I’m so happy for you. It’s like your perfect job.”

  Brooke nodded. She wanted to be happy, but with Tyler sitting just out of the corner of her eye she was having a hard time finding a reason to smile.

  “Anyone going to ask about the elephant in the room?” Louise said.

  “What elephant is that?” Daisy asked and Louise tilted her head in mock disbelief.

  She motioned to Tyler’s table.

  “It’s over,” Brooke said.

  Louise’s eyebrow arched. “But it just started.”

  “And now it’s over. Moving on,” Brooke said, trying to hide the sorrow in her voice. Of course, it was that second Tyler chanced a glance in her direction. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, but it was enough to make Brooke want to cry.

  She’d been good, holding it together, but the thought of not having him in her life was too much for her to bear. He had always been a constant in her mess of a life, and now they couldn’t look at each other without her wanting to sob.

  She swallowed down the emotion, refusing to cry like some pathetic girl, and held her head high. But her resolve wasn’t as strong as the overwhelming sadness that consumed her. She shoved to her feet and grabbed her bag.

  “Where are you going?” Layla asked.

  “I have to go.” Brooke headed to the door as Cassie started the game. She read the first question, and Brooke stopped dead in her tracks.

  “What did Brooke wear the day of the school trip?” Cassie asked. A bell rang from Tyler’s table, and her attention snapped to him.

  “A pair of jeans, a white tank top, and this tiny black vest that she loved because all the celebrities at the time were wearing them.”

  Brooke’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion. “What is going on?” she asked, but nobody answered her.

  “Next question,” Cassie said, holding up a card. “What was Brooke’s fifth grade science project?”

  Tyler hit the bell, and Brooke too stunned to say anything just watched.

  “Nail polish: price vs quality.”

  “Correct,” Brooke said before Cassie could.

  “What did Brooke wear to prom?”

  “A deep turquoise dress that was tight at the top and flared out. It made her eyes pop.”

  Brooke had sworn he hadn’t noticed her that night too consumed with his date.

  Cassie picked another card. “What was Brooke’s mother’s favorite flower?”

  Tyler hit the bell. “Stella de Oro?” She had told him only a couple weeks ago, but the fact that he remembered warmed her heart.

  “Correct!” Cassie announced. “Final question. What kind of underwear did Brooke wear under the only white pants she’s ever owned?”

  “Hearts,” he said, and she sniffed back tears as he finally turned to her. He got up, making his way across the brewery until he was right in front of her. The brewery fell silent and Brooke heard Terry hushing the crowd, but all Broo
ke could focus on was Tyler.

  He took her hand and she let him, relishing in the gentle warmth of his touch. His deep blue eyes met hers and God how she missed them. It had only been a few days; how was she going to go three months without him?

  “What is this?” she asked.

  “I have known you almost my entire life, and I thought that we were both blind to what was right in front of us, but the truth is Brooke, I have always seen you. I was just too dumb to realize.”

  “Well, you are an idiot,” she said, tears strangling her words.

  “I messed up…again. I told you I wouldn’t wait for you, but after the last few days without you, it became clear that I would wait an eternity for you, if it meant I’d get to hold your hand.” He ran the pad of his finger across her knuckles. “Tuck your hair behind your ear.” He traced the line of her face, pushing the brown strands over the curve of her ear. “Talk to you about your day and fight over the music on the radio. Know that I could kiss you again.” His thumb brushed against her lip. “Go off to London and do what you have to do, but know that I will be here waiting for you, because I can’t imagine my life without you. I am so in love with you. I always have been, you know that.”

  Tears built in her eyes and she did her best to hold them back, but while she was putting up a good fight, the battle was too much. A tear slipped down her cheek, and Tyler wiped it away with his fingertip.

  This man had driven her crazy time and time again and his communications skills were horrendous, but she loved the big idiot. She loved him so much it terrified her, but when she looked into his eyes, she knew it was a risk she was willing to take. “I love you, too, so much that it hurts. I’ve always been scared to open my heart because I’ve known so much heartache, but somehow you weaseled yourself in, and it hurts more trying to keep you out.”

  “Then don’t,” he said.

  “I’m scared.” She wanted to kiss him and forget about the past few days, but what happens if they got in another fight? She wasn’t sure her heart could take it.

  He laced his fingers to hers and brought them to his mouth. He kissed her knuckles and smiled. “I’m scared, too. I’m scared I’ll mess up again, and you won’t forgive me. I’m scared you’ll walk out that door and I’ll never feel the love I feel for you ever again. I’m scared you’ll go to Europe and meet some guy with an accent and forget about me. But what’s life without a little fear? It makes what you have that much more special.” He snaked his hand around her waist, drawing her toward him. “And when you have someone to hold, things always seem a little less scary.”

  Brooke smiled through the tears. “Well, when you wax poetic like that, how is a girl to resist?”

  Tyler laughed and crushed his mouth to hers, the days of being apart, washing away with each stroke of his lips. Cheers erupted around them and they pulled back, laughing together.

  “I’ll come visit you as often as I can,” he said.

  Brooke shook her head, while the thought warmed her, it wasn’t a possibility. “It’s too expensive.”

  “I can afford it,” he said.

  “Just because you have bookings doesn’t mean you should get overzealous.”

  He smiled. “How do you know I have bookings?”

  She shrugged. “I might’ve checked the website a few dozen times.”

  “I haven’t thanked you for that either.”

  “You can thank me all you want later… in bed.” She kissed him because she could, and she never planned on stopping.

  “But the bookings are only a small part. My dad gave me my trust fund. No age limit, no strings attached.”

  Brooke’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. “What? When? Why?”

  “When I told him, I didn’t want it anymore because I didn’t want him to have control over me, he said that showed him I grew up and I was capable of handling it on my own.”

  “Tyler, that’s great.”

  Tyler shrugged. “It’s just money, and someone taught me that money isn’t all there is in life. That you can still live a pretty damn good one without it.”

  “She sounds like a smart girl,” Brooke said, a smile tilting her lips.

  “I didn’t say she.”

  “We all know it’s a girl.”

  “A girl who is too smart for her own good,” he said.

  “Smart, funny, charming.”

  “Beautiful, sweet, sexy.” He dipped his head and captured her lips in a sweeping kiss that made her knees weak. “I love you, Brooke Marshall. I always have and I always will.”

  “I’ve only ever loved you,” she said. “You’re my first and you’ll be my last.”

  “And I promise to make the time between first and last as memorable as possible.”

  “I have no doubt,” she said, lifting on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his.

  After years of heartache and loss, Brooke’s dreams were finally coming true, and she was keeping her eyes wide open, so she could cherish every single moment with the man of her dreams by her side.

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  ~Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Forbidden Love Match

  Book 1 in the Willow Cove series~

  Chapter 1

  Ella took a seat on the Greyhound bus just like she had every third Friday of the month. It had been her routine ever since her dad got sent to prison eight years ago. Her brothers hated that she took the trip and wished she could just forget about their dad like they had, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon the man who once kissed her boo-boos and carried her on his shoulders. Convicted felon or not, he was and always would be her dad, and she held hope that her family’s wounds would one day heal, that forgiveness wouldn’t be a dream but a reality.

  She closed her eyes, envisioning her three brothers, dad, and grandfather sitting together at the dining room table, passing plates of spaghetti around, joking and laughing, just like they once had before everything had gone so terribly wrong.

  The fantasy eased the tension in her shoulders and the emotional knots in her stomach she always got after seeing her dad dressed in the same canary yellow prison uniform he wore like a badge of shame and regret.

  Yellow used to be her favorite color, but now it just reminded her of her father’s crimes and of the time that was taken from them. He wasn’t there to take pictures with her for senior prom or high school graduation. He didn’t get to teach her to drive or wish her good luck as she left for college. So much time was taken from them because he chose to break the law.

  While she didn’t agree with the choices her father had made and wished he would have taken a different path, she could almost understand.

  He wanted to take care of his family after losing his wife, and instead of swallowing his pride and asking his own parents for help, he found his answers in dealing drugs. In the end, he lost the house, his family, and his freedom.

  “Is this seat taken?” a masculine voice asked, and Ella opened her eyes, completely taken by the handsome stranger pointing to the spot beside her. His dark blond hair was cut short and stylishly swept to the side. His piercing blue eyes were as beautiful as the sky on a warm spring day, vibrant and inviting.

  A brown leather messenger bag hung from his broad shoulders, and the sleeves to his dress shirt were rolled up, revealing tanned arms.

  “Hi,” Ella said with a goofy grin on her face.

  He arched an eyebrow in her direction and swept his gaze toward the empty seat. “So is someone sitting here?” he asked.

  “Oh! No.” Heat exploded in her cheeks, spreading down her chest. She’d been openly staring like he was a model on a poster and not an actual
living breathing man. Ella snatched her bag from the seat and placed it on her lap. “Sorry about that. It’s all yours.”

  He offered a smile and stepped out of the aisle, letting the people behind him pass. “It’s quite all right,” he said, easing the strap from his bag down his arm. He sat, surrounding her in a mouth-watering aroma of leather and cedarwood, and pulled out a laptop.

  “Not from around here, huh?” she asked.

  He turned to her, those two perfect sapphires filling with curiosity. “What makes you say that?”

  “Your arms,” she said, nodding to the tanned skin poking out of his crisp white and blue plaid shirt.

  He laughed. “My arms?”

  “You don’t get a tan like that in the northeast until at least July.”

  “I could’ve gone on vacation to somewhere tropical.”

  “Possibly, but then there’s also the University of California sticker on your laptop.” She pointed to the blue and yellow insignia.

  He followed her finger, and the edge of his lip quirked. “You’re very observant.”

  “My grandfather would call it nosy.”

  “Are you close with your grandfather?”

  “I am.” Close didn’t even begin to describe their bond. He was the foundation that kept her standing from one tragedy to the next—an unbreakable force who helped her keep one foot in front of the other. It was why after her grandmother passed away she knew what she had to do.

  College had always been the goal. She wanted to be the first in her family to get a degree, then make a name for herself in the interior design world, but her grandfather had carried her on his shoulders time and time again; it was her turn to return the favor.

  “I actually live with him.”

  It was only supposed to be temporary, a year at best, but seven years later she was still there. The degree she dreamed about—walking across the stage to receive while her family cheered her on in the audience—was nothing more than a distant memory.

  But she was okay with that. For seven years she got to know her grandfather even more and when the time came when he would take his last breath—hopefully not anytime soon—she would be grateful for all the time they’d had together. It was time she never got with either her mother or her grandmother.