Again for the First Time

by Raven St. Pierre

Including Matt.

  I remember the look on her face when he made the announcement that he’d be moving hundreds of miles away to L.A. Phone calls were coming in left and right and he could no longer ignore the once in a lifetime opportunities that were basically being laid out at his feet. It seemed like everyone wanted a piece of him after our documentary, dubbed “The Just Say Yes Project”, was released to the public. It took him almost an entire year to finally take the plunge and leave. And while he never said this aloud, I think Brooklyn was one of the reasons he hesitated to part from Lindmore. They’d become friends, good friends, and he may have believed that staying in town would give him a better chance of developing that relationship into more, but Brooklyn, being hard like she is, was one of the main ones encouraging him to go. Was that what she really wanted? I was almost positive it wasn’t, but knowing her, she saw how much he wanted this, a career in film, and pushed him toward it like she’d been pushing herself for years. In the end, they ended up with miles and states between them.

  Matt had been gone for six months now, living on the west coast, pursuing and excelling at his dream, but he and Brook did manage to keep in touch. Actually, last I checked, Brook made it sound as if they spoke on the phone or via video chat several times a week. And seeing as how Brooklyn has never been one to make and keep friends close to her, I knew there was something more to what she felt for Matt… even if she wasn’t ready to admit it. For that reason I was pretty sure, if she had any regrets at all like I’d speculated, not letting herself see where things would’ve gone with him was one of them.

  Speaking of Matt’s success with the documentary, our family’s reactions were scattered when they realized what we’d done, gotten married under the circumstances that we had. To soften the blow somewhat, Luke and I decided to make the announcement at our one-year anniversary celebration. His parents were even there. I still think they would’ve liked to know their son’s new wife better than they did before we walked down the aisle; however, they slowly but surely learned to accept and even love me. The relationship flourished after that, even after we dropped that bomb on them.

  I will never forget the look on my mother’s face when Luke and I finally confessed what we’d done, standing in the middle of a banquet hall with our family and friends around us. We probably looked absolutely crazy because we were the only ones in the entire room laughing about this, but we couldn’t help it. How crazy was this whole thing? Two strangers who ended up being soul mates? Dare I say we were star-crossed lovers who’d been destined to come together even generations before we were even in this world?

  There were so many questions being shot at us it was insane, but they were all answered with a video presentation of the entire ordeal, Matt’s debut and test screening of the film. We sat there with those whom we loved most, watching the story of how we came to be. When it was over, almost every woman in the room was reaching for a Kleenex, especially once the heart wrenching tale of my grandmother and Luke’s granddad was tied into our love story. I think it was easy for them to accept what we’d done because the love between us was undeniable. No one ever questioned our level of commitment or sincerity. Those things spoke for themselves. Luke and I were as solid as they come.

  Nostalgia had taken me away for a moment, but I came back to the present when Luke pulled into the parking structure of the auditorium, accepting a ticket from the attendant at the entrance. We drove up a few levels to find an empty spot where Delia could park beside us. The sound of our car doors opening and closing echoed throughout the structure and I made sure to latch the trunk more quietly after getting Destiny’s stroller out, only then realizing she’d dozed off.

  “Aw, Luke, you must’ve worn my niece out,” Delia commented with a smile as she leaned down to stroke my daughter’s cheek lightly.

  Luke’s throaty laugh hit the air and I loved the sound of it as much today as I did a little more than two years ago when I’d first heard it.

  “Trust me, the feeling’s mutual. I’d be curled up in the fetal position right now, too, if I was home,” he replied.

  I rubbed his back and laughed, thinking of how I often did come home to find him passed out on the couch with Destiny fast asleep on his chest. He spent quite a few days at home with her now that his work schedule had loosened up. He no longer worked for Mr. O’ Riley, not since starting his own consulting firm with some of his portion of the documentary earnings. He set up his business in the office of the home we bought last year. The money from his consulting work was flowing in like crazy, but he still had an unbelievable amount of free time. He didn’t seem to mind that, though. It gave him time to be with Destiny, building a bond with her that I knew was therapeutic for him in more ways than one. In no way would our daughter ever replace Marcel, the son Luke had loved and lost, but I could see him healing little by little each time this little girl looked at him with those big brown eyes and smiled.

  We stood waiting for the elevator and I secured the blanket tighter around Destiny’s tiny, sleeping body in the stroller. When I stood upright again, Luke caught me around my waist and pulled me close into his side, planting a kiss on my cheek before letting me go.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited for Brooklyn,” Delia announced. “But… my bed is calling me. For real.”

  Luke and I laughed, and I believed my sister wholeheartedly. We’d been working our butts off getting ready for new inventory, but she hadn’t complained once. I loved having her working with me. We got to spend our weeks together, laughing and chatting alongside one another. It was nice.

  “Well, in a few hours we’ll be free. You can have your bed then.”

  Delia snapped her head in my direction. “What you mean a few hours? As soon as they call the girl’s name, I’m out. I’ll keep the program so she knows I was really here, but I refuse to sit here and watch total strangers cross the stage.”

  I nudged Delia with a laugh as the elevator opened, knowing she was only kidding. Stepping inside, we rode down two levels in silence, walking the crowded lobby together before finally finding our seats. Everyone was here—my parents, Aura and her family, Bean, all of us. We parked the stroller at the end of the aisle where my father sat. He stood to hug Delia and I when we arrived, giving Luke a warm smile and handshake as well. Carefully, I lifted destiny from the stroller and cradled her in my arms as I inched my way past my relatives toward an open seat near the middle of the row. Luke settled in at one side, Delia at my other. We’d made it just in time. This fact was made clear when the lights in the auditorium dimmed.

  The ceremony was long and drawn out, but Delia stayed despite her earlier threat. She stayed because that’s what we did. Even when we didn’t feel like being there for each other, we always came through. That’s what us James girls were good at—being there. We cheered like crazy when Brooklyn crossed the stage, knowing all she’d sacrificed to make this happen, and then waited through the last half of the presentation. When it was over, we searched the crowd, finally spotting her near the stage. Waving her our way, we waited only a moment for her to get to us.

  “I’m so proud of you!” The words left my mouth in a high-pitched screech. Good thing my mother had taken Destiny from my arms about half an hour before. The sound would’ve awakened her for sure.

  “Thanks,” Brooklyn replied, somewhat distracted as her eyes darted from one entrance to the other.

  “Baby, I’m so proud of you,” my mother squealed softly as she took Brook into her arms. Again, my sister smiled, but she seemed to be looking for something, or maybe someone? A classmate perhaps. “You stuck with it and now it’s over.”

  Brooklyn nodded. “Yeah… I can hardly believe it.”

  Dad moved in on her, too, squeezing her tight in his arms. He kissed her forehead and congratulated her.

  “So, where are we eating? You cooked, right, Ma?” Delia asked.

  We laughed, but ignored her question. I got to Brooklyn myself and embraced her. “I’m proud
of you, Sis. Aren’t you glad to be done?” I asked. But Brook didn’t even seem to hear me. Her eyes shifted again.

  “Thanks. Yeah, I’m relieved,” she mumbled just before dismissing herself from our group. “Can you guys wait here for a sec? I’ll be right back.”

  She rushed off after that, leaving us to wonder where she’d gone. While she was away, we all conversed amongst ourselves and I felt something as I stood there. I felt complete. I had them all, my entire family, including Luke and Destiny. I had it all. It was like Luke and I finding each other had set all the pieces of our lives into place. There wasn’t a doubt in either one of our minds that this union was meant to be. If it hadn’t been for a far-fetched, ridiculous idea to randomly propose to strangers that evening, we may have never found each other and Matt’s talents might not have ever been discovered. In a way, we owed it all to him.

  I’m madly in love with my life and wouldn’t trade one single experience for the easy road. Another thing my grandmother used to tell me is that, without the rain, you’d never learn to appreciate the sunshine. I believe that. And now that the sun was shining on my face on a regular basis, I like to think I’m that much more grateful for it because I know what it feels like to be in the chilling shade of a cloudy sky.

  Everything happens for a reason, whether we realize it at the time or not. Whether it’s a rose petal in the middle of an empty room, or a fortune cookie that could’ve honestly made it to anyone’s table, don’t ever ignore the little signs that life gives you. Yes, some may be warnings, but others are reminders to be open to the unexpected and the inexplicable, preparing you to keep your eyes, mind, and heart open to life’s many, extraordinary possibilities. So, the next time you decide to dismiss something as a fluke, or someone as no one particularly special, take a second look.

  Best advice I’ve ever been given.

  *****

  ~Coming in 2015~

  Matt & Brooklyn

  an Again for the First Time novel

  Prologue

  Brooklyn

  My hands were so numb. Numb and clammy. Nervous wasn’t even the word for how I felt. It had little to do with the hundreds of people in the university’s auditorium; it wasn’t even the possibility of slipping and falling as I crossed the stage in these heels. Nope. It wasn’t any of those things. Right up until I stood from my seat, I was the poster child for being cool, calm, and collected. But now? Now I could feel myself starting to sweat as I stood there, patiently waiting for my name to be called.

  I’d been looking forward to this day for so long. Maybe that’s why I felt so off kilter—the anticipation. As I waited at the bottom of the stairs just to the right of the stage, I surveyed the crowd, finding my family easily. All of my sisters were here; Bernadine, Aura, Lissy, and Delia, along with their families. Mom and Dad made it, too, of course. They’d been planning for my graduation and the party for what seemed like a year. I wasn’t made privy to all the details of the celebration, but based on the size of the guest list alone, I knew they’d gone all out.

  Education had always been a big deal in my family. Finishing my Master’s program, earning a degree in sociology and anthropology, was important to everyone in my circle. All of my sisters had done the same, finished school in their own respective fields of study. It mattered to me that I completed the task, too, but I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that I sacrificed a lot to get here.

  A lot.

  Maybe more than I should’ve.

  “Brooklyn James.”

  When my name was announced, I snapped out of the daze and put on a smile as I adjusted my honor cord around my neck, taking a deep breath. This was it, my moment; the culmination of years of hard work and sleepless nights. I concentrated on keeping my stride steady as I stepped up on the stage. The nervousness began to slough off. My family went wild as I accepted my certificate from the university president and shook his hand. And then, just like that, it was over. I’d done it.

  Caught up in the blissful relief of finally having the graduation ceremony behind me, I headed for my seat. However, just as I descended the last step, I stopped, stunned by the tall silhouette blocking the light from the hallway outside the auditorium.

  There was no way he came. No way. Not with his busy schedule.

  Despite the fact that I didn’t trust my vision, my heart went to racing anyway. My eyes focused through the darkness and that was when I noticed the smile. He must’ve realized I’d spotted him. His body shifted to lean against the door frame as he ran lengthy fingers through his hair, letting it fall lightly to the shoulders of his suit jacket.

  It was Matt. He’d flown all the way back to Lindmore from L.A….

  For me.

  “Brooklyn,” someone whispered from behind, nudging my shoulder just enough to get my attention. I’d gotten so lost inside my head, in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized I was holding up the line. After apologizing to Charlotte, a girl I’d shared a class or two with over the years, the girl urging me to move forward, I made my way toward my seat. However, I glanced at Matt again where he stood in the doorway first.

  My heart did this fluttery thing inside my chest as I let the fact that he was here sink in. We hadn’t seen one another in a little more than six months, but we managed to talk just about every day. I’d never been one for making and keeping friends, didn’t typically like people outside of my family, to be quite honest. This made the fact that he’d hung in there, found a way to put up with me, nothing short of a miracle. This was different, though. He was different. We depended on each other in a way I never imagined I’d depend on another person outside of my mother, father, and sisters.

  I rarely made moves without Matt knowing and the same held true for him. Even his recent decision to relocate had been made with my input, a move that ultimately landed him on the other side of the country. While, yeah, it would’ve been nice to keep him here, Matt was too much for a small town like Lindmore. He had talent that the world deserved to experience and I told him so. After his documentary about our siblings’ unconventional hookup and eventual marriage was so well received, he quickly became a household name. Just about overnight. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hadn’t heard the name Matteo Valente or hadn’t at least heard of his film: The Just Say Yes Project. His face was everywhere—magazine covers, social media sites, everywhere.

  I remember the first time I watched him do a television interview. He called my phone while I was taking out the trash and I rushed back inside. It was so surreal seeing his face on the TV screen, talking to the reporter as if they’d known each other for years. He was charming, endearing, which was why people loved him so much. For all intents and purposes, he’d made it. With that one interview, I knew this to be the case. He followed his dream, and he and his unique brand of talent were welcomed into the industry with open arms. I admired him for that, told him so every chance I got.

  I couldn’t help it; I looked over my shoulder several times throughout the remainder of the ceremony, just wanting to see if I’d imagined him being here. He no longer stood by the door, leaving me to assume he’d found a seat with my family, but I couldn’t see to confirm. I settled back into my chair with a bit of a smile set on my face. I couldn’t wait to see him, to talk to him face to face. Friends like him, the good ones who genuinely care, the ones who’d fly hundreds of miles to attend your graduation ceremony, don’t come around every day. I figured that out within the first few months of us connecting.

  Our meeting was inevitable because of our familial ties, but we had one of those vibes between us that made it feel like we’d known each other forever. It was shortly after my sister, Lissette, married his brother a couple years ago that our paths crossed. Well… not so much crossed; it was more like we were thrown at one another. No, Lissette literally flung me at Matt with intentions of us hooking up romantically, but that just wasn’t the way it was meant to go. After a few months of me giving him a hard time, his charm and sense of humor eventuall
y broke me down and I stopped fighting him. We’ve been the best of friends ever since.

  Matt’s attractive and an all-around good guy, but it just wasn’t in the stars for us to be more than what we are today… friends.

  Best friends.

  When the ceremony was finally over, I quickly realized that Matt wasn’t sitting with my family like I assumed he would be. My people didn’t seem to notice me looking past them as I searched for the familiar face that had made the last forty-five minutes of being stuck in my seat pure hell. The waiting nearly killed me once I knew Matt was under the same roof.

  “Baby, I’m so proud of you,” my mother sang as she took me into her arms. I gave a smile, but was too distracted to reply right away. “You stuck with it and now it’s over.”

  I nodded. “Yeah… I can hardly believe it.”

  My father scooped me up next, consuming me with a bear-hug of an embrace, kissing my forehead as he uttered words similar to my mother’s. Or maybe it was something altogether different and they simply sounded the same because I was so anxious to get to—

  “So, where are we eating? You cooked, right, Ma?” Delia asked.

  Before I could hear my mother’s answer, Lissette moved forward and looped her arm gently around my neck. “I’m proud of you, sis. Aren’t you glad to be done?” she asked, staring, waiting for an answer.

  “Thanks. Yeah, I’m relieved,” I said casually. I couldn’t stand it anymore, though. Curiosity was eating away at me. “Can you guys wait here for a sec? I’ll be right back.”

  I didn’t even wait for responses before gathering up the side of my graduation gown in my hand and fast-walking toward the exit of the auditorium. Matt was no longer in sight, but I knew he had to be there. I mean, didn’t he? He wouldn’t have just left. Granted, his schedule was busy enough that he very well could have flown into town just to see me cross the stage before heading back to L.A., but I had to hope that wasn’t the case. I had to. After all, nearly an hour had passed since my name was called to walk, since I first spotted him standing there.