But with Corbin, I had a life again. One I could call my own. One that I cultivated and nurtured. One that I felt comfortable in. Corbin didn’t take over my world—he added to it. He didn’t invade my space or smother me. If anything, he encouraged me to grow and become more. Become me. By myself. So that when we were together, doing things as a couple, it was because we wanted to.
For someone so independent, I’d somehow become codependent with Chase.
Letting down my walls was a different thing entirely. I just couldn’t bear to let someone in and give them the power to demolish me again. I couldn’t bear the thought of being that reliant on another person again.
Maybe my crossroad wasn’t as confusing as I thought.
Maybe I’d already knew what I wanted.
But how could I have that if I couldn’t ignore the fear of losing myself again?
Chapter 21
Corbin
Phyllis was a sweet lady, and I could instantly see what Brooke saw in her.
It was easy to see why this situation worked. I guess Brooke had gone to college with Phyllis’s granddaughter, and when she’d learned of how dire Brooke’s situation was, she offered Brooke her old room at her grandmother’s house. It was a win-win for everyone involved.
She was in the final stages of moving away to do her post-graduate work, and her grandmother’s caregiver had bailed. Having Brooke stay with Phyllis eased the worry over finding someone to keep an eye on her grandmother, and it kept her from having to stay home and put her education on pause, while offering Brooke a place to stay rent free.
Brooke had really lucked out, because not only did she get a free place to stay in exchange for a few chores and the occasional errand, but Phyllis was easy to get along with. She was also funny. There were many times during dinner when she’d say something mildly inappropriate, but considering her age, it had us in stitches.
After the food was put away and the kitchen was clean, I waited on Brooke’s bed while she finished her shower. She had a decent-size room, and her bed was comfortable. I could’ve easily drifted off to sleep, but thoughts of Brooke’s soapy, wet, naked body kept me awake. I’d thought, more than once about sneaking into the shower and surprising her, but the bathroom was right next to Phyllis’s room. It just seemed wrong.
I’d already taken my shower, and thankfully, Brooke had a T-shirt and pair of boxers of mine that she’d worn home one morning last week. So at least I had clean clothes to wear while mine were in the wash. I’d told Brooke it was pointless to run them in a load tonight since I’d just be getting them dirty again tomorrow, but she insisted.
It was just one of the many things she did to take care of me.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Brooke whispered with her mouth incredibly close to my ear.
I rolled over and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer into my chest. “I must’ve drifted off. I swear I tried to stay awake for you.”
“It’s okay. We’re both exhausted.” She nuzzled into my neck while stretching her legs down the length of mine. “It feels so good to finally be horizontal!”
“I can’t argue with you there.” I settled onto my back so that her head rested comfortably on my chest, the way we’d fallen asleep together countless times. It felt right. She fit perfectly. The closeness I experienced when lying with her this way was something I’d never known.
I utilized the silence in the room and the calming sound of her soft breathing to ponder my relationship with Brooke. I wanted her. All. The. Time. But not just sexually, even though that was a given. I wanted her there with me. In every aspect of my life. After spending time together that first week, I never wanted to go back to the way things were. I wanted this—her—for as long as she’d let me keep her.
I knew what I wanted, but I wasn’t sure Brooke had come to her own conclusion yet. We’d promised each other that, when one of us knew what we wanted, we’d talk about it and make a decision on where we’d go from there. But even though my mind was made up, I worried about broaching the subject too soon. The last thing I wanted to do was push her away before giving her the time to truly discover her feelings for me. There was no way she’d be able to make a decision on where to go from here if she were still ten steps back.
So now, all I could do was wait.
* * *
“I cannot believe you blackmailed me into attending Sunday dinner. Again!” Brooke huffed and crossed her arms while we stood in the circular drive, waiting for her to finish with her tantrum.
“I don’t know what you mean.” I worried that my tongue-in-check comment would earn me a smack, so I was happy when all she gave me was the death stare.
“You led me to believe that I’d be paying you back with sex. Had I known you’d collect by making me come to dinner at your parents’, I never would’ve agreed to those guys working on the house.” It seemed the drive here only heightened her anger toward me.
Since I couldn’t very well drive her here without raising suspicions—we’d dealt with enough of those from my sister—I had to follow her, knowing she couldn’t be trusted to meet me here on her own. So after finishing up in the yard, I’d gone home to change, and then met her back at her place to collect her debt.
“I told you I’d take you out for dinner. Well, here we are.” I held out my arm to gesture to the house, Vanna White style.
She scrunched her nose, which only made me laugh harder. “It’s not fair, Corbin.”
“Come on. You can see Nellie and my adoring parents. It’ll be fine.”
“That’s the point. I don’t want to see Nellie while with you. That girl can read me like a book. It was hard enough being around her without you there.” She groaned and stomped her foot on the brick driveway. “We’re so fucked.”
“Hmm…interesting.” I cocked my head and studied her like she were a painting in a gallery.
“What’s interesting?” At least she’d dropped some of the attitude.
“I didn’t realize that if you spent most of your time with bratty kids, you’d turn into one.” I stepped away from her scowl and headed to the front door, snickering. “I certainly hope it’s not contagious.”
Thank God she didn’t turn around leave. I hadn’t had the forethought to take her keys from her when we arrived. Although, just because she stepped inside when I opened the door didn’t mean she did so with a smile on her face. Her feelings were very obvious as she begrudgingly followed me down the hall to the dining room. I just hoped she had enough wherewithal to mask it in front of my parents and Nellie.
“There you are.” Mom kissed my cheek. “I thought I heard you pull up a while ago.”
“How have you been, son?” Dad patted my back heftily in greeting.
“Brooke, what are you doing here?” Nellie managed to call everyone’s attention to Brooke, who had barely taken two steps into the room.
Mom seemed confused when she turned to my sister. “I invited her. Is there a problem?”
I held my breath, worried Nellie would ask more questions, until she finally said, “Oh, no. I just didn’t know she was coming. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Brooke shrugged. “It was last minute. I thought I’d surprise you.”
At least that seemed to calm my sister. She smiled brightly and finally gave her friend a hug. “Well, it’s certainly a nice surprise. Did you guys come together?”
I didn’t miss the scrutiny in her glare as she looked at me. It was enough to piss me off. Keeping any worry or guilt from invading my voice, I said, “No, I actually pulled up right behind her.”
“Well, I’d say it was perfect timing.” Mom ushered us all to the table. Once again, Bridge was seated next to Nellie, and I had to fight the urge to move her next to me where she belonged. “They’re ready to bring out the starters, and we wouldn’t want the main course to get cold.”
Like clockwork, once bowls of soup had been placed in front of everyone and we all had a glass of wine, it was time to dive right into in
tense conversation topics.
“You all will be attending our annual Easter egg celebration, correct?” Mom glanced around the table, making eye contact with the three of us.
Nellie nodded and finished swallowing her food before answering. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of missing it.” Sarcasm filled her tone, but beneath it all, I knew she’d meant it. There wasn’t a holiday Nell didn’t love. “Brooke and I were thinking about dressing up as chicks.”
“You are a chick, dork.” I couldn’t resist.
She sneered in my direction and rolled her eyes. “Not that kind of chick, dumbass.”
“I think that would be adorable. I’m sure the neighborhood kids would love that.” Mom clasped her hands together in excitement. “And watch your language, Penelope. You know the rules.”
“That’s not happening, Nellie.” Brooke shot my sister a look that clearly asked what the fuck she was thinking.
“Oh, come on! At least think about it.”
“We’ll see.” Brooke shrugged, but based on her body language, it was obvious that this topic would not be revisited.
“Have you heard from Lindsey?” Mom’s question snapped me out of my amusement, which was good, because the thought of Bridge in a chick costume entertained me in more than one way.
“Um, not in a while, no.” That would hopefully put an end to the conversation.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nellie perk up and study Brooke. It made me a little uncomfortable, so I could only imagine what was going through Bridge’s mind. Between the two of us, she was definitely the most paranoid. She claimed she had more to lose, but I begged to differ. I risked losing her, and in my book, there was nothing worse than that.
Mom, once again, spoke up and pulled me from my thoughts. “I really do wish you’d work things out with her, dear.” She wiped the corners of her mouth with her linen napkin before returning it to her lap as if we were in some five-star restaurant.
“That’s extremely unlikely, Mom.”
“I don’t get it, son. Lindsey fits perfectly in every aspect of your life. She supported your work ethic and never batted an eye at your late nights. She never questioned where you were. Do you have any idea how rare it is to find someone like that? I’ve seen promising careers get tossed aside due to jealous wives making ultimatums—the family or the job. Lindsey would never do that to you. She also comes from a very affluent family, and with their backing, you could write your own ticket. The two of you could eventually take over and run the family business.”
My dad had always loved everything about Lindsey. Both of my parents did. They’d made it no secret that they wanted us to work things out. But their reasons were based on things I no longer desired. Being career-driven individuals themselves, they saw our dynamic as a positive trait, but in reality, they were negative and borderline toxic. We constantly chose work over each other. We never chose to spend time together unless we were both caught up on emails and spreadsheets and pitches, and even then, our conversations revolved around work. How could I explain to them that I never wanted to go back to that? Not after experiencing what it’s like to actually live my life versus merely existing.
“It’s not that simple, Dad.”
“Sure it is.” While his voice was stern, I knew it was simply because he felt passionately about it. What he and my mom had together worked for them, but that didn’t mean I wanted the same. “She won’t be in another state forever, son. Long-distance relationships can work providing both parties put forth the effort. Your generation and your need for instant gratification… You can either make sacrifices now and reap the benefits down the road, or you can take the easy way out and suffer the consequences later. The choice is yours.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I lifted my glass in a mock toast. “I’m glad you realize that it’s my choice.”
Brooke remained quiet with her eyes locked on her plate during the entire exchange.
Nellie, being the meddling nuisance that she was, decided to add her own commentary rather than let the conversation die. “Why don’t you at least call her?”
If I could, I’d drown her in her bowl of soup.
“Seriously?” I glared at her from across the table. “I’ll date who I want, when I want. End of conversation.”
Throats were cleared and silverware clanked during a tense few moments of silence.
“How did your weekend go, Corbin?” Mom asked sweetly for no other reason than to lighten the mood. “Did you manage to finish that community service project you were working on?”
I nodded while shoveling another spoonful of soup into my mouth to keep from having to speak. The faster she moved on to questioning someone else the better it would be for all of us.
Nellie curled her top lip and narrowed her gaze at me. “You’re doing another community service project? What’s it this time?”
Unfortunately, since I’d kept my mouth full of food, I couldn’t respond, leaving my mom to answer for me. “Oh, he’s been helping an elderly woman fix up the outside of her house. Been working on it all weekend. Isn’t that nice of him?”
“How convenient…” Nellie turned her attention to Brooke. “Weren’t you doing the same at your house today? Hmm. What are the odds?”
“Penelope, sweetheart, lots of people do yardwork on the weekends.” Mom took a sip of what was at least her third glass of wine. There was a chance all of this would go straight over her head if Nellie would simply drop it.
But she wouldn’t, because that would be too much to ask of her. She settled her accusatory stare on me and asked, “Are you going to deny it? Are you going to try to tell me you weren’t at Brooke’s house all weekend helping her?”
Refusing to answer her, I glared back, as if we were in the middle of a staring contest.
Mom set her wine glass down and waved my sister off. “Calm down, honey. He was working on an older woman’s house, not Brooke’s.”
“Except Brooke lives with an old lady, Mom.” Nellie’s entire face had turned red by this point. Much longer and she’d be purple. “So, Corbin, are you going to deny it?”
I glanced at Brooke, finding her staring down, likely wringing her hands together in her lap. My heart hurt for her, but there was no getting out of this one. Lying would only make it worse. My only option was to tell the truth—well, not all of it.
I shrugged to make a point that it wasn’t a big deal. “Yeah, so? I’ve been helping Phyllis fix up the outside of her house and clean up her yard. I guess I don’t see what the problem is.”
As if our parents weren’t in the room watching this all unfold, Nellie turned in her seat to face Brooke. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Even I could hear the betrayal in my sister’s voice.
“I didn’t?” Brooke’s acting skills needed polishing. “I thought I told you.”
Feeling compelled to save her, I asked, “Why is this such big deal?”
“Because my best friend did something with my brother yet failed to mention it.” She slammed her fork on the table, making Brooke jump in her seat. “Even though we had lunch together every day last week.”
“Look, it was something that came up last minute. I’d mentioned it to him in passing, and he offered to give me a hand. It was a big job; no way would I be stupid enough to turn down the help, no matter who it came from. You’re making this into something it’s not,” Brooke whispered.
“Fine.” Nellie picked up her fork and took a bite of her meat, chewing slowly. A fire had been lit behind her eyes, which only meant one thing. She hadn’t believed a fucking word either of us had said. The wheels were beginning to turn, and if we didn’t put an end to it, she’d soon figure everything out.
If I thought Brooke was mad at me for dragging her to this dinner in the first place, I bet it was nothing compared to how she’d feel after this disaster. The entire table finished their meals in silence. My dad probably kept his mouth shut because he loathed the drama, and my mom was more than likely too tipsy and confused
to know where to begin. Luckily, it didn’t take us long to finish eating, and as soon as they were done, they excused themselves from the table, like this was no different than any other Sunday dinner.
“How’d your date with Heather go?” Nellie asked once our parents were out of earshot.
Fuck! That little bitch. She knew exactly what she was doing, and if she didn’t, she would after taking one look at Brooke, because her face had completely drained of color. We hadn’t discussed the plan in at least a week, so I didn’t see the point in telling her anything. I hated lying to her.
“We went out for drinks. She got drunk, and I took her home. End of story.”
Brooke’s mouth fell open and then closed again. She didn’t know any of that because it really didn’t happen. But I had to give Nellie something.
“Did you take any selfies together? Steal her panties?” Nellie quipped.
“God, no!”
“Then whose panties did I find in your office?”
“I have no idea what you’re going on about.” I did, but playing dumb was much easier than trying to explain why I had a pair Brooke’s underwear. “And why were you going through my desk anyway?”
“You obviously know what I’m talking about because you knew they were in your desk. I didn’t tell you where I found them. So, if they aren’t Heather’s, then who do they belong to?”
“Yes, I had a pair of women’s panties in my desk last week. But it’s none of your business who they belong to. I don’t ask you how many dicks you’ve sat on and who they belong to.”
“That’s low, Corbin.” Nellie grew quiet. “Even for you.” Her chair scraped along the wooden floor when she stood. “Excuse me, please.”
Brooke stayed seated while watching her best friend walk out of the room. “What just happened?”
“I’m not sure.” This whole evening had started off wrong and ended completely worse.
“You went out with Heather?” She finally looked at me, and when I saw her eyes, my blood ran cold. They depicted storm clouds instead of pistachios or rolling green hills like usual. I’d caused her pain, and I never intended to.
The unEXpected Plan Page 23