by J. L. Perry
“I would like that,” she said with a smile.
Brooke was sitting at the breakfast bar talking to Jill when I got back downstairs. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they were both laughing. She had such a sweet laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I asked when I walked back into the room. They both looked up at me with a surprised look on their faces. “I hope you weren’t telling her stories about me, Jill,” I said with a smile and they both giggled. It was nice to hear her laughing, even if it was at my expense.
Brooke joined me for breakfast. It was so nice having her around. I always thought I was happy being alone, but was starting to realise that wasn’t the case.
“Are we still on for shopping this afternoon?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied with a smile.
“I’m glad,” I said. “I would like you to help me pick out something nice for my niece for her birthday. Are you still coming with me to Lara’s party?”
“Of course I’m still coming,” she assured me. “A deal is a deal, hot stuff.” I desperately wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss those luscious lips of hers, but decided not to. Instead, I put my hand on top hers.
“I am happy to hear that,” I replied, smiling back at her. “So what are your plans for today?”
She shrugged. “Sitting around here, I guess,” she said. “I wish I could go for a run.”
“There is a private gym in the building, if you’re interested,” I explained. “It’s probably not as good as running outside, but you’re welcome to use it.”
“Really?” she asked, surprised. “That’s sounds great.”
“I will wait for you, if you want to run upstairs and get changed. Then I’ll show you where the gym is.
She smiled and got up from the table. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Brooke
It had been a few days since I had gone for a run and I was looking forward to a good workout. When I walked into the gym, I was surprised by what I saw. It was huge and full of the latest top-of-the-line workout equipment. I smiled over at Logan.
After he had showed me around, he told me to have a good workout. “I will text you later and let you know what time I will pick you up for our shopping trip,” he added.
“Have a good day at work,” I said. We stood there just looking at each other for a minute. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to kiss me goodbye, but he didn’t. He was trying to give me the space I needed and I appreciated that. Even though I wanted to kiss him desperately, I knew it wasn’t a good idea. Things between us were already confusing enough.
After Logan left, I strapped my iPod onto my arm and jumped on the treadmill. It felt good to be running again. It always seemed to help me when I had a lot on my mind.
A few hours later, I headed back to the penthouse to take a shower and get changed. I blow dried my hair and decided to leave it down. Once my hair was dried, I put on some mascara and lip gloss. When I was back in my room, I slipped on a denim skirt with a red cashmere sweater that matched my red ballet flats.
After I was dressed, I put on some of my favourite perfume. It was the one my mum used to wear all the time. The smell was beautiful and every time I wore it, I thought of her.
Today, more than ever, I was missing her so much. With all the dramas in my life at the moment, I really wished I could talk to her. There was nothing we didn’t talk about when she was alive and my mum always gave the best advice. She wasn’t just my mother. She was my best friend.
I had lots of friends during my life, both at school and at the university, but was never really interested in getting too close to anyone. I had my mum and that was all I needed. Now that she was gone, I could really use a good friend to talk to, but there was no one. I sat on the bed and decided to go through the photo album she’d made me before she died. When I got to the first picture and ran my hand over her face, I felt the tears start to roll down my cheeks.
Logan
There wasn’t much happening at the office today so I decided to make it an early day and go home. I wanted to see Brooke. When I got up to the penthouse and couldn’t find her downstairs anywhere, I started to worry. I was hoping she hadn’t decided to run from me again.
Her bedroom door was closed when I went upstairs so I knocked. “Come in.” I opened the door and found her sitting on the bed, looking through an album. She looked up at me and I could see that she had been crying.
“Brooke?” I asked, concerned. “What’s wrong, baby?”
She wiped her face with the back of her hands and stood up. “I’m fine.” I grabbed hold of her and pulled her into my arms. I heard a small sob escape as I wrapped her in my arms. It broke my heart.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I asked again. “Talk to me, please.” She looked up at me and the sadness I could see in her eyes tore me apart.
“I’m fine, really,” she eventually replied. “I was just looking at some photos of my mum. I really miss her, that’s all. With everything going on in my life at the moment, I was just wishing she was here so I could talk to her.”
“Oh, babe. I am so sorry.” I tightened my grip around her and held her as she cried. I didn’t know what to say to her. I could only imagine what it must be like for her because I had plenty of family around me. Her mother was all the family she had!
“You know I am always here if you ever need to talk. I may not be good at giving advice, but I am a good listener,” I assured her. She looked up at me and smiled. She had little black lines going down her cheeks where her mascara had run. She looked cute.
I gently sat her back on the bed, then went to the bathroom to get a warm cloth to wipe her face. Once I wiped the mascara off her cheeks, I bent down and kissed her on the nose. Brooke rewarded with me another smile.
“That’s better,” I confirmed. “I hate seeing you look so sad. It breaks my heart.” I usually wasn’t good at expressing my feelings, but it was so easy with her. It just seemed to come out of my mouth without a thought.
“You are so good to me,” she sniffled. “I don’t deserve you.” Did she just say that?
“Brooke, you are the kindest, sweetest person I have ever met. If anything, I don’t deserve you.”
“Thank you. I am so glad you came home early. I really needed that hug.”
“I will always be here for you, babe, for as long as you will have me,” I assured her. “Which I hope will be forever because now that I have found you, I don’t want to ever let you go.” She rested her head on my chest and hugged me tighter. There really was nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Brooke was in my heart and I knew that was where she would stay.
Sitting on the bed behind her was the photo album she had been looking through. It was open on a picture of her mother. She was beautiful. I was shocked at how much Brooke looked like her.
“Can I have a look at your album?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said and smiled.
I reached behind her and picked it up, then passed it to her. Brooke turned back to the beginning of the book to some pictures of her when she was a baby. She was beautiful. I loved kids, but had never really thought of having any of my own.
I found myself thinking of what it would be like to have children with Brooke, and was shocked to realise I actually liked the idea. Of course, I kept that thought to myself. It would definitely freak her out, but I knew we would make beautiful babies together. Brooke would be such a wonderful mother because she had such a sweet and gentle nature.
There were photos of her growing up, and lots of her and her mother together. They both looked so happy. I noticed Brooke was smiling as we looked through them. She also started to open up to me and told me stories of when she was growing up. Some were funny so we both laughed. I could listen to her laugh all day.
“Your mother was beautiful, Brooke. I can’t believe how much you both look alike.”
She smiled. “I know. I can’t believe it, either,” she replied. “Sometimes, w
hen I look in the mirror, I feel like I am looking at her and I feel peace inside my heart. It sounds crazy, I know, but that is what I feel.” I didn’t think it was crazy at all.
As I was thinking about Brooke’s mother, I remembered her telling me that her mum was studying to become a lawyer before getting pregnant. “Hey, Brooke, if your mum had been able to finish at the university, would you still think all lawyers were arseholes?” It was a low blow, but I knew it would give her something to think about.
“I guess not,” she replied with a shrug. “I never really thought of it that way.” I wanted her to see that even if Jake, her father, and I had the same profession, we were still individuals and not alike.
As she thought about what I had just asked her, she looked upset. That wasn’t my intention so I quickly changed the subject. “Are you still up for going shopping?” I asked. “We can go tomorrow instead, if you want.”
“Of course I am, silly!” she replied. “Haven’t you ever heard of retail therapy?” She bumped her shoulder against mine and we both laughed. As I got up off the bed so I could go and get changed, Brooke reached out for my hand. I turned to look at her.
“I’m grateful you came back into my life,” she said. “Thank you for making me feel better.”
I pulled her off the bed and into my arms. “This is what life could be like for us if you decided to give me chance,” I replied. “I think we’ve both been alone for so long, we don’t know any different. We make a good team, Brooke, and I know we could be happy together.”
“Thank you again,” she said and put her arms around my waist. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you for all the kindness you’ve shown me.”
I know I said I would give her some space and not put any pressure on her, but I couldn’t help myself.
“You could start by giving me a kiss,” I said as I raised my eyebrows at her. She smacked me on the arm and laughed, but then got up on her tiptoes and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.
Brooke pulled her head back and looked into my eyes. She put her hands on each side of my face and leaned in for another kiss. By the way she was kissing me, I knew she was feeling the same thing I was. There was definitely something magical between us. There was no doubt in my mind that we were meant for each other.
Brooke
I only meant to give him a small kiss on the lips, but once I tasted him, I needed more. So I grabbed hold of his face and pulled him in for another. I knew I was falling hard for Logan because it was hard not to. He was kind, caring, and so goddamn hot. Logan was like a drug to me and I was becoming addicted.
I pulled away from him before we went too far. I wasn’t ready for anything more just yet because I was still trying to wrap my head around the feelings I was having.
Logan told me he was going to go and get changed and that he would meet me downstairs in five minutes. So I quickly went into the bathroom to fix my face. I retouched my mascara, put on some more lip gloss, and brushed my hair. Then I went downstairs.
We arrived at Westfield’s in the heart of the city and started looking around for a present for Lara. “Okay, what sort of present did you have in mind for your niece?”
He just laughed. “I have no idea,” he replied. “That’s why I need your help. Last year, I bought her that piano, the one at my house. My sister was renovating at the time so they left it with me. I am still waiting for them to collect it.” He smiled. “So nothing too large; otherwise, I might get stuck with that, too.”
We ended up buying her a gold necklace with a sweet little heart charm on it, and matching heart earrings. We walked a few blocks to the Apple store and bought her an iPad Mini, as well. Logan said she played with his whenever she came to visit and he didn’t think she had one of her own.
After that, we went shopping for some clothes for me. Logan tried to pay for everything, but I wouldn’t let him. I could tell he wasn’t happy about it, but I knew he also didn’t want to upset me so, as hard as it was for him, he didn’t push it.
Once our shopping expedition was over, Logan took me for lunch at this beautiful restaurant overlooking the harbour. The food was delicious. After we left the restaurant, we got ice cream and walked around the foreshores of Sydney Harbour at Circular Quay for a while, watching the ferries come and go. I had such a great afternoon and felt so comfortable around him.
I was a little disappointed when it was time to go home. After being cooped up inside for the last two days, it was wonderful to be out in the sunshine and enjoying the fresh air.
When we got back to the penthouse, I went up to my room to unpack the things I had bought. One of the outfits was a beautiful long white summer dress, which I wanted to wear to his niece’s party. I also got matching shoes and accessories. My white denim jacket would match perfectly if the weather turned out to be cooler that day.
Poor Logan had been dragged into so many different shops today and he didn’t complain once, except about not being able to pay for anything. He was such a gentleman. He even carried all my shopping bags, which I thought was really sweet.
After I was done unpacking, I went back downstairs. I could hear Logan on the phone in his office so I decided not to disturb him. Instead, I walked towards the kitchen. Jill was in there cooking dinner, so I asked her if there was anything I could do to help.
Logan
While Brooke was upstairs unpacking, my phone rang. I looked at the screen and noticed Mike’s number. It would be better if I took the call in private so I walked into my office before answering it.
Mike told me he had no luck tracking Jake down so far. He said that maybe he changed his name, but assured me that he was still working on it. When he asked where Brooke had been this afternoon, I knew there was more to his phone call. Mike then explained that another message had been sent to her old phone.
I told him that Brooke had been with me all afternoon and asked him what the message said. I heard him take a deep breath before he read it to me.
I have been watching you walk around the city all afternoon, BITCH. You both might be laughing now, but not for long. He can’t keep you with him forever. When you least expect it, I will be waiting. You can count on that. When I get my fucking hands on you, he will never see you again, you FUCKING WHORE. I will make you both sorry you ever crossed me. Enjoy your life while you still have one, BITCH.
I could feel my whole body shake with adrenaline. “You need to find this fucking prick, Mike, and fast,” I said through clenched teeth. The thought of him getting his hands on Brooke made me feel physically sick.
“We are doing everything we can, Logan,” Mike replied. “Just keep her safe and out of harm’s way. I promise you we will find him before he has a chance to carry out his threats. As we speak, the tech guys are trying to track down the origin of the calls. I’ve also been in contact with the detectives dealing with the case and they’re sending extra officers to search the area.
“I’m also in the process of arranging extra security for the building and I will have my guys follow you whenever Brooke leaves the building.”
Taking a deep breath and letting it out, I said, “I appreciate everything you are doing, Mike. Please feel free to call me anytime, day or night. I need to be kept informed every step of the way.”
Once I hung up the phone, I put my head in my hands, running my fingers through my hair. I was trying to process what Mike had just said. The thought of Jake getting his hands on Brooke was making me crazy. Making threats like that against her had me wanting to hunt him down and rip his head off. I got up from my desk and decided to go find Brooke. I needed to hold her.
Brooke
I was in the kitchen cutting some tomatoes for the salad when Logan came in. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Brooke?” he asked.
“Sure,” I replied. He just stood there looking at me.
“Will you come into the lounge? I need to talk to you in private,” he added.
Jill said, “Leave the salad, sweetie. I’l
l finish it. Mr. Cavanagh, would it be alright to serve dinner in twenty minutes?”
“That would be great. Thanks, Jill,” he replied. I was wondering what he wanted to say to me and why he couldn’t talk to me in front of Jill.
When I got into the lounge, he pulled me to him and held me tightly. I could feel his body trembling. There was anger in his eyes when I looked up at him. “What’s going on, Logan?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”
“I just wanted to hold you,” he replied. He was acting strange so I knew there was more to it, probably something to do with that phone call he’d just gotten. I didn’t want to push it. If he wanted to tell me about it, he would.
Logan just held me in his arms for a few more minutes without saying anything.
“I need a drink,” he finally said. “Do you want one?” He let go of me and walked over to the bar.
He poured me a glass of red wine, and a double Scotch for himself. He still wasn’t talking and when he downed his drink in one gulp, I knew something was definitely bothering him. I could see worry and anger all over his face and I started to get concerned.
“What’s going on, Logan?” I asked. “Something is wrong. I can tell. Have I done something to upset you?”
He poured himself another Scotch and downed it. “Brooke, you’ve done nothing wrong. We should go and have something to eat,” he said.
I grabbed my wine off the bar and followed him over to the dining room table, and Jill brought our dinners over. I looked at Logan. He was looking down at his food, but not eating anything.
“You know you can talk to me about anything,” I assured him.
He gave me a weak smile. “I’m fine. Just eat your dinner before it gets cold,” he said, emotionless. Logan hardly touched his food before getting up from the table and taking his plate into the kitchen. He came back into the dining room and told me he had some work to do in his office. When he walked past me, I grabbed hold of his hand.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” I asked. He didn’t answer me and looked down at the floor. Something was definitely wrong because he couldn’t even look at me.