Touched by You

by Elle Wright

  Several hours later, Brooklyn and Parker were still at the hospital, waiting. Many of the townspeople had called to see how they were doing. It really was a testament to the wonderful people of Wellspring. Most of them couldn’t stand her father, but they cared about her and Parker. So they showed support. Will and Dee Clark had brought them food, Sheriff Walker had come to sit with them for an hour. Juke offered to sneak them in a shot of something to take the edge off. Of course, she’d turned him down, but it was nice to feel loved.

  Brooklyn had been texting Carter all day. He was with his family, trying to entertain them. He’d tried to come up to the hospital, but she’d told him that she was alright and that he should stay with his family. But she missed him, and damn it . . . she needed him.

  It had been a long, draining day. Brooklyn felt icky, like she needed a shower. But the hospital was so far from town, she didn’t want to take the chance and go home. What if something changed? What if he died?

  “Brooklyn?”

  Her head snapped up, and she looked straight into the waiting eyes of Carter. She stood up and rushed into his arms.

  * * *

  Carter had been unable to stay away, even though Brooklyn had told him to stay with his family. They’d tried to distract him, asking him a ton of questions about the town. But he couldn’t concentrate on them when he was worried about her.

  Aisha must have sensed his mood, because she was the first one who said she wanted to head back to Detroit. Martin and Ryleigh had followed suit and soon they were headed back to the “D.”

  Carter had wasted no time. He stopped by Brooklyn’s condo and grabbed her a set of clothes and made his way to the hospital. “I should have come sooner,” he said against her neck, taking in her soft scent.

  Brooklyn wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

  He stood like that for a moment, holding her close to his heart. When they pulled apart, he brushed a tear from her cheek. “I brought you a change of clothes.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  Brooklyn was still wearing her clothes from that morning, a pair of charcoal-gray slacks and a silk blouse. He’d grabbed her a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.

  They walked to a family lounge where there was a shower and changing room. Carter stood guard while Brooklyn showered and changed. When she was done, they made their way back over to the waiting area where Parker was waiting.

  Brooklyn looked down at her brother, who was busy checking his email on his phone. “If you want to go change, I’ll stay here with Senior.”

  Parker sighed. “I guess I could use a break. So can you.”

  “I’m fine, Parker. Carter is here, so I won’t be alone. I need you to take some time, to take care of yourself.”

  Standing to his feet, Parker hugged Brooklyn and kissed her forehead. “Thanks, sis. I’ll be back within the hour.”

  He shook Carter’s hand and disappeared through the automatic doors.

  “Did you eat?” Carter asked, pulling her onto his lap. “I can bring you something to eat.”

  Leaning her head against his, she shook her head. “I’m actually pretty full. Will and Dee brought food up here. I believe there is some left. The nurse put it in the fridge in the back, if you want some.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Where did your family go?”

  Carter explained that they left so he could be here for her. She tucked herself in the nook of his arm and he hugged her.

  “I love your family, ya know? They are so genuine, warm. I can’t wait to get to know them better.”

  Carter smiled. He loved his family, too. One thing was sure, they weren’t conventional. They had no filter and didn’t hesitate to tell anyone how they felt on any given day. But they were his. He was glad Brooklyn had been received so well. Because he already knew that she was going to be a permanent part of his life. He just didn’t know when he would make his move.

  Since things had moved with warp speed, he felt that they needed more time to settle in with each other. At the same time, though, he felt like he knew everything he needed to know about her to feel comfortable taking the next step. Time will tell.

  “I don’t really have much family,” Brooklyn said. “My father had one brother; he died when he was in his teens. That’s it. My mother was an only child. I don’t have any cousins, any uncles. The only people I have are my Wellspring family. Until I met you, that is.”

  Carter couldn’t imagine not having family. He’d pushed them all away, but there was something about knowing that they would never truly let him drift too far off course. They’d always be there no matter what, no matter what he’d said in anger to push them away.

  He squeezed her. “Well, you can borrow mine. You’ll want to give them back eventually, but they’re yours.”

  She laughed, and it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. It made him look forward to spending time in Wellspring. He knew it had more to do with Brooklyn than anything, but the desire was still there nonetheless.

  “I’d never give them back. They are too much fun.”

  “Wait until you really see them in action. That little get-together on Saturday was tame compared to the other ones. Barbecues in the summer, the Christmas Eve party my mom throws every single year. It’s almost too much.” But somehow not enough.

  She drew her feet up under her. “My father was always a loner—is a loner. He never liked to have company, and I didn’t understand why. I still don’t. I like to have people around. I always wanted a big, fun family.”

  “I’m going to have to take you to the family reunion picnic that my mother’s seven siblings have every summer.”

  “That sounds awesome.”

  A doctor called from the entrance to the floor. “Ms. Wells?”

  Brooklyn stood up and walked toward the doctor. “Hi. Any word?”

  “I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “We’ve done all that we can. Your father has slipped into a coma.”

  * * *

  “Daddy, they say you can hear me.” Brooklyn sat next to her father’s bed. “I just want to tell you that I don’t hate you. These past few weeks, years, have been rough. I had hoped that we’d be able to talk about things. I have so many questions but they aren’t relevant right now. I just wish we could have found common ground.”

  Brooklyn’s conflicted emotions where her father was concerned had colored how she viewed him. A part of her knew that her father wasn’t the best husband to her mother, just like he wasn’t the best father to her or Parker or Bryson. Had his father treated him the same way, and Senior didn’t know how else to be?

  They’d never discussed Grandpa much. And she didn’t remember him, not like Parker did. Her brother had memories of fishing at the river with him, of spending nights building fires and making s’mores. Brooklyn had always wondered where the disconnect was. But she’d never had a chance to ask her father why it was easier for him to ignore them than love them.

  “I want to forgive you. I want to forget the nasty things you’ve said to me, the way you treated me in front of people. I want to know why I was never good enough for you. I can’t understand why.”

  She picked up her father’s hand. “But I’m going to pray for you anyway, like I always do. And I’m going hope that one day, we can actually have the conversation. We can actually move past the disappointment and the mistakes and have a real father-daughter relationship.”

  She rested her head against the edge of the bed. The doctor had told her that her father could be in a coma for days, for months. She hoped her father wouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life laid up in the bed. For a man who’d never really sat still for long, it seemed like being trapped in a body that wasn’t working was against God’s plan. She wondered if this was his punishment. Was he battling something inside that kept him there?

  The door creaked open and Brooklyn turned, smiling when she saw Parker. “You’re back.”

>   “Carter called me.”

  I love that man. “Good. Were you able to reach Bryson?”

  Parker shook his head. “The phone number I have is disconnected. I’m thinking of hiring a private investigator to find him.”

  Their youngest brother was convinced that Wellspring was the devil, and had promised to never return when he’d left a few years earlier. Brooklyn doubted they’d find him. “I hope he at least calls. It would be good to know he’s okay.”

  “Wellspring Water Corp is in an uproar. The board has called an emergency meeting to discuss how the business will run in Senior’s absence.”

  She shrugged. “That’s easy. You’ll run it, like you’ve been training to do all along.” Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed. “You got this, brother. You’ve been working toward this for years.”

  Parker nodded. “I didn’t want it like this. With so much unsaid between us. The last conversation we had with him, we basically accused him of killing Mom. While I’m sad that he’s here, I still want answers. And it’s just like him to fall into a coma so that he won’t have to give them to us.”

  Brooklyn chuckled. “Wow, Parker.” She knew her brother was joking, but it was a joke that had more than a hint of truth to it.

  “I can’t help it, sis. What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

  Brooklyn wished she had an answer for her brother. But she knew there was no answer good enough. “I don’t know, Parker. I don’t know.”

  Chapter 22

  Carter hauled a box into the house, and set it down onto the dark hardwood floors. It had been several months since Parker Wells Sr. had fallen into a coma. With a little encouragement from him, he’d convinced Brooklyn to focus on the positive changes in her life. She still visited her father every week, but had chosen to focus on healing.

  “Baby, did you bring in my box with all of my shoes?”

  He grinned at his girlfriend. She stood before him, hands on her hips, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top. His favorite outfit on her. “No, it’s still in the truck.”

  Moving in together had been a foregone conclusion. It hadn’t taken them long to realize that neither of them wanted to sleep without the other. He’d half expected his family to have a fit, but when he’d announced to them that he was buying a house with Brooklyn—in Wellspring—they all had pretty much acted like it was no big deal. Almost like they already thought they lived together. Even Aisha was on board with the idea. And he thought she would be the hardest sell.

  With Senior still in a coma, Parker was named interim CEO by the board of directors. The first order of business had been reinstating Marshall and Sullivan’s contract and releasing Brooklyn’s money to her. The King family was livid and threatened to sue. But then Parker had presented emails, sent from Senior to Sterling, concocting the plan to provoke Carter into hurting him. And the threat miraculously evaporated into thin air.

  “Carter, baby, we have to get it.”

  “Beautiful, you don’t need your shoes at this moment. I’ll get the box later. Right now, we need to concentrate on moving the big stuff.”

  “That’s why I told you that we should hire movers. Period. Who wants to spend all day sweating and moving boxes? We could be chilling on our wraparound porch watching well-paid movers bring in our stuff.”

  It had been his bright idea to move them into their new house, as a bonding experience. He’d regretted that decision from the moment he’d said it, because everything that could have gone wrong, did. First, the truck he’d reserved got a flat tire on the way to the new house. As if that wasn’t bad enough, when they finally arrived at the new house, the key didn’t work. And for some reason, there was an open water bottle in the same box as his speakers. And she’d never let him forget it was his idea to bond. Combining homes was no joke. Between that and the new furniture delivery, it had been torture. He couldn’t wait until they were settled.

  “You didn’t have a problem with sweating and moving last night.” He winked when she glared at him. Last night had been a particularly hot night, and they’d taken advantage of the nice weather by getting it in on her balcony. Brooklyn was sexy any day, but Brooklyn bathed in moonlight did him in every time.

  “Ha ha. This still could have been done more efficiently if we’d hired movers to do the heavy lifting.”

  But his girlfriend was stunning, beautiful even, when she was pissed at him. “We don’t need movers. Martin and Ryleigh are on their way.”

  “From Detroit,” she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him when he smirked.

  She grumbled a curse and stomped outside. He peeked out the door just in time to see her kick a box on the ground. He bit back a laugh when he watched her curse and then hop around, grasping at her toe.

  Brooklyn then whirled around and narrowed her eyes in his direction. After she limped across the lawn toward the house, he dropped the blinds he’d been holding open. When she walked through the door, he gripped her around the waist and lifted her off the ground, spinning her around.

  She let out a surprised yelp and then smacked him. “Put me down.”

  Instead of obliging, he held her tighter. “Not until you calm down and savor the experience.”

  Leaning down, he kissed her nose, then captured her mouth with his. The kiss quickly turned into more, as it had done so many times in the past few months, and they were soon off and running. But with the door wide-open, and boxes scattered around, he reluctantly pulled back. Taking in a few deep breaths, he looked down at her.

  “We can’t,” he said simply. “Not here. There’s too much shit around. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  She pouted. “Wow! Are you serious? Our bed is set up.”

  “In the bedroom. Our door is wide open and so is the moving truck.”

  With outstretched arms, she shouted, “We’re in the middle of nowhere. Our closest neighbor is a mile away.”

  “Someone’s cranky.”

  “Someone’s hot for her boyfriend.”

  He stepped closer to her, bringing their bodies into contact. He’d learned over the last few months that he and Brooklyn were truly two sides of the same coin. Where he lacked, she excelled. Where she fell short, he soared. It was the reason he’d invested in the homeless shelter she was opening next year. He knew she would get the job done. And he’d essentially invested in her. He believed in her dreams.

  “You know what? I think you’re tense.” He circled behind her, massaged her shoulders.

  She leaned back into him. “I’m tired, Carter. I’ve been working so many hours, then making sure that Parker has the help he needs . . . it’s a lot.”

  Parker and Brooklyn were in the process of going through the courts to get the fraudulent will overturned. The town was rocked by the scandal, and it even hit the news in Detroit and outside of the state of Michigan. There were reporters, depositions, interviews . . . In short, it was a hot-ass mess.

  “I get it. You want me to make it all better.” He kissed her neck, sucking it gently before he bit down.

  “Oh yes. Make it better.” She rolled her hips into his hardening erection. “Make it better all night.”

  It was moments like these that made him sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Brooklyn. It wasn’t the sex, it was the true friendship, the real fondness they had for each other that kept him wanting more. He was ready to say I do. No big wedding, no big flowers. He didn’t need anyone there. He just wanted her and the preacher. That’s it. Just the two of them.

  Bending down, he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She burst into a fit of giggles. “Put me down, Carter.”

  “I think you’re right.” He smacked her butt. “It’s time we break in that new mattress.”

  * * *

  Brooklyn and Carter plopped down on their new sofa. With Martin and Ryleigh’s help they had finished moving in. She’d bought her dream house with her dream guy. What else could a girl want?

  Leaning back against h
im, she grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers. She kissed his knuckles. “Your hands are so ashy.”

  She giggled when she felt the rumble of his laughter beneath her. “Hey, I’ve done a lot today. I didn’t have time to put lotion on.”

  Turning around, she straddled his lap. “You know what I want?” she asked, running her finger over his brow.

  “Anything you want, I got you.”

  She stared at him. She was so in love with this man. Everything about him. Brooklyn had never been in love before. She’d thought she was, but nothing had ever compared to the level of emotion she felt well up inside her when he looked at her, or when he called her beautiful. He was the beautiful one, in her opinion. He’d overcome so much and still remained one of the humblest people she’d ever met.

  It was a no-brainer to move in with him. As far as she was concerned, she’d go anywhere with him. Except to hell—and even then, it would be a hard decision. Because she wanted to be where he was.

  Since they’d made the decision to move in together, she felt that he was going to propose soon. And she knew Nicole was in on it. But she’d only had one request. That Nicole at least let her know if she needed to get a manicure. She couldn’t post pics of her ring with busted nails on social media. And her best friend had told her yesterday that she needed to get her “mani” on.

  Carter thought he was being slick, too. He’d invited Martin and Ryleigh up to “help them move.” And her brother was uncharacteristically not answering his phone. Even Will and Dee were winking at each other when they thought she wasn’t looking.

  She knew it was coming, she just didn’t know when. “Carter?”

  “Hm?”

  “I want to break our new pool table in. How about you bend me over that corner pocket?”

  She glanced back at the beautiful nine-foot pool table in the middle of their den. When he’d suggested it, she’d balked because she’d had plans for dinner parties and such. But when she thought about it a little more, she’d realized that it was perfect for them. He still hadn’t beat her, and she was starting to wonder if he was letting her win because he loved her that much.