* * *
Brooklyn entered the house she’d lived in for the first twenty-one years of her life. The mere act of stepping over the threshold usually filled her with a sense of peace, but today it felt different, as if the lid on a jar had been ripped off and the secrets she’d held close had been laid bare. All without her permission.
Thinking back on how many times over the years she’d come close to showing her parents her drawings, yet had decided against it because she just wasn’t ready to divulge that part of her life with them, caused her breath to hitch. A dull ache continued to throb within her chest at the thought of Reid so carelessly taking the choice out of her hands.
She set her purse on the end table next to the sofa, then made her way up the stairs, the climb becoming more laborious with every step she took. She walked down the short hallway to her parents’ room and noticed the door was slightly opened. She knocked twice on the scarred wood.
“Knock, knock,” Brooklyn called.
“Who’s there,” came her dad’s raspy voice.
A nostalgic warmth rushed through her veins. It’s how he used to greet her when he’d come home in the evening when she was a little girl.
She walked into the room to find him sitting up in the worn leather recliner he’d started sleeping in when it became too hard for him to breathe while lying down. He patted the arm of the chair.
“Hey, Daddy,” Brooklyn said, settling on the chair’s wide arm and dropping a kiss on the top of his head. “How’s it going?”
“Good. Good,” he answered. He then thwarted her plan to ease into the discussion about her illustrations by adding, “I saw those pictures you drew.”
“So did I,” her mother called from the hallway, seconds before walking into the room. She came over and placed a kiss on Brooklyn’s forehead, then gave her shoulder a playful slap. “How come I’m just finding out my daughter is this magnificent artist?”
“I wouldn’t say all that,” Brooklyn said.
“Oh, please. The pictures Reid showed us are gorgeous. He also told us about the comic book you’re drawing for him.”
He was quite the damn chatterbox, wasn’t he?
“It’s for the kickoff party to the foundation his family is starting,” Brooklyn explained. “And I wish he hadn’t shown you.”
The moment she said the words she wished she could take them back. Both her parents looked at her as if she’d slapped them in the face.
“It’s not that I’m sorry you now know about my art,” she clarified. “I’m just sorry that I wasn’t the one to tell you.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that too. Why didn’t you tell us?” her mother asked. “How long have you been drawing these comic book characters?”
Brooklyn closed her eyes. She’d anticipated their questions and had tried to think of answers that wouldn’t come across as her intentionally hiding such an important part of her identity from her parents for all these years. But there were no good answers, because that’s exactly what she’d done.
“Since I was about ten years old,” Brooklyn finally answered. “And, honestly, I don’t know why I never said anything.” She moved to the cushioned window seat of the large bay window and pulled her legs up under her. She grabbed one of the throw pillows and cradled it in her lap. “Well, in a way, I do know why I never said anything, but it won’t make any sense.”
“Brooklyn—”
“There’s something I need to tell you. Both of you,” she said, her eyes darting between her mother and father. She fidgeted with the misshapen fringe that bordered the pillow, twisting the threads around her finger.
“Well, what is it?” her mom asked.
The emotion clogging her throat made it nearly impossible for her to swallow, the weight of the secret she’d been carrying for the past six months bearing down on her very soul. She peered over at her dad’s sallow face and had to hold back a sob.
“It was my fault,” Brooklyn finally admitted, her voice barely a whisper. “What happened with that final contract, it was my fault.”
“What are you talking about?” her father asked.
“Remember when everything fell apart, and I said that I forgot to sign off on the surety bond? I didn’t forget. I knew I hadn’t signed off on it before the project ever started. I kept putting it off.” Brooklyn sucked in a deep breath. It was as if she physically felt the weight of the secret she’d held lifting from her shoulders. “I used to do that all the time,” she continued. “I would intentionally let some things slide—things that were usually no big deal.
“But I didn’t realize the general contractor had taken the indemnification clause out of the contract,” she said. “When he filed for bankruptcy out of the blue, I knew that we didn’t have a leg to stand on. LeBlanc & Sons was left holding the bag because of me,” she finished on a sob. “I’m sorry.”
“But why?” her mother asked.
She hunched her shoulders. “Because I wanted to prove that I wasn’t perfect,” Brooklyn explained. “All my life I always heard this one thing: find what you’re good at and give it one hundred percent. Well, I didn’t want to be good at working on construction sites. I wanted my thing to be comics,” she said. “I thought if I could show you all that I wasn’t as good at my job at LeBlanc & Sons, then maybe you would be okay with me eventually leaving the business. I know it was stupid and I am so, so sorry,” she said. “I never meant for this to happen.”
She dropped her head and studied the paisley design on the worn pillow.
“It’s okay.”
Brooklyn’s head popped up at her father’s craggily spoken words.
“What?” she gasped. “How can you say that? You lost your business because of me.”
“Brooklyn, do you think your father would have been able to continue working?” her mother asked. “He was already going to close the business. He should have done so a long time ago.”
“Still, I took the choice out of your hands.”
Her father shook his head. “Don’t apologize. And don’t blame…yourself.”
“But it is my fault,” she insisted.
“I’m sorry,” her father said. “Sorry I put so much…pressure on you.”
“No.” Brooklyn shook her head. “You weren’t putting pressure on me. You were trying to teach me how to have a strong work ethic. You never have to apologize for that.”
“What about this fellowship thing?” her dad asked.
She shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’m not going.”
“Reid said you have several that you’re considering,” her mother spoke over her. “Do you no longer want to go?”
Brooklyn covered her face with her hands and broke down in tears, her shoulders shaking with her silent sobs. She felt her mother’s arms close around her.
“Do you want to go or don’t you?” her mother whispered.
“Yes,” she muttered through her tears. She dragged her hands down her face, then looked up at both her parents. “I want to go so badly. I want it more than anything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Then you’d better get to work on the applications,” her mother said.
“I can’t.” She shook her head. “I can’t leave you to take care of Dad alone.”
“No. You’re not using your father as an excuse.”
“But—”
“No,” her mother said more firmly.
“But I just started my job. I can’t take four weeks off.”
“Have you asked Alex?” her father said. “Ask him. I’ll bet you he’ll…he’ll be happy to let you go to Chicago.”
Brooklyn wiped at her eyes. She knew her father was probably telling the truth. In the couple of months she’d worked for Alex Holmes, he’d proven to be one of the most generous men she’d ever met. If she asked, she’d bet all the money in her bank account that Alex would give her the time off with his blessing.
“Even if Alex Holmes doesn’t give you the time off, you can’t let that stop you.” He
r mother finally sat down next to her on the window seat. “You only get this one life, baby. You can’t let anything stop you from fulfilling your dreams. Send in those applications. If you don’t get in, at least you’ll know you tried. And if you do?” She shrugged. “You and your new boss will just have to work something out. Or you’ll find another job. But that’s all that position at Holmes Construction is, Brooklyn. It’s a job.” Her mother grabbed hold of her hands and held them tight. “What you can do with these; this talent you’ve been given? This is what really matters.”
Brooklyn wiped at her eyes again and readily accepted her mother’s warm hug. At this very moment, it was everything she needed.
She walked over to her dad and wrapped her arms around him, holding him a little too tight, but unable to let go for a long, long time. Brooklyn left them with a promise to send off the application for the writing intensive in Chicago tonight, along with an apology for allowing the deadline on so many others to pass her by.
A few minutes later, she walked out of her parents’ front door and stopped dead in her tracks.
Reid stood at the base of the steps, his hands in his pockets, contrition etched across his handsome face.
“I’m sorry,” he said by way of greeting.
“So am I,” Brooklyn answered in reply.
She continued down the steps and walked right up to him, wrapping her arms around his solid frame.
“I’m still upset that you went behind my back,” she said. “But I understand why you did it.” She looked up at him. “I should have told them about my hopes of becoming an illustrator a long time ago.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything to your parents without your permission,” he said.
“No, you shouldn’t have. But your heart was in the right place.”
“It’s with you, Brooklyn. My heart is one hundred percent with you.”
Brooklyn looked up at him and saw nothing but love in his eyes. “I love you,” she said.
Reid’s eyes slid closed. “Thank God,” he said on a shaky breath. “Because I don’t know how I would survive if you didn’t.” He bent his head and captured her lips in the sweetest kiss. “I love you so much. I didn’t know a person could feel like this. I never want to not feel like this.” He pressed another swift kiss to her lips. “You’ve awakened something in me that I now realize I can’t live without.”
Brooklyn slid her hand behind his head and pulled his face down to her. “Then don’t,” she said before sealing her mouth to his.
Epilogue
They walked up the steps of his parents’ home, its porch sporting a fresh coat of white paint courtesy of his dad and his Navy buddies. Reid could hear the raucous sounds of his family just on the other side of the door, the sounds of a typical Sunday afternoon.
“Are you ready for this?” Brooklyn asked as she took his hand.
Reid nodded. “I’m ready.”
For years he’d lived in fear of his siblings finding out about his learning disorder, but Reid was done with hiding. He’d decided today would be the day he revealed it all, both his dyslexia and his plans to leave Holmes Construction.
When they entered the house, his nephew immediately flew to Brooklyn’s side, catching her by the hand and dragging her over to where he’d spread out several comics on the coffee table in the living room. Griffin and Mackenna were hunched over an iPad, while Ezra sat next to them on the sofa, the TV remote in his hand, Saints football on the screen.
Indina came into the living room and clapped her hands. “Dinner’s ready,” she called. She turned to Reid. “Hey, when did you get here?”
“Just a minute ago,” Reid said. “Before we eat, I need to—”
“Nope. Nah uh. Whatever you need to do can wait until after we eat. I don’t want the cornbread getting cold.”
Reid rolled his eyes at his sister’s bossiness, but welcomed the short reprieve. It wouldn’t hurt to get some food in him before he shared his news. The entire family sat elbow-to-elbow around the dining table, with the kids, Brooklyn and Indina having to use chairs from the smaller kitchen table. After his dad said grace, platters filled with baked chicken, mustard greens, candied yams, and cornbread made their way around the table. The chatter followed its usual course, with each of them talking about what they’d been up to the week before and what they had planned for the week ahead.
“You really put your foot in these yams, Willow,” Clark Holmes boasted from the head of the table. “Diane would be proud.”
“It was one of her favorite recipes,” Willow said. “They’ll never taste as good as hers, but I’m happy to have gotten close.” She looked over at Harrison. “Should we tell them?”
Harrison set his fork down and shrugged his shoulders, a look of resignation clouding his features.
Reid regarded his brother and sister-in-law, a weird feeling settling in his gut.
Willow moved her plate out of the way and folded her hands on the table. “We have something to share.”
“You’re pregnant!” Indina said.
Reid felt a measure of hope at the smile Willow sent his sister, but it didn’t reach her eyes. In fact, her eyes held a sadness that made the hair on the back of Reid’s neck stand on end.
“No,” Willow said. “We’re not pregnant. We—” she looked at Harrison, then back at the rest of them seated at the table. “We’ve decided to take a break.”
Other than Liliana’s annoyed huff, the announcement was met with silence.
“Don’t everyone speak at once,” Harrison deadpanned.
“But what does that even mean?” Indina asked.
“She means they’re separating,” Lily said. Then she threw down her napkin and excused herself from the table.
“Lily—” Willow called.
“Are you serious?” Indina interrupted. “What in the hell is the matter with the two of you? Can’t you get your shit together?”
“It’s not forever,” Athens said. He looked at his dad. “You promised, it’s not forever.”
“No, baby, it’s not,” Willow said.
“Maybe,” Harrison interjected.
Willow turned to him and the hurt Reid saw on both their faces was enough to make his stomach turn.
“This is only temporary,” Willow stated. “We just feel that maybe a little space will help us to see things more clearly.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” his sister said.
“Indina.” Harrison’s voice brooked no further discussion. “We didn’t share this news because we wanted opinions, we just wanted you all to know what’s going on. Now can we get back to eating Sunday dinner?”
Everyone returned to their plates, but with much less enthusiasm than they had at the beginning of the meal. Since the mood around the table had taken such an awful turn, Reid decided to put even more gas on the fire.
“And here I thought my news would be the thing to put frowns on everyone’s faces,” he said.
“What news?” Harrison asked.
Reid glanced at Brooklyn, who nodded. He then looked around at the faces of his family members. “I’m leaving Holmes Construction,” he finally announced.
Where Willow and Harrison’s news was met with silence, his was met with a barrage of questions. But they weren’t the questions Reid had anticipated. Instead of being upset, his family was curious. At first, his father thought he was leaving the city altogether. Clark Holmes’s broad shoulders wilted in noticeable relief once Reid assured him that wasn’t the case.
“Are you going to a competitor?” Indina asked.
“No, it’s nothing like that. Actually, I’m going into business with my friend Anthony.”
As he explained the gist of the app-based business, the expressions on the faces of the people around the table became more and more impressed. By the time he was done, Ezra had already signed up to become one of their beta testers.
“Damn, that was easier than I thought,” Reid joked. Too bad he had
n’t gotten to the tough part yet. “There’s something else,” Reid continued. This was the thing he’d been dreading. Everyone looked expectantly at him. “I have a request when it comes to Mom’s foundation. I want to make sure one scholarship is set aside for a student with a learning disability. Because, well, I have a learning disability, and I know how much harder it is for someone dealing with one to make it through life.”
This time there was silence. Complete and total silence.
After several moments passed, his father said, “I wondered how long it would take you to finally tell the rest of the family.”
Reid’s head whipped around to the head of the table. “You knew?”
“Of course I knew. You told your mother, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t tell her, but she found out,” Reid admitted. “I think she sensed something was up from early on.”
“And you think she would keep that from me?”
Reid didn’t know what to say. His dad knew all this time, yet he’d kept it a secret, giving Reid the chance to share it in his own time. Damn, he loved that man.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea—the scholarship, I mean,” Willow said. She came around the table and wrapped Reid up in a hug, holding on extra tight. He needed to hold onto her just as tightly.
“Thanks,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Everything’s going to work out,” Reid whispered into her ear.
His sister-in-law gave him a sad smile, before announcing that she needed to check on Liliana.
Several hours later, Reid and Brooklyn were back at his apartment. They sat on the sofa, Brooklyn’s back nestled against his front. She was like an anchor, keeping him steady and grounded on this chaotic day.
“You’re quiet,” she said. She looked back over her shoulder. “You’re thinking about Harrison and Willow?”
“Yeah.” Reid released a weary sigh. “The signs have been there since the summer, but I never thought I’d see the day those two decided to call it quits.”
“But they haven’t. A separation doesn’t automatically lead to divorce. Maybe it’ll work out for them.”
“God, I hope you’re right,” Reid said. “Willow has been a part of my life since I was in the sixth grade. I can’t imagine this family without her.” He tightened his hold, burying his face in the crook of Brooklyn’s neck. “Just like I can’t imagine my life without you,” he said.
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