Davey let a small giggle slip and then he turned somber again. “It doesn’t matter,” he said.
“It matters to me.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Davey told Brooke.
“Well, I certainly can’t understand what I don’t know,” Brooke pointed out the obvious.
“Brian is my friend,” he said again. “People think he is important.”
Brooke nodded. “So, that means they think you are important? Is that what you think?”
“They do! Even after school today, all the kids were trying to talk to me,” he said.
Brooke forced herself not to laugh. Even in the fourth grade, they like drama. “Uh-huh.”
“See? You don’t get it,” he said flatly.
“No, I guess I don’t. What makes you think you are not important already?” Brooke wondered.
“’Cause I’m not.”
Brooke’s gaze grew pensive. What are you not saying, D.? “Care to explain?” Brooke asked.
“You should know!” Davey turned emotional.
Brooke was stunned at the ferocity in her son’s statement. So much so, she jumped slightly. “D., what…”
“Who cares? You don’t. Why should you? I don’t play drums. And, anyway, once you have your own kid it won’t matter anyway.”
Brooke felt as if someone had gutted her. Davey was obviously upset. She logically understood that. It did not change the fact that his words stung. Brooke loved the twins. She was confident that she could never love any child more than she loved Dani and Davey—equally, without question—more, never. She needed a moment to gather her emotions. She needed to reassure Davey, but she also wanted him to grasp how much his words had hurt her.
“I care,” Brooke said bluntly. She looked at Davey and pinned him with her gaze. “I guess, maybe I have been spending a little more time with your sister. But, Davey, during the summer I spend a lot more time with you than I do with Dani,” she said.
That was true. She spent long hours throwing a baseball with Davey. Brooke frequently loaded their black lab Murphy and Davey in the car and sped off to spend a day hiking and fishing with him. She was floored by his assessment. And, she was completely thrown by his accusation that a baby would mean Davey would somehow no longer matter to her. Brooke watched as Davey’s eyes filled with watery hopefulness.
“I do care,” Brooke said. “You’re my son,” she said assuredly. “No one and nothing will ever change that,” Brooke promised. Davey nodded. “And, I’m sorry if you have been feeling that way.” She saw Davey getting ready to speak and held up her hand. “But, that doesn’t mean you should treat anyone else badly, Davey. That includes your classmates, and it includes me too,” Brooke said evenly, careful to keep her voice steady.
“I don’t mean to…”
“You didn’t mean to hurt Tara or you didn’t mean to hurt me?” Brooke challenged him a bit. Davey looked down again. “You can always talk to me,” Brooke said. “If I did something to make you feel upset, I would like to know. Because, honestly, I would never do that on purpose.”
“She’s just better,” Davey mumbled.
“Who is better?”
“Dani.”
Brooke sighed. “Why would you say that, D.?”
“She is!” Davey snapped. Brooke looked at him sternly and finally his tears began to spill over. “She’s better at school, better at music. She never gets in trouble,” he said.
Brooke held back a snicker. It always fascinated her how the twins perceived each other. Dani had gotten grounded her fair share of times. She could be obstinate, and she could be adventurous to a fault.
“She’s just better than me,” Davey said dejectedly.
“She’s not better than you. She’s just different,” Brooke told her son. She took a deep breath and released it with a forceful sigh. “D.,” Brooke began. She took another deep breath and shook her head. “I don’t ever want you to feel like you matter less to me than anyone. That includes your sister and it includes any other brothers or sisters you might have in time.”
Davey looked away for a moment and then back at Brooke. “It’s just what happens when you have your own kid.”
Brooke was beginning to question what had put Davey on this pathway of thinking. She and Tess had both expected that there would be both excitement and apprehension from the twins about having a little brother or sister. They had been a twosome their entire life. Brooke hadn’t considered that biology would feed any insecurity in either Davey or Dani. And, Brooke doubted that the seed of uncertainty had miraculously sprouted in Davey’s mind. Both Brooke and Tess had been deliberate in discussing growing their family with the twins. If Davey was questioning Brooke’s affection or devotion to him, someone had planted that seed. Brooke wanted to know who that had been.
“You think that when Mom and I have a baby that means you will mean less to me because I will be the one who is having it?” she asked him. Davey shrugged. Brooke looked toward the ceiling and groaned. “Davey,” she muttered before turning her attention back to him. “Where on earth would you get an idea like that?” she wanted to know. He offered her another shrug. “Well, that’s not true. It’s not even a little bit true,” she said flatly.
“Yeah, but it will be your kid.”
“You are my kid,” Brooke replied. She sighed. “Do you think that Mom will love a new baby less because it is me that carries the baby?” Brooke asked Davey. Davey shook his head. “No?” Brooke asked for clarification.
“Nah. I heard her cry when all that stuff happened…You know, when…”
Brooke swallowed hard. “Yeah, I know,” she said.
“She was sad,” Davey said.
“Mmm. We were both sad,” Brooke admitted. “Don’t you think that if Mom was the one that had lost a baby, I would be sad?”
“Yeah…”
“Uh-huh. So, let me get this straight—Mom will love everyone the same even if she doesn’t have our baby. I will love you less if I do. Is that what you think?”
“I dunno…”
“D.?” Brooke gently prodded.
“Brian has a little brother.”
Brooke nodded. “And?”
“He says his little brother is his dad’s favorite, ‘cause that’s his kid.”
“Well, I have only met Brian’s father once at baseball,” Brooke said. “I don’t know Brian’s father, and I don’t really know Brian,” she continued. “I do know me, and I do know your mom. You know, D., babies need a lot of attention. They can’t feed themselves or dress themselves.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Mm-hm. And, little kids need different things from bigger ones. Like, you need help with homework but when you were two or three you needed help getting dressed,” Brooke explained. Davey looked at her. “I know you get that, but maybe that is why Brian thinks his father favors his little brother. The truth is, a baby will change everything for all of us.”
“Yeah,” Davey mumbled. “Like who will take me to baseball?”
“I will,” Brooke said assuredly. “Or Mom will, just like we do now.”
“Brooke?” Davey asked hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“What if you don’t have time anymore?”
“Davey, I will always have time for you. You are going to have to trust me on that, okay? Don’t pay so much attention to Brian Greer.”
“He knows lots of stuff,” Davey said.
Yeah, I’ll bet he knows it all.
Brooke nodded. “Maybe Brian thinks he knows a little more than he does,” Brooke suggested. She watched as Davey looked away from her. Oh, boy…This is not going to be easy, is it? “I think you should get yourself ready for bed,” Brooke said.
“Am I grounded?” Davey asked.
Brooke nodded. “I would expect that you will be—yes. I will talk to Mom.”
“I’m dead,” Davey mumbled.
Brooke snickered. “Dead might be a little extreme,” Brooke commented. Davey bl
ushed. “Grounded will not kill you,” she told him. Davey groaned. “Mmm…And, I expect that you will apologize to Tara tomorrow.”
“But…”
“No buts. You owe her an apology for teasing her, Davey. I don’t care what Brian Greer does or how popular you think he is; I expect you to treat people with respect even when you don’t want to be their friend. That is something you know your mother and I agree on.”
“I know.”
“Good. Then I would start thinking about what it is you want to say to Tara tomorrow,” Brooke said as she began to leave the room. “You know,” she stopped in his doorway. “Friends are people who accept you for who you are, not who they want you to be and not because you will do whatever they say. And, Davey? A friend doesn’t try to make you feel bad about yourself either,” Brooke told him.
Brooke smiled at her son. Sometimes he seemed to be ten going on fifteen. Other times, Brooke thought he resembled a five-year-old. Right now, the wanna-be teenager was wrestling with the emotional maturity of a kindergartener, and ten-year-old Davey was stuck in the middle. Shitty age, isn’t it D.?
“I love you, Davey,” Brooke said. Davey groaned. Brooke chuckled. Now, he’s too old for the gushy stuff. “Goodnight.”
Davey smiled, but Brooke could see both questions and guilt rolling through his mind. “Night, Brooke.”
Brooke made her way down the hallway and stopped outside her bedroom door. How the hell will we manage with three of them?
***
“Hey,” Tess greeted Brooke when Brooke walked into the bedroom sporting a lackluster smile. “Uh-oh,” Tess surmised Brooke’s mood. “Things did not go so well with Davey; I take it?”
Brooke flopped onto the bed and sighed. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “I don’t like him hanging out with this Brian kid,” Brooke admitted.
Tess rolled over and looked at Brooke. “Umm…The class bully—so I have been told.”
Brooke shook her head. “He thinks when we have a baby that I will suddenly stop caring about him.”
“He said that?”
“Yep. He did.”
Tess sat up. “Where is that coming from?” she wondered aloud. Brooke offered Tess a sardonic smile. “Oh no, you think this boy is feeding Davey that?”
“Partly, I do, yes,” Brooke said. “Some of it is just D. You know how sensitive he is.”
“I do know. Brooke, you know he doesn’t mean it.”
“Yeah, he does. At least, he means it a little. And, I’m not really sure I can blame him.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Tess asked.
Brooke sighed heavily. “Well, I haven’t spent all that much time with him lately. I didn’t realize that until he brought up Dani and the drums,” Brooke explained. She groaned softly.
Tess smiled. Brooke had been reluctant to take up anything musical again. She had abandoned her musical exploits after deciding to pursue medicine. All or nothing—at times, Brooke could be that way. Tess kept smiling at her wife. Davey was a bit like that too. Brooke had long commented on the fact that Davey’s sensitivity reminded her of Tess. And, Tess understood that she and her son shared many things in common. But, in more ways than Tess could count, Davey reminded her of Brooke. Some of that stemmed from Davey’s desire to emulate his step-mother. Tess suspected that a big part of what Davey had told Brooke was the result of Davey’s need to try and impress Brooke. And, likely his perception that Dani was succeeding in that endeavor more than he was at the moment.
Brooke loved music. More than that, Brooke possessed a musical talent that had taken Tess by surprise. Dani’s foray into playing in the band had allowed Dani to establish a unique connection with Brooke. Davey seemed to have no interest in pursuing anything musical. Tess knew that was because her son viewed it as somehow less than cool, at least, less than cool in the eyes of classmates like Brian Greer. Jealousy could be an ugly thing. More than doubting Brooke, Tess was sure that Davey was frustrated with himself. Brooke acted like a kid when she and Dani headed to the basement to practice. What had started as a reluctant agreement to give Dani some lessons at home had quickly blossomed into a rediscovered passion for Brooke, right down to the piano that now sat in the corner of the family room. In fact, the family room looked more like a mini music studio than a place to gather and watch movies.
“Brooke,” Tess called to her wife. Brooke sighed again. “You cannot feel badly for spending time with Dani. I think you are right, though. Davey might be feeling a little left out,” Tess raised her eyebrow. “There is a lot more drumming going on downstairs these days than there is video gaming,” she pointed out gently.
“Shit.”
Tess giggled. “No, I think you are misunderstanding me, love. I’ve seen Davey watching you with Dani.”
“What do you mean?” Brooke asked.
“I mean that he looks like he wants to jump in and pick up those drumsticks. He was down there the other day doodling away on that piano, you know?”
“What? Why doesn’t he say something?” Brooke wondered. “I’d teach him!”
Tess leaned in and kissed Brooke on the cheek. “What did you tell me earlier in the kitchen?”
“I don’t know? What did I tell you?” Brooke asked.
Tess chuckled. “Senility setting in at thirty-seven?” she teased Brooke.
“Ha-ha.”
“You said he is a ten-year-old boy,” Tess reminded Brooke.
Brooke groaned. “I don’t know what to do,” she told Tess.
“He’ll find his way. Well, he will once he is past being grounded for the next week,” Tess laughed.
“You’re really not worried?”
Tess shook her head. “More like aggravated,” she told Brooke.
Brooke laughed. “Pissed you off today, didn’t he?”
“I love them, but sometimes I would like to throttle them,” Tess confessed.
Brooke smiled. There was one thing in her relationship with Tess that she cherished beyond anything else. That was the fact that Tess remained Brooke’s best friend. Their relationship had begun that way—as friends. Now, their marriage seemed to blossom with that foundation. That was not to say that Brooke never became frustrated with Tess; she did. Brooke started to chuckle as the thought that she had the ability to drive Tess equally insane flooded her mind.
“What are you giggling about?” Tess asked suspiciously.
Brooke leaned in and captured Tess’s lips in a kiss that surprised Tess with its passion.
“What was that for?” Tess asked.
Brooke’s gaze had turned playful. She grinned seductively and moved to straddle Tess. Tess chuckled. “Something funny?” Brooke asked before turning to kiss Tess’s neck.
Tess gasped and held onto Brooke’s back. “What has gotten into you?” she asked Brooke.
“Why?” Brooke whispered. She sucked gently on Tess’s neck and felt Tess’s hands grip her flesh. “Is there something strange about me wanting to make love to my wife?” Brooke asked softly.
Tess closed her eyes and released a contented sigh. She was grateful that the everyday chaos of a family had not changed nor diminished the passion that existed between them. In an instant, the most mundane conversation or action could turn playful or seductive between the couple. Tess prayed that reality would never change. She also understood that the everyday things often served as the greatest reminder of why she loved Brooke so deeply. And, Tess was sure that those same everyday things moved Brooke in similar ways.
“Brooke,” Tess sighed under Brooke’s sensual exploration.
Brooke breathed in all that was Tess. Life had been moving at an incredible pace for the last month. And, as hopeful as Brooke and Tess were that they would soon be growing their family, the road to that dream had already been rocky. Waiting for an answer was stressful for Brooke. Brooke’s response to stress remained an effort to drown herself in distractions. She had been working long hours, spending time with Dani on all of Dani’s ac
tivities, and had taken up jogging in the mornings again. At night after dinner when Brooke was not on call, she walked Murphy in the woods that abutted their home.
Tess had learned how to cope with Brooke’s constant need for activity. She would gently coax Brooke to slow her pace, but she also knew when to let the reigns fall. She had fallen in love with all the parts of Brooke Campbell, even the parts that sometimes drove Tess to distraction. The truth was, when Brooke fell into bursts of constant motion, Tess often missed her. It wasn’t that Brooke stopped being affectionate. Brooke was always loving. Tess simply couldn’t get her to slow down enough in those periods to fully connect. Right now, Tess was thankful that Brooke’s spinning was beginning to slow.
“I’m sorry,” Brooke whispered into Tess’s ear.
Tess looked up at Brooke and took Brooke’s face in her hands. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
“I do,” Brooke said. She kissed Tess tenderly. “I’ve been moving so fast lately…”
Tess smiled and stroked Brooke’s cheek. “I know, love.”
Brooke gazed at Tess regretfully but lovingly. “I love you, Tess.”
“I love you too,” Tess replied. She pulled Brooke down and kissed her longingly.
Brooke’s breath caught momentarily when she felt Tess’s lips stray to her neck. How is it that she ends up seducing me?
Tess grinned as she continued to bathe Brooke’s neck in a flurry of light kisses. She could feel the trembling in Brooke’s arms as Brooke attempted to support her weight above Tess. Tess’s hands traveled up and down Brooke’s back. She looked at Brooke. Brooke’s eyes had closed, and her lips had parted in anticipation. Tess watched Brooke’s expression affectionately as her hands methodically mapped out the curves of Brooke’s body.
Brooke sensed Tess’s gaze and opened her eyes. She sighed and shook her head. “No,” she whispered.
“No?” Tess asked lightly.
“Mm-hm. No,” Brooke repeated and then kissed Tess deeply. She let her hand drift slowly upward under Tess’s T-shirt until she reached the swell of Tess’s breasts and Tess moaned. Brooke smiled. “I want to make love to you,” Brooke told Tess. “Slowly.”
Tess fought to keep her eyes open. Brooke’s voice set off a small series of shivers that traveled down Tess’s arms and back up her spine. “Brooke…”
Late Arrivals (Special Delivery Book 4) Page 3