I learned a lot. About why men don't share feelings, why they don't cry. It wasn't that they didn't have feelings, or didn't care...it was that they were taught early on to shut it all down.
There was a time when I believed I was the only one hurting and broken. A time when I believed that Dylan Prescott had it all, money, women, family....a great life. He was the cockiest, most confident person I'd ever met. Until I got to know him. He was just like the rest of us: broken. And in many ways, he was more broken than any of us.
He carried heavy burdens upon his shoulders, but you never would've known it, for he knew how to hide his emotions from the world, very well. And, he had experienced more loss in his young years, than most do in a lifetime.
Dylan walked in, and I knew that it didn't go well with his mom. "Hey," I said, getting up off the couch. "How did it go?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he replied, fighting back tears.
He looked beat, like he had gone to war and lost the battle. I'd never seen him so sad.
"Come here." I walked over and grabbed his hand. I took him over to the couch, sat and held him as he cried in my arms. "Everything's going to be okay, baby. I promise."
"She hates me, Brooke. My mother hates me."
"Dylan, she doesn't hate you. She just needs time to process everything. Think about it, she's just now learning what you've known for years. She loves you, trust me."
"You didn't see the rage or disgust in her eyes when I told her about Danielle."
"No, but I can imagine. Honey, she's hurting, just like you are. You don't just stop loving someone because they've hurt you. Look at you, no matter how many times you tell yourself you hate your father, you don't. You love him, Dylan. You may not love the horrible things he did, but you have memories of him being another way. That's what you hold on to."
"Brooke. He took your ring."
"What ring?"
"Your wedding ring. We found it in a lock box along with my sister's bracelet and jewelry he had taken from other women."
"Shh...listen to me, and really hear me. Okay?"
He nodded his head.
"It's just a ring. Yes, a very special ring, because it once belonged to your grandmother, which you then gifted to me. But I've been without that ring ever since he took it, and look at us, we're still together. It isn't a piece of jewelry that matters in a marriage, Dylan. It's what's in here," I said, placing my hand over his heart. "I love you, no matter what happens. You'll always be my forever."
"I love you, Brooke. You know that?"
"I do," I said, giving him a soft kiss on the lips, as he laid me on the couch.
"You're so beautiful, Princess. Inside and out."
"Aw...Dylan. If I didn't know better, I'd think you want something from me."
That sly smirk came across his face. "I think you know what I want, baby," he said, as his lips came crashing down on mine. My tongue met his, stroke for stroke, twisting, twirling and breathing him in.
I gave him every part of me. My body, heart...my soul. He was the reason I woke up each day, fought to find myself, and had learned to love completely without fear.
He gently tugged on my sweatpants, pulling them down and tossing them on the floor.
"No panties?" he asked. I shook my head. "Good. I like it like this better."
My body immediately responded to his touch, leaving me aching for more. I let out a loud cry when his fingers spread me, his tongue gently, teasing along my slit.
I grabbed his hair, needing him to lick harder as I pushed my mound harder against his tongue.
"No, baby. Slow."
I relaxed as he continued licking and sucking, taking everything I was giving. I was on the edge, and cried out, as I came. "Please, Dylan, let me feel you." He stood, removed his clothes then helped me remove my top. "Dylan, lay down."
He did as I said and I made my way up to his face, giving him perfect access to my wet and waiting pussy. His tongue darted out as I rocked myself back and forth, taking all the pleasure I could get as he licked my clit. My walls tightened and I tried to pull away, but he grabbed my hips and held me there, until I gave him the sweet juice he'd been waiting for. He loosened his grip and I climbed on top of his lap.
He took himself in his hand and slowly guided me down his thick, waiting cock. He felt so good as I rode him, feeling every part of him inside of me. He was deep, so deep, and rubbing against that spot I swear he had a radar for, because he hit it every time.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him as we made slow, beautiful love to each other. The feelings I had for him were sometimes too much. He pushed deeper into me and I screamed in his mouth as I came, never letting go and never breaking our kiss as he came with me.
We sat there, loving, kissing, and re-affirming our love for one another.
Dylan was in a better mood than he had been earlier in the day, and I know the marathon sex event we had on the couch and in the shower was mostly responsible for that. But I was struggling with thought of when to give Dylan his birthday and anniversary gifts. So, I decided that it was now or never.
"Hey, Cowboy, why don't you come here for a minute," I said, grabbing the shopping bags from behind the counter.
"What's all this?" he asked, trying to grab at a bag.
"No. It's a surprise," I said, slapping his hand away.
"For me?"
"Yes, for you. It's one of your birthday-slash-anniversary presents, since they're only five days apart."
"Oh goodie," he said, rubbing his hands together like a little kid in a candy store.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes. Give it to me, already."
I handed him the little square box, wrapped in blue paper. He tore into it like a kid at Christmas. "You like presents, Dylan?"
"What? I mean, of course. Who doesn't?"
I laughed, and then I laughed even harder when he looked in the box.
"Brooke?"
"Yeah, Cowboy?"
"What is this?"
"Why don't you take it out of the box and see."
He pulled it out and stared, "You bought me baby clothes?"
I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Yes, and I ordered a crib for you, too. You know, so you'll have a place to sleep when the baby comes."
"Baby? We're gonna have a baby?" he asked excited.
"Yes! I saw the doctor this morning and she said that everything looks good. I'm high risk, because of my age, so she'll need to watch the pregnancy closely, but we should be welcoming our little bundle of joy at the beginning of February."
He came closer to me, placing a soft kiss on my lips and his hand on my belly. "I love you, Brooke. This is the best birthday present you could have given me." Then, he leaned down and gave the baby a kiss.
"You're not mad that I didn't tell you sooner?"
"How long have you known?"
"For about a month, but I didn't want to say anything because of everything going on. And...I was afraid..."
"Shh...it's okay. I'm not upset, I'm fucking ecstatic! I can't believe we're gonna have a baby."
"I know. I can hardly believe it myself, it all seems like a dream."
"We have to move, you know."
"Well, not for a while. The baby won't be walking until it's at least a year old."
"Nope. We're gonna move. We need to start looking at houses in the suburbs."
"Um...okay. Why the urgency?"
"Because I want our little one to come home to the place where he or she will grow up. We'll need a big yard, one where I can build one of those really cool wooden swing sets for it."
"I think we might be getting a little ahead of ourselves, Dylan. The baby isn't even born, yet."
"I don't care. Our baby is going to have everything."
"I don't doubt that," I laughed.
"I think we should sell this place. What do you think?"
"It's up to you, but why would you want to sell it? Why wouldn't you just keep it?"
&nbs
p; "Because once we move, I won't have any desire to come back here. This won't be our home, anymore, Brooke."
"What about giving it to Tristan? He seems to like it here, and it's bigger than the apartment he rents."
"You know what, Princess? That's a really great idea. I'll ask him if he's interested."
"Perfect. Now, should we go look online to see what houses we're interested in? Because I have a feeling, we're gonna have different opinions on what we should buy."
"You can have whatever house your little heart desires, Brooke."
"That's good, because I want one located in the foothills of the mountains, so I can wake up to that stunning view every morning."
"We could always move to the house in Telluride."
"Really? I don't think you'd like that commute, Mr. CEO."
He laughed, "No, I suppose not, but I thought I'd put it out there for you to ponder."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that won't work, so we'll have to move somewhere down south in the foothills."
"Pretty hell-bent on that area, aren't you? I think I know of the perfect house down there that we can buy."
"Well, let's set up a time and go look at it."
"It'll have to be tomorrow. It's too late to go tonight."
We spent the evening in Dylan's office, looking at homes to buy. We were both so excited that we would be welcoming a new life into our family, that we lost track of time, forgot to eat dinner, and then he freaked out. Being pregnant with Dylan around, was going to be another fun adventure with him hovering over me. Lord help me. I'm gonna need Tristan's help with him, now, more than ever, I thought, laughing to myself.
CHAPTER 20
Brooke
My pregnancy had been going very well, and my husband was a dream with the exception of his constant hovering. The thought made me smile, even though he was mostly driving me crazy. There still wasn't symptoms of morning sickness, which my mother said was lucky, since that was one of the shittiest parts of pregnancy. The only real complaint I had was, being tired and my boobs hurt. A small price to pay for not throwing up every day.
Today marked our one year wedding anniversary. Looking back, so much had happened within that one year.
I wanted to surprise Dylan for our anniversary, by giving him one of the best gifts he could possibly receive. He had done so much for me, and I'd realized that I had never really done anything for him. So, I figured I would give him what I knew would make him happy. A chance for redemption with his family, with...himself.
I'd hoped that what I was about to do wouldn't backfire and that he would trust me, fully. It was kind of a crap shoot, because with Stefan involved, Dylan could go off the deep-end. He didn't like working with the guy, but he tolerated him for the sake of his expertise in the F.B.I. My mission wasn't any different.
Convincing Dylan that we had others places to go besides our bed on our anniversary, was less than easy. And in order to get around it, I had started lying and telling him that I wasn't feeling well. After hours of negotiation, I finally got him to agree to let me take him out for our special day. He had no idea what he was in for, and truth be told, neither did I.
I had no idea what to expect, other than it would be an emotional day and I hoped I wasn't fucking up our anniversary.
I had Lucy pack us a nice picnic lunch of fried chicken, macaroni salad, bananas and chocolate fudge-striped cookies. I'm sure Dylan was going to shit himself when I pulled it out of the basket, but I didn't care. That's what I was craving these days and I had to have it. Besides, where we were going, I imagined that the only two people that would be eating would be me and the little peanut growing inside of me.
I'd just finished folding the blanket when Dylan came out and wrapped his arms around me. "Happy anniversary, again, Princess," he said, giving me a kiss on the back of the head.
"Happy anniversary, stud. Are you about ready to go? I don't want the weather to turn shitty on us during our picnic."
"You know we don't have to go, right? We have a home, so we can stay here and have a picnic in the living room."
"Please," I begged. "I really want to do this for us. Besides, I have a big surprise for you."
"I have a big surprise for you, too, Brooke. Right here, in my pants."
"Dylan! Gross! Why do you have to say stuff like that all the time?"
"Because I'm a guy, and I only think about one thing. Sex...with my beautiful wife."
"Okay, that's really sweet, but we have to go."
"Ouch, Brooke! That hurt," he said, grabbing the blanket and basket off the counter.
"I'm sorry, but stop talking like that. Are you gonna say stuff like that when the baby's born?"
"When it's just us in the room? Yeah, probably."
"Great," I said, rolling my eyes and walking toward the elevator doors.
"Feeling a little moody or hormonal today, are we?"
"Fuck you! It has nothing to do with that. You're getting on my nerves and pissing me off!"
"Such language. You're not going to talk like that around our baby, are you? Oops, you already did. The baby can hear everything you say, Brooke."
"You're an asshole sometimes, you know that?"
"Yes, Princess. You have told me that, many times."
"Well, then it must be true." I turned, giving him a loud kiss on the lips.
It was a perfect day for a picnic in the park, as August was always beautiful in Colorado. It was starting to cool down just a bit, as it did every year around this time when the kids started going back to school.
The park was quiet and a picnic area with tables was open, so we ditched the blanket. Dylan opened the basket, pulled out the chicken and then started laughing, and continued to laugh as he pulled the cookies out.
"Who packed this, Brooke?"
"Lucy. Why?"
"Because for starters, you know I don't eat fried food. Second, macaroni salad? Gross! Third, cookies? That sounds like a pregnancy thing to me. I think the only thing I can eat here is a banana."
"Well, she asked and I told her what sounded good. Besides, I think you can eat fried chicken, just this once. Pretty please...for me?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him.
"Just this once, but only because my babies want it."
I giggled, and then I suddenly became very nervous. I saw Stefan's car pull into the parking lot. He wasn't alone, but was with a woman. I continued talking to Dylan, so he didn't suspect anything, but my heart was pounding in my chest and I prayed so hard that he didn't hate me for what I was about to show him.
As they approached, the woman spoke in a soft voice, "Dylan?" He turned and looked, his face white as a ghost as he just sat and stared. She was beautiful, like him. Her long, dark hair flowed over her shoulders as her blue eyes sparkled with tears.
"Danielle?" he said, standing. He grabbed her and held her tight as tears flowed down both of their cheeks. "My God, is it really you?"
"Yes, little brother, it is."
"But I thought...I saw it with my own eyes. How?"
"It's a long story. I've missed you so much. You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you I was alive."
"Does Mom know?"
"Yes. Your wife, Brooke, set up the meeting."
"But..," He turned, and looked at me questioningly.
"Stefan helped, Dylan. He recognized her from the picture on your desk, when he was helping me locate Thomas."
"What? You all knew?"
"No, baby. I didn't know until that day, when Stefan asked me about the girl in the photo. I explained that she was your sister that had died tragically. The longer he looked at the picture, the more he was convinced that he knew who she was. So, he set up a meeting between her and I, and the rest is history. I wanted to tell you so many times, especially the day you came home from your mother's house, but I couldn't risk it. I had to wait, and since our anniversary was coming up, I wanted to give you something extra special. I really hope you don't hate me."
"Shocked?
Surprised? But hate? No, Princess, I don't hate you. I love you! You've given me a piece of my heart back and for that, I can't thank you enough."
"Dylan, I know we have a lot to talk about," Danielle said. "But right now, I'd like to sit and have lunch with you, Brooke and the new baby," she smiled. "Do you think that would be, okay?"
"Yes, yes, please do. Brooke has gone through the trouble of having our housekeeper, Lucy, pack us this delicious lunch. What would you like first? Perhaps, some macaroni salad?"
"Gross. No, thank you," she said, scrunching her face.
I laughed, "Boy, Dylan wasn't lying when he said you two were a lot alike. Picky, picky, picky!"
Stefan chuckled, I'd almost forgotten that he was still there. Dylan stood and walked over, thanking him, reassuring him that we would get Danielle home safely. When Dylan sat back down, I ran up to Stefan's car. "Thank you for everything," I said, giving him a hug. "I know things were rough between us, but you're a good man, and you deserve to go home and be with your family."
"That's where I'm headed. I haven't seen my wife and kids in almost a year. I don't know if I'll even recognize them, anymore."
"Take care of yourself and try finding a job a little closer to home, will ya? That way you don't have to be away from them so much. They need you, Stefan. Don't miss out on watching them grow up."
"I'll think about it. By the way, the case against your father and the others, is officially closed," he said, turning on the car and closing the door. I felt a tinge of sadness as I watched him pull away, knowing that I'd never see Stefan Arici again. Another chapter in my life had closed.
We'd had a lovely day in the park, sitting, chatting and getting to know Danielle. She was a lovely woman, and I was reminded of Dylan every time I looked at her. And although, she and Dylan had been apart for so many years, they picked up right where they left off. It was good to see him relaxed and smiling, once again.
Redemption (Book 3) The Fixer Series Page 13