The Core Four Series

by Stacy Borel

  “Hey, beautiful girl.” Keegan glanced up at me.

  “Hey, girls.”

  “Ugh, another one that has fallen for the Brooks’ Charm.” The distaste in Macie’s voice was strong.

  I gave her a perplexed look. “What are you talking about? I’m confused.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Turner. That’s what I’m talking about.”

  I looked to Keegan for some clarification.

  “Mace, stop it. Don’t mind her. She’s extra pissy today for some reason. Is it getting close to your time of the month?”

  “Shark week? Pssh, no. I’m just realizing I’m surrounded by suckers.”

  “Okay, now that’s enough. Whatever this bad mood you’re in is, cut it out. You’re going to ruin my good time, Annabelle’s, and the rest of the family,” Keegan snapped.

  “Hey.” Macie raised her hands in the air. “I’m just making an observation.”

  “You’re also making an ass out of yourself.”

  Macie jerked her head back. I needed to step in before this escalated further.

  “All right, ladies, simmer down. I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is, it’s not worth it.”

  “You have no idea,” Macie mumbled.

  “I guess not, but Keegan has a point. I don’t know what you’re feeling sour about, but maybe we can talk about it after dinner, and we’ve all had something good to eat. Okay?’

  She tipped her head down, clearly frustrated. Keegan shook her head and kept setting the table. Never had I seen these two girls fight, but something was bothering both of them. I wasn’t one to be a mediator, but I would be right now if I had to be. It stayed silent for a couple of minutes before Turner came into the room smelling of the grill outside. He took one look at me and came to my side.

  “You okay?” he asked quietly. His eyes roamed over to the other girls.

  “Yeah.”

  He brushed my hair back behind my ear in a tender way. His fingers gently caressed the side of my cheek. All thoughts of Keegan and Macie left my mind. I was standing there front of Turner and as far as I was concerned, nobody else was in the room. How did he have the power to do that?

  “You sure?”

  “Mhmm.”

  He caught onto the trance he was putting me in and must’ve decided it wasn’t the time or the place. Stepping back, he greeted the two girls. Both mumbled hellos.

  Donna came into the room and clapped her hands, completely oblivious to the tension between everyone.

  “All right, who’s hungry?”

  As if by magic, all of us shifted and the room lightened significantly. Hmmm, and I thought Turner was capable of some crazy shit. Turner pointed me in the direction of where we were sitting, and everyone filed in over the next couple of minutes. It didn’t take long before we were all seated and our plates were filled. Chatter of work, new dogs, and college were amongst the conversation. If there was any rigidness remaining, it was only between Macie and Dodger, who were sitting on opposite ends of the table from each other. Clearly this was where her issue laid. I didn’t understand it and I wasn’t sure I ever would. Dodger was head over heels for Macie, and whether she realized it or not, she felt the same way. Never in my life have I seen two people more meant for each other, and yet fight against it so hard. I didn’t know who was pushing who away, but I did know it wasted precious time. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my parents, it’s that time is invaluable. I’d give anything to have another five minutes with them.

  We all were sitting back in our chairs, nursing overstuffed bellies when Keegan asked me a question.

  “Lauren, from NICU, said you’ve been visiting a baby you helped deliver. How’s he doing?”

  The question seemed innocent, but it made me pause in my response. It wasn’t like I was trying to slip in and out unnoticed, but obviously I was going in there often enough to cause some talk.

  I felt Turner’s eyes on the side of my face, but I ignored it. “He’s doing well. They just lowered his oxygen and he isn’t struggling, so that’s good.”

  “What baby are we talking about?” Donna chimed in.

  Ugh, way to go Keegan. This wasn’t a subject I wanted to talk about. Especially with all these people, let alone Turner listening. I knew as soon as we were alone, he was going to ask me questions. He was reading me right now.

  I glanced around the table and all eyes were on me. “I had a patient a couple weeks ago give birth to a premature baby. I sometimes go check on it.”

  Donna’s eyes softened. “Oh my, that’s very sweet of you.”

  “Well, it wasn’t quite that simple. The mom was an addict. She ended up abandoning him the same day she gave birth. Seriously, it was terrible. I’m telling you, had I been the delivering nurse that day, I would have given her a piece of my mind.” Keegan was getting riled up. I wanted to slap her for divulging so much.

  “When was this?” Turner asked.

  I didn’t give him my eyes. I didn’t want to. He’d see exactly what talking about the baby did to me.

  “It was the day after the wedding.”

  “I don’t know how a mother could just leave their baby like that.” Donna had tears in her eyes. God, this subject needed to be changed quick. “It was a boy?”

  I nodded.

  “Do you know what’s going to happen to him when he’s strong enough to get out of the hospital?”

  This was a question that plagued me more and more as the baby grew stronger. I honestly didn’t know what would happen to him, but I could only assume he would go into the state’s care.

  “I’m not certain. But there are a lot of adoptive parents out there that would love to have a newborn baby. Just don’t know what kind of long term effects he will have from everything his mother was on. So it could be a tricky case.”

  Turner touched the small of my back. He was giving me comfort when I didn’t even realize I needed it.

  “So, yeah, great dinner time convo,” Macie piped in, clearly not wanting to talk about this any longer. Thank God, I could hug her. “Donna, I’m going to start cleaning up, is that okay?”

  All of the attention that was on me, shifted to her.

  “Sure, darlin’. I’ll help.”

  Macie shook her head. “No, it’s okay, I don’t mind. You made a fabulous dinner, you deserve to relax and enjoy your boys.” She stood up and grabbed the plates nearest to her. When she walked out, Dodger stood up and followed. I knew I wasn’t the only one that would like to know what was going on with those two.

  “So, are we having dessert first or are we heading out to the field?” Wrigley asked, stretching his arms above his head.

  “I vote field,” Paul said.

  “I second that,” Camden replied. “What do you want to do, babe?”

  Keegan put her hand on his. “I’m fine either way.”

  Paul rubbed his hands together. “Looks like it’s game time.”

  We all got up from the table and made our way to the garage.

  The guys packed everything up, and Keegan went back into the house to get Macie and Dodger. Turner led me to one of the golf carts and sat down next to me.

  “You going to play on my team?”

  I raised my brow. “I don’t know. Are you any good?”

  “You’ve seen me play before, Annabelle.”

  “I wasn’t paying that close attention.”

  He rubbed his chest with his fist. “Ouch! My ego has been struck.”

  I playfully shoved him. “No, it hasn’t, hush.”

  “And here I thought you were staring at me the whole time.”

  I leaned in close to him. His eyes watched me like a hawk. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, though.” I spoke even quieter, “I did watch you during dinner.” I winked and faced forward, hoping we would leave soon.

  Keegan stepped outside looking frustrated and ready to hit something. “Macie isn’t coming. She said she isn’t feeling well and is going home.”

>   Donna started to get off the golf cart. “Does she need someone to take her home?”

  “Dodger is telling her he’d take her, but you know her. She’s fighting him tooth and nail and is refusing to be near him.”

  Speaking of, Dodger came out of the house, slamming the door behind him. He ignored all he looks we were throwing his way, grabbed a bat bag, and walked out of the garage without a word.

  “Well, all right,” Turner said. “Looks like trouble in Love Land.”

  “Stop it,” I scolded.

  “I’m sure if Macie needs something she will let someone know.” Paul redirected the family’s attention. “Let’s head over.”

  Nothing more needed to be said. The patriarch of the family spoke and that was the end of it. We all took off in our carts and drove down the road to the empty baseball field the family owned and was very familiar with. I’d only been out here one time, but that one time was all it took. I felt comfortable, like this was something I’d done regularly with them. I couldn’t pinpoint why this family was so welcoming and warm. They all had that way about them that invited you in, made you feel at ease. You never felt out of place with them. It must be their gift.

  Unloading everything, Dodger was standing in front of a fence, throwing a baseball as hard as he could. It bounced back and he’d catch it with his bare hands. Clearly, he was letting off some steam. He didn’t even turn to look at us when we rolled up.

  “Teams,” Wrigley said rubbing his hands together. “Me, Mom, Camden, and Annabelle.”

  “What? No way, she’s on my team asshole,” Turner retorted.

  “Dad, Turner, Keegan, and Dodger.” He nodded, proud of himself and ignoring his brother.

  “No, teams need to be broken up differently. We will take Annabelle, y’all can have Dodger.”

  “Don’t be crazy, big brother. You know I gave you the better team.”

  “Hey,” Camden piped in. “Need I remind you who was picked up by the number one college in the nation?”

  “Dude, you say that every time we come out here. We know . . . it’s old news,” Wrigley grumbled.

  I got the distinct impression it was a sore spot for him. Wonder if it was some friendly brotherly competition.

  “We good with the teams?” Paul said, stepping between the brothers.

  Both boys nodded.

  It was determined that I was with Turner, which I was somewhat disappointed about. I wanted to test my abilities at kicking his ass, but couldn’t very well do that when we were both trying to score a run. We played a five inning game. There was so much laugher and banter. Best part, I managed to stay on two feet this time. Couldn’t say as much for Paul. He felt it was necessary to slide into third base, effectively taking out his youngest, and giving poor Donna a heart attack in the process. She yelled at him while checking out his ripped pants, saying he wasn’t twenty years old anymore and couldn’t play rough or someone was going to get hurt. You know, typical mom stuff.

  Donna ended up sitting out after Paul’s little spill. It frazzled her. When I stood off to the side waiting for my turn to bat, she came over to me.

  “So sad about the baby.”

  I glanced down at her. Oh God, did we have to talk about this again?

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Are you okay?”

  I tilted my head to the side. “Yes. Why?”

  She gave me a gentle smile. “Because, honey, I read people. No, not like that psychic crap you see on TV. But I can sense when someone is holding back and not letting their feelings through. Kind of like Macie and Dodger. I know those two, and I know how much she loves him. She has her issues she is sorting through and they will eventually come together. And when we were sitting at dinner, I saw your hands twisting and your eyes got glassy.” She paused and let me take in what she was saying. “That baby means something to you.”

  I gulped. “Sure, I care about him. He’s an innocent child.”

  I wasn’t fooling her. “It’s more than that. I’m not sure what your connection is with him, but I will tell you this, keep going to him. Visit him, hold him, feed him, let him feel loved. Love is what heals. We don’t know what God has in store for that little man, but you’re a kind and sweet person to go to him and care for him like you have. That tells me something about your heart and what kind of woman you are. I have no doubt your momma is looking down on you and is proud of you.”

  Okay and cue the tears. Who the hell is Donna Brooks and where in the world did she come from? This wasn’t anything I wanted to hear right now. I was not a religious person and I had no clue if my parents were in heaven seeing and watching everything I did in life. I didn’t think they were anywhere. When they died, they died. I didn’t know if there was a God, so I couldn’t believe in the saying, “he had a plan for them.” Taking away a young girl’s family was not a plan. It was awful, and painful. Cruel. It ripped my soul out and shredded it. My parents were in the ground forty minutes from this baseball field and that’s what I actually believed.

  I didn’t want to be rude to a woman who’s been nothing but kind to me, so I mustered a smile.

  “Thank you.”

  She patted my shoulder. “You’re welcome. Now, if my youngest boy could find a good girl, like you three, I’d be a happy momma.”

  I was perplexed. “What?”

  She waved her hand in the air. “That Wrigley is a thorn in my heel. I love him more than pie, but that boy is so lax about life, I don’t know if he will ever settle down. I knew my other three would, but him . . . well, I’ll fall off my rocker the day he brings home a girl and says she’s a keeper.” She chortled like she just told the best joke.

  I was still caught up in the previous conversation when she threw another glass of water in my face. She spoke like Turner was settling down. No. No way, was it with me. I was only just beginning to relax with him and let him in. Could we at least have our first kiss before we started talking forever or settling down?

  “Oh, your turn, honey!” Donna called my attention back to the game.

  Right. Who the hell could hit a ball after all that mess?

  I did okay, for the most part, the rest of the game, but I knew Donna watched me. I realized just how much she watched everyone. This was how she knew things. She was an observant little thing.

  Game time was over and time to wrap everything up after playing two more innings. It was dark outside, but a couple lights kept the field fairly lit. Mosquitos were getting a tad ridiculous and Keegan said they needed to go home to check on the dog. I was ready to go home to my cat and glass of wine. I felt dead on my feet.

  “Hey, you,” Turner said to me.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Walk with me.” He took my hand and held me back.

  The family cleared the field and drove back to the house.

  “Did you have a good time?” he asked.

  Besides discussing a couple subjects that I would have rather had my wisdom teeth removed again than talk about, I can’t say I didn’t.

  “Yes. Your mom is quite the cook.”

  “She is. She holds the records for the best Blackberry Pie and shrimp creole in three counties.”

  I laughed. “Oh God, don’t talk about food. After playing the game, I’m ready for another full meal.”

  He poked my side. “You could stand to gain a bit.”

  I stopped walking. “Uh, no, sir. I’ve been eating anything I can get my hands on because of my crazy schedule at the hospital. Tonight is the first time I’ve had a homemade meal in over a month. Take out is all I have time for. And I certainly haven’t been hitting the gym.”

  He gave my hand a tug, pulling me into him. The hardness of his chest made me breathe heavier. My other hand came up on its own accord and rested right over his heart. It was beating normally. Clearly, I didn’t affect him like he was affecting me. If someone took my blood pressure right now it would be sky high and they’d cart me off to the hospital.

  “You’re kidding m
e, right?” he genuinely asked.

  “Kidding you about what?”

  “Your weight.”

  I tried to laugh it off. “No. I mean, I’m mostly teasing, but it wouldn’t hurt for me to hit a gym every now and then so I can keep up with all the calories and chocolate cake . . . or pie, I’ve been eating.”

  He wanted to smile at that one, I know he did, but he remained serious.

  “You’re beautiful in every way, Annabelle. Sure your looks drew me in, but I’ve gotten to know you, and that heart of yours is huge. Gym or no gym, weight gain or no weight gain, you’re still the same person to me.”

  I blinked rapidly. “You don’t really even know me.”

  He leaned his head forward so his bright blue eyes were in a direct path with mine. “Oh, yes, I do. You may not share some parts of your life with me yet, but you will. In time, you will. And no matter what, it still doesn’t change how loving and beautiful you are in the parts that you have shown me.”

  I was pulled back into that place that he was so good at putting me. A place where only Turner and I existed and I couldn’t even feel if my own feet were touching the ground. I was floating, and all I thought about was if I wished hard enough for him to kiss me, he just might do it.

  “Those are some pretty strong words, Dr. Brooks,” I squeaked out.

  He nodded. “Yes, they are.”

  I had no clue how close we were to the house, how far we had walked, if the crickets were still chirping or if they were waiting for the same thing I was waiting for. But it was happening. Turner released my hand and placed both of his on either side of my face. One of his thumbs brushed my cheek so tenderly that I barely felt it whisper across my skin. Nope, definitely no gravity on planet earth right now. As he came toward me, I did the only thing I could do. I closed my eyes and gave in to the power of him, and I let him lead the way.

  His lips were a soft brush over mine at first. Like stepping your foot into open water and seeing if it was going to be warm or cold. Warmth was all I felt. My heart fluttered, then came crashing to a halt when he came back and applied more pressure this time, allowing me to really feel the sensation of his mouth pushing against mine. Tentatively, I opened, barely enough to suggest I wanted more. He took my suggestion and ran away with it. Turner Brooks wrapped one arm around my lower back, pulling me flush to him, and his other threaded into my hair. His tongue danced along the outside of my lips before plunging into my mouth demanding more. I sighed and melted into him. This kiss was unlike those crazy, inexperienced first kisses. There was no learning if one person liked it fast or slow, soft or hard, more tongue or lips. Turner was all of it. He was moving his mouth in a demanding manner, before he’d slow his pace and I’d follow suit. Never in my life had I been kissed like this. I didn’t want it to end either. Not having any clue how long we stood like this, Turner kept the lead, but eventually ended the kiss with a tender peck, then sweetly kissed the tip of my nose.