The Core Four Series

by Stacy Borel

  “You’re sorry?”

  “Very. I’ve spent the last few weeks completely miserable and sad that I’ve not seen you. I know the things I was holding over your head was wrong. I realized everyone else was moving forward, and I was stuck. I had no clue how to let go, and you showed me that things actually can change.”

  He ran his hand through his freshly cut, dark brown hair. His hazel eyes were glistening in the early morning light. “Well, thank you for that. I appreciate the apology.”

  I shuffled my feet. “Erm, don’t you think you should say something more?”

  “Like what?”

  “Maybe an apology of your own? I mean it took a lot for me to come here and say all this.”

  “Hadley, just because someone says they are sorry, doesn’t mean the other person has to say it back.”

  What? “Since when?”

  Was now the moment I started questioning my coming here and showing him that I cared? Did I waste the last month thinking I had done this horrible thing, and he had been moving on like nothing was bothering him? Had he brushed me aside?

  He snickered. “Why don’t you tell me what you want me to apologize for, and we can talk about it.”

  “Wrigley,” I furrowed my brows. “Now is not the time to be an ass. We both messed up here. I’ve apologized for my wrong doing, but you’re not even acknowledging that you opened yourself up to a person that I’m certain you knew got under my skin. Not only that, but even despite my lies, you never told me that your mom was aware of our relationship. I felt blindsided. This was the first relationship I’d been in, and it was grounds I’d never walked through. I had no idea how to respond, and I didn’t know if it was something you okay with me openly talking about. We should have discussed it.”

  He sighed and rubbed his hand down his face. “Well, you’re definitely right about that. We should have. I let you get away too long with not saying we were in an official relationship. If we had, I don’t think all the shit with my mom would have even gone down.”

  “No, it wouldn’t have. Sure, I would have been hesitant or shy to talk about it, but I wouldn’t have clammed up.”

  “Good to know.”

  “And Livi?”

  He turned and went to lean against the lawn mower. “Livi was a mistake.”

  My stomach began to flip flop. “Why does it sound like you’re about to tell me more than I want to hear?”

  “Huh?” Puzzled, he was trying to grasp what I could be eluding to. “Hadley, are you asking if something more happened since the day in the pub?”

  “Yes.” Being direct was all I could muster.

  Exasperated, he flung his hands in the air. “Fuck no. I have never been interested in her. I told her shit that I should have never have said, and that was a mistake. While I wasn’t happy that you listened in on that conversation, it wasn’t right for me to say what I did. If that is the apology that you are really waiting on, then there you have it. I’m sorry. Livi was there, alcohol was there, and I was confused by what was going on between us.”

  I blew out a breath I had been holding in. Good lord I didn’t know just how tense the idea of Wrigley being with Livi would make me, but my body felt rigid and I’d probably throw up on his sock clad feet if he said something more had happened.

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to know.” I took a few small steps towards him and peered up at him. “Seems there were a lot of misconstrued problems, that a simple conversation would have solved.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, not with the alcohol involved. You’re kind of a mean little badass when you’re drunk.”

  I blushed. “Yeah, about that. Remind me to never do that again. I was praying to the porcelain gods for a whole day.”

  He laughed. It was a welcomed, sweet sound, to my ear.

  “I guess we really screwed up, didn’t we?”

  “Screwed up what?”

  I motioned between us. “This, us.”

  “Are you acknowledging that there’s an us here?”

  My nails started clicking and he looked down at them. The corner of his mouth tilted up.

  “I am, if there really is an us.”

  Wrigley, stood up from the mower and took two steps towards me. We were nearly touching, and I could almost feel his body heat. “Can we label it?”

  I reached up and slapped his chest. “Hush.”

  He chuckled. “No, seriously. I think it’s important for it to be known and that there be a name here. Boyfriend and girlfriend. There will be no questioning what we are and who we are to each other.”

  My heart began to race. “Then let there be labels.”

  He gave me a full-blown smile with brilliant white teeth. “And truly for the record, whatever you overheard with Livi, I told her I was an idiot and to leave me alone. She needed to know there was never going to be a chance between us. I’m pretty sure Faith said Livi failed her semester and is going to attend school wherever she lives.”

  I reached up, grabbed his arm and acted shocked. “Don’t toy with me, Brooks. This would be the best Christmas present ever.”

  He shook his head. “Come here.”

  Wrigley pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around my back. I pressed myself into him and got as close as I possibly could. He was still toasty from being inside. He took one of his hands behind me and tugged on my hair gently, bringing my head back so he could look down at me.

  “This gets a fair shot this time, understand?”

  I didn’t know where this bossy dominant Wrigley came from, but I loved it. “Yes sir!” I mocked with a solute.

  He laughed then brought his lips down to mine in a deep passionate kiss. It was a kiss that sealed the deal for me. It was one that spoke volumes louder than if I had been shouting ‘I love you’ from a megaphone down the street at him. He parted his mouth and brushed his tongue across mine. He tasted like cinnamon. I wanted more, but he kissed me long enough to leave me panting and wanting so much more than I could express.

  He pulled back but kept an arm around my shoulder. “So, you’ve never seen Can’t Buy Me Love till now?”

  I elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m learning that I should definitely brush up on my pop culture. Aurora’s making me.”

  He laughed and led me towards the house. “You’re my girl, Hadley.”

  “Sounds like the real Christmas present that I asked Santa for.

  “Ho, ho, ho.” He chimed.

  I certainly had no clue how this all was going to end up, but I couldn’t have written it better if it had been in a romance novel. My heart was full, I was home with my family, and I knew more of who I was now, than I had even three weeks ago. Wrigley Brooks was teaching me, yet again. And I adored him for it. He was mine, and I was his. Labels and all.

  As he held open the door for me, Donna was standing there waiting to greet with me with a warm and welcoming hug. Wrigley slapped my butt and said, “Mom… meet my girlfriend.”

  I giggled as he shut the door. I adored this boy of mine.

  Epilogue

  (Five Years Later)

  “FOSTER, GET YOUR FINGER out of your nose.” Dodger scolded.

  “Dad,” four-year-old Foster put his hand on his hip. “It’s not gross. Parker in my class does it all the time. He even eats them.”

  “If Parker jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?”

  “Sure, if it’s the bungee kind.”

  “Oh my Lord, Macie would you come explain to your son that we don’t jump off bridges, and picking noses isn’t cool.”

  Macie walked over from the side lines laughing at her husband. “You’re such a baby, Dodger.” She squatted down to Foster. “Quit picking your nose or it’ll fall off. And maybe someday your dad will jump off a bridge with you.”

  Donna and Paul chuckled. Dodger came to stand beside us. “It’s the pregnancy talking, right?” He asked.

  I nodded reassuringly and patted his shoulder. “Probably.” Macie stood up and rubbed her very large
belly. “Or she’s mad she’s pregnant again, and wants a bigger wedding ring.”

  “Kill me,” he said exasperated, even though he was beaming at his little family.

  “Let’s go everybody. Bottom of the ninth, one batter on first and one out. Mom’s brisket is going to dry out if we don’t wrap this up after Annabelle.”

  Turner was hollering at the whole family. It was middle of spring and we were all here celebrating and enjoying the first day the temps were in the mid-seventies and sunny.

  “Leave it up to Turner to keep everyone on track.” Annabelle, Turner’s wife rolled her eyes. She grabbed a bat and headed up to home plate.

  They were in town for a week. After jet setting all over the world for several years, I think both were ready to come back home and settle down. Maybe even start a family. Annabelle was never interested in having kids, but from what Donna had said, after seeing her nephew and niece, it was something Annabelle was opening up to. They both had careers that kept them busy, but could take a hiatus.

  Turner wound up his arm like he was going to throw the ball harder than he did towards his wife. She swung and the ball went flying over his head.

  “Whoops!” Annabelle yelled and she tossed her bat to the ground. Turner stood there gaping. She took off around the bases as my dad and mom went running for the fly ball. I loved that they were included in the festivities, like they were as much a part of the family as everyone else.

  Keegan, who had been on first, was already rounding for home before the ball headed back into the infield. She flung herself over home plate and Annabelle was just hitting third when Turner grabbed the ball and darted towards her. She laughed hysterically as he chased her around like they were playing a game of tag.

  Everyone laughed at their antics.

  Dodger patted Wrigley’s back. “He just doesn’t want to go up against you again. If you swung those girls into home, his team would’ve never caught up.”

  Wrigley smirked. “Nah, I’m not good. I get all the baseball a person can handle.”

  Paul watched on as his boys bantered back and forth and I could see how much pride he had for them. His dreams of having at least one of his sons playing in the Major Leagues became a reality with Wrigley. I don’t think Paul’s feet had touched the ground since he heard the news.

  “Hey, would you save that shit for the bedroom?” Camden playfully grumbled at Turner, causing me to look at them.

  “Hey, would you watch your mouth?” Keegan scolded. She was hoisting their three-year-old little girl up on her hip.

  “What’s shit, Daddy?” Ashton asked.

  Keegan glared at Camden. “Erm… “He snagged her from Keegan. “Ash have I ever told you how beautiful you are, and how you look just like your mother?” He tickled her side.

  She giggled and it was the sweetest sound. “All the time, Daddy.”

  “That’s cause Daddy is always in trouble with Mommy,” Camden grumbled.

  Keegan couldn’t help but grin and nod. Ashton was the apple of everyone’s eye. The first girl this family had since Bree, the half-sister, whom I had yet to meet. But she was starting to come around a little more often. Donna spoiled Ashton rotten, and I don’t think I’d ever seen her wear the same outfit more than once, the child had so many clothes. And her shoe collection was on another level.

  Wrapping up the game, we all loaded up the gear and packed it onto the golf carts. I took a moment to look at my extended family. I couldn’t help but think about how different this all was. How life had a funny way of telling you what you needed, instead of you telling life what you needed. I was blessed. We all were blessed. Camden and Keegan had started their family and were still running a successful gym. They were even talking about opening up a second location in the next town over.

  Macie and Dodger had finally tied the knot after she’d gotten pregnant for the second time. While, she adored being a nurse, she decided being a stay at home mom to their son, and newest baby boy that was going to be arriving in a couple months, was going to be her newest adventure. Dodger wasn’t so sure she would like it, but he supported her decision and loved the idea of the boys being raised similar to the way he was. Donna stayed at home with all of her boys. And who knows, maybe Macie was creating the newest line-up of Brooks brothers.

  As for Wrigley and myself, well, turned out he is my forever. I don’t think even my wildest dreams were ever this good. Life wasn’t always a fairytale with Wrigley Brooks, but he was the most understanding between the two of us. And he was still teaching me new things every day. Right now, we were taking a very rare weekend break from spring training to visit the family and say hi. We’d both graduated from LSU after a long and grueling four years. He’d given me the shock of a lifetime when he’d waited for me at the bottom of the steps when I walked across the stage to accept my diploma. He had been down on one knee and said every sweet word that one could think of to make a girl say ‘yes’.

  We would marry at the end of December here in Athens, where all of our family was. But, for now, he’d just signed a one-year contract with the Cubs and we were living in an apartment in downtown Chicago. He was okay with the one-year deal. He liked being a free agent and having the opportunity to work with different teams. I was thrilled that they saw his talent. The whole family was ecstatic. As for me, I found a good job working for an investment company and I could say life was pretty great. Even if we had to move when his season was over, I made sure I took something that would allow me to work from home if I needed to. Not that his salary didn’t pay for anything we could possibly want.

  What never changed though was right here. The stability and love that was always provided when we wanted or needed a blessing. We were all fortunate. The Brooks family was growing, our extended families were growing, and life showed me that through hardships brought opportunities. I loved my life. I loved Athens, Georgia. This was home… where all of our hearts lie. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

  The End

  (and the author sobs and sobs and sobs)

  To my readers,

  I wanted to write a quick note to thank you for the past two and half years. It has been two and half years of love, heartache, hardships, and support. All of which I couldn’t have done without you. Back when I came up with the concept of Bender, I had no idea that one little story in my head would create a world that so many would love as much as I did. The Brooks brothers are real. They live in my head, and now they are with each one of you.

  Thank you. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. There are not enough words, and adjectives in the English language that can express what you all have given to me. I hope I did the Brooks justice, and I hope even more that you all continue one in your reading journeys with me.

  Love,

  Stacy