by T. K. Leigh
“What do you mean?” My voice is guarded as my stomach knots with nerves, worried I’m not going to like what he needs to tell me.
“Ana and I are moving in together, and she’s agreed to marry me.”
My jaw drops as I process this dramatic change in events, rendered speechless. It’s unexpected but amazing at the same time.
“I just… I want your blessing first.”
I fling my arms around his neck, hugging him. “You don’t need my blessing! This is great news! It’s what Mom would’ve wanted.”
“I know,” he says, placing his hand on my lower back and bringing me closer to him, our hug lasting longer than usual. “I see that now.”
“I’m so happy for you.” I pull back, squeezing his biceps. “Honestly.”
He pauses, his eyes locked on mine. “There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
He draws in a deep breath, assessing me. “Since Ana and I both lost someone, we decided our best chance was a fresh start, a clean slate, one where we’re not surrounded by the memories.”
My pulse picks up as I prepare myself for the words I know are about to come.
“We’ve bought a new place together. I’m putting the house up for sale.”
“Oh.”
I release my hold on him, swallowing hard. This news hits me differently than him marrying Ana, like he just told me a loved one had died. I suppose having to say goodbye to your childhood home is similar to losing a lifelong friend, one who stood by you through all the ups and downs of your early years, was witness to triumphs and defeats, moments of happiness and sadness.
“I know it’s not the news you want to hear.” He pulls me into a hug once more, kissing my temple. “But you have a new life now, too. If I’ve learned anything over the past almost thirty years, it’s better to look forward than be stuck in the past.” He points toward the front door of Molly’s house, his voice strong and powerful. “Your future is sitting in there with more love for you than I could have ever dreamed. No matter what, you’ll still have all those great memories we made in that house. Now it’s time to make new ones. For all of us. It’s what we all deserve.”
I nod against his chest, relishing in the sound of his beating heart. “Yes, it is.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Brooklyn
My heart heavy, I make my way from my car and up the steep hill to my father’s house the last Sunday in August. It’s only 6:30 in the morning, but the moving truck is already backed up in the driveway, boxes piled in the open garage. Last night was restless for me with what today would bring, the idea of saying goodbye to my childhood home causing me to toss and turn.
As the sun rose, I got up to go for a drive before coming over here. Feeling nostalgic, I took a detour by Wes’ house in Cambridge, slowing when I saw moving trucks parked in his driveway, too. I hadn’t spoken to him since I called off our wedding, but as I was about to drive past, his eyes found mine. He smiled, a simple gesture, but in that one motion, I knew he’d be okay, that he’d find someone who would love him the way he deserves to be loved.
Morning dew covers the grass as I head toward the front door, bringing my key up to the lock. It’s a little bittersweet, knowing this is the last time I’ll be able to use this key to let myself in. The last time I’ll enter the house and breathe in the aroma that is uniquely home. The last time I’ll bask in the security these four walls have always provided me.
Blinking back my tears, I insert my key, turning the knob, letting myself into the small house I grew up in. Now, the place is barely recognizable. Much of the furniture has been sold and no longer clutters the tiny living space. Boxes are stacked almost to the ceiling, all labeled with the room they belong in. The walls are barren, devoid of the multitude of family photos my father displayed with pride.
I shift my eyes out the front window, a lump building in my throat when I see the swing blowing slightly. That swing brings back so many memories, ones I wish I could keep with me forever. It feels like it was just yesterday when Drew pushed me on that very swing, then was inches away from kissing me. I can almost see the ghosts of our past out there, laughing nervously as we realized we weren’t just the friends we thought we were.
“Morning, Brooklyn,” Dad says in a chipper voice. Wiping my cheeks, I whirl around, forcing a smile.
“Hey, Dad.” I walk into the small kitchen as he pours two cups of coffee. “How ya doing?”
He places the pot back on the burner, contemplating my question for a moment. “Surprisingly okay. It may be a different story once this stuff is out of the house and all I see are the walls full of memories, but this is the right thing. Ana’s already said goodbye to her house and her memories. It’s time I do the same.”
He pours some milk into my mug, then adds a packet of sweetener before handing me my coffee, bringing his to his mouth. He takes his black. I wonder if it’s a firefighter thing. Every single one of the guys at the station seems to take it that way.
“Well, what can I do to help?” I ask after we’ve both had a few sips, the silence thick.
“My bedroom’s still a disaster. Let’s start there.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He heads down the corridor and I follow, stealing a glance at my old bedroom that’s now completely empty. I slow my steps, staring at the barren walls. This space is full of so many memories, some bad, most good. The more I think about it, even the memories I considered bad aren’t, now that I’ve found my happiness, now that Drew and I found our way back to each other.
“Brook?” Dad’s voice catches my attention.
“Sorry. Coming.”
I continue into the master bedroom, where my dad puts me to work boxing up his bookshelves while he works in the bathroom.
As I’m wrapping up a few of the awards my father’s received during his career, the doorbell rings.
“Brooklyn, sweetie,” he calls out. “Do you mind getting that? I’m in the middle of something.”
“Sure thing,” I answer, raising myself to my feet and padding down the hallway.
Without looking through the peephole, I open the door, then inhale a sharp breath when I see Drew standing on the front stoop. But that’s not what takes me by surprise. It’s the fact that he’s clean-shaven, dressed in a suit, his hair groomed. His girls stand on either side of him, smiling a toothy grin, wearing identical sundresses.
“Drew?” I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s going on?”
“Remember how I promised months ago that I’d do everything to make you think I’m deserving of your love?”
“Yes…,” I answer in a drawn-out voice, my gaze nervously darting around.
“Well, that’s what this is. I’m here to fulfill the first promise I made to you.” He brings his wrist up, studying his watch. “Although I’m seventeen years late.”
I shoot my eyes to my own watch. 7:01 a.m. I spy the date, August 26th. My hand flies to my mouth, my breath catching. When he drops to one knee, I lose the little composure I have left, tears spilling over.
“My beautiful Brooklyn Rose, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime. And I’d like to say I regret them. I suppose I do to some extent, but every single horrible choice I made led me here, to this moment…to you.” His eyes remain locked on mine. It’s the only thing keeping me upright, my knees weak, my heart hammering in my chest. “Truthfully, I never thought this moment would come, that I’d ever have this chance. I’ve imagined this more times than I care to admit, but now that I’m here, now that we’re here, I’m afraid what I planned to say is woefully inadequate.”
It doesn’t matter it’s just after seven in the morning. The neighborhood is full of activity, and many of the neighbors have stopped their morning routine, congregating at the foot of the hill to watch this moment. A moment that’s been seventeen years in the making. Regardless, I don’t care that they’re witnessing this. I want them here, want to give people hope that they can find the happiness they’re looking
for, just like we did.
“When I kissed you all those years ago, I was convinced you were my once in a lifetime. Now, as I kneel before you, I am absolutely certain I was right. I don’t want to go another minute of my life without you being mine in every sense of the word. I don’t want to fall asleep another night without you in my arms. And I don’t want to wake up another day without feeling your love radiating for me and me alone.”
He reaches into his pocket and brings out a velvet box, flipping it open to reveal a stunning round cut solitaire. The sun hits it, making it reflect in my eyes. He looks to his girls, nodding at them. They also open a velvet box each, a pair of tanzanite earrings from Alyssa, amethyst from Charlotte. The girls’ birthstones.
“Brooklyn Rose Tanner, will you marry us? Be part of our family? Build a new life with us? Complete us?”
Tears obscure my vision as I look from Drew to his girls. Charlotte and Alyssa grin wide, their eyes filled with excitement as they bounce on their feet. In the past half-year, I’ve now been proposed to three times. But this one is filled with so much more meaning, so much more emotion, so much more heart. I sense a presence approach and glance behind me to see my father standing there, smiling in approval.
“Say yes,” Charlotte whispers. “Daddy says we can go to Disney World again if we get you to say yes.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. My eyes returning to Drew’s, which are warm with affection, I nod enthusiastically. “Yes, Drew. And Alyssa and Charlotte. I’ll marry you. All of you.”
Drew blows out a relieved breath as the girls squeal. In an instant, he’s on his feet, pulling me into his arms as he slides the ring onto my finger. Unlike when Wes did the same thing, this no longer feels like a chain shackling me to a life I’m unsure I want. When Drew’s ring locks into place, it’s like the piece I’ve been searching for all my life has been found.
He brings his lips toward mine, kissing me sweetly, reverently, thoughtfully. It’s fitting he proposed on the date and time he broke the promise that seemed to impact our relationship for years. Drew was my first love, my first kiss. And he’ll be my last.
“Now do you believe me?” he murmurs against my mouth.
“What’s that?”
“You were never just my sister’s best friend.”
I run my hands through his hair, arching into him. “I do now.”
Thank you so much for reading REDEMPTION! I hope you’ve enjoyed Brooklyn and Drew’s story!
* * *
Want to know if Wes finds his happily ever after? Grab POSSESSION today!
When we met in the rain, I never expected to see him again... Until I learn he's my new client.
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Possession
Start Wes’ story. Download Possession here.
* * *
Sometimes the right path isn’t the easiest one.
* * *
Weston Bradford entered my world in a whirlwind.
* * *
Or, more accurately, during a torrential downpour.
* * *
After our brief encounter, I didn’t think I’d ever see the attractive man with mesmerizing blue eyes again. Not in a city the size of Atlanta.
* * *
Until I agree to take on a historic home renovation and learn the owner is none other than the same Weston Bradford who I met in the rain.
* * *
We’re as opposite as two people can be, but there’s no denying the spark, the connection, the invisible tether pulling us toward one another.
* * *
But my past has left me broken and scarred, forcing me to erect walls around myself. That doesn’t seem to deter Wes, though. He’s more than happy to scale those walls to possess the one thing I swore I’d never give another person again — my heart.
* * *
When the past collides with my present in an unexpected way, will he stand by my side and weather the storm threatening to destroy everything? Or will he abandon me like everyone else in my life?
* * *
Download your copy here.
* * *
Keep reading for a sneak peek of his story.
Possession Excerpt
Download your copy here.
Londyn
The butterfly effect in chaos theory states that sometimes insignificant events bring about extensive change, either good or bad. It’s the notion that a butterfly can flap its wings, triggering a chain of events that will lead to a massive tsunami, forever altering the face of the earth and the lives of those affected.
I’ve always been intrigued by the concept that a seemingly innocuous and everyday event could have major consequences.
What would have happened if Archduke Ferdinand had taken a different route through Sarajevo, thwarting a young nationalist’s assassination attempt, which eventually led to the start of World War I? Would some other event have been the catalyst for it, the world just a ticking time bomb? Or would society have continued living in peace?
What would have happened had the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna not rejected Adolf Hitler’s application to attend…twice? Would he have taken a different path, saving the world from his tyranny and hate?
And what would have happened if I hadn’t fallen in that crosswalk on a rainy day in Atlanta? Would I have carried on with my life, content with my relatively solitary existence? Or would our paths have crossed anyway, starting a series of events I never could have predicted in my wildest imagination?
I’ll never know. Because I did fall in that crosswalk.
Our paths did cross.
Our lives did intersect.
One seemingly insignificant event.
One meeting most people wouldn’t think twice about.
But one event that eventually altered my entire world.
“Don’t tell me you got the ax.”
I pull myself away from packing the few personal items from my cubicle at the interior design firm I’ve called home the past few years. Looking up, I meet Justine’s dark gaze, her expression awash with sympathy.
“I did.”
“Oh, Londyn…” Arms extended, she approaches, wrapping me in a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I lean back, giving her a reassuring smile. “It was bound to happen when they brought in the efficiency experts.” I shrug, swallowing past the lump in my throat. It doesn’t matter how inevitable today was. It still hurts. “I’m one of the last hires. Not to mention I have the least experience out of everyone on the team.”
Justine rolls her eyes, flipping a few blonde waves over her shoulder. “Experience and talent are two different things. You can have years of experience but be a talentless hack.” She edges closer, lowering her voice. “Like half the people here.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. Or at least I will be after I drown myself in a bottle of wine later.”
“That’s my girl.” She squeezes my bicep.
On a dejected sigh, I step away, scanning my cubicle, which is now devoid of my personal items. Except one.
Walking to the corner of my desk, I grab the small, framed photo of my parents and me from years ago. Twenty years to be exact. This was the last picture taken of us as a family before my mother was killed on this very date.
I think that’s why losing my job on today of all days has hit me so hard. Not because I’m now unemployed, but because of all the horrible memories associated with this day. Just once, I’d love to have a positive memory of June third.
“Well, I guess that’s it,” I say after placing the photo into my bag.
“It won’t be the same without you here, but I believe this is the best thing for you. You
’re too talented to work here. I felt it the first time we met. You’re destined for greater things than designing kitchens and bathrooms in accordance with what our client saw on the latest HGTV show.”
I laugh. “Ain’t that the truth.”
She pulls me in for one more hug before releasing me. “Drinks soon?”
“Absolutely.” I hold her gaze another moment before turning and making my way through the cubicle-filled space for the last time.
Sympathetic smiles greet me as I pass, other designers in tears as they pack up their own cubicles. I suppose I should feel lucky I’d only been here a few years before getting fired. Some worked here for ten or fifteen years. Have families to support. College educations to pay for. I don’t. I only have myself.
I make my way to the elevator and press the down button. A car arrives almost immediately, and I hurry inside. When the doors close, I expel a breath, thankful to be alone at last. I lean against the wall, looking up at the florescent lights in the ceiling. Maybe Justine is right. Maybe I’m destined for bigger things than regurgitating the same design over and over. It’s no surprise I’ve always felt my creativity stunted here. Maybe this is my chance to go out on my own, start my own firm, do what I want.
My head held high and a renewed outlook filling me, I step out of the elevator and into the lobby, waving to the guard sitting at the security desk.
“You, too?” Oliver asks.
“Me, too,” I respond, my lips quirking into a half-hearted smile.