Authors: Rose Wulf
Four other sets of eyes followed his, and Christopher
sighed. “I suppose we are.”
“It’s too bad we can’t just convince her that she slipped,
hit her head on a rock, and dreamt the whole thing,” Dean said with a frown.
“That doesn’t work in the real world, Dean,” Blake replied.
Despite his words, he agreed with his brother. It was better with fewer people
knowing their secret—especially with dangerous enemies running around. And
Georgia wasn’t known for her ability to
avoid
gossip. So they would just have to hope she could keep this secret.
****
“She’ll be fine,” Brooke declared as they turned back
toward town and Blake’s house. The family had explained everything to Georgia,
who had insisted on staying with Brooke until she’d woken up. Brooke hadn’t
been surprised to learn that they’d told Georgia the truth, and in turn she
told them what she’d learned—the Mystery Man’s name.
After all the information had been shared, Georgia had
asked to be driven back to her car, which was still in the parking lot at the
beach. So Blake, Brooke, and Georgia had piled into his Mustang, and Blake had
taken them back to the beach. Georgia departed with the promise to call Brooke
later, and the couple watched in silence as she fast-walked to her car.
Brooke felt horrible. She was berating herself for not
listening to Blake’s warning the night before, and for not thinking of it on
her own before she’d even agreed to the trip. Because of her thoughtless
stubbornness, she had gotten her best friend hurt and nearly gotten herself
killed. And now her best friend was understandably freaked out, not having any
sort of clue how to react to the situation.
The only thing Brooke could use to console herself with was
the fact that, despite the danger, Blake hadn’t gotten hurt, too. For whatever
reason, Jacob hadn’t seen fit to stick around.
Maybe he never even knew Blake was there
. But it didn’t matter. So
much damage had already been done.
“I’m sorry,” Blake said quietly. His voice was tight,
matching the grip he had on his steering wheel, and he kept his eyes on the
road.
Brooke let him pull her out of her thoughts and turned her
head in his direction. She knew what he was apologizing for, so she didn’t ask.
Instead, she said, “You don’t have to apologize. If it weren’t for you I’d be
dead right now.
I’m
the one who needs
to apologize.” She paused, intending to do just that, when Blake interrupted
what she was about to say.
“It’s my fault you’ve gotten dragged into this in the first
place,” he insisted. One hand released the wheel, and he reached over to pull
one of Brooke’s hands into his. “I nearly lost you today.” The words were low and
filled with a kind of pain Brooke wished she couldn’t recognize.
She squeezed his hand reassuringly, her other hand covering
his as she held his hand in her lap. Softly, Brooke said, “I knew what I was
getting myself into, remember? And that means none of this is your fault.”
Blake said nothing, but he let her keep his hand sandwiched
between hers as he turned onto his street. He didn’t agree with her—she knew
that. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this argument.
Taking his hint, Brooke fell silent once more. She knew he
was upset, she was pretty sure she knew why, and there was nothing she could do
to make him feel better. So she watched quietly as he pulled into his garage,
and she made no attempt to move until the door rolled shut behind them.
They remained silent as they eased out of the car and Blake
led the way into the house.
Relief washed over Brooke when she stepped through the
door. Her eyes swept over the familiar space as she finally allowed herself to
realize just how close she’d come to never seeing it again. To never seeing her
family or friends again. Never telling Blake exactly how much he meant to her.
And why not? What am I waiting for?
“Brooke…?” Blake asked carefully when he realized she
wasn’t still walking behind him. He was facing her, concern clouding his eyes
as he searched her expression.
Brooke took a deep, shaky breath and smiled. “I’m okay,”
she said. “I’m just … happy to be here.”
Blake opened his mouth to say something, a flicker of
relief in his eyes, when he was interrupted by the ringing of his telephone.
They both jumped at the unexpected noise, their heads
immediately swiveling toward the kitchen, where the phone was mounted on the
wall above the counter.
Frowning suspiciously, Blake quickly strode to the kitchen
and lifted the device from its cradle. “Hello?” He paused, listening to the
caller, before saying, “Yeah, just a second.” Then he pulled the phone from his
ear, placed his free palm over the mouthpiece, and stage-whispered, “It’s for
you.”
Confusion settled on Brooke’s face, and she stepped up,
taking the phone from him as he moved back to give her breathing room. “Yes?”
****
Blake watched as she listened to her former landlord. She
had already received all the money she was due as a result of the fire, so he
was curious as to why the man was calling. He shifted and leaned against the
counter a few feet away, crossing his arms as Brooke finally spoke.
“Oh,” she said, clearly surprised. Her eyes flicked over to
Blake, but she looked away quickly and said, “Um, thank you. I do appreciate
you calling, but, is it all right if I take the day to think it over? I promise
I can give you an answer by tomorrow morning.”
Answer to what?
Blake wondered as his lips curved in a frown. A potential answer popped into
place in his head, seeming like the most realistic reason for the call, and
Blake’s stomach clenched. He didn’t want to be right. And more importantly, he
didn’t want Brooke to accept the offer if he was.
Then he remembered something else, and before he could
second-guess himself, he pushed from the counter and turned to the hall. He
could hear Brooke ending the conversation in the kitchen, but he kept going.
“Blake?” Brooke called, her voice coming from the kitchen.
She must have ended her call already.
“I’ll be right there,” Blake called back without breaking
stride. He’d made it to the bedroom, and a couple of quick steps more took him
to his destination. Once he had what he needed, he turned and quickly moved
back toward the kitchen and Brooke, curious to know if his guess was correct.
And more than a little curious—among other things—to know what the answer to
his
question would be.
“So,” Blake began as he walked back into the kitchen. “What
did he want to talk to you about?” He did his best to keep his nerves from showing.
The last thing he wanted was to worry her or tip his hand.
Brooke released a breath. “He, um … he said that one of his
tenants is going to be out by the end of the month. He offered to hold the unit
for me.”
Then I was right,
Blake thought as he nodded slowly in understanding. Carefully, he asked, “And …
do you want him to?”
Brooke swallowed as though she were nervous, but her answer
wasn’t long in coming. “No,” she admitted. “But I promised to find a new place
as soon as I could. I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.”
Blake frowned and stepped up to her, framing her face with
one hand. “I don’t think that.” He paused, his thumb caressing her cheek gently
for a moment, and then he pulled his hand away, taking a step backwards. “The choice
is yours, but, before you make your decision … let me make a counter-offer.”
“A counter-offer?” Brooke repeated. She watched, confusion
mounting in her eyes, as he took another step backwards.
“This might seem crazy,” he warned as one hand dipped into
his jeans pocket. “But I can’t figure out why I haven’t told you this before.
Brooke, I love you.”
Brooke’s eyes widened at his confession, and her mouth fell
open just a bit when he pulled his hand from his pocket and knelt on the
kitchen tile.
Blake swallowed again, fighting against the sudden, unusual
dryness of his mouth, as he held up the ring that he’d been hiding in his palm.
He’d only purchased it a handful of days prior, and he’d honestly thought it
would be a little while before he found the right time to use it, but now he
couldn’t think of a better time. He could only hope she would feel the same.
Clearing his throat quickly, Blake forced out those
all-important words. “Nearly losing you today has made me realize that ‘the
right time’ is never guaranteed. So I’m asking now … Brooke, will you marry
me?”
****
Brooke could barely breathe as she absorbed the scene
before her. His words washed over her, caressing her ears and warming her
heart. And she couldn’t help but stare at the diamond he was offering her.
Never in her life had she imagined owning a ring like that. It was beautiful,
yet simple and elegant. It was perfect.
And her family hadn’t met him yet—they’d only heard a few
stories in emails and phone calls. And there was the one time he’d actually
talked to her mother on the phone. They were definitely going to accuse her of
rushing into things, or demand a test just to prove she really wasn’t pregnant.
But none of that mattered, because he was still waiting for
an answer. So she took a deep breath and dragged her eyes to his as a smile
curved her lips. “Yes,” she said.
The nerves in Blake’s eyes vanished as he allowed himself
to smile and pushed to his feet in one fluid motion. They each took a step
forward, and Blake slipped the perfectly sized ring on her finger. For a
moment, they both stared at her hand, admiring the way the main diamond
sparkled in the kitchen light.
And then their eyes met again, his hand came up, beneath
hers, and wrapped around it gently.
“My family is going to have questions,” Brooke stated
quietly.
“Probably,” Blake allowed. “But at least they can’t ask me
about my intentions.”
Brooke laughed and curled her fingers around his wrist. “I
should call my old landlord back,” she said, her voice softer than before.
Blake leaned in until their noses were almost touching.
“You can call him in the morning,” he mumbled, his voice thick.
Brooke tilted her head and let her lips brush just barely
over his. “I love you.”
Blake’s lips sealed over hers an instant later, and he
kissed her with every ounce of desperation and passion that had built within
her throughout the day. And she felt the rumble against her lips when she
returned his kiss.
They both knew their new engagement didn’t solve all of
their problems, but it didn’t matter. Jacob and his father weren’t going away
any time soon, but that was no reason to put their lives on hold. Whatever
happened next, they would deal with it together.
The kiss broke for a moment, and Blake quietly asked, “Does
this mean you’ll at least let me buy you a new cell phone?”
Breathless laughter slipped past her lips, and Brooke said,
“Sure.” She curled her hands in the collar of his shirt and tugged him back to
her lips. “Now stop talking.”
Blake obliged her willingly, his arms wrapping tightly
around her and pulling her close as their lips met again.
The
End
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Other Books by Rose
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