Chapter 16

Eden

"That's fine, Dad. You can use my shower whenever you want." Blake skips off up the hall with Noodle.

"Thanks, sweetie. I'd better…" He thumbs toward the bathroom and gives me a sheepish smile as he steps backward.

"Some clothes would be great, sweetheart," Gayle calls from the kitchen. "More coffee everyone?"

"Sounds good," Brook calls back before he disappears back into the bathroom.

I do what I usually do in times like these and try to overcompensate by talking and going about business as usual. I step into the kitchen. "This isn't what it looks like," I start when Blake is out of earshot. "Even though it looks really bad."

She holds up her beautifully manicured hands. "I'm not here to judge, sweetheart."

Oh, God. She thinks we had sex.

"No, I mean… it really isn't what it looks like. I had one wine too many last night when I was out with the girls and Brook was good enough to drive me home…" And stay the night…

"You're grown adults." She waves her hand at me like it's nothing at all, but the twitch of her lips tells me she's enjoying the idea of it being something more. "You don't have to explain to me."

My cheeks flush what feels like a crimson hue. Jesus. "He was sweet enough to stay… but not in my bed."

She doesn't appear to be listening, nor does she care. If anything, she looks… happy.

"It's fine, honey. I have to run. I'll make you two coffee and get out of your hair."

She's such a sweet, petite little woman, it's hard to believe she had five children. Especially since all the boys are strapping and at least six feet tall.

"No, it's fine, you don't have to go…"

"Are you okay, though? Beau said you broke up with Kirk?" Good news sure does travel super fast in this town.

I swallow hard not enjoying hearing Kirk's name. I somehow resist the urge to shudder. "Well, that's what I was doing last night. Drowning my sorrows so to speak. Brooklyn was just looking out for me, you know how he is."

"I sure do."

"You'll only hear it from someone else eventually, but Kirk was cheating on me. I caught him when I drove down there the other day as a surprise. Needless to say I left and came home early."

She touches my arm with her hand, and rubs it up and down. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Stupid me, I guess."

"Don't ever call yourself stupid for trying for something," she says softly. "I got lucky with Bob. He's the only man I've ever really known, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I know it's much harder these days though, finding a suitable partner."

Our eyes meet. "I guess you got it right the first time. It's a beautiful thing," I say, my words trailing off. I hope I don't sound too sad.

"Well, your time will come, you can be sure about that. Maybe it already has." She smiles, blinking her long lashes a couple of times.

I smile back just as Brook walks back in, fully clothed this time.

"Mom, sorry about that. Bad timing." He reaches forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. "How was Blake?" He walks over to the fridge to grab the milk like everything is just dandy and they didn't just walk in on a very awkward scenario. Maybe it's just me over-dramatizing it.

"Blake was just fine, honey. She and Trinity were playing board games last night, and we got pizzas for dinner. They watched a movie after that and fell asleep on the couch with their sleeping bags."

"That's so cute." I smile as I watch Brook finish making the coffee, taking over for his mom.

"She's been going on about horseback riding this morning, just so you know," Gayle says to Brook. "Maybe you should all go have a ride, it's a beautiful day." She gives me a little wink.

His mom is no fool and she seems to be loving every minute of whatever scenario she's got going on in her head. And it isn't hard to guess.

"Oh, I don't know, I think I'd…" I try to ramble some reason out of it.

"Great idea." Brooklyn grins. "We haven't done that in a while, have we, E?"

"Maybe I better see if my headache dies down first," I say sheepishly.

"Well, y'all have fun whatever you end up doing." She gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then hollers out to Blake a goodbye, and turns to hug Brook.

"I'll see you out, Mom."

"I'm fine. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Gayle." I smile over my coffee cup.

"See you, sweetheart. Remember what I said."

I want to facepalm myself, then let the ground swallow me whole. Gayle Bassett doesn't mince with words, that's one thing you can be sure of.

Brook waits until she's gone before he turns to me with a cheeky grin, leaning on the counter with his muscular arm. "Remember what she said about what?" He cocks an eyebrow.

I wave it off. "Oh, nothing. Just girl talk."

His grin widens even more. "If you say so."

"That was so embarrassing, by the way."

"It's not my fault, I didn't know they were going to walk in right then!"

"I know, I'm not blaming you. It's just been a big morning. But thank you, Brook. For being such a gentleman about all of this, and for bringing me home last night. You're a decent guy."

He sighs and steps toward me, reaching out his arms, tugging me into him to give me a hug. "I know, babe. It's always been my problem."

I laugh as I give him a quick hug back. He might be in last night's shirt, but he still smells and looks hot. And his warmth. He's always so warm. "And thanks for staying with me."

"I love how you still do that koala thing," he chuckles as we pull away.

I swallow as I look up at him. "Kill me now."

"No, it was cute. But in my defense, I was trapped." He reaches up to touch my face softly with his fingertips and I just about melt. A shot of desire dips down my stomach as my eyes blink down to his chest.

"Brookie."

He momentarily closes his eyes and I hear a faint sigh. "You've been calling me that old nickname a bit lately."

"Do you still like it?"

"From you, yes."

We both laugh softly.

"Give a man another hug for the road?" his voice lowers.

I reach up and wrap my arms around him again and he pulls me in against his chest. It's more than a little close for comfort because he's so solid and warm. I also realize that with all the commotion he never elaborated on the tattoo.

Another time.

My other hand inadvertently rests on his toned stomach. I can feel the muscles under his shirt and my fingers have the urge to rub, but I stop myself. He pulls back as we look at each other in the quiet of the kitchen.

"E," he sighs, as I hold onto him and he holds onto me. He slowly dips his head the same time I reach up on my toes and our lips meet. I don't know… it just feels right.

The moment his warm mouth touches mine, I sigh in a way I haven't in a long time. It feels like heaven. Everything about my cowboy husband brings me back to where we were all those years ago. It's like a flashback in a movie scene, with everything running through my head at once; being kids and chasing each other from the creek, Brook teaching me to drive where I almost backed into a tree. The night he took me down to the Creek in my car and made love to me for the first time. The hay bales… The pregnancy… Our wedding… Blake.

Our baby being born and having her laid on my chest while we both cried. Brook kissing her head and telling us we were never getting rid of him, ever. It all goes by in a blur…

He switches angles without breaking from the kiss and I squeeze my arms around him tighter, never wanting him to stop. "Baby," he murmurs.

"Brook," I sigh.

It's only the sound of Noodle crashing through the doggie door and Blake's voice calling after her that we both spring apart, just before she has a chance to catch us. And just like that, I'm catapulted back to present day reality.

I've no idea where his head is at in all of this. But his taste on my lips is something welcome and wanted.

We're certainly taking irresponsible ‘divorcees' to a whole new level today.

We both stare at each other as Blake — oblivious to anything going on — walks up to the fridge and grabs a juice box. I quickly snap out of my Brook-filled haze and pick up my coffee cup for distraction.

What the hell are we doing?

Am I sorry about it? Nope.

Does he look sorry? Nope.

But it doesn't make it right. Especially right now with so much going on, and I've only just broken up with Kirk.

"So, Dad. Can we go horseback riding today or not?" Blake pleads. "Like Grandma said, it's a nice day out. Maybe we could bring a picnic, Mom? Can we, please?" I have to hand it to my daughter, she certainly knows how to put me on the spot where I really feel bad saying no.

"We'll see. If I can get rid of this headache then maybe."

"More Tylenol." Brook shrugs. "Should work like a charm."

I can see he's going to be no help at all on this one.

"You can go horseback riding any time you like, anyway," I say to Blake.

"But I want you to come too, Mom. You've only met Sawyer once! And you need to check out what me and Dad have been growing."

"Fine. You two are really pushy, do you know that?"

"She must get it from me." Brook shrugs like he has no idea.

"Hmm, you think?"

Blake giggles.

"I think Mom needs a few hours to rest first though," Brook says to our daughter.

"Yes. Mom does," I agree. "But I also need to take Noodle for her walk." And I need to apologize to my friends at some stage for bailing on them at the bar last night. I'm sure I have messages I haven't checked.

"Maybe text me later, see how you're feeling?" Brook suggests.

He's not acting like we just shared our first kiss in years. He's acting all ‘business as usual'. Meanwhile, my heart is racing right out of my chest, and I'm not sure what the hell we think we're doing here.

Thank goodness Blake didn't catch us lip locking after everything else. We've never, ever, been this irresponsible. Even when we tried to reconcile briefly when Blake was younger.

I need to talk to one of my friends and get some clarity, or even a pep talk would be good right now.

"Sounds good," I agree.

"Don't forget the Tylenol and peppermint tea, baby girl."

I try to ignore his sexy little smile and keep my thoughts in check. I need to go about the rest of my morning as normally as possible. How I'm going to do that, though, is anyone's guess.

"What do you mean you kissed Brooklyn?" Autumn is astonished when I call her a little later. Autumn is a couple years older than me and she always has great advice.

Blake went with her father straight over to the farm where I'll join them later. I know I should be keeping my distance from Brook until I figure out what to do, but my daughter rarely asks for anything. It won't kill me to get on a damn horse — I've been riding them since I could walk.

I laid down after they left, and the peppermint tea did wonders, just as Brook suggested.

"It just kind of happened," I sigh.

"Oh my God. So were you both drunk?"

Oh lord. "Brook wasn't drunk, and that was actually this morning when I kissed him…"

There's a pause on her end. "What the…"

"I know. Blake was just outside. My mother-in-law had just left after insinuating all kinds of innuendos about us getting back together." I want to slap myself just hearing my own words.

"I love how you're still calling her that, instead of just Gayle, or ex-mother-in-law."

I run a hand down my face. "That's the least of my troubles. What the hell am I going to do?"

"What do you want to do, E? Only you know that."

"I don't want to rebound from Kirk."

"Is that what you're doing?"

"I don't know," I sigh again. It's early days. I don't have the answers. I was having feelings for Brook before any of this, and yet I'm still trying to put what I saw Kirk doing behind me.

"Maybe you do know but you don't want to admit it."

"It all happened pretty fast," I admit. "He was here, looking out for me, which is typical of Brook. He fell asleep on the bed and made me breakfast this morning."

"All without laying a hand on you? Geez, where do I get a guy like that?"

I laugh lightly. "I know, but this is Brooklyn. It's kind of a unique situation."

"Tell me exactly where the kiss took place, and then what happened. I need details."

I run through the events leading up to that point, including Brook walking out of the guest bathroom in just his towel — right when his mom and Blake were standing there.

"You've got to admit it's pretty funny," she says, still chuckling her head off.

"It's so not funny, Autumn!"

"Maybe once you've gotten rid of that hangover you'll see the funny side. Having to make excuses even though you're technically married. I get it, you don't want to confuse Blake before you even know what's going on. But Brook's a catch, he always has been. Plus, he's way cuter than Kirk ever was."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"You're putting the Kirk thing behind you, right?"

"Well he has tried to call me since I left that day." I roll my eyes at the memory. "But there's no way I'm picking up. I don't want to hear anything he has to say."

"Of all the nerve! What the hell is he playing at?"

"If I ever see him again, I'll probably hit him over the head with something."

"That might not be a bad idea. I'll be your alibi."

I laugh. "Thanks. What are friends for, right?"

"Do you want me to come over, or we can go out and grab a coffee?"

"I'd love to, but Blake wanted to go horse riding. I kinda got roped in."

"You go girl!" she laughs. "I'm assuming this is over at Brook's place?"

"You assumed correctly. We do hang out as a family all the time…"

"But you kissed," she reminds me.

The thought sends a tingle all the way down to my toes. "I don't know what to say to him to be honest," I admit. Okay, I'm thirty years old and I'm not a kid anymore, obviously, but he still gets me all tongue-tied. Especially because it's been so many years since we kissed or looked at each other the way we have been lately.

"You'll figure it out. It's Brooklyn."

"I know but we split up twice before so what's changed now? That's what I keep asking myself."

"Maybe you weren't ready then, babe. Timing is everything. And it's not like you're going to be able to keep your non-divorce a secret forever in this town."

I groan. "Jesus. I should've talked to Brook about telling his parents before they hear it from someone else. I only just saw his mom a few hours ago."

"They'll understand. And it isn't as if it's your fault. It's their son who didn't file the papers, remember?"

"But I should've checked up on it. It's not like I don't know this man, he gets easily distracted." I realize I'm only talking about myself and instantly feel guilty. "I forgot to ask how things are going with Michael?" He's her boyfriend who I haven't met yet.

"It's not going so well."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. He gets jealous so easily, which is annoying because I meet so many people with my job. I don't think I can deal with his insecurity. I think we're going to take a break."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." She sighs. "It's just my parents I'm the most worried about."

"Are they hassling you again?"

"Yes, given I'm thirty-two and not settled down yet."

Her parents live in Memphis. And she has a hefty inheritance waiting for her, but the stipulation is she gets married, and only to someone they approve of. I think Michael is one of the suitors they have lined up.

"There's still time. You don't have to rush into anything."

"I know, but I also need the cash flow to expand my business. Not that I'd get married because of that. But I'm thinking of going into wedding videography. Since the Bassett's are building the new barn, and maybe even a chapel, I thought I might reach out and offer my services."

"That's a great idea," I say. Autumn is an amazing photographer, and there is no other competition in town. She's photographed many of the weddings I've been involved with, and she's great at her job. I always recommend Autumn Leaf Photography when people from out of town ask who they can hire. "We might all be working for the Bassett's at this rate."

She laughs. "That wouldn't be such a bad thing. Once word gets out that Bloom Weddings and Events has teamed up with Bassett Brothers Distillery, I think you'll be busier than ever."

"I certainly hope so." I can't help but beam. I still plan to offer outside planning with other venues, but my priority will be promoting the barn and organizing the bookings through their website. It's a win-win for both sides. If I bring a wedding to them, they get the business of the hire fee and the catering, and I in turn get paid to organize it.

It all comes down to their expectations and how we can all work together. Then there's the case of me working on the property where I would see a lot more of Brook than I already do.

"It sounds like you have a lot to think about," she says. "But you should enjoy yourself today. Be a little carefree, and don't overthink it. You work so hard, babe. And who knows, a little roll in the hay with your husband might be just the thing you both need."

"Autumn!" I laugh. "There will be no rolling and no hay."

"Bor-ing," she sings.

"I'm going now."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

The trouble is, I want to do all of it.