Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

Brooks

"Where's your better half?" Poppy asked when I stopped by the table where she, Sawyer, and Cash had gathered for an early lunch. Fisher wasn't with them, but then he was usually busy this time of day.

"Nice to see you, too," I said dryly.

Cash snickered. "Sorry. We're just used to seeing you two attached at the hip."

I snapped my dish towel at him, then snagged his pint glass and stole a gulp of beer.

"Hey!" Cash protested. "That's coming out of your tip."

"Good thing you don't tip me anything."

"Nothing but my lovely presence," he said, fluttering his lashes.

I pulled out a chair and sat down for a short break. "Sky is busy with resort business, but we'll see each other tonight."

"Didn't you just see each other last night?" Poppy teased. "You really are attached at the hip."

I leaned forward to snag a chip from the pile of loaded nachos that Sawyer had ordered.

"Yeah, I moved out, but I'm not sure we really got the memo. He's been spending every night with me."

"Aw, it sounds like love," Cash said, cooing and hamming it up.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

"That's not a no," Sawyer pointed out.

"It's not." I paused. "I haven't really allowed myself to think in those terms. Skylar was leaving, you know? And then even when he wasn't leaving, these resort problems cropped up, and I thought, ‘What if the project doesn't get off the ground? He might still leave.'"

Cash dipped a chip into nacho cheese and bit down, crunching noisily. "What's the deal with that, anyway?"

"I don't know. Skylar sent me a text that he had a meeting with some contractors today. It's looking like things could work out."

"So…forecast calls for love showers, then?" he joked.

"Maybe."

"If you think this is the real deal, then trust yourself," Sawyer said.

"And trust Skylar," Poppy added. "I can see how much he cares about you."

"We've all seen it," Cash added.

I remembered waking with my human-shaped blanket that morning, and the breakfast we'd shared with Uncle Boone and Aunt Melinda, who had treated both of us like family.

"Yeah, you're right," I said. "He's worth the risk."

My good mood lasted through the lunch rush. If Skylar resolved the obstacles with the resort project, then I could stop holding back. Maybe it was time to tell him, in no uncertain terms, that I was in love with him.

My heart skipped just to think about it.

Then my phone rang, and my heart fell straight into the pit of my stomach. My mom's name was on the Caller ID, reminding me of Grandma's suggestion she go live with my mother to help her out.

Grandma had agreed to stay put for now, to finish her physical therapy, but that wouldn't last if my mother continued to play her.

I stepped into the stockroom for some privacy and took the call. "Hey, Mom."

"Brooks!" She sounded surprised to hear my voice. "I'm so glad you answered."

Mom called sporadically, and only when she wanted something, so usually I ignored her calls. I couldn't afford to do that now.

"I'm at work, but I can talk for a couple of minutes. Why did you call?"

"Oh, I just wanted to chat. I miss you, you know?"

I grunted, unconvinced. My mother had plenty of opportunities to spend time with me. She could have come back for me years ago. She could have moved to Swallow Cove, even if she wasn't prepared to take custody of me again. She could have, I don't know, expressed some interest in my life instead of her drama any of the times I'd seen her in the past ten years.

But she hadn't because Mom was always the star of the movie and everyone else was a disposable extra.

"Actually, I just got off the phone with your grandma," she said.

"Great," I muttered. "You really need to stop playing with her emotions."

"Me? She said you didn't want her to come stay with me. She's stuck in that home to please you! "

"She's not stuck anywhere," I said, even as doubts niggled at me. "She's where she needs to be. She was in bad shape after she broke that hip and—"

"She's better now," Mom said, even though she hadn't been here to see Grandma struggle with the injury, the partial healing, the setback, then the lengthy rehab and physical therapy.

"She's better, but it wasn't easy getting there. Silver Cove is good for her. She's safe there."

"Maybe it was the right choice for her then," my mother argued, "but now she needs something else."

"And that something is you?" I asked skeptically.

"Maybe it is. I'm her daughter."

"And my mother, but that didn't mean much, did it?"

My mother sucked in a breath. "I'm not fighting with you, Brooks. I just called to ask you to respect her decisions. If she wants to leave Silver Cove, then you shouldn't make her stay."

I would never make Grandma do anything. Not really. She went into Silver Cove reluctantly, but she knew it was the best option for her. Now? I wasn't sure. She'd made a lot of progress with her recovery and health, but I didn't have the means to buy her house back.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in having her live with you? She told me you needed help with bills. What happened to your great new boyfriend and your nice place?"

"I still have a nice place," she said defensively. "I mean, things didn't work out with Joey, but—"

"Ah, so your meal ticket is gone and Grandma's Social Security checks are looking like an easy fix."

"I don't appreciate you talking to me like this," she snapped. "If your grandma is happier living with me, then why not let her spend her money on my bills instead of that awful place there, huh? You're selfish."

I laughed. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"Brooks, I'm still your mother."

"No. You know what? This is all too believable, and I'm done wasting my breath. Grandma is my only family, and I care about her. I'll continue trying to do what's in her best interest, and that will never be you."

I hit the disconnect button, then slammed a fist into the wall to release pent-up frustration. My mother always pushed my buttons, but worse than that, I was worried she was right.

Grandma didn't want to stay in Silver Cove now that she was feeling like herself again. More than that, she didn't like feeling like a burden financially.

Without a better alternative, I feared she'd take her chances with my mother, which meant I had to find a place where we could live together.

History couldn't repeat itself, so I'd need to hire a caretaker or nurse to be with Grandma when I worked, so she didn't spend too much time alone.

That wouldn't come cheap. I'd have to work as much as I did while she was in Silver Cove. And between all those hours and living with my grandma, where did that leave me and Skylar?

A few minutes ago, I was thinking about the future we could have together. But I couldn't ask Skylar to set up house with me and my grandma—and I couldn't ask him to put his life on hold for me.

I punched the wall once more, this time angry with myself. I should have been thinking ahead instead of letting myself fall head over heels with Skylar. I'd promised to never hurt him. Now, I couldn't see any solution that didn't hurt both of us.

Skylar came by that afternoon, all smiles, and my heart clenched. The man was so beautiful. I didn't want to let him go. There had to be another solution. But what?

"I've got good news," he trilled.

I tried to smile. "Resort meeting went well?"

His eyes glowed. "Better than my wildest dreams! I had no idea how much all this worry was weighing me down until it was gone!"

A more genuine smile overtook my face. "That's great, Sky. I knew you could do it."

Skylar looked so damn happy it calmed my inner turmoil. "Get back here so I can kiss you," I said.

Skylar rounded the bar and threw himself at me. I drew him into a long enough kiss that a few wolf whistles broke out. Skylar's cheeks were pink when I drew back, but his smile remained.

I turned, scanning the room. It was our slowest time in the mid-afternoon, and every one of the assholes whistling at us had been served. I tugged Skylar toward the stockroom. "Come on. Let's lose the audience."

There was a bit more cat-calling as I tugged Skylar behind closed doors, but let them have their fun. I wanted to kiss the daylights out of my man while I still could.

Skylar was warm and alive in my arms, pressing close, gasping quietly as our tongues met. But far too soon, he pulled back, forehead creased. "Are you okay? You're kissing me like…"

"Of course I am," I said quickly. "You got great news. Tell me about it."

He grinned. "You should have seen it, Brooks! I've been doing my homework, digging into the Wexlers' plan just in case I could find some helpful tidbit of information to get them to back off."

"And you found something," I guessed.

Skylar nodded. "I went to this meeting with Logan and some other builders. I just wanted to get the resort off the ground because I want to stay here. I want to live here, you know?"

I swallowed hard, voice tight as I answered, "Yeah."

"I care about Swallow Cove too! I want it to have the best future and—"

"I know, Sky. Everyone knows your intentions are good."

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, I have some selfish motivations."

He gave me a long once-over, making me feel guilty even as arousal flooded me with heat. I owed Grandma everything, but I owed Skylar something too, didn't I?

"Anyway," he continued, "the Wexlers and Blaize showed up to sabotage me."

My breath caught. "What? Are you okay?"

"Better than okay," he exclaimed. "I kicked their asses!"

"Hell yes, that's amazing." I kissed him again, just because he was such an incredible man. He'd grown so much in the time I'd known him. Skylar had trembled with fear when Blaize showed up in Swallow Cove, and now he was standing up for himself, fighting, and winning.

I drew back. "I guess this means you don't need me anymore."

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You're so strong, Sky. You faced your dragon. Hell, you slayed your dragon. I'm so fucking proud of you."

"I did, didn't I? I kinda can't believe it. It took weeks for me to get out of bed after that mess with Blaize ended. But between you, and the friendly people here, and the project…" He sighed. "I'm so happy, Brooks." He paused. "You make me happy."

"You make yourself happy," I corrected.

"Well, yes. And I make myself happy by being with you."

My heart ached. "Sky…"

He cupped my face. "I love you. I can say that now, because I trust my heart again. I'm in love with you, Brooks."

Fucking hell.

"I love you too."

The words fell off my tongue as if they'd been waiting an eternity. They burst from me in a moment of epiphany. This man owned me. Body, heart, soul.

I could never walk away.

But I owed him the truth.

"I love you, but I don't know if you should stay with me, Sky. I don't know if I can make you happy for long."

"What?" He drew back. "Of course you can. Why would you say that?"

I licked my lips, chest heavy as concrete.

"It's my grandma. My mom has been playing on her emotions, wanting her to move in with her, and I can't let that happen."

"Okay…"

"My mother is a user. She'll take advantage of Grandma, and she won't look out for her, won't make sure she's safe and healthy. She might even ditch her as soon as it's no longer convenient."

"So we'll make sure your grandma doesn't live with your mom then," Skylar said.

"It's not that simple. Grandma wants to leave Silver Cove, and the only way is if I find a place for us to live together, and housing in this town is not easy to find, especially affordable housing that's suitable for an older person. Plus, I'll have to hire someone to be with her when I'm not, and I'll have to keep working just as many hours, and how will I have anything left for you? I keep wracking my brain for a better option, but—"

"Whoa, slow down." Skylar grasped my hands and squeezed. "I can help you with all these problems, you know? You don't have to do all this alone."

I exhaled. "I can't just take your money. I don't want our relationship to start that way."

Skylar's eyes softened. "I know. That's one of the things I love about you. And that's why I'm not talking about throwing money at you, though to be clear, I'd be more than happy to buy a house that we could all live in together. Because, Brooks, I want to be with you, and if that means being with Grandma too, I'm fine with that. More than fine."

"I can't let you buy us a house. "

"Well, I thought you might say that. Which is why I have another proposal in mind…"

"What?"

"Move into the resort with me."

I opened my mouth to protest, and he laid one finger across my lips. "Shh, just listen and think about it. I'm not just developing this resort. I talked to dad this morning about using my trust fund to finance it, so I'll own it."

"But I thought…your father's company…"

"I needed his support to move forward initially. Just until I got my own funding sorted out. I believe in this place, Brooks. And I want a purpose here after this project is completed. The resort is going to be mine."

"That's great, but I'm not sure how this relates to me."

"I need a restaurant and bar manager. You're the best guy in Swallow Cove for the job. It's going to require long hours at first. Move into the owner's suite with me and your paycheck can cover your grandmother's stay, too. She can have her own room, access to people 24/7, access to you whenever she needs it."

"Wow." I raked a hand through my hair, head spinning. I'd gone from a certainty I'd have to figure out this problem on my own to Skylar offering me solutions on a silver platter. But was it right to take advantage of our relationship this way? "I don't know. You wouldn't offer this if I wasn't your boyfriend."

"Maybe not," Skylar said. "But there should be some perks to owning a resort, right? Why shouldn't I choose a bar manager I trust? Why shouldn't I ask my boyfriend to live with me?"

"Good questions," I murmured.

"Brooks." He raised his hand to my face, gently caressing my jaw. "It's okay to accept help from the people who love you. It's okay to trust someone else, to lean on them."

"I don't want to weigh you down," I whispered.

"You could never do that," Sky said. "I'm strong, remember? I know that about myself now. I can stand on my own. So can you. But we're even better together than we are apart. Trust me, Brooks. Trust in my love."

"I do." I pressed a kiss to his lush lips. "I do trust you." I kissed his forehead. Then his cheek. Then the tip of his nose. "I love you, Sky. So much."

He snaked his arms around my neck and pressed so close I couldn't tell where I stopped and he began.

"Say yes," he whispered into my ear. "Be my future, Brooks, and I'll be yours."

"Yes," I blurted, arms tightening around him, knowing there was no other possible answer and hadn't been since he'd offered. "I'll work so hard for you. I'll earn everything you give me, I swear."

He stepped back. "I don't need those promises. I already know you'll work hard, but this isn't a transaction, okay? We're partners, and partners share their burdens. And trust me, Brooks, I've never run a resort before. There's going to be a lot of burdens. You're going to realize I'm getting the much better deal here."

I laughed. "Nice try, Sky. But you'll never convince me I'm not the luckiest bastard in the world to have you."

"Good thing my father made me come check on the pub when he really didn't need to, huh?"

"Very good thing."

I kissed him again, and this time I didn't stop until the noise in the bar dragged me back to my responsibilities. It was strange to think that my days behind this bar would be numbered.

It was here my friends congregated. Here that I'd not only worked but lived for nearly a year.

Here, that I met Sky.

Would I miss the place? Maybe a little. But not enough to pass up a future with the man who'd captured my heart.