I stared at him for another moment until I heard him snoring again. And then I closed the door.
The house was eerily quiet now that Tanner and Mason had left and Brooklyn still wasn’t home. I picked up some of the toys that were strewn on the floor. As I put the last truck in the basket, I paused at one of the photos on the mantel. Of Miller and Brooklyn smiling at the camera. I exhaled slowly and walked toward the back door. There was something I needed to do. I closed the door quietly behind me.
“Hey,” I said and stared up at the sky. “I know you don’t like me, man.” How could he possibly?
The wind blew and the city felt so still.
“But I do promise to keep Brooklyn safe. And I promise to take care of Jacob. And to love them both. I promise you that.”
The wind blew again and I closed my eyes.
“I’ll pick up where you left off. Loving them.” I exhaled slowly and opened my eyes again.
The stars looked a little brighter in the sky.
And I could tell why this helped Brooklyn and Jacob so much. Because the stars felt alive. Like they were listening. Hell, maybe they were.
I cleared my throat and stared at the stars. “Thank you, Miller. Thank you for taking care of Brooklyn when I couldn’t. Thank you for being what she needed. And thank you for trusting me to be what she needs now.” I nodded. I hoped he understood. I hoped he knew that Brooklyn wasn’t just moving on. That her heart was still broken. And that she was letting me help heal her. That she was giving me a second chance that I probably didn’t deserve. But I wasn’t going to fuck it up this time. This time it was forever.
I nodded at the stars once more and then went back inside. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Like I’d somehow gotten Miller’s permission.
I didn’t move any of the pictures on the mantel, but I grabbed the couple I had framed and added them. One was of me and Brooklyn back in high school. I’d pulled it from the photo album Kennedy had made for us as a wedding present. It had been taken after one of my football games. In it Brooklyn was kissing me even though I was still in my uniform and all sweaty. I loved that photo. And I added one from prom too.
Tanner had brought over a huge stack of photos from prom that he’d gotten the photographer to print out. And he and Nigel were only in a few. And always on the end. He specifically asked me not to frame any of them.
I asked him why he really didn’t like being photographed. He’d just shrugged and said it was a billionaire thing. And that I wouldn’t understand until I was a billionaire.
So I put one of all the Untouchables on the mantel instead. One with Rob jumping on my back and kind of ruining the photo in the best way. Then I added one of all of us with our wives and girlfriends. It was definitely missing Tanner. But I respected his billionaire wishes. Hell, maybe I would understand one day. It was probably just a privacy thing.
I grabbed the big picture I had framed and walked into the entranceway. I’d moved the naked portrait of Brooklyn to our bedroom. I lifted up the new frame and hung it in the portrait’s place. It was another picture from prom, of me dipping Brooklyn backwards as she laughed. God I loved the sound of her laughter.
I stepped back and stared at the photo.There.I took a deep breath. Now it felt like my home too.Ourhome. Together. For our family.
I heard the key in the lock.
Shit.She was back early. I ran into the kitchen and turned on the music, low enough to not wake Jacob.
“What is this?” she said with a laugh.
I hurried back into the entranceway and dipped her like in the picture.
She turned toward it and smiled. “Seriously, what is going on?”
I leaned down and kissed her and then pulled her back upright. “Oh, this is how I’m always going to welcome you home,” I shimmied my shoulders.
“Hmm, I’m reconsidering everything now,” she said with a smile.
I pretended to look shocked. “Baby, I know you love my dance moves.” I broke out the robot and she laughed again.
“I truly will expect this every time I come home now,” she said.
“Done.” I twirled her around and pulled her in close.
The music was upbeat, but we started swaying in the entranceway.
“I like the new picture.”
“I like you,” I said. I’d been worried about her when I left her at Justin’s studio. But she looked so damn happy right now. I’d planned a whole night around making her smile again. But I was sure I could make her smile even bigger.
