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 26^th. 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!

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