Chapter Four

IT HAS BEEN A few weeks since Everleigh woke up to the feel of Brooks pressed up against her, his strong chest against her fevered back. She still remembers how safe and taken care of she had felt, until the next morning when he had pulled the rug out from under her. Not that she wanted him in her life, but it should have been her choice, not his.

He had broken the news that he was sought out to host the medical segment on a televised morning show, one she happened to watch every morning and that he wanted her input. She was his wife after all.

It had taken her all of two minutes to decide that this curse was really a blessing in disguise, it was going to give her everything she hoped for, for him to step away. Even though her heart was breaking on the inside, that stupid muscle finally seeming to piece itself together after all these years, but she ignored the ache. Everleigh thanked him once more for taking care of her and, in her typical stubborn fashion, told him to take the job and to forget about her; that he was destined for better things.

He had tried to reason with her, explaining that he cared for her and she cared for him and that all he wanted was the chance to try to make them work; that as much as she pushed him away he was falling for her.

Her words still ring in her mind, echoing in the space her heart had once beat wildly, now a pile of broken shards rests in its place.

“Brooks, I don’t love you, stop wasting your time trying to make something happen that won’t ever work. I’m just a challenge to you and once you have me you’ll go back to your playboy ways. I’m better than that and frankly you disgust me.”

She knew she was being cruel, but she needed him to step away and take the opportunity presented to him. He had stared into her eyes, searching them for the truth and then spun on his heels and left.

Everleigh never received a goodbye and she was alright with that, expected it actually. But the next day, waiting on her front stoop, was a package containing the signed annulment papers and her chest ached that he had finally given up on her.

Every week she tortured herself, watching his segments on the television and DVRing them so she can watch them later.  It had become a sick addiction and watching him on television made her realize something she hadn’t yet let herself feel fully. She missed him.

Leaning against the pharmacy counter, listening to Tamara buzz on about how she plans to surprise her boyfriend for their one-year anniversary, she flips through the social media feeds on her phone, following the hashtag for Brooks McCafferty.

The viewers love him, and so does the network. There were already talks of him being offered a permanent position with the network in various roles including one with the sports network since many of his MLB fans craved him to be back in the spotlight.

She is thrilled for him, he always looks happy on the screen when he talks about things parents can do to keep their children from getting sick or at-home remedies that work. Continuing to scroll through her feed and comments, many start to mention a possible relationship with his producer Charleston Rae Vaughn. Not finding any photographs of them together on the site, Everleigh opens another browser tab and types in the woman’s name and her jaw about drops to the floor when the first picture loads. The woman is a knockout. She has the perfect combination of classy and sexy that men love and women envy. Her blonde hair is a shade lighter than Everleigh’s, but her violet eyes pierce through the screen. She can’t imagine any man not becoming enamored with the beautiful woman.

“Shit,” Everleigh sighs tossing her phone back on the counter and running her hand through the loose waves of her hair.

“Is something the matter, Ms. Everleigh?” Tamara asks as she steps around the counter to inspect further.

“Oh, the machine just jammed again. I need to clean out the dispenser,” she lies.

The new robotics arrived two weeks ago and she and Tamara loved the addition, but the maintenance is a pain when the loose powder of the tablets covers a layer of dust on the mirrors and lasers. Luckily, it happens frequently enough that Tamara doesn’t think twice about the problem.

She reaches for the cleansing wipes kept under her counter, but the sound of her phone ringing has her bolting upright, jamming her head against the metal underside of the counter.

“Dammit!” she shouts as she rubs the sensitive spot, cursing more under her breath.

Just as she comes back to herself she grabs her phone just as the ringing stops. But it’s not the lack of ringing that startles her, it’s the name highlighted in the pop-up window as the missed call.

Brooks.

She wonders why he would be calling; they haven’t spoken in seven weeks. Seven long weeks that she has missed seeing his face, and having him try to make her laugh.

Everleigh hesitates at first, not sure if she should return his call, but she knows he wouldn’t contact her unless it is an emergency. Pressing the return call button quickly she listens as the phone rings once before Brooks’ deep voice picks up on the line.

“Brooks?”

“Hey, thank you for calling me back.”

“Sure, it’s no problem,” she says as she tries to pause down the heavy beating of her heart.

He’s silent at first, causing Everleigh to wonder if he has hung up, but as she is about to check her screen his voice sounds on the other end, “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have bothered you, but I wanted to hear you. I miss everyone. I miss home.”

Stunned at first, Everleigh fights back the urge to apologize and ask him to rush home by imaging him with the woman described in the messages earlier. Unfortunately, the thought only saddens her further and she speaks from her heart instead of her mind.

“We miss you too, Brooks.”

“Really?” he inquires and she can imagine him cocking his eyebrow the way he does when he wants her to elaborate further.

“I…miss you, Brooks,” she whispers as she wraps her free arm around her waist and closes her eyes, no longer bothering if Tamara is eavesdropping in on the conversation.

Suddenly a female voice calls out in the background and Brooks murmurs under his breath.

“Look, Everleigh, I’m glad I caught you. My lawyer said you haven’t filed the papers yet.”

She bites her lower lip, letting the pain resonate across her skin in shame.

“No…I…haven’t had a chance. I’ve been busy. I’m sorry if it’s keeping you from something,” she tags on the end with a hint of venom in her voice as the woman’s shout sounds once more.

“Ok, I understand. Just let me know if there is a problem, I kind of rushed through it. I need to go back to the set. I’ll be here a few more weeks.”

She begins to wonder what that means for his job at the clinic, but realizes he hired the staff to be able to pick up slack when needed; he has a good team behind him.

“Ok. I’ll be seeing you.”

Just as she is about to end the call she hears him utter, “Hey, sweetheart?”

Being able to hear him call her the term of endearment melts her from the inside out. It has been weeks since someone had spoken to her in such an affectionate tone, she hadn’t realized how much she has missed it until this moment.

“Yes?”

“Take care of yourself. I want you to be happy.”

The call ends abruptly as he leaves no chance for her to answer.

The phone drops into her smock pocket and she walks towards the small office located in the corner of the pharmacy. Closing the door behind her, she sinks against it until her bottom touches the floor. Her arms cross over her bent knees and she rests her head against them.

From deep in her chest a sob escapes unannounced and she doesn’t have a chance to catch it before it reverberates throughout the room. A second sob follows and soon Everleigh finds herself grieving in a way she never knew was possible.

Minutes pass as her mind and heart expel years of pent-up anguish. The years of feeling unable to love or be loved flash through her mind, leaving her feeling sick and abused at her own hand.

“Everleigh?” a hushed voice of concern sounds from the other side of the door and she stands up and cracks the door slightly.

“Mom?” she responds just as her bottom lip begins to quiver and another unexpected sob bursts forth.

“Are you hurt, sweetie?” her mother questions as she wraps her slim arms around her daughter, holding her in a way that only a mother can.

“I messed up, Mom. I messed up so bad and I don’t know how to fix it.”

Twenty minutes later Everleigh finds herself flanked on both sides of the couch by her sisters Cassidy and Sydney while her mother, sister-in-law Nikki, and half-sister Avery stare at her from across the room. She isn’t sure how much to disclose so, with a giant leap of faith, she tells them everything.

She tells them about how Brooks had pushed all of her buttons by trying to control her when they first met, telling her that she wasn’t allowed to pretend to be Nikki in the hopes to catch the person trying to kill her brother Austin. A memory that seems so long ago, but really happened only nine months earlier. How Brooks always had to have the final say in their arguments and pushed her to admit whenever he was correct; one of her biggest pet peeves. And how Brooks always had to make sure he was the one to walk her home when he was in town. She despised being treated like a child, so one night when she had had enough she had punched him square in the face.

As she tells the story Sydney chimes in that she needs to tell Harlan that he won the bet that she would punch Brooks. A bet that was apparently made at her expense during one of their family dinners at Angie’s.

Finally, as she looks at her mother from underneath her eyelashes she tells them about Vegas. How she and Brooks had woken up together, married.

Their mouths all hang open in astonishment as she continues to explain that she had a lawyer draw up annulment papers, but Brooks continued to refuse to sign them. Until he left and they were waiting on her doorstep the next day.

“Oh, Everleigh,” their mother sighs.

“I don’t know what to do, Mom. It’s like, once he signed the papers I realized that maybe I may actually like the guy.”

She watches as her mother narrows her eyes in condemnation, a look both Avery and Nikki have mastered since having their children.

“What?”

“Why would you want an annulment, sweetie? You love him.”

“No, I don’t. My heart is too dark to love.”

“No, it’s not,” the women all chime in at one time.

“Look, I’m broken. I’ve been broken for a long time. Maybe this is for the best. He deserves the chance to be happy and he isn’t going to get that with me.”

The room grows silent as Everleigh folds into herself and listens to the clock on the mantle ticking away the seconds of her life.

“I never raised you to turn your back on love,” her mother speaks, drawing everyone’s attention. She has that air about her, the confidence to draw everyone’s eyes in a room. If she speaks, you listen.

But in an act of defiance, Everleigh lashes out like an animal backed into a corner, “You mean like dad did? I must get it from him.”

“Everleigh,” her sister Sydney whispers in shock beside her.

The affair her father had while separated from her mother isn’t a topic brought up in the house. Most of the family didn’t know about it until Avery arrived at the door about a year ago, but Everleigh had known. She overheard a conversation between her parents when she was five and she had never forgotten. She had been the reason her father left. Along with her bad case of colic as a newborn and her father’s dedication to his job, his marriage and family of five had become too much. Her parents had separated and he had fallen into an affair with Avery’s mother.

Instead of screaming at her, or lashing out, her mother smiles. And not just any smile, the wide smile that tilted the corners and exaggerated the deep laugh lines.

Just as Everleigh begins to apologize her mother interrupts, “I’m sorry, Everleigh. I’m sorry that we have let you down. And I’m sorry that you feel that our separation is due to a lack of love. That was never our problem. The separation happened because your father and I lost sight of who we were. But we quickly realized that who we wanted to be was a part of each other’s life. So, I am sorry, sweetie. Now I wonder if that is why you stayed in that terrible relationship with Rich for so long. He was always too controlling of you. I guess I can see it clearer now.”

And Rich had been controlling. He would tell her what to wear to school, what friends to have, and when they had been each other’s firsts it had been his decision, not hers, which ultimately led to their demise.

“How were you able to forgive him, Mom?”

“Because I love him. It was a growing experience for us, but we never questioned the love we had for each other. And that’s how I know you love Brooks.”

“How do you know?” she murmurs, her mother’s capturing everyone’s attention.

“Because you still have the annulment papers.”

Blackness begins to creep in and shrouds Everleigh in darkness.

“Oh my gosh,” she speaks softly as she closes her eyes, taking in her mother’s words.

She does love him. Somehow, someway she loves him. He did what no one else had been able to do, to tear down her walls. Maybe it is the way he always fought back against her, how he never takes her anger personally and gives her a left hook whenever she comes at him with a right. Maybe it is the way he takes care of her without having been asked, or how he seems to always know what she needs before she even knows herself. He is the person her siblings have all found with their partners.

“I think she figured it out,” Cassidy says, but her voice is simply a piece of background noise to the turmoil surging inside.

She’s not sure how long she sits there in silence, but when she finally lets the realization sink in that she indeed loves Brooks the room has been emptied out. Focusing on the chatter coming from the other room Everleigh moves from the couch and heads towards the kitchen. Just outside the entrance, she overhears her sister’s whispering about a broken mission.

“I thought we were all in agreement with the mission.”

“I thought so too, but maybe it became too much. I can imagine it can be tiring,” another one chimes in.

A third voice pipes in and says, “I’m going to go make a call. I need to work some things out if this isn’t going to work out as planned.”

The sounds of the footsteps grow louder until the speaker startles finding Everleigh in the hall.

“Oh…um, I need to make a call. I’ll be right back,” Avery adds as she scoots down the hall to the guest bedroom she had given birth in only a few months prior.

Everleigh steps into the kitchen and hops onto the now-vacant seat Avery left behind and takes the glass of water her mother offers.

“We have a plan,” Cassidy, the head of a world-famous fashion line, claims in her most business-like voice. She reminds Everleigh of someone about to acquire a new company, and perhaps she is - Everleigh’s love life.

“I’m not sure…”

“Sh…you’re going to listen,” she commands, sending a glare in Everleigh’s direction.

She nods in acquiesce, waiting for her older sister to elaborate.

“Now that the tables have turned, you’re going to do everything Brooks would do in this position.”

“Huh?”

From across the table, Nikki speaks up, “You’re going to seduce him.”

“What? I don’t think that will work.”

“Actually, your situation isn’t too different from mine and Austin’s when I came back pregnant. Men are pretty simple. Sex usually works.”

Her nose squishes upward in disgust. “Ew, that’s my brother. Mom?”

“What? She’s right. Sex always works with your father.”

“Oh my gosh, I do not want to know this,” Sydney shouts from beside their mother Amy, holding the palms of her hands to her ears.

“Ok, so you have a plan. There is one little problem.”

Answering for the group, Cassidy asks, “What’s that?”

“I don’t know how to seduce anyone.”

“That’s where we come in,” Avery announces as she returns to the room with a smile on her face.

It doesn’t go past Everleigh’s eye that she nods once to Cassidy, something passing between the two women.

“Ok, I’m all ears. Teach me how to get him back.”

 

***

 

A VORACIOUS RINGING SOUNDS in the background, breaking him from his slumber. Brooks has been going non-stop for the past five weeks and he feels as if he was just given a chance to rest about ten minutes ago. Along with the medical segments that he is on a trial period filming, he has been tapped to co-host a few spots on the morning show as well as cover some of the teams on the producer’s sports network. He has been told left and right that he is a natural on the screen, and his grandmother was pleased as a peach that she can show him off to her friends at church, but the television gig doesn’t hold the appeal to him that his practice in Carson does, for two reasons.

One, he truly wants to make a difference in people’s lives and always believes that it starts with patients at a young age. Treat them right, with the best medical care possible, or show them how to function throughout life so that any sickness doesn’t impede their day-to-day activities.

Two, Everleigh. He hopes he hasn’t made a huge mistake by signing the annulment papers, but in his mind, it was the right thing to do. Give her the one thing that she wants, has been asking for, and perhaps she will be more willing to succumb to her desire for him in the future. It’s not as if they can’t get married again.

But she hasn’t filed the papers, for some mysterious reason. And after their call earlier he is still confused as to why she hasn’t. He hopes that perhaps she is second guessing her feelings, finally seeing what he has from the beginning, or maybe she has just been as busy as Logan says.

The ringing continues and Brooks reaches around, hoping to silence the offending object and finds it directly under his head, above his pillow. He must have been exhausted when he fell onto the bed to have the phone still pressed to his ear.

Clicking the start button on the phone, Brooks absentmindedly holds the device to his other ear.

“Hello,” he croaks.

“Brooks?”

Hearing Avery’s melodic voice on the other end suddenly has Brooks wide-awake and worry takes over the feeling of fatigue.

“Avery? Is something wrong? Did something happen with the babies?”

“Oh, no. Caroline and Everett are fine, great actually. It’s worse.”

His heart crashes down and burns into the pit of his stomach, feeling like a ship tossing in the sea. His mind spins with thoughts and scenarios, making nausea rise in his throat.

“It’s Everleigh.”

Jolting upright in bed he lets her words wash over him.

With fear clutching at him he asks, “What’s wrong with Everleigh? Is she hurt? Sick? Oh my god, I need to come home.”

Jumping from the bed, he begins to frantically look around the space, tossing clothes haphazardly into his suitcase.

“Brooks. Brooks!” she shouts, finally drawing his attention.

“Yeah?”

“Everleigh is fine, but she may have realized what kind of mistake she has made. She has been walking around like a zombie the past few weeks and actually closed the pharmacy early when she read that you have moved on.”

“Moved on?” he inquires as he finally takes a seat back down on the bed, running a hand through his hair, neatly trimmed this morning as the producer demanded that it had become overly long.

The producer, Charleston.

He has heard rumors that he and she were being linked together in the tabloids, even though the only time they are together is on set.

But maybe he can use this to his advantage. Make Everleigh realize what she’s missing.

“Look, I’ll be home in time for Cassidy’s wedding. Just take care of her while I’m gone, Avery.”

“Do you still love her, Brooks?” Avery whispers into the line.

“I do, but, you see, that was never our problem.”

“What do you mean? Love fixes everything.”

“Sometimes love isn’t enough if the other person isn’t willing to accept it.”

“So, you’re just giving up? What about what we all agreed on?”

“I’m not giving up. I’m just letting her think that I am.”

“She told us you all were married.”

Were. He regrets every morning that he wakes up alone in bed that he signed those papers, but it is the right thing for her.

“I’m glad she finally told someone. I’m sure it was hard for her to keep it away from her family.”

“Look, I just wanted to check in and make sure we could still expect you at the wedding. I think she’s finally ready to come around.”

“I’ll be there, but I may not be there with her, Avery. A man can only take so much rejection.”

“I understand. Oh, and I wanted to tell you, Dr. Long has been doing great filling in while you’re gone. You did a really good job making sure the clinic runs smoothly if you’re absent. “

“I’m glad she’s been able to step in.”

“OK, well just think about everything and I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“Bye, Avery.”

Ending the call, he chucks his phone on top of the bed and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

He has decided to take a different approach with Everleigh. Apparently, trying to make sure he was constantly in her life isn’t working so he planned on using a different tactic, and from the call, he just received, it seems to be working.

Brooks has taken every opportunity presented to him while in New York City, anything that will keep him away from Carson just a bit longer. It seems to help his plan, but his chest aches at how much he misses her. He misses her rare smile when she finally let her tough exterior fall by the wayside. He especially misses her explosive laughter when she finds something funny, usually at his expense. And of course, he misses the taste of her lips and the feel of her body against his, their coming together always making him feel whole, complete.

He takes a few breathes, wondering how Everleigh is doing if she is really as heartbroken as Avery makes her seem. His heart, now firmly placed back in his chest, pumps violently as he wishes he were home to hold her in his arms, to comfort her.

“Charleston,” he commands as he presses the programmed number on his phone. “I need to go home and I am going to need you to come with me.”

It had taken a lot more convincing on his part than he felt is necessary to have Charleston help him move on with his life, but finally, they were on the small plane headed for Asheville, and then headed for the place that felt more like home than his grandmother’s house in Atlanta.

The shark of a woman beside him is busy typing away on her laptop, something she has been doing since they made their way to their assigned seats. All of the men and woman, surrounding them had assumed the two were a couple, and Brooks can see the appeal, she is classically beautiful, but she can’t hold a candle to the woman that has Brooks so far wrapped up that he can’t see straight.

A snapping breaks him from his musings and he watches as Charleston finally shuts her laptop and stores it in her bag.

“Thank you for joining me, Charleston.”

“At this point, you might as well call me Charlie,” she retorts as she sits up straighter in her chair. “It’s what my friends call me.”

“Are we friends?”

“Sure, I can actually stand to be in your presence for more than a few minutes and frankly you don’t have any diva-like qualities. So, sure, I’ll consider you a friend.”

He watches as her expression doesn’t falter, she states her comments matter-of-factly as she brushes lint off her pants.

“Ok, friend, well a bit of advice, you’re going to want to change when we get to town.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a small town and you’re going to look like a pretentious bitch if you walk in wearing a full-on suit like this.”

Her gaze travels down her body, clad in a cream-colored linen suit, confusion marring her features. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“Nothing. You’ll just stand out like a sore thumb in Carson.”

“Why did I agree to join you?”

“Because we’re friends and I need a plus one for a wedding tomorrow. And don’t worry, there is a great store in town where you can buy something.”

“Look, Brooks,” she begins just as he begins to stick his bottom lip out exaggeratedly and flutters his eyelashes. “Stop. You know that I can’t resist the puppy face, dammit. Fine. I’ll follow your rules, but ask the airline attendant for a vodka. I’m going to need one to go shopping at some hick store.”

His pout changes into a full-on grin as he flags down the attendant and orders Charlie her drink.

“Don’t worry. I think the town will surprise the hell out you. You may even want to stay.”

As the attendant returns, Charlie downs the vodka before twisting her body towards Brooks and saying, “Only when hell freezes over.”

Brooks chuckles, excited to prove his friend wrong. Most people never give it a second thought when he says that celebrities lived in his town, waving it aside as if he’s talking about some soap star from the seventies. Nope, Carson has more celebrity clout than most towns in New York. Which is why he loves the town even more.

As they depart the Asheville Airport terminal, Brooks watches as Charlie glances around the city with surprise on her face.

“Not what you were expecting?”

She startles and then a blush rises on her cheeks when she realizes she is caught gawking, and she turns back to face him.

“I grew up in New York City and I really don’t get to travel a lot when it isn’t work-related.”

“Well, you should try to change that. All work and no play makes Charlie a dull girl.”

She giggles, a sound Brooks wishes he heard from her more. It’s almost as elusive as the laughs heard from Everleigh. Charlie continues to take in her surroundings, watching as the metropolis turns into corn and wheat fields. Her window which has been down begins to ascend as the smell of manure wafts into the car.

“I’d take this smell over the smell of the city any day,” he counters as he opens his window in defiance.

“Don’t be so barbaric.”

“Don’t be such a priss. This was all here before any big city. Take it in. Enjoy it.”

Against her better judgment, she rolls down the window and rests her elbow along the edge, resting her head against her arm, letting the sunshine on her face. He watches a smile perk upon her face and Brooks grins inwardly.

Another one bites the dust.

A large tractor pulls out in front of them when they’re about ten minutes from Carson and Charlie looks at him like she’s just encountered an alien.

“What is that thing? Can we go around it?”

With the tractor taking up most of both lanes he knows that the trip is a short one on the main road and it is better than to push their luck trying to pass. He explains this to her and she gazes at him as if he is the alien now instead of the tractor.

“Just calm down, Charlie. You’re on a break remember. You’ve got nowhere to be and no one to answer to.”

She huffs back in her seat and, just as he expects, the tractor turns down an unmarked road and Brooks continues. He makes it to the first stop light in town and smiles when he eyes his and Logan’s clinic. Pointing out the small businesses he feels a sense of pride every time Charlie gapes at something or happily acknowledges something that reminds her of pictures she saw as a child.

“Damn, you said this town was nostalgic, but geez, I completely underestimated it.”

“And you wonder why I wanted to come home,” he adds just as he parks in front of Cassidy’s store. “We’re here. I’m sure you’ll find something inside that will suit your style.”

Charlie eyes it wearily but takes Brook’s hand as he offers it after opening her passenger door.

“I’m not so sure.”

“You can trust me, Charleston.”

She nods just as a group of older women begins to peer out of the pane window in the fabric store next door, whispering wildly to each other. He recognizes the Fitzgerald sisters, Temple and Shirley, at the forefront, their noses practically squished against the glass like children. Noticing their attention on him he winks in their direction and then holds the door open wide for Charleston to step through.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaims as she takes in the store. “Are these knockoffs? I just saw some of these on the runway.”

“Whose runway?”

“Cassidy’s Fall line, of course. She’s only the biggest designer in the world right now,” she claims as she fingers through the garments as if they’re a national treasure.

“Did you read the name on the awning before you stepped in? Or were you too busy making judgments?”

Before Charleston can reply, Cassidy steps down from the back stairwell dressed in a loose fitted tee shirt and frayed jean shorts followed by her fiancé Harlan; a far cry from the woman that sashays down the catwalk at the end of her shows.

“Brooks! It’s so good to see you,” she cries as she rushes over to embrace him.

“I wasn’t sure you could make it.”

Harlan steps up beside his fiancé and shakes Brooks’ hand as he offers a greeting.

“I told Avery I would be here. Anyway, this here is my friend Charleston. She needs some normal clothes and a dress for tomorrow. She’s coming as my plus one if that’s ok.”

Cassidy looks over to Charlie skeptically, taking in her measurements and then probably something else he isn’t ready to consider as of yet.

“I have some things that will work for you. I’ll start picking them out if you want to go to one of the dressing rooms.”

“Thank you so much. I’m a huge fan of your work.” Charlie tries to ease the tension by offering a sincere smile and compliment, but it does little to crack the veneer in Cassidy’s grin.

“Brooks, can I speak to you for a minute?”

“Sure. Go find a room, Charlie. I’ll be back in about half an hour.”

As Charlie rushes along to set herself up Cassidy drags Brooks to the corner of the room and Harlan trails along, a smirk gleaning on the corner of his mouth.

Smug bastard.

“I thought we had an understanding. What are you thinking bringing her to my wedding? Everleigh is going to flip her shit.”

“I know.”

“You know? Dammit, Brooks. I want my sister to be happy and this is not going to accomplish that! God if there wasn’t a fucking sister code…” she murmurs under her breath before she stares him in the eyes. “Tell me what’s going on. You know E better than any of us. So, tell me why you brought Charlie here.”

“Easy, reverse psychology.”

A light goes off behind Cassidy’s eyes and she perks up slightly.

“Make her want something she didn’t before. It’s borderline genius, Brooks, but there is one tiny problem.”

“What’s that?”

“She already knows that she wants you.”

“Good. Now if you don’t mind I’m going to pop into Sydney’s place and grab some food and then I’ll be back for Charlie.”

As he steps towards the exit he hears Cassidy shout from her spot where she remains in the corner. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Brooks. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”

Stepping out into the sunshine, he makes his way down the sidewalk, waving at people as they pass welcoming him home. If only it is permanent and he feels that he has a reason to stay. If Everleigh truly wants to be separated he doesn’t think he can stand the sight of seeing her every day without the ability to touch her, but he knows he can win her over in the long run if she only can get over the fear that she holds so close to her chest.

Paper bags in hand encasing the two panini sandwiches he ordered from The Grill and a cupcake from Wake and Bake he heads back into the sun only to watch Everleigh step out of the back of her pharmacy and begin to turn into the alleyway separating her shop from the hardware store. Without a thought running through his mind, he rushes across the street at a breakneck speed, a pace he hasn’t reached since his MLB days.

A car honks in the distance but his vision is tunneled, focused on the beautiful woman he has been dreaming about for weeks. An urgent need claws at him and as he comes to stop in front of her he doesn’t waste a second to catch his breath, instead, he drops his bag on the ground and captures her face between his two palms, cradling her gently, before pressing his lips against hers. He imprisons her lips just as she whispers his name as a call, a sob, a plea. The darkness of the alley conceals the couple, a hurricane swirling around them, and they stand as one in the eye of the storm.

Something takes over, releasing the pent-up tension and desire as they claw at each other’s clothes and bodies. Everleigh wraps one leg around his waist, and on instinct, he reaches down and lifts her other leg around him. His palms stroke the underside of her thighs sliding up to grip her ass in his palms. She rocks her heated core against his erection, now growing painfully behind the zipper of his jeans.

She moans into his mouth as their friction rubs her needy center and Brooks seizes the cry as it breaks his last thread of control. He carries her towards the back of the building where the stairs leading to her apartment reside. With little control, he presses her against the glass door and nips at her lip while reaching up and palming her breast through the smock of her jacket. Everleigh tilts her head, dueling her tongue against his, and the feel of her roughness in his mouth shoots electricity down his spine.

“Fuck,” he whispers as he bites her lower lips. “Open the god damned door and please tell me that there is still a bed.”

Normally his command would have her balking back in irritation, but her yearning overrules the rest of her feelings as she reaches into her pocket and blindly unlocks the deadbolt to her stairwell, nodding her head.

As they climb she bounces against his aching cock and he must hold back a growl at every ascending step. Finally, they reach the top and he grabs the keys from her hand while resting her weight on one arm. Brooks focuses on opening the door as Everleigh nips and sucks on the sensitive skin right below his ear and he feels his body almost collapse from her ministrations.

“I’ve missed you too much to be gentle.”

“I don’t want gentle, Brooks,” she replies as she bites down on the lobe of his ear. “I just want you.”

If he were in a better frame of mind he might consider analyzing her words, instead, he marches them to the bedroom where he tosses her on the bed and quickly removes her clothing. Socks and pants fly through the air as she works to remove her own shirt. As she struggles Brooks takes the opportunity to glide his hand up her naked legs and thumb the center of her silk panties where he’s met with her sweet wetness.  He rubs gentle circles across her opening and her nub, mesmerized at the sight of her stomach shivering as her arms lie trapped in the material of her shirt.

Fisting the sides of her panties, he rips them from her body and his chest rumbles at the view of her pink sex glistening before him.

“So God damned beautiful,” he confesses as he returns a thumb to her center.

She extricates herself from her shirt and quickly chucks her bra into the pile on the floors before leaning up on her elbows, the seductress watching him pleasure her body. He presses down against her exposed nub with his thumb, massaging the delicate nerves, watching as she tosses her head back and arches her body as it begins to quake.

Watching her fall apart has always been one of his favorite things about being with Everleigh, the way her face loses all sense of concealment and reveals every emotion as it travels through her body.

Her orgasm hits her forcefully and she reaches out, gripping the duvet between her fists as she waits for the waves to subside.

“Are you ready for me, gorgeous? I can’t wait to feel your pussy wrapped around my cock.”

Her answering groan has Brooks grinning as he unbuttons his jeans and slides them down his legs, but not before he reaches into his wallet and grabs a condom. Everleigh sits up and pushes his shirt up his chest, her fingers moving up each muscle and then they trail back down, coming to rest at the V of his hips.

She gazes at the enlarged head of his cock and she licks her lips before peering up at him behind her long lashes and tasting the bead of moisture at the opening with her tongue. She swirls around the head before grasping the base in her hand and squeezing gently as her mouth descends on his shaft.

“Shit,” he murmurs, lacing his hand in her hair, but letting her control the pace.

He knows he won’t be able to last long as she continues to suck on his cock, but he is too entranced to pull away. Brooks allows her to continue giving him pleasure until he feels himself growing closer to his release.

“Stop. I want to fuck you now.”

She instantly pulls back and moves on the bed, opening her legs up for him, waiting for him to take her.

Fuck he loves this woman, he thinks to himself as he rolls the condom down his penis and moves one of her legs to rest on his shoulder.

Brooks rocks against her a few times, teasing her, coating himself in her sweet heat, allowing himself to slide fully to the hilt as he aligns at her entrance. In a quick thrust, he enters her completely and they both gasp at the sensation.

“Jesus Christ, how do you feel tighter?”

“Kegels, now shut up and fuck me!” she cries.

The dutiful man that he is, Brooks leans down and kisses her quickly before rising up on his knees and increasing his thrusts. He can feel each answering pulse of her inner walls as he glides his cock inside her, the hoop on the end of his tip rubbing the spot that seems to elude most men. Her pussy craves each plunge, gripping him tighter and tighter until it becomes almost impossible to remove his penis fully from her body.

Pulling out of her fully he flips her over just as the confused expression crosses her face and pulls her hips back with his hands, bringing her onto her hands and knees, her round ass raised for his pleasure. He squeezes each globe roughly as he pushes himself back into her core. Everleigh’s head falls with pleasure and Brooks reaches forward, wrapping her glossy blond hair in his fist. With the hold of her hair and hip, Brooks increases his pace, using her own body to rock back against him.

“You feel so damn good. I could fuck this pussy forever,” he growls just as her body begins to shake beneath his hold. “Come for me, sweetheart. I’m right there with you.”

His movements become jerky and less in tempo as he chases their releases, focusing on her pleasure more than his own. Releasing her hair, he glides his hand to the front of her body and grasps her breast in his hand, squeezing the flesh before guiding himself down her stomach, towards the point of her body craving his touch. Without a halt to his thrusts, he moves his fingers against her clit and she loses herself in the pleasure, falling forward onto her shoulder, ass still in the air, as her body crashes into waves around him. Brooks continues to push inside her body as he shoots his release into the condom, his hand circling her nub as she comes down from her high. Breathing heavily, she collapses onto the bed, Brooks not a moment behind.

“I’m glad you’re back,” she whispers, her hair wildly draped across her face and shoulder and Brooks swears that he has never seen her more beautiful than in this moment. It is too bad that he is about to crush her joy in a minute.

Removing the condom, he steps into her bathroom to toss it in the trash and then walks back into the room to get dressed.

“Brooks?” she asks and he can see the confusion and fear on her face as she turns to face him, covering herself with her arm and leg.

He works to keep from making eye contact with her otherwise he knows that he’ll break.

“I’m sorry, Everleigh.”

“For what? I was ok with it rough. I liked it,” she appeases.

He cringes at her comment knowing that she has no idea about the bomb he is about to drop into her lap.

“I’ll be at your sister’s wedding tomorrow.”

“Ok. We can go together if you want.”

Surprise registers first that she is willing to bring him as her date to a family function, just as Cassidy had predicted. But he remains strong and resolute.

“Everleigh,” he commands, finally meeting her gaze with his. “I brought someone to be my date.”