Surrounded (Unsettled Series Book 2) (14 page)

“So you got another chick prego?” she asked. I wasn’t sure what showed up first, the shock or the bright red rash of embarrassment I could feel creeping along my cheeks.

“No. That was a misunderstanding.”

“Why were you with her in Seattle then?”

“Brooklyn didn’t know the facts about that. She ran off before I could tell her.” It was obvious that the reason she couldn’t be bothered to return my phone calls was because she was busy outing our situation to her best friend and sister. Sometimes girls talked way too much.

“Here’s the deal, Logan,” she started. “That’s the only reason I agreed to meet you. I don’t really care what you do, what you look like, or where you’re from. But the one thing I care about most is that my sister is happy. Right now she is,” she paused and shook her head, “surrounded by all types of bullshit.”

“Here it is then. No, I don’t have a kid on the way. Yes, Elizabeth is
pregnant; however, I didn’t find this out until after the photo in Seattle was taken. I didn’t lie to your sister, me and Elizabeth
are
acquaintances.” I didn’t think it was the best idea to tell Danielle that I’d slept with Elizabeth. I was going to have enough trouble explaining that to Brooklyn.

“You know that’s why she ran—because she doesn’t like liars.”

“Yeah, hard not to notice that. But I didn’t lie to her.”

“Well, now that we got ‘the truth’ out of the way, let’s get to the more important stuff.”

“Like?”

“Like, do you love her?”

The waitress delivered an ice water to the table for Danielle, and I used that moment to gather my thoughts.

“Wow…I didn’t expect to be put on the spot like that.”

“Well?”

“I’m here,” I answered, honestly.

“What the hell does that have to do with anything? That’s like asking for a round of applause for breathing. Nobody gives a crap if you’re here. The question was do you love her, yes or no?”

I shook my head at her without answering. I thought Brooklyn was tough, but clearly she paled in comparison to her sister. “Yeah, Danielle. I do.”

Her serious expression melted into a grin. “See? That wasn’t so hard.” she said, taking a sip of the water. “Now we can get down to the root of problem that is my sister.”

“Okay.” I laughed. This conversation wasn’t going exactly how I thought it would.

Danielle reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it and laying it down on the table.

“Read this. It should help answer all your questions. This piece of paper is like the Bible, so don’t lose it. And Brooklyn is never to know that I gave you this insight into her brain, understand?”

“Lips are sealed” I said.

How to survive the craziness that is Brooklyn:

1.      Run. Kidding…not kidding.

2.      Go into hiding?

3.      Move to a private island? You can afford it, I googled you.

4.      Go into this knowing that all women are crazy. Especially Brooklyn.

5.      There will be times that she’ll drive you to want to drink. Do it!

6.      Her favorite color is purple.

7.      She was infatuated with N’sync

Now onto the more important stuff:

8.      Don’t cheat. I don’t take kindly to that. And neither does she.

9.      Don’t be a douche bag. Like Damon.

10.    Love her till it hurts, even if that means making a complete fool of yourself in the process, because she would do it for you. Trust me.

11.    She thinks she knows what’s good for her. The sooner you realize that this is not always the case, the happier you’ll both be.

12.    Don’t try to change her. It doesn’t work, trust me.

13.   Past experiences have shattered her, but if she has a strong person by her side that may change. Are you that person?

14.   If you let her walk away, you’ll regret it. She is the
craziest, sarcastic and complicated person I know…aside from my husband. But I don’t doubt that she will love you to a fault.

15.   Don’t give her the chance to run. Brooklyn is one to be loved, but she’s scared of it at the same time.

16.   She is very sentimental.

17.   She can be negative, but sometimes she just needs to be loved beyond the pain.

Danielle looked at me somberly then spoke. “Again don’t you ever tell her I told you any of this. And I want to make sure you know that the only reason I’m here is because Alex vouched for you, and Alex is, as I’m sure you’re aware, like Brooklyn’s other half.”

I chuckled to myself and shook my head. “Hard not to notice that.”

“You know, I didn’t know what to expect, but I think I’m starting to like you already.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Look, Brooklyn’s outlook on life has been tainted. Have you guys discussed Damon?” she asked.

Stealing a line out of her book, I answered, “Yes and no.”

“Hmmm….well this should clear everything up for you. Damon is an asshole. That much I’m sure you’re aware of by now.”

“Oh, I know...”

“What I think you need to understand is, while Brooklyn is strong on the outside and has a smile on her face most days, she doesn’t trust easily. Losing the baby was the hardest thing I ever watched her go through. To be that young and have to deal with something like that, it’s hard. Especially when you consider that, to this day, my parents still think that Damon Williams is the next best thing to sliced bread.”

“She never told your parents?”

“Nope, she refused. That’s the second thing you need to know about her. Things are always, and I mean always,” she rolled her eyes, “going to be hard with her. You’re going to have to suck it up and accept it. What I
will
say is that when she loves, she loves hard. And based on the way that she’s been moping around LA, I’d say she already loves you hard. But of course, she won’t admit it…out loud anyway.”

“Why does she do that though? It drives me nuts.”

Danielle shrugged, “Because she likes being a pain in your ass?” Danielle joked. “She was wrong for not talking to you about everything and that’s something you should make sure that she understands.”

“So do I just show up at your parents’ house and hope she doesn’t just fly off the handle and start yelling. Or do the complete opposite and shut down completely, not talking to me again?”

“I think I can help with that” she said, leaning down and digging in her bag. Watching her riffle through receipts and whatever else was in her purse, I was so glad I was a guy. Guys didn’t have to deal with all that shit.

After a few seconds she found what she was looking for and laid it on the table. She slid the yellow package in my direction. “Here, these should help.”

“’Starburst? Really?”

“They’re a start. You know how they say ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?’ Well yeah, that goes for women sometimes too.” She curved her lips into a smile.

“I’m having a hard time believing that showing up with a package of fruit chews is going to make her forget she thinks I’m a cheating asshole like her ex.”

“Well, if you didn’t cheat, which we already established you haven’t, then you have nothing to worry about. I’ve gotten you started, but the rest is up to you.”

She’d certainly given me something to think about. Danielle grabbed her bag from the back of her chair, “Well I better get going. I have a lot to do before Saturday”

“What’s going on Saturday?”

“My Mom thought it would be a great idea to throw my dad the birthday party that he didn’t want. We will be at the house setting up all day tomorrow”

I stood from my seat when she got up.

“Are you coming?” she asked

“Should I?”

“Do you want to make things right?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Then I think you just answered your own question,” she stepped around the table and faced me. “I’m confident things will work out. You have to decide: what is she worth to you?”

Everything,
I answered silently. Brooklyn had to be worth everything. Otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting in this restaurant, across the country, trying to figure out ways to get her to hear me out.

“Danielle.”

She turned over her shoulder, “Yeah?”

“I’ll be there tomorrow. What’s the address?”

Danielle’s eyes lit up and she grinned. “I’ll text you the details. See you tomorrow.”

Logan

I pulled up in front of the address that the GPS steered me to; a craftsman bungalow with two potted plants in front of the door. This is where Brooklyn grew up. Where she had now come to hide and get away from me. It was time that I put a stop to all this shit, once and for all. It was one thing for her to run. It was a completely different thing for her to think putting miles between us would change things.

I flung open the door to the rental car and stepped out, closing it behind me. I crossed the sidewalk and headed to the door. I didn’t know what I was going to say yet, but I hoped Brooklyn would be the one to answer the door.

I grabbed the knocker and let it clang against the wood. A few seconds later, I heard the muffled sound of footsteps.

“Who is it?” A voice I didn’t recognize said from behind the door.

“Logan Colton. I’m here to see Brooklyn.”

The latch clinked and then the door pulled back, “Can I help you?” The woman standing in front of me was clearly Brooklyn’s mother. I could see the resemblance. She was shorter than her daughters, but both Danielle and Brooklyn had her eyes and nose.

‘Hi, yes, I’m here to see Brooklyn?” I repeated. “I’m Logan...her boyfriend.” I hoped I wasn’t stepping directly into a mine field.

“Her boyfriend? Brooklyn doesn’t have a boyfriend. At least I don’t think she does,” her mom replied, shaking her head. A few silver strands in her short salt and pepper haircut caught my attention.

“We’re dating—or at least we were. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what’s going on.” I clutched the back of my neck. This conversation was getting awkward. “By any chance is she here?”

“Yeah, she’s in the backyard. Come in and I’ll take you back.” Her mom opened the door wider so that I could step in.

I followed her through the house, noticing various states of preparation going on around me. “Looks like you have a lot going on. Am I interrupting?” Of course I knew the answer to this question, but wanted to fill the silence with something that didn’t sound completely weird.

She wiped her hands on her jeans. “Please excuse the mess. We’re having a party tomorrow in the backyard.” She pointed at the boxes of decorations sitting on the floor next to the couch. “Too much to do in such a short amount of time.”

“I can understand that,” I offered politely.

“‘What’s your name again?” she asked as we made our way through the living room, and to a door that led to the backyard.

“Logan.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that she even had a boyfriend. How long have you two been dating?”

“Just over a month or so.” I counted back the days on the calendar in my head. It was crazy how Brooklyn had only torpedoed into my life a short while ago, but the feelings I had for her were stronger than the time would suggest.

Her mother laughed. “I guess she’s not in too much trouble then. If you’d said six months, she was in for an ear full. I’m sure her dad knows about you though. Brooklyn likes to keep things to herself, but she has never really been able to keep things from her dad. I’m Marilyn by the way,” her mom said, turning over her shoulder. The thought that her dad knew about me and her mom had no clue didn’t make me feel any better. Not if her dad knew the incorrect conclusions Brooklyn had drawn about me.

Her mom opened the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. “Brooklyn?”

“Yeah, Mom? I’m on the side of the house!” My heart stopped at the sound of her voice. I knew her voice anywhere. 

“You have a visitor,” she called back. Her mom pointed to the side of the house.  “Go that way. She should be right there, probably fidgeting with the lights for the party.”

I stepped onto the concrete patio and started walking in the direction her mother indicated. Just then, Brooklyn stepped into view from behind the house, “What are you doing here?” she asked. The level of surprise in her voice made it very clear that I was the last person she was expecting or wanting to see.

I paused for a moment, taking her in. God it felt good to see her in person again. “I’m here to see you.”

She ran her hand over her temple. “How did you find me?” A string of lights dangled from her other hand.

“That’s not really important right now. I think we need to talk.” I wanted to hash out this misunderstanding and get it over with.

“Great, something to look forward to,” she muttered. She wouldn’t even look at me. She was too busy acting like the ground beneath her was going to magically open and take her away from the situation.

“Brooklyn, would you look at me?” I asked. She didn’t even bother to pretend that she was going to do as I asked. “Please?” I knew she could hear the yearning in my voice, but it just seemed like she didn’t care, and that bothered me.
I stood there, waiting, maybe even hoping, that she wasn’t so far gone that she’d managed to ex me out of her life so quickly.

Still she remained silent.

I could feel frustration boiling in my chest. “Brooklyn, I’m here!” I caught myself before I raised my voice too loudly. We were still in her parents’ backyard. “Look, I’m trying to do the right thing, not walk away—not letting you walk away, but you don’t make shit easy. Give me some credit, Brooklyn, for not being the coward that you clearly think I am.”

“Well if I’m that hard to deal with, I guess it’s good that I just walk away,” she snapped. She was really starting to piss me off. I watched her back as she disappeared around the corner. We needed to take a step back so I didn’t follow her.

A few moments later she reappeared with tears in her eyes.

“Why did you come, Logan?” she murmured.

I pulled her into my chest. I could feel her hesitation, but then I felt her slowly begin to relax. She had to understand that I wasn’t just going to let her walk away because shit got tough. Plus, her conclusions about Elizabeth were wrong. I wasn’t going to let her go on thinking the worst.

I st
roked her hair gently. “You said you wouldn’t run. So don’t. Shutting down isn’t an option either.” She pulled back and looked up at me. I could see the fear in her eyes, and I wondered if she could see the love in mine.

“I just…I don’t know what to believe. Why didn’t you tell me you saw Elizabeth Drexel in Seattle? There are pictures of you on the internet with her, and you’re supposed to be on a business trip? I don’t think I should have had to find out that she was pregnant while in a bathroom stall eavesdropping over lavatory chit chat.” Her voice was laced with anguish.

She stepped out of my embrace and looked me square in the eye. “What did you think would happen here? You thought you’d come here and expect me to just run into your arms, kiss and make up. You knew I didn’t trust easily, but instead of telling me you saw her, or anything about her, you chose to hide it all behind a curtain.”

I thought back to the list that Danielle gave me the day before.
She was right. Brooklyn was proving to be a big pain in my ass. But, I still wanted to love her until it hurt. I guess that meant I was done for.

She hung her head low and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me? How could you?”

“Brooklyn…did it ever occur to you that I didn’t tell you anything because there was nothing to tell? Did the thought of actually talking to me before making assumptions ever cross your mind?” I had never given her a reason to not give me the benefit of the doubt, but here she was, tossing me into the pile of cheating assholes she’d come across in her past.

“Well, pictures are usually worth a thousand words.”

I shook my head, “You talk about not trusting easily as if it’s something you had given me and I had broken. But the way you reacted… It’s clear to me you never trusted me at all. Because if you had, you’d have given me a chance to explain what was going on—a chance to explain that what you heard, and reality, were two entirely different things.”

I could tell from her expression that I’d caught her off guard with my observation. But it was true. If she’d trusted me,
really
trusted me, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

I walked over to the retaining wall in the corner of the yard. “Can we sit down, and just talk about this?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No
,” I grabbed her hand and gave her a small smile when I felt the electricity between our hands. She was still with me, and that made me happier than she’d ever know. Now I just had to get through this conversation and pray that she saw reason—that her fear and unchecked anger hadn’t made her want to not bother with a relationship at all. We sat down on the brick wall facing her parents’ Koi pond.

“I guess I’ll go first.”

“No,” she said. “I need to ask you something first.” She blew out a low breath. “Was there ever anything between you and Elizabeth? The way you two looked together in Seattle… I just need to know, was there ever anything there?”

“We spent one night together a long time ago. Long before I met you. It was just one night. And it was a mistake” I murmured.

“So you lied when you said that you hadn’t been with anyone?”

“No, I didn’t lie. I told you I hadn’t been with anyone seriously in over a year, and I meant it. I didn’t expect my one night with Elizabeth to come back to haunt me. Not like this anyway.”

“So she’s pregnant with your baby then.” I could feel her hand trembling underneath mine.

“No,” I said, emphatically. “Elizabeth is pregnant, but not with my baby. Up until a few days ago, I had no idea she was even expecting.”

Brooklyn’s mouth twitched as she processed what I said. “So why did her friends say that she was pregnant with your baby, Logan? Why would someone make that up?”

“I asked the same damn thing when I was trying to find out what the hell was going on. The answer I got? Wishful thinking.” I gave Brooklyn’s hand a gentle tug and turned her towards me. That was ultimately what Elizabeth’s theory boiled down to. “Brooklyn, look at me please. I need you to see my words when I tell you this.”

She looked over at me. Moisture lined her eyes. “I don’t care about Elizabeth. In fact, if she hadn’t kamikazed me at the hotel and said she wanted to help with L.L.A.P., I wouldn’t have even given her the time of day. If I wanted to be with her, I’d be with her. It’s just that simple. You understand that, don’t you?” I paused and let my words so far sink in. When Brooklyn gave a small nod, I continued. “I don’t care about what people think they know. Through this whole nightmare, the only person’s whose opinion mattered to me was yours. I want you to hear me now, hear my words, and please, please, know they’re true because I’m only going to tell you this one more time, and the rest is up to you. Elizabeth means nothing. You mean everything. Where do we go from here?”

Brooklyn

I wanted so badly to be mad at him. To be mad at the fact that Elizabeth had had even the tiniest piece of him. But I couldn’t because I was angrier at myself. He thought I saw him as a coward—but the coward was really me.
I
was the one who didn’t have the courage to ask him about Elizabeth.
I
was the one who fled to the west coast, foolishly thinking that it would make me forget him. But sitting next to him, I was the lucky one. Even when I was ready to quit on Logan, he hadn’t quit on me. The man sitting next to me wasn’t a quitter, he wasn’t a coward, he was the man who was willing to look past my faults and love me anyway.

Elizabeth’s baby wasn’t his.

He was here.

My skin burned as he stroked
my hand with his fingers. I broke the deafening silence that swirled around us.

“Forward” I whispered. We still had so many things to learn about each other, and I didn’t want to miss out on that.
“We can only move forward.” Logan caught the tear that streamed down my cheek with his thumb. “Logan, I don’t get a lot of things right…especially when they come to my love life.”
Obviously,
the annoying voice in my head taunted.

“I know coming to you would have been the easiest thing. We probably could have avoided the melodrama—or some of it anyway,” I said, running my free hand over the rough bricks beneath me. “But that’s not really me. I’m sure you see that by now. Most people choose whether to fight or flee. As you can see, I almost always choose option two. I hate that about myself, but I’m honest enough to admit it.”