The Silent Waters (32 page)

“Because it hurt you?”

Maggie shook her head.
Because it could’ve hurt her, seeing letters coming from another girl.

And there she was again: the most thoughtful woman in the world.

“We broke up,” I said.

Maggie gave me a questioning stare, and I rubbed my hairy chin.

“Well, she kind of broke up with me, I guess. She said she hated being the third choice in my life.”

Third?

“Music…and well…” I gave her a sad grin, and she gave me the same kind back.
Music and you.
“It’s not fair, you know, because every time I tried to move on your love kept pulling me back.”

She moved over to me, and her lips locked with mine. When we began to kiss we hadn’t any plans to stop. It was easily the best thing I’d done in the past ten years—coming home to her love.

That night we slept in each other’s arms, and whenever I woke, I pulled her closer. The idea of losing her again was too much for me. Before I headed back on tour, I needed her to know I’d be coming home to her. I needed her to know we’d make it work, no matter what. I needed her to know she was and always would be my biggest dream.

When I woke up, Brooks was gone, but my board was placed beside me and read:
Went to sit with Mrs. Boone. I’ll be back later tonight. I love you.

My hands went to wipe the words clear, and all the words erased except the last three.

I didn’t mind at all.

“So, rumor has it Mrs. Boone woke up about thirty minutes ago,” Calvin said as he walked into my bedroom.

My eyes widened and I leaped up from my bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“The doctors said she’s doing okay. They are going to run some tests to see if it is her memory slipping, Alzheimer’s or dementia or something. I don’t know all the details, but for now, she’s okay. She’s awake, Maggie.”

Seriously?

“Yup. Brooks sent a group text to everyone. I’m guessing you haven’t checked your phone, or I would’ve heard you silently celebrating.” He winked.

I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow at him, which he caught and threw back, making me tumble over. Within seconds, he jumped onto my bed, bouncing up and down. The amount of comfort that raced through me was incomparable to any feeling I’d ever felt. Knowing she was okay, knowing she’d breathe in the air of another day—that alone was so beautiful.

“So, we’re flying back over to the UK early Monday morning. Our management gave us a pretty big slap on the hand for missing two shows,” Calvin said. “It turns out that it’s kind of frowned upon to just fly home during a tour and take care of your grandma…well, that’s what they were told at least, that Mrs. Boone was our grandma…which is more or less true. Management is pretty pissy about it, ya know, time is money, but oh well. We’ll start back up in Birmingham next week.”

Oh gosh…I’m so sorry. This is my fault.

Calvin rolled his eyes. “It’s no one’s fault. Life happens. You might as well happen along with it. It’s been a crazy few years, so the break is really needed. Plus…I have a secret.”

I arched an eyebrow, wondering what it could be.

He grinned. “I haven’t told anyone. I figured I’d tell you first because you are the ultimate best at keeping secrets due to that whole”—he took his fingers to his lips and made a zipper noise—“mute thing.”

I smirked.

He smiled back, reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a small box. My hands flew over my mouth. He was going to finally ask Stacey to marry him.

He opened the box and I gasped, tears filling my eyes. Calvin shoved me. “Come on, sis. Don’t cry.”

I ripped the box out of his hand and studied the beautiful diamond ring, overtaken by its beauty.

“Do you think she’ll like it?”

I rolled my eyes dramatically, making him chuckle.
She’ll love it.

“I’m going to show Mom and Dad too, before I head over to the hotel to meet Stacey. I’ve never been so damn nervous in my life, ya know? I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest.”

He took the ring back from me and stared at it, almost as if he were nervous there was a chance Stacey would say no to the proposal. There wasn’t. I’d never seen two people who were more meant to be than Calvin and Stacey. Even when Calvin had caught his break years ago, it hadn’t rocked their relationship; it may have even made it stronger. Heck, they’d been wearing promise bands on their ring fingers with their initials engraved on the inside since their eighth grade graduation.

Stacey and my brother were meant to have the happily-ever-after life. They were destined for it.

I squeezed his knee, and he broke his stare from the ring, turning to me. I smiled. He smiled back, though he still had a hint of fear in his eyes.

“Thanks, Maggie. I’m going to go show Mom and Dad.” He hopped off my bed and left the room. A second later, he popped his head back into my doorframe. “And, Maggie? I love you. I doubt I say that enough as a brother, but I don’t know. With everything that happened to Mrs. Boone, I’ve just been thinking. Life is unexpected, so you might as well tell the people you love how you feel, ya know?”

My brother, the sensitive musician.

I held up the board that said
I love you
and added
too
.

After he left, it only took two minutes to hear Mama holler from her bedroom. “
Oh my God
! My son’s getting married!”

“Easy, Mom. I haven’t asked her yet,” he replied.

“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmyGOSH! There’s so much to do, so much to plan!” she bellowed. “I’ve been waiting for this day my whole life!”

I smiled, knowing she wasn’t kidding. I also smiled because it was the happiest I’d heard her sound in years.

“You okay today, Magnet?” My favorite words. Brooks stepped into my room later that night with a bag in his hand and joined me on my bed. “So, rumor has it there’s going to be a wedding sometime soon. I guess a girl who loved a boy said yes to a question and accepted a ring. I went out with the group for a celebration dinner, and all I could think about was how I wished you were there. So, I left early and brought dinner to you.”

I leaned in and kissed him. We began eating more French fries than anyone should’ve ever eaten and stuffing our faces with giant burgers.

“You ever think about getting married, Maggie May?”

Yeah.

“You ever think about getting married to someone like me?”

I took his hand and squeezed twice.

I snuggled into his body, and he held me close to his heart.

“Someday I’m going to marry you. We’re going to get married and be the happiest people in the world. Then, we are going to have the chubbiest kids ever, who smile all the time because they copied our smiles. We’ll have a dog named Skippy and a cat named Jam, and we’ll get a big house, with a place for you in the backyard to escape and drink wine when you need a break from the kids. A she-shed. You’ll work on your dream, whatever your dream becomes, and we’ll be so happy, Magnet. I can see it so much in my head, our lives. We’re gonna be happy forever.”

I loved his words, his hope, his plans. His plans were mine, too. Everything he wanted, I may have wanted more. I believed it was all coming our way, too. We deserved it, he and I. Just like my brother and Stacey, Brooks and I deserved happily ever after.
This time is forever.

I heard about you guys getting in trouble for missing the concerts. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to mess up your music.

“No big deal,” Brooks spoke softly, sitting beside me with his leg brushing against mine. “It’s just music.” Music was his life, and he put it on hold for me. “Besides, there are bigger dreams.” His eyes met mine, and he said everything with his lopsided smile and with silence. I heard him loud and clear, and I hoped he could hear my voice, too.

I love you, too, Brooks.

We fell asleep that night after making love to one another. It was the middle of the night when I awakened to his touch, his hands against me, his lips locked on top of mine.

“Maggie,” he whispered breathlessly, lying on top of me in the darkness. Our clothes were tossed in a pile in the corner of the room, and I could feel his hot breaths brushing against my neck as he kissed me. His mouth traveled down my body, inch by inch, making it harder for me to catch my breath, which was fine. At that point breathing seemed a waste of time. His hands wrapped around my legs, and he parted them in a slow, controlled manner. I watched attentively as he took his hand and stroked himself. With his other hand, he slipped two fingers inside of me, making me curl my fingernails into the sheets. When his fingers pulled out, he brushed himself against me before he slowly slid inside. I felt myself relax against him with every inch, every thrust, every moan.

Yes. Yes…

He leaned forward and kissed me gently against my lips. “You okay?” he asked.

I nodded.
Yes. Yes…

He pushed himself in deeper, pulled out slowly, and reentered me over and over again, making my mouth fall open in disbelief. Fast and hard, slow and deep.

Brooks…

How? How could such simple movement feel so…
Wow…

He made love to me as if he were apologizing for all the years we missed. With each thrust he silently promised to never love another, and with every wild kiss, I promised him the same.

“You don’t have to speak,” he whispered, running his tongue against my bottom lip, loving me hard, deep, fast, and slow. His mouth grazed against my ear before he sucked it gently. “But by all means, you’re more than welcome to scream.”