Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Banner says nothing, but the urge to smile is becoming almost overwhelming for me now.
Dad’s not giving us his approval, exactly, but neither is he tossing us into the ocean.
“Do you really want this, Brooke?” Sonya says. “You’re only nineteen. Do you have any idea what it is to be married?”
I stand up straighter. “It means working on it every day. It means caring enough not to quit. It means understanding it might not always be easy, but what we have, it’s worth fighting for. It means supporting each other. It means compromise. It means that once the kids are here, there are many sleepless nights and a lot of stress. But I know we can do it.”
“So do I,” Banner says fiercely, looking down at me, a gentle smile on his lips. “I’m sorry, Sonya, you had to find out that way. I truly am. We should’ve been stronger. But Brooke clearly knows what she wants. And I know what I want.”
“And what about Gil?” Sonya says passionately. “Did you ever stop to think what he wanted?”
“Yes,” Banner says, lowering his gaze. “We made a mistake, doing it here. We should’ve waited. But the truth is, we couldn’t have waited forever. This thing between us, we can’t fight it. I’ve learned that now. I would’ve had to stay overseas for the rest of my life.”
“How sure are you this isn’t just some fling?” Dad says fiercely, staring at me.
“One hundred percent,” I tell him. “Dad, you know me. I never dated in high school. I thought I just didn’t care about that sort of stuff. But now I know. I never felt this before.”
Dad looks from Banner to me and then back. “I can’t find a single reason to be pissed.”
He laughs as though his words are a revelation to himself.
“Does that make me crazy?” he goes on. “I care about you both. You care about each other. I know Banner’s a good person. And I trust you to make the right decision, Brooke. I always have. I asked you to go to college, and you put your foot down and wanted to work at the shelter. I trusted you, and look how happy you are. Look how much good you’re doing.”
“And…,” he laughs as if a weight is lifting from him. His laugh sounds lighter somehow. “Do you want to know something really selfish? I don’t care about this enough to let it ruin my wedding. It’s like I said, Banner. If you were anybody else….
“But you’re not. You’re my best friend. You’re my best man. And I’ve never known you to lie to me, either of you.”
“But we sneaked around,” I murmur. “We went behind your back.”
“And that was wrong,” Dad nods. “But I know why you did it. You didn’t want to hurt me. And I know you’re not lying about the connection you share.”
“But what if they’re wrong?” Sonya mutters.
Dad turns to her, taking her hands. “What if we’re wrong? What if anybody’s wrong? That’s what love is. People think it’s all storybooks and rainbows and puppies.”
Sonya laughs. “Storybooks and puppies?”
“But it’s commitment. It’s loyalty. It’s making a choice and sticking to it. It’s not being able to choose anything else.”
“I can’t,” Banner says firmly. “I don’t want anybody else. Ever.”
“Me neither,” I say.
Dad smiles, wrapping his arm around Sonya. “Then why does everybody look so glum?”
Something about his comment gets us all laughing like crazy.
It’s that weightless feeling again, the knowledge everything’s going to work out, knowing that – finally – Banner and I don’t have to feel guilty about our love.
CHAPTER 26
Banner
“I’m going to ask you one more time….”
Gil looks at me from the passenger seat, shaking his head even as there’s a smile on his face.
We’re sitting outside the dog shelter where Brook works, two weeks after the wedding, two weeks after the texting and the heat.
“You don’t need to ask me,” Gil says, his smile getting wider. “I meant what I said on the island. And I meant what I said the other night. You’ve got my blessing. I’ve never seen Brooke so happy.”
I reach over, clapping him on the shoulder. “I’ll always take care of her. I promise you that.”
When Gil’s phone buzzes, he checks it, then reaches for the door handle. “Sonya’s waiting for me down the street. Thanks for the ride.”
They’re going for a meal with another married couple tonight, and Gil wanted a few drinks, hence leaving his car behind.
“You’re welcome,” I tell him, then I sit back, my heart thudding.
It makes me think of the island, the conga line, the grove, and the sand beneath my feet. It was so much more peaceful out there, without the traffic zooming past, the honking horns, and the endless noise.
But as soon as my woman appears from the dog shelter, all the noise seems to fade away.