Page 124 of Falling into Place
Carly:How are we not together on valentine’s day??
Brooks:why are you yelling
Carly:Because it’s our first valentine’s day and we’re too far apart why did i do this i miss you so much
[incoming FaceTime call from Boy Toy Brooks]
April
A knock sounded below Carly’s feet.
She leaped up and jogged down the stairs, opening the door to the garage apartment she’d lived in for the past six months and launching herself at him.
“Whoa.” Brooks caught her with a laugh, lifting her feet off the ground as he hauled her up against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.
She hadn’t seen him since Christmas, which was too damn long.
She pulled his head down and kissed him. He wasted no time turning up the heat and backed her against the wall next to her door, sliding his tongue in her mouth and sending her stomach into a deep dive.
The side door to the house swung open. “Oh, uh ... hey, Carly. You’ve got something on your face.”
Brooks backed up and held out his hand. “Steve. Nice to see you again.”
“I’d say the same, but you’re taking one of my wife’s favorite new friends back to Oklahoma tomorrow, so I gotta be honest and say I’m kind of pissed at you. She’s gonna be grumpy for like a week.”
“Yeah, I’m not sorry to be taking her.”
Steve nodded. “Fair.” He shifted his gaze to Carly. “We’re sad to see you go. What time do you two head back?”
“Not until noon.” She’d miss Steve, too. He’d been super friendly from the day she moved in and, as the foodie in the house, had introduced her to all the best places to eat and drink in the neighborhood. “Did Riza mention we’re grabbing breakfast in the morning? I hope you can come, too.”
“I’m in.” He glanced at his phone. “I gotta run, but text me when and where, okay?”
“I will.”
Steve turned to his car as she and Brooks climbed the stairs to the small apartment. As soon as the door closed behind them, Brookscame for her again, taking back her attention and stealing her breath. When they finally pulled apart, she led him through the room, weaving around the boxes and rolls of packing tape strewn around the space.
Brooks kept her hand in his. “We’re never doing this again.”
“What, live in different states?”
“Yeah.”
“It wasn’tthatbad.”
He stared at her flatly.
“Okay, yes, it was awful.” She didn’t regret it, though. She’d learned a ton about the resale business, which she’d take back with her to Oklahoma, and she and Brooks had come out of this stronger than ever before. They’d talked every single day while she was gone, a complete one-eighty from how things had been with Ben when he’d done the same. Everything about this experience had been different.
Brooks slipped his arms around her waist, and his hands dipped low on her back. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad you did this. But next time, I’m coming with you.”
She slid her hands up and down his chest, wondering if they had time to mess around before the dinner reservations she’d made. She’d wanted to go to her favorite restaurant one last time ... but he smelled so good and filled out that shirt so damn well. “You’d do that?”
He dipped his head and kissed her deeply. “I’d follow you anywhere.”
She hummed happily against his mouth.
A few moments later, he pulled back, a strange look on his face. Sweet but almost ... nervous? “When we get back, want to head straight to my place?”
