Page 17 of Chasing Forever
My lips slowly curl, but I force them to stop. I won’t let him make me forget how big a mess this is.
“Brooks… the entire town knows.” I hate the whine in my voice, and I blame it on being hungover, traveling all day, and hitting my head twice.
“I got the text.” He reaches out but retracts his hand before he touches me.
“What did we do?” I whisper.
“We didn’t do anything wrong. Sure, we got drunk and made a rash decision, but it’s our business. We don’t owe anyone any answers.”
He looks so serious. So unlike the Brooks everyone loves. The one who jokes about everything and takes nothing seriously. Although I want to go dig a hole and burrow inside it, Brooks sounds so convinced that we can navigate this together. For one terrifying moment, I believe him. And he’s right, it’s no one else’s business.
“Our parents are going to want answers. Yours are going to ask why you’d marry the woman your brother left at the altar.”
His lips thin, and his jaw clenches. The air between us tightens, sharp and aching.
“Excuse me, we need you to deplane.” The flight attendant puts her hand on the back of my seat and leans forward. “Thank you.”
She walks up the aisle, assuming we’re going to listen. I normally am a rule-follower, but outside this plane is the reality of my decision. I’m going to walk down Main Street only to hear the whispers follow me once again. I can already hear everyone’s judgmental thoughts on me being involved with both Watson brothers.
Brooks gets out of his seat, and I expect him to slide out around me, but he crouches in front of me. Thankfully, we’re in the exit row so there’s extra room, otherwise his big body wouldn’t fit. “I know you’re scared.”
I scoff, and he tilts his head. I keep my lips clamped shut, because if I speak, I’ll lose it.
“But I’ll go with you to talk to your parents. Shit, I’ll be your personal bodyguard until we figure this out and things calm down.”
I shake my head. “I’ll be okay. Just…”
He inches out of the aisle and waits for me to stand. I kind of like that he’s not making me vocalize that I need a little help stepping off this plane. Because what I want to do is ask that friendly flight attendant where they’re going next and see if maybe I can hide in the bathroom and disappear from my life for a while.
“Let’s go. We’ll miss our ride, and I don’t really want to pay for an Uber all the way back to Willowbrook.”
God, he’s being too nice, using his usual humor and giving me the out of bantering back and forth with him.
“You’re so cheap.” I stand and close my eyes for a second, centering myself. Trying to find whatever courage is left in me.
“That reminds me. You owe me for half of the wedding.”
Rolling my eyes, I say, “Please, it was your dream come true to marry me.”
I step forward while the two flight attendants and pilot watch us with rapt attention, probably wanting us to speed this up.
“If only I could remember it.” There’s humor in his voice, but I don’t return the same sentiment, instead continuing up the aisle.
“You both have a great day.” The flight attendant gives us a little wave, and the pilot and other flight attendant shoot us tight smiles.
Once I’m off the plane and we’ve walked up the jetway, it doesn’t seem so scary. I’ve totally got this. So what if the townspeople want to talk shit about me again? It was a drunken mistake. I was able to finally not care about them before.
Then again, could I have married anyone worse than Holden’s brother? That answer claws at the edge of my mind, but I shove it away. I’m not ready to dissect that truth right now.
We take the escalator down to baggage claim, and I hear the laughter from my family before I round the corner with Brooks right behind me.
My mom and dad stand by our baggage claim with a large sign that reads, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Owens, as if they’re our drivers here to pick us up.
Chapter Eight
Brooks
By the time we reach the escalator, there’s an odd feeling in my chest that my small talk with her on the plane was able to make her feel as though we’re in this together, a team.
