Page 82 of The Nook for Brooks
BROOKS
The turret wasdark except for the glow of the bedside lamp. The last of the summer rain tapped on the glass. I padded across the floor wearing my pajamas—plaid, buttoned to the chin, dignity restored. Cody, of course, wore nothing but a grin and his bare tanned skin.
He flopped onto the bed like he’d lived here all his life and patted the space beside him. “Come on, handsome. Climb in.”
I nodded, but my heart was beating for a different reason than usual. Not nervousness. Not the kind of anticipation that kept me awake at night with lists and worries. This was a little thrilling, almost mischievous. Because tonight, there was a surprise tucked under my pillow, waiting.
“I have something for you,” I said simply.
Cody lifted his head off the pillow and propped himself on one elbow, instantly excited. “You do? What is it? Tell me!”
“It’s my all-time favorite book.”
Cody gasped. “No way! I finally get to find out what it is?”
“Mm-hmmm.”
I lay next to him, then slid a hand beneath my pillow and drew it out—
A slim, brightly colored book, its cover softened by years of rereading.
Cody almost choked on his surprise. His utterly joyous surprise. “Oh my God.Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” His eyes shone, his face lit with awe, like he was six years old again. “That’s… incredible. Everyone loves this book. I love this book. But why this one? What makes this Brooks Beresford’s favorite book?”
I held the book against my chest, the corners worn soft by my thumbs. “Because it’s everything I always thought I wasn’t. It’s bold and silly and fearless. It says you’ll fall, you’ll stumble, you’ll get lost—and that’s all part of it. That you keep going anyway. And for someone like me, who spent most of his life staying safe in his tower… I think I needed that reminder more than anything.” I looked at him, my voice quieter. “And now… I’ve finally got someone who’ll take me to those places. Not alone. Together.”
Cody’s expression melted into something luminous, like the whole world had been distilled into wonder. “I’ll take you wherever you want to go. Near or far… to Patagonia or Pascal’s… I’ll take you there.” He kissed me then, slow and tender, sealing his promise.
“I love you, Brooks Beresford,” he whispered against my lips.
I closed my eyes, letting the words shimmer like sunlight. “I love you too.”
And with that, I opened the book. Cody laid his head against my chest, listening to the beat of my heart, as I began to read aloud into the quiet of the turret.
“Oh, the places we’ll go…”
