Page 14 of Exposed

But I wasn’t even sure those were the questions that mattered. As I stared at her, I could tell she was crying. And I just really wanted to know if she was okay. Because I wasn’t. I really fucking wasn’t okay.

She used to come to me when she cried. I used to be the one that comforted her. It wasn’t my place now. But I couldn’t just stand here as she cried. I took a step forward, my foot crunching on a twig.

She spun around and her tear stained eyes locked with mine.

“Brooklyn.” I said her name like I always did. Like she was mine, and I was hers.

“Matt.” Her voice cracked.

I wasn’t sure who moved first. But suddenly she was running toward me. She jumped into my arms, straddling my waist. She let her head fall to my shoulder and I felt the wetness of her tears through my shirt. But I didn’t move. I just held her.

God, it felt so good to have her back in my arms. It was like we were opposite ends of a magnet. And we couldn’t stay away. But we both knew that wasn’t true. Yes, she was clinging to me now. But she’d stayed away pretty damn well for half a lifetime.

I didn’t say a word as I breathed her in. For a second I let myself not care that she was married to someone else.

Maybe her husband didn’t make her happy.

Maybe he was a monster.

Maybe she wanted out.

But I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to say anything. The silence had always been comfortable for us. Even more so now. Because all I cared about was that she was breathing.

I wanted that to be enough. And maybe it was. My chest didn’t hurt as much when she was in my arms. I was pretty sure I was just scared to break the silence though. Because as soon as I did…she’d pull away from me. She’d remember that we were no longer an us.

I think she was scared to break the silence too.

And I needed to get this off my chest, just in case I didn’t get another chance. “I didn’t mean it,” I said.

She lifted her head off my shoulder to stare at me.

I smiled. I could finally remember the hue of her eyes.

“You were right, Matt. I’m not the girl you knew.”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t talking about what I said earlier today. But I didn’t mean that either.” Well…I wasn’t sure. She was wearing a wedding ring. But she was in my arms. I didn’t know what the hell was going on. “I was talking about what I said on Thanksgiving 16 years ago. I’ve regretted my last words to you every day since then. You’re not a liar, Brooklyn. I know you were just trying to get my friends and me to make up. And you’re nothing like Isabella. You’re the love of my life. I thought you died thinking that I hated you. And it killed me. It felt like I was drowning every day without you. And Brooklyn…it couldn’t have been further from the truth. I’ve only ever loved you.”

She tried to blink away her tears. “But Kennedy…”

“Kennedy and I broke up.”

“What?”

“I’ll say this as many times as it takes for you to hear. You’re the love of my life. And I’ve only ever loved you.”

“Matt…”

“I don’t care that you’re married. It doesn’t change how I feel. I don’t know where you’ve been for 16 years. I don’t know why you’re here now. Maybe it was just so I could tell you that. That I’m sorry. That I tried my best to keep my promises to you. And I know that this moment is fleeting. I know you have to go back to him. But can we please just stay like this for another few minutes?” I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want to go back to remembering a ghost. I couldn’t go back.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m not married.”

I just stared at her. “You’re not?”

“No. Not…not anymore.”

She wasn’t married. It hurt that she’d gotten married to someone else at all. But my chest already ached a little less just knowing she wasn’t with someone else right now. She was back in New York. She’d run into my arms. She’d cried on my shoulder. She was still mine. I leaned forward to kiss her.

But she turned her lips away from me.

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