“I’ll be nice to you,” Sydney said.
“Mee too!” Daniel added.
Brooke giggled at the kids before she reached over and ruffled Daniel’s hair.
“You guys are really sweet. Thank you,” she said. “But I’m fine. I promise.”
Dessert with the gang was actually a pretty good time. Brooke told me that she had graduated with her English degree and that she was currently working on a book.
The evening gave me time to study Brooke, to take in her beauty and enjoy being around her again, watching how easy it was for her to interact with my children.
They even wanted her to tuck them into bed after dessert.
“She really liked you, you know,” Morgan said quietly so only I could hear.
I watched Brooke help my daughter into her pajamas.
“I liked her, too,” I said.
“Then why did you forget about her, Kevin? I don’t get it.”
“I never forgot about her. I just… got caught up.”
“You can spin it however you want, but all I know is I spent more time picking her up from restaurants where she waited alone than I ever did hearing about the hot times she had getting laid,” she said. “I dried more tears than I ever should have, and somehow she still found it hard to let you go.”
“It was just really bad timing,” I said.
I watched as Brooke tucked Sydney in, kissing her forehead and smiling down at her.
Fuck. Sydney’s own mother had never even looked at her like that.
“I was twenty-six and too wrapped up in my own success. What happened between us was my fault. I screwed it up. I’ll never deny that,” I said.
“All I know is Brooke is here nursing one broken heart, and I don’t intend to let her get another one along the way,” Morgan said.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Not my story to tell. But don’t fuck this up for her. She needs this vacation. For her book and for herself.”
I watched Brooke’s hips sway as she walked out of the bedroom.
“All done,” she said.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said.
“Oh, it’s fine. They were really easy to put down. Daniel wanted a book and Sydney wanted a kiss,” she said.
“You’re really good with them.”
“They’re good kids, Kevin. You’ve done well with them,” she said.
She didn’t even question the fact that there wasn’t a woman in the picture. She probably just assumed that I’d fucked up that relationship too.
“I’ll walk you guys out,” I said.
I escorted the girls to the door, but I was reluctant to let them go. I wanted to see Brooke again. My kids seemed to enjoy her, and so did I. The Caribbean night sky hung heavily above and cast a romantic glow over everything. The sand was tinted a beautiful white by the full moon and the whole of the small town seemed illuminated with passion. I reached my hand out and grabbed onto Brooke’s, and her fingers reflexively clamped down around mine.
Her palm was soft and warm, and still fit delicately into my hand.