Love’s Suicide(75)
Author: Jennifer Foor

B started laughing from across the table. I turned to see the culprit and noticed Brooks showing her his mouth full of food. I hit him with my elbow. He crunched his body up and started coughing and laughing at the same time. B laughed more.

“I can see that some things haven’t changed.” Danica laughed too.

I took a deep breath and look around the table. “How about we start over?”

“Katy, you’re home. As much as I would have loved to be a part of your life for the past two and half years, I understand why you felt like you had to leave. I’m not going to lie. That morning you left was a day I don’t like thinking about, but aside from sending everyone home with their gifts, it wasn’t so bad. Walt and I were worried what would happen when you finally saw Brooks again. My mother used to tell me that absence makes the heart grow fonder. You two grew up in the same house. It wasn’t hard to believe at all.”

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I left because I couldn’t bear to see your faces. I thought you’d hate me.”

“We were angry that we let it go as far as it did. Branch hasn’t always been forthcoming, but he made it a point to shove everything about the two of you in his brother’s face. We accept blame for allowing it to happen. The fact that you two found each other again, just proves that it’s right.”

Brooks grabbed my leg and squeezed it. I looked at him and saw him winking. “She thinks you were going to make her sleep in the tree house.”

“We might make you sleep there, but not Katy, and certainly not little Brooklyn, who’s obviously named after her father.” I could see the love in Danica’s eyes and knew that she’d forgiven me. For the time being, I felt happy.

Sure, I wanted to kick the crap out of Branch and his faulty balls, but I had an idea that Brooks was going to handle that for me.

I looked over at my beautiful little girl and finally felt like she’d have the family that I always wanted for her. I could see her coming to visit and celebrating the holidays being spoiled like crazy.

Just knowing that made me feel blessed. I had Brooks to thank for it all. We may have been running from our problems at home, but I’d never felt safer than how I felt at that very moment.

Chapter 43

We spent the entire afternoon catching up. Danica wouldn’t let B get two feet from her. She changed, fed and played with her. Walt took a dozen pictures, making sure to get some of the three of us. I knew they’d be our first family photos together, deeming them priceless.

They wanted to know all about my time away, in which Brooks filled in the blanks with his cleaned up version, that didn’t include my marriage or the fact that I’d kept him from knowing he had a child. By dinner time, they were done with the questions and only wanted to know when they could come visit. The good thing was that I owned my house. I’d had it built from part of my inheritance money. Once I got my legal issues settled, they could come and visit and have plenty of room.

When it got late, after dinner, Brooks and Walt went up into the attic to get the rails for the bed. Walt said that he knew for sure they still had some around.

Danica and I took B up and gave her a bath. It was cool, seeing her in the same tub that I’d gotten my baths in. I belonged there, with this family, even without Brooks in my life. He’d brought me home and I felt complete for the first time since I’d lost my parents. I’d finally found my purpose. Seeing Danica, loving on B, as if she’d known her forever and loved her the same made everything make sense.

“She’s so beautiful, Katy.”

I crossed my arms and stood in the doorway watching her washing her granddaughter. “She looks like her daddy. Of course she’s beautiful.”

“I’ll have to get out the baby pictures, so you can show her. It’s uncanny, really. When I saw her I knew she was his.” I couldn’t remember seeing her so happy. My little miracle had that kind of effect on people.

“I just wish Brooks could have been home when she was born. He’s missed so much being away.”

Danica sat back on the tile floor. “Don’t let that get to you. I think you both needed the time apart. I don’t mean that like you’re assuming. What I mean is that you needed the time to figure out your feelings. Between the two of us, I think you probably always knew. You’ve favored Brooks since the three of you were babies.”

I laughed. “I never really thought about it. When we were kids we all three loved each other. It was so innocent back then.”

“Honey, we all grow up. We make mistakes and we learn from them. I wish that you all didn’t have to hurt each other so much, but everyone’s happy now. Even Branch seems content with his life.”

“He won’t be happy to know I’m here. I’m sure I’m the last person he and Melissa ever want to see again.” Not that I wanted to see him. I was going to shove my foot as far up his ass as it would go, if I ever did.

“Katy, it’s none of my business, but maybe it would do you all some good to work things out.”

I shrugged, not feeling like talking about seeing Branch, at all. “I don’t know. I can’t make a decision like that without Brooks.”

I knew she was disappointed, wanting her whole family together again, especially since knowing about B.

She removed B from the tub and wrapped her in a towel. The guys were in the bedroom, putting up the rails that had been covered in plastic. We pulled it off, while Danica helped her get pajamas on. I reached in her bag and got out her favorite book. “B, do you want Mama or Daddy to read it?”

“Daddy and Mama.”

We looked at each other and laughed. More than her asking us both to do it together, she’d once again called Brooks “Daddy”, which I knew melted his heart.

Danica and Walt both gave her kisses before leaving us to be alone. I turned all of my attention to my two B’s, watching them interacting together and loving every minute of it. Even after she’d fallen sleep, we lay there, all three of us together, in the quiet room, until Brooks sat up and reached for me to join him.

We found his parents downstairs in the family room, drinking wine. They had two glasses for us, and I was too embarrassed to tell them that I really didn’t drink. Brooks sat down with his arm around my back. I knew, as long as we were together, we could get through anything.

“We’ve been talking while you were putting B down. Listen, I know you’ll both have a hard time with it, but we want to have your brother and Melissa over before you leave. We’re a family, all of us. So much time has passed and we never know when something could happen.” Danica’s words cut like a knife through me. I knew we had to face Branch and even Melissa. We didn’t have to be best friends, but at least be cordial so that Danica and Walt could finally feel like they had their family back. Throughout the day I’d seen how much they missed us. With Branch and Melissa still living at least an hour away, they were lonely. Now, with a new granddaughter, they wanted a fresh start.