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“Oh,” she whispered, looking around the room before her eyes settled back on mine.
“And it terrifies me that I’m interested in you. Every other relationship I’ve tried after Anne’s mother, and Lord knows I tried, has never worked out. And yet, you just fit perfectly in our lives, and it scares me, Brooke.”
She nodded, as she tucked her legs underneath her and listened. There was that hopeful stare again. She wants it to work out so badly, and I know it won’t.
“That day of you told me about your brother,” I whispered. “It triggered my own trauma. I’ve been getting along just fine because I had to take care of Anne, and I’m barely a good father to her?—“
“That’s not true,” she spoke softly as she shook her head, scooting forward to comfort me, but the next words that left my lips made her stop in her tracks.
“I’m struggling, and I could never make you happy, Brooke.”
She placed her finger on her top lip, while she chewed on her bottom lip. A thinking habit she only used when she was annoyed about something. Fuck.
“Okay,” she whispered, her brown eyes holding mine. “Do you want to be with me?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered. All I knew was that I really liked her, but I was afraid that I liked her because she irked me in the beginning and cared for my daughter. What if my feelings for her weren’t genuine?
“Well, I like you, too,” she said as she got up and pushed her fingers through her hair. She stared up at the ceiling as she bit her lip, and a soft laugh left her lips. “I really like you a lot, but I can’t continue this relationship while you’re uncertain about what you want.”
“Brooke-” I reached for her hand as I got up, and she pulled her hands back, shaking her head.
“If you touch me, you know I’ll fall apart in your arms and seek comfort from you. I don’t want that.” She walked around me and left my apartment as I stared at the spot she had been standing in.
One of my worst fears had come true, all because of my inability to convey my feelings without sounding like an ass.
She left me.
Chapter 22
Brooke
“Are you sure about this, Brooke?” Thomas asked me as I handed him the keys, and a bittersweet smile grew on my face as I nodded. I didn’t want to, but I had to.
“Yeah. I did stay for, like, almost a year, though; it’s not that bad,” I smiled, and he nodded understandingly.
“I’m gonna miss you. Nobody paid fines like you did.” Of course, he was going to miss the business he made with all the fines he charged me. Some were valid, but other times, I could feel it, he was extorting money from me!
“Are you sure you got everything? If I find anything left in your apartment, it’s mine to sell.” Wow.
“Positive; let me just go say goodbye to Elise.”
“Don’t forget Drew, you little player,” he winked, and I looked at him, confused.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Drew told me that you guys got together for a while, before you got with Asher. To be honest, I thought you’d get with Asher first before Drew, but what do I know?” he shrugged, and I clenched my teeth.
“When did he tell you this?” That fucking twerp!
“A few months ago. You once left your key in his apartment; apparently that was your first night together?”
What the fuck?
“Also, I heard about what happened to your brother. I’m sorry.” My eyes widened, and rage blinded me. “We thank him for his service. You should’ve told me about his passing; I would’ve let the door fine pass. You didn’t even show that you were mourning. You are strong, girl!”
“How do you know about that?” I asked softly, and Thomas knew he had said way too much.
“Drew,” he muttered, and I clenched my fists as I forced a smile up on my face. “Brooke?”
