“Yes.” I stand taller and lift my chin.
“You think your eyes hide your emotions, Brooke, but I can see through them. Right through them to your soul, and I know you love me. I know you love me, just like I know it’s the guilt holding you back.” Saxon shakes his head, gazing off down the driveway.
He turns back to face me, his eyes softer. “Nate wouldn’t want this, Brooke. He hated seeing you upset, and he would be happy to see there was light on your face.” He pauses, waiting for my response, but I have nothing. “Brooke…” he trails off. “Let’s just go back to your place and talk about this.”
“No!” I answer too quickly.
Saxon sighs as he shakes his head. “I thought things had changed since that night, but nothing has, has it? This is how it will always be.” He lowers his head and places his hands on his hips.
“I have to go,” I say, turning towards my car.
“No, please, Brooke. Don’t leave me, let’s talk about this. I am fucking begging you. I love you, please don’t do this.”
Jumping into my car I start the engine before I’ve even shut my door. In no time at all I am driving out of the circular drive, speeding around Saxon’s car, and squealing my wheels as I speed away from the only good thing in my life. The only thing that makes me full and complete. The only thing I really need.
My body doesn’t move as I watch her brake lights fade into the distance. What the fuck just happened? Brooke has been the happiest and most comfortable with me over the past few weeks than she ever has been. Where the fuck did this come from? Running my hand through my hair, I turn to see Jeanie’s face in the window. She’s what fucking happened.
I storm to the house and she jumps out of the windowsill, but I don’t wait for her to greet me as I throw open the door.
“What did you do?” I grit out.
“What needed to be done. Brooke needed to be reminded where her loyalties lie.”
I lean further into her, my face only a few inches from hers. She doesn’t even flinch and takes me on head to head. “I love her, and she loves me. You scared and manipulated her. Our relationship is none of your business.”
She lifts her chin to me. “Manipulated her?” she snarls. “I barely had to say anything before she was running. She doesn’t love you, Saxon. She didn’t even consider staying with you. She ran and didn’t look back.”
The truth of her statement cuts me open, and I recoil from her. Brooke didn’t even flinch as she told me where to go and how much I didn’t mean to her. I knew she struggled with Nate and the guilt, but I honestly thought she felt the same way I did about us.
My anger is at a breaking point. I have to get the fuck out of here. “I hope it was worth it,” I spit at her. “I may have lost Brooke, but so have you. She’ll never step foot in this house again and neither will I.” I don’t wait for a response as I throw open the door.
“What the hell is going on?” I hear Mark’s question as I turn and walk away from the only family I’ve ever known.
I can’t believe I gave myself to her. After promising I would never let a woman get to me like that, I gave everything I had for her to just throw it back in my face.
My hands shake as anger consumes me. Did she not think I wasn’t coping with my best friend’s death either? Did she even consider what it took for me to let her in? To tell her about my family and my childhood? I gave her things, things I hadn’t even given Nate.
I was sure we were meant to be together. Sure that Nate would be happy for us. Sure we were doing the right thing. I fought with everything, believing it would work out. Believing eventually she would leave the guilt behind. I waited for her, and I thought we had gotten there, but I guess I was wrong.
I’m done. I’m done caring. I’m done protecting her. I’m done trying to make it up to Nate. I’m done trying to please him, give him what he wanted, even after death.
Upon entering Nate’s office, I find him slouched over his desk, his head resting on his hand. “What are you working on?” I ask. He looks stressed and I can’t think what client case he could be studying.
“My will,” he says matter-of-factly.
“What the fuck are you doing that for?”
He sighs and leans back in his chair. “With the business building so steadily I need to make sure everything is in order in case something happens. I need to make sure Brooke is taken of.”
“What are you doing with the business?”
“Brooke can just sell it and invest the money.” His eyes don’t leave the papers in front of him.