Page 21 of Endlessly Yours (The Wilder Brothers #10)

CHAPTER TEN

RORY

T here was an odd echoing sound between my ears, but I ignored it. Perhaps it wasn’t an echo, a buzzing? I wasn’t sure, but I was going to pretend it didn’t exist while I quickly went through the evening’s chores and checklists.

The drive back to the house from the Wilder property had been awkward, mostly because even Alice had noticed the tension.

I had done all in my power to pretend that I wasn’t breaking inside, wondering how stupid I could possibly be.

It wasn’t as if we had said we were exclusive.

Or had we? I had thought maybe we had. He had been territorial and demanding, but maybe that was just how Brooks was.

And I had read too much into it. Just like I always did.

And frankly, I didn’t have time to even worry about men.

I had two girls who needed me, a job that was overwhelming because I was slightly behind, and a future that was so grayed out that I wasn’t even sure how I was supposed to function.

So, in the end, I didn’t need to worry about anyone else, but wondering what the heck I was going to do.

At least when it came to my family.

Because the girls and I were family. We were the only ones left, and though that was a kick in the gut, I was just going to focus on what I could handle. Even though I wasn’t sure I could even handle this.

“Can we have ice cream?” Alice asked as she bounced on her toes.

I shook my head. “You had ice cream at the restaurant. Remember?” I reminded, trying to keep my voice light. Alice, though, kept staring at my face, and I knew she was searching for something. Maybe answers? Well, it wasn’t as if I could give them to her. I barely had them for myself.

“It was really good ice cream.”

My lips twitched. “Better than what we have. They make it fresh.”

“Why didn’t we stay? I thought that they were your friends,” Cameron asked, frowning at me.

I played with the hem of my sleeve and shrugged.

“It was a family thing, and we have things to do. Plus, you guys have school tomorrow. In other words, we should get ready for bed. Go brush your teeth and your hair, and I will be upstairs to help tuck you guys in soon.”

“I don’t need to be tucked in. And it didn’t look like all family. I didn’t recognize that one woman.”

I met Cameron’s gaze and tilted my head, studying her. “We had to come home anyway. It’s fine,” I lied.

Because that woman wasn’t family. And she had her hands on Brooks. Perhaps I was the idiot, or perhaps it was something I would have to deal with later. But not with a child who wasn’t even a teenager yet.

“Is Brooks going to come by tomorrow? I really like him. He promised that he would help me figure out if I want to do soccer or football,” Alice said with a grin.

“Girls don’t do football,” Cameron snapped.

At the sound of Brooks’s name, I ran my hand over my heart.

“First, girls can totally play football. Especially in this area. There’s a whole team for it, and if that’s what Alice wants to do, or if that’s something you want to do, Cameron, you can.

Second, I don’t know if Brooks is coming over, but we can go over everything that you’d like to do.

Both of you. We have another week until we have to finalize signing up for teams because we’re new in town.

I will make sure that you guys can do everything that we possibly can, but please know that I’m just one person, and I’m going to try to get you everywhere. ”

“I’m just really excited to play and make new friends,” Alice said as she wrapped her arms around me.

Cameron didn’t say anything.

The doorbell rang, and Cameron met my gaze, an odd sense of fear in her eyes.

I didn’t understand it for a moment, until it clicked.

Because the last time someone had rang her doorbell near the end of the night, people showed up to tell her that her parents were gone.

Cameron’s eyes went impossibly large, grief tinging edges, and I reached out, wanting to comfort her. She immediately took a step back, the connection between us broken, as Alice ran towards the door.

“I’ll get it!”

Alarmed, considering the sun had set and it could have been anyone at the door, I ran behind her.

“No, wait! You know the rules. You make sure I answer the door first.”

But Alice was already there, swinging the door open.

“Brooks! You’re here. Aunt Rory wasn’t sure when you were going to be here. But now that you’re here. I’m so glad.” She wrapped her arms around his legs, and he leaned down to pick her up and plop her on his hip like he had done so many times prior.

“Well, hi there. That’s a welcome.” He rubbed his cheek on the top of Alice’s head, and she laughed, even though Alice was far too big to be carried like that. I didn’t think either one of them cared.

Brooks met my gaze, and I swallowed hard, wanting to reach out and touch him, wanting to reach out and push him away.

That was the problem, wasn’t it? I never knew what to do when it came to Brooks Wilder.

And seeing him with that other woman had broken something inside me.

I had already told myself that this was too much.

That I wouldn’t continue to make poor decisions.

And now here I was, in such a vulnerable position that there was no coming back from it.

“So, can you come over tomorrow so we can talk about sports? I also want to learn how to draw like Aunt Rory, but Aunt Rory said that girls are allowed to play football. Is that really true?”

He blinked at me as if pulling himself out of his thoughts like I was trying to do and then looked down at Alice. “That’s right. You can play football if you want.”

For some reason, that inevitably made me think of the last time I had seen Brooks play football. Shirtless, sweaty, and I was losing my damn mind all over again.

I swallowed hard, pushing all thoughts of him out of my mind, even though it literally couldn’t happen since he was in front of me.

This man was a menace to my self-control.

“What are you doing here?” Cameron asked as the young girl stood by my side and folded her arms over her chest.

Apparently, Cameron was going to defend me over whatever she thought had happened, and part of me wanted to warm up at that moment.

Maybe it was the first time we were on the same side.

However, there shouldn’t be sides at this moment.

Because I didn’t want the girls to get in the middle of this.

And this is why I shouldn’t have gotten involved with Brooks. Everything was such a mess.

But he had let that other woman touch him. It looked as if they were on a date or at least comfortable enough to be around his family.

And I hadn’t been there. Had I even been invited?

I wasn’t sure. I was too focused on so many other things, but I couldn’t help but let that image of that beautiful woman and Brooks sitting so close to one another ingrain itself onto my memory.

I just wanted him to leave. So it would be easier to forget him. And maybe easier to breathe.

“Cameron, watch your tone, please,” I said after a moment, realizing that Cameron had been just as rude as I wanted to be at that moment.

Brooks raised a brow but cleared his throat as he set Alice down. “I’m here to talk to your aunt. I think we have a few things to say to one another.”

“It’s late, and I need to get the girls ready for bed.”

“Then I’ll wait in the living room.”

“Oh, you should read a story with us. Please?” Alice asked as she tugged him in.

Alice was seven now and still liked being read to.

I didn’t know if my sister had done this for her.

They had mentioned casually that she had used to.

But I didn’t know what my sister and brother-in-law had done for the girls in the years we had been apart from each other.

I didn’t know what had changed, other than we were finding our own rhythm.

One where sometimes we cried, sometimes we broke down, sometimes we failed, but we were figuring it out.

Only I wasn’t sure I was doing it well enough at this moment.

“Oh, Brooks, you don’t?—”

“I’d be honored to,” Brooks interrupted as he looked down at Alice and then at me. “Cameron, do you get a story, too?”

“I’m twelve. I can read on my own.”

“I can read, too, but it’s fun to hear Aunt Rory do the voices. Do you do the voices?” Alice asked Brooks.

Brooks shrugged. “Not really. But I can practice.”

“Fine, but I want to hear too,” Cameron muttered as she turned on her heels and went upstairs, presumably to get in her pajamas.

My lips twitched because Cameron did indeed have a little crush on Brooks, in the way that twelve-year-olds did, and maybe a story would calm her down.

But it wasn’t going to do anything to help me in this situation.

“Alice, why don’t you get in your pajamas and brush your teeth, and we’ll meet you with whatever book you choose.”

“Okay. Are you sure you’re not leaving early? Are you sure you’re going to stay?” Alice asked, her gaze intent on Brooks.

He nodded tightly, and I saw the pain on both of their faces. None of us were strangers to loss or broken promises, but we were trying.

At least, I felt we had been.

Alice ran upstairs after her sister, leaving me alone in the entryway with Brooks. The man I was falling for, and I had no idea why.

“It wasn’t what you thought,” Brooks whispered.

I snorted before taking off my reading glasses, having not realized I had left them on. “Really? That’s what you’re going with?”

“Lauren was just there?—”

“So her name is Lauren. I hope you two will be very happy. Because I’m not playing the jealous harpy or whatever this was supposed to be. I’m sorry for thinking this was something more than it was.”

Brooks was right in front of me then, hand on the back of my neck, the other lifting up to rub his thumb over my bottom lip.

“Don’t touch me,” I whispered, my body shivering. For more? Or for him to leave. The problem was I didn’t know.