Brooks drops his head in defeat and crushes my hand between his, like he’s gearing up for the fatal blow. I pull my hand out of his and cup his face, drawing his eyes back up to mine.

“I never thought that I would say this to you, but I’m sorry.” Bewilderment overtakes him. “I’m sorry that you couldn’t trust me with whatever you were running from back then, that you felt like your only option was to push me away to protect me. I now understand that that’s what you were doing.”

“The things I said to you at the reunion was me being angry at the idea of you choosing someone else over me. Even after knowing the truth, I still had the bitterness that I choke on every time I think about your lies. I know that I want you in my life–in what capacity–I don’t know, but now that you’re here, I can’t let you just walk away again.” I take a deep breath, releasing all the tension that had built within me. The heaviness in my shoulders finally begins to lessen.

“Is it my turn?” he asks with a smile. I can only answer with a nod.

“Anything that I ever did was to shelter you, even when I hurt you. I thought I was doing the best for you. What I was going through would have damaged you, and I couldn’t let that happen, even if it meant that you had to hate me.”

He grabs a piece of hair that has fallen across my face and tucks it behind my ear, then rubs his knuckles down my check. “Viv, my issue back then is no longer a part of my life, and I’m not in the same place that I was then. I’m not the same scared kid who runs; I’m a man who will stay put and stand by you.”

“So what do we do now?” I ask.

“I’m not asking you to pretend like nothing ever happened. I know that I have to earn your trust and your love again, but fuck, Red, all I want is a chance to win you back. I don’t mind if it takes every day for the rest of my life to make you believe in me, because after having a taste of what my family could be, I can’t ever let you go again.

“Okay,” I mutter.

Seeing that as a green light, Brooks runs his hands into my hair, whispering, “Thank God,” before pulling me to him and crushing my lips to his. Electricity shoots through my body. Every bit of emotion that I once had for this man surges through me. I feel like I’m losing myself in him all over again.

Just as our kiss deepens, I hear laughter, followed by a collective, “Ewww, that’s gross.”

We pull away from each other, a Cheshire grin adorning Brooks’ face, while I can feel the heat of embarrassment on mine. I quickly right myself to attend to our miniature audience.

“What do you guys say we go get ice cream together before we all have to go home and get dinner going?”

Cheers and shrieks fill the air, making me giggle.

“I think that’s a yes,” Brooks says as he stands, pulling me with him and tucking me into his side. “Come on, we can all ride together in my car, and I’ll bring you guys back to get your car after.”

“Sounds good,” I agree.

Together we climb into Brooks’ sleek SUV, settling into the comfortable surroundings. The easiness of the situation is not lost on me, and the feeling that our line-up just changed floods my thoughts.

Vivian

Jen: R u talking 2 me yet?

Me: Yes, please come over so we can talk about everything. I’m sorry that I stormed out.

Jen: U better believe I was done with the silent treatment. I was coming over invited or not.

Me: See u in a few…nab Carly 2. I need total girl pow-wow ASAP. Bring candy and coffee.

Jen: Good Lord, woman. What has ur panties in a twist? I said I was sorry.

Me: Not u…I kissed Brooks yesterday.

Jen: WHAT! We’ll be there in 5.

“So the kids just told me that you spent the day with Brooks and his daughter yesterday; care to fill me in, Sis?” Amanda asks, as she enters the kitchen and takes a seat on the barstool across from me.

I lay my cell phone on the counter and clasp my hands together, bracing for the impact of my sister’s wrath. “Yes, we ran into each other a few times over the past week. I’ll give you the whole story as soon as Jen and Carly get here; they are on their way.”

“Hell no, Viv, cut the shit. Why in the fuck would you spend any time with that asshole after what he did?” Her face is entirely flushed, and I can tell she’s trying to control herself.

“Wow, are you trying to meet some kind of curse-word count today?” I tease, trying to lighten her mood. Her perfectly-tweezed eyebrows pinch together, showing her obvious feelings for my humor.

“That’s not even a little bit funny.” She takes a deep breath before continuing, in an effort to maintain her temper. “I understand that you might be ready to move on with dating. I’ve encouraged you to date; I’ve even tried to set you up with some colleagues of mine. Instead, you choose the one man who has and will crush you. How many times will you let yourself be hurt by him?”

I open my clasped hands and rest my forehead into my palms. I understand where she’s coming from. She saw what I was like after Brooks, and she put me back together after Will. I know what I’m telling her is not easy for her to hear.

Still looking down, I finally address her question. “Look, Manda, what happened in the past wasn’t what I thought it was. He was never unfaithful; he was hiding something and made me believe that he cheated to push me away to protect me from whatever he was running from.” I look up to see her stunned expression.

“Wait, he never cheated?” she asks.

“He didn’t cheat; he lied, but didn’t cheat.”

“Okay, keep going.”

“I know that Brooks Ryan is my biggest weakness, and that he has the power to shatter my soul all over again. I also realize that I’m a mom, and it’s not just me I need to protect, but Emma and Blake’s hearts as well.”

Amanda’s brow softens, and I can see the gears in her mind spinning. “So you promise that whatever it is, you guys will take it slow?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not fully on-board, you know, and if he slips, I’m done with him,” she clarifies.

“Thanks, Mom,” I huff. “By the way, what colleagues were you going to set me up with that you haven’t slept with? Your office is not that big.”

“Ha ha, deflection is never an admirable quality, Viv,” she says as she jumps off the stool. “I’m going upstairs to get dressed; holler when the girls get here, and I’ll take the kids to the park.”

I move around the kitchen island and pull Amanda into a big bear hug. It always makes her feel uncomfortable, so I smother her every chance I get. “Thank you, Manda,” I say, stretching out the end of her name. Then I give her a big sloppy kiss on the cheek when she tries to pull away.

“Vivian! You know I hate that,” she protests, struggling to get away from me.

I finally release her, and she hurries upstairs to get away from me. “You better run, chick-a-dee. I love me some Manda lovin’.”

I can hear her laugh from upstairs, just as the doorbell rings. I rush to the front door, but don’t get a chance to open it before Jen barges into the house.

“You know, you’re in the city now; you should start locking this door,” Jen says as she steps into the foyer with Carly right behind her.

“Well, hello to you, too. Why ring the bell if you’re just going to walk right in?” I ask, taking one of the many sacks from Carly and a coffee from Jen.

“It’s always imperative that I announce my arrival. How long have you known me? This shouldn’t be a question after this long.” Her reply drips with sarcasm.

We take the extreme amount of snack bags, and sprawl the buffet of junk food on the table. “Jesus, is there anything left in the candy aisle of Wal-Mart, you guys? This is ridiculous.” I ask, surveying the piles of goodies.