Anna turned back to her, her eyes filled with that look that she reserved for Brooke and Brooke alone.“I’m really glad you invited me.”
Brooke melted into a smile.“I’m glad I invited you, too.” She nodded.“Now come on, let’s go show off your dress.”
Anna’s eyes flashed to Brooke's lips, but she had put on lipstick during their drive here and clearly thought better of it, because instead of kissing Brooke, she grabbed her hand and squeezed.“You’re right. Let’s go be the hottest couple here.”
Brooke’s heart skipped a bit. The hottestcouplehere. God, she hoped Anna meant it.
“Alright. Let’s do this.” Anna opened her door and was helped out by Clarence. Clearly, they had scarred him so badly the night before that he was afraid to open the door.
Brooke slid across the bench seat and got out directly after Anna, letting Clarence help her out as well. She slipped him an excessive tip during the exchange.
He just smiled kindly at her.“I’ll be here when you two are ready to head home, madams.” He bowed his head to them.
“Thank you, sir,” Brooke said politely in return. She liked Clarence. He gave off the good kind of grandpa vibe. Anna squeezed her hand a few times drawing all of Brooke's attention.
“Do we have time to wander through the grounds before the wedding?”
Brooke checked her watch before nodding.“Yes, Darling. We have about an hour before the ceremony begins. I don’t see why we couldn’t take a quick jaunt through the gardens.”
Anna smiled warmly at her.“Nobody talks like you,” she said, softly. She wasn’t teasing, her voice was filled with a fondness.“I like it,” she added. Sometimes, when she looked at Brooke, her eyes filled with wonder. The more time Brooke spent with her, the closer she was to uncovering the true nature of Anna’s gaze.
Brooke felt the corners of her lips pull up, into a smile. She wanted to spill her heart right there at the entrance to an ancient estate, but she didn’t want the moment ruined by time constraints. Instead, she lifted Anna’s hand to her lips to press the softest of kisses to the back of Anna’s knuckles.“Come then, Darling. Shall we go see the grounds?”
As they walked through an incredibly well maintained hedge-maze, Anna let out a frustrated huff. Brooke looked her over quickly, trying to assess what might be wrong.“Are you alright?” Brooke asked when nothing looked amiss.
Anna grinned at her mischievously.“I mean, technically. But…” She looked away, blushed and worried at her bottom lip.
“Technically?” Brooke asked, starting to get worried. She didn’t do well with unknowns and things she couldn’t fix.
Anna let out a startled laugh.“Okay, honestly?” Her whole face scrunched up as she stopped walking and turned to face Brooke.
Brooke just nodded, frowning.
Anna’s thumb reached up and smoothed out the wrinkle that formed in the center of Brooke’s forehead when she frowned.“I’m really frustrated that my lipstick is labeled as non-transferable and so far on this trip we have learned that that’s a damn lie.”
Heat spread up Brooke's neck as she stood there stunned. She quickly looked around. They had passed other early couples there for Nate and Mel’s wedding, wandering through the castle and the gardens. Brooke still wasn’t one-hundred percent comfortable with everything surrounding sex or even intimacy. Kisses, especially kisses that might be seen still caused a single line of sweat to bead down the center of her back. She was happy to see that no one was anywhere near them. They were all alone in the hedge and Anna looked simultaneously breathless and breathtaking.
Her hands had traced up the lapels of Brooke's tux while Brooke’s thoughts had raced at a million miles and hour.
“You okay over there?” Anna asked, her voice teetering on the edge of flirtatiousness.
Brooke nodded and licked her lips. She couldn’t seem to lift her eyes up past Anna’s deep red lipstick. She swallowed and forced herself to make eye contact. Anna’s gaze sharpened, an eyebrow lifted as if in a dare. They hovered, frozen in tension, a thousand possible outcomes threading around them. Everything ranging from a small simple peck of a kiss, through Brooke’s hand sliding back up the ridiculous slit in Anna’s dress, all raced through Brooke’s mind.
Damn the lipstick. Brooke leaned in and kissed her, slowly and deliberately. Anna wanted a kiss, and Brooke would not miss the opportunity.
Their kiss was one that lingered and bled from one kiss into a second and a third, each one getting lighter and more playful until Anna actually stepped back with a laugh, looking lighter than she had since they had stepped into the maze.“We should probably go find our seats, huh?” Anna asked, running her thumb along Brooke’s bottom lip, helping her wipe away the evidence of their kisses.
Brooke was frozen in place, moved by the intimate gesture of Anna’s thumb swiping across her bottom lip. She nodded, wordlessly agreeing to find their seats.
Brooke had never been in a space more perfect for a wedding. Nate and Mel were to be married on a stunning Italian styled balcony, complete with high arches letting in a lovely spring breeze and the natural light of a setting sun. The chairs were golden, wrapped with cream linens, and white rose petals were everywhere. It was like something out of a royal fairytale. Brooke smiled softly as she slipped her phone out of her inside pocket and snapped a few photos of the set up before it was filled with people and before the show had begun.
They sat middle middle, intentionally behind a few shorter women that Brooke didn’t recognize. Honestly, based strictly off of looks, they could easily be Mel’s extended family. Brooke was kind of excited to meet Mel’s parents. Mel was so genuinely wonderful, Brooke was sure her parents would be great. She wondered what they thought about all this pomp and circumstance. Her heart sank into her gut. She hoped her mother hadn’t been rude to them. Maybe Mel’s future law career made up for her parents' occupations. Brooke all but shook her head. She genuinely couldn’t imagine how sad her mother must be, condescending on the world.
Anna’s hand found its home on Brooke's right thigh and Anna snuggled in closer to Brooke in her seat. Her foot wrapped around Brooke's ankle, but when Brooke looked up, Anna seemed fully engrossed in the little program that they had been handed as they had approached the center aisle. This was just how Anna had come to enjoy sitting it seemed.
Anna leaned over, farther in Brooke’s space, so that she could whisper in Brooke's ear.“We should take a few photos together.” She smiled at Brooke hopefully.
“Sure of course,” Brooke said, quickly reaching into her inside pocket for Anna’s phone.“Here you are. How do you want me?” Brooke asked, waiting patiently for direction.
