“You make me happy, Cody.”
“I’m trying.” He squeezed her hip. “Did you tell her about the counselor?”
Mindy Sue glanced at her.
Brooke filled her in. “Cody and I went to see a grief counselor yesterday. We talked about our daughter.”
“It helped me,” Cody said.
She laid her hand on his arm. “It helped me, too. We have a few more appointments with her over the next several weeks. The psychiatrist helps me with what happened with Adam, but the counselor is a way for Cody and me to grieve together.” She’d needed to deal with her fear and trauma to get to a place to talk about her grief and the pain of the loss.
“It’s a great first step to learning to live without her,” Mindy Sue encouraged.
Cody stole a quick kiss to distract her from thinking about all they’d lost. “Everyone wants to say hi and talk to you. Feel up to joining the party? Mindy Sue and I will stay beside you. If you get overwhelmed and need some space, no problem. We’ll come back and hang out here.”
She was scared. Scared to be around so many people, even though she knew them all. Scared of what they would say or ask her.
She needed to be brave and daring like she used to be.
She took Cody’s outstretched hand. He pulled her up and they walked to the patio where everyone was gathered. Mindy Sue followed along.
Cody stopped on the edge of the small crowd, released her hand, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into his side. “These are the people who love you most, Brooke. I want you to feel that.” He waved his free arm. “Everyone, may I have your attention.” The much smaller crowd than past celebrations quit their conversations and turned to Cody and her. “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight. In addition to our annual Fourth of July barbecue, we’re here to welcome Brooke home. No one is happier than I am to have her return to the ranch. Of course, I have my selfish reasons. I love her.” Cody leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. The crowdcheered. Cody smiled down at her, then at the crowd. “Your friends and family love you. Welcome home, Brooke.”
“Welcome home,” the crowd echoed.
Cody tipped back his beer. She took a sip of her wine and smiled at him and everyone around them. “Thank you.”
Cody cupped her cheek and locked eyes with her. “This is your home. This is your place. Right beside me.” He sealed those words with another soft kiss.
Brooke settled into his side and the rest of the evening. Cody walked her from one group of friends to the next, starting the conversation and letting her join in when she felt like it. Mindy Sue flirted with Tony and kept Brooke’s mind occupied with silly jokes and reminders of all the other good times they shared, making it easier to keep the dark thoughts at bay.
Cody pulled her onto the patio and into his arms. Others were already dancing to the soft music coming from the garden speakers. She settled in against him and swayed to the music. She held him tight, comforted by his familiar scent and the heat of his body against hers.
“All I want to do is take you upstairs to bed,” he whispered in her ear.
“I want to always be this close to you.”
Cody pulled her tight against his body. They barely moved to the music. “How are you?”
“Tired of everyone asking me that and staring at the scars on my arms.”
The Texas heat didn’t allow her to cover up the way she desperately wanted to do to keep everyone from seeing the scars. She’d nearly told Cody she couldn’t attend the party because every dress in her closet was either short-sleeved or sleeveless. In the end, she realized she couldn’t hide what Adam did to her—it was still written on her face and in her eyes as well as on her body.
She’d settled on a raspberry-colored, sleeveless dress with a pretty, sheer ruffled edge at the bottom of the skirt. She’d picked a pair of silver sandals and a silver and crystal beaded necklace to complement the outfit.
The people who were here were the people they knew and trusted to keep Brooke’s secret that she’d been attacked on campus.
“Maybe they look for a moment, but then they remember you’re still the Brooke they’ve always known. The scars don’t matter, honey. That you’re safe and home with all of us matters more than anything else.”
“You always know the right thing to say.”
“I didn’t always. I wish telling you I love you was enough to…”
She pressed her thumb to his lips and her hand to his cheek. “It’s enough, Cody. I feel how much you love me.”
The song ended and Cody stared down at her. She went up on tiptoe and kissed him in front of everyone. They ended the kiss to another round of applause.
Feeling lighter than she had in weeks, she smiled and buried her face in Cody’s chest, embarrassed to be caught in such an intimate moment.
