“Are you ok?” I cupped his face.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, his voice unsteady.
I studied him for a few seconds, wondering what had happened.
“Ok, I’ll see you soon, ok,” I said, pulling him in for a kiss that I wanted to deepen, but he pulled away too soon.
Beau blushed as I stepped back, closing his door. I smirked, loving the look on him.
“Seriously, Nash?” Brooks shook his head as I walked to my truck.
“Don’t judge,” I said, feeling my father’s eyes on me.
We got into the truck silently, both of us wary of our father, wondering if he was going to do anything. Only once Iris had backed out and we followed her out of the long driveway did I feel the anxiety leave my body.
“I’m sorry,” Brooks whispered. “I don’t know why I had always hoped he…he was a better man.”
“Well, now you know he isn’t,” I said, wanting to say more but didn’t know how to say it.
“I think I’ve always known,” he sighed. “I just always had this insane need to make him proud of me and?—”
“Have him say he was proud of you or at least acknowledge it,” I finished his sentence.
“You get it,” he said, running a hand down his face.
“I do, but I never got it. I craved his acceptance and just one time for him to tell me he was proud of me,” I said, shaking my head. “It was like, no matter what I did, it was never good enough, so I stopped trying. I became what they hated. What was the point of trying? Even when I was good, I got yelled at.”
“I know my words mean nothing,” Brooks said, as I turned into the parking lot of the hotel. “I probably would hate you if the roles were reversed, but I am sorry that I didn’t see it sooner or let myself see it.”
I nodded. “I can’t say I forgive you yet. You let him do a lot of shit to this family even if you think you were doing right by us.”
I stopped behind his truck.
“I know. If Iris is ok with it, I’d like to keep the farm and purchase the land, I think I need to work on a few things,” he said, looking thoughtful. “There’s a lot of mending I need to do, and I think I need to go back to my roots.”
“I’ll let you know what she says,” I said, clapping his shoulder.
“You called her Petal,” he said softly.
I clenched my jaw hating that I called her that in front of them.
“Papa used to call Mimi that,” he said. “That’s pretty romantic.”
“Don’t,” I said sharply.
“I take it, you took my advice?” He sounded too damn smug.
“She’s not what I expected,” I clipped. “Are you happy now?”
“Are we not going to talk about him?” Brooks smirked. “Is he your boyfriend too?”
“I don’t know, things are complicated between us, but if I’m being honest, I want all of us together,” I said.
“All of you?” Brooks' eyes widened.
“Yes, all of us,” I said, enjoying Brooks attempting to comprehend what I was telling him.
“You mean Iris is with him too?” He attempted to not sound shocked.
