Page 63 of Worth the Fall
After the show ended, Clara insisted that Waffle Princess read her a book before bedtime, and Brooklyn wholeheartedly agreed, saying she loved a good bedtime story. I headed into my own room, where I could brush my teeth and put on some shit that made me smell good while the two of them went through Clara’s nighttime routine without me.
It was fucking surreal. But in the best way.
I stopped in Clara’s bedroom on my way back downstairs and gave her a good-night kiss and hug. And when Brooklyn finally started walking down the stairs to join me, my breath caught in my throat. She looked like she belonged here, in this house, with us, all comfortable and familiar.
“Thank you for doing that. You didn’t have to, you know,” I said as she made her way toward where I currently stood in the kitchen, her red hair tossed behind her.
“I was happy to do it. She’s a really great kid.”
“I think so, too, but I’m partial,” I teased, trying to lighten the heaviness that seemed to descend over me whenever someone complimented Clara. I’d never been comfortable with them, always assuming that I was failing her somehow.
“You’re definitely partial. But you’re not wrong. You’ve done such a good job raising her,” she said.
I fought against the tightening in my chest as she took a step to close the gap between us.
All I wanted to do was cross that imaginary line and end all the back-and-forth bullshit that I knew I was responsible for.
“Thank you,” was all I managed to get out. “You know, you’re really good with her too.”
“She makes it easy. Unlike her father,” she teased, and I reached for her waist, my fingertips gripping her tightly as I pulled her closer.
“That damn mouth,” I grumbled.
Her eyes started to flicker, her lips parting as her body swayed toward me of its own accord. She wanted this just as badly as I did. My free hand reached for her cheek, cupping it right as my motherfucking cell phone vibrated across the granite countertop.
I exhaled through my nose as I dropped my hand away from her face, but kept my other hand right where it was. Her eyes shot open, finding mine before looking down at the phone screen. I wanted to ignore it, but knew that no one except my family typically called me at night.
Reaching for it, I noticed Matthew’s name and professional hockey picture staring back at me.
“It’s Matthew. I’ve got to answer this,” I said.
Brooklyn gave me an understanding nod as she peeled my fingers away from her lower back and folded her arms across her chest, like she wasn’t sure what to do with them.
“Yes?” I said as I answered the call, hoping he would hear the annoyance in my tone and get the message.
“Grumps,” Matthew slurred into the phone.
“This’d better be good,” I insisted as I pressed the phone harder against my ear. The background noise was so loud that I could barely hear him over it.
“I think Brooklyn’s dickhead of an ex is here at the saloon,” he shouted.
I quickly looked at Brooklyn to see if she’d overheard that or not. Her green eyes watched me, but there was no recognition there, thankfully. I moved away and paced the living room.
“Tell me,” I ground out.
“He’s talking mad shit about her, and I was going to shut him the hell up, but I thought you might enjoy doing it more,” he said with a sinister laugh that I found myself appreciating.
It had been a long time since the O’Grady brothers had put anyone in their place.
“Is he still there right now?”
“Yeah. It’s not pretty. He’s being a fucking prick. Better hurry up, or I’ll handle him myself. This guy’s on my last nerve,” Matthew said before abruptly ending the call.
Brooklyn hadn’t mentioned any other issues with her ex since that day at work, but then again, had I even asked?
No, I hadn’t.
I hustled over to where she stood with an unreadable expression on her face. I unfolded her arms, reached for one hand, and planted a soft kiss on top. “Can you stay here while I go handle something?”