Fakers (Licking Thicket 1)

I turned around and almost tripped over another man in a tux.

A familiar man in a tux. He was a vision, an absolute hallucinated figment of my imagination. Not only was Brooks standing there at the Los Angeles airport, but he was wearing a tux like he’d just come from the gallery opening.

I blinked and shook my head, but he was still there. His forehead crinkled in confusion. “Mal?”

At the familiar sound of his voice, I burst into tears. Was I going to be the one to tell him about his dad? What if something happened to Red while Brooks was here in California? And, God, he looked so good, so steady and true. He looked like everything I’d ever wanted, and I’d fucked it all up.

“I’m sorry,” I croaked.

He pulled me in for a hug. His arms were tight bands around me, and I never wanted him to let me go. “Baby, what are you doing here?”

When I finally caught my breath enough to speak, I pulled back and looked up at him. “Your dad…”

Brooks’s eyebrows lifted. “You’re here for my dad?”

“He’s… he’s… They think he…”

“Oh, God, no, I know.” His hands cupped my face, and he swiped his thumbs under my eyes to brush the tears away. “He’s okay. I just talked to my mom. They’re pretty sure it’s just the new heart meds causing a dangerous drop in blood pressure. They’re going to keep him there until they get the doses right. I’m sure they’ll do more tests to be sure.”

I blinked at him while the words sank in. “Are you sure? He’s okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah. He’s okay.”

I leaned forward and tucked my face into the warm, cologne-scented skin of his neck. “I love you,” I whispered as quietly as I could. If he heard it, I might have to die of mortification. It was too soon, too crazy, but it was the truth, and I knew it now the way I knew I was meant to work with my hands. It was a part of me I couldn’t deny.

“I love you too,” he said against my ear, making me shudder and igniting my face with heat. “So fucking much. I came to see your grand opening, but then I got the call from Mom.”

I looked up at him. “You came for my gallery opening? Really?”

At least the tux made sense now.

Brooks brushed some of my hair off my forehead and leaned in to kiss me. The familiar taste and feel of him washed over me, but his words were what finally put me at ease. “I never want to miss a single important moment of your life, Malachi Forrester. Even if you’re still upset with me and want space, that’s fine. But I couldn’t bear to miss seeing your first gallery opening.”

I sighed. “Not upset. I was stupid. And scared. Too scared to take a chance on us, too scared to tell you how I really felt.”

“Well, that makes two of us. But I’d rather be stupid and scared with you than stupid and scared alone in New York.”

“I can move to New York,” I blurted. “I mean, if that’s—”

Brooks shook his head. “No, I know you need to be here in LA for your career, at least for a little while. I’m moving back to the Thicket. And if I can get things arranged the way I want, I’ll be able to move here eventually. I just need you to be patient with me. Paul and I are starting an ad agency, and since he needs to be in Tennessee for Ava—”

I snorted out a sound of happiness and clapped my hand over my mouth. Brooks’s face lit up. “You didn’t know Paul was moving to Licking Thicket to be with Ava?” he asked with a grin.

“No, I did, but…”

“You didn’t know I was moving there too?”

“Well, no, but that’s not why I’m so happy.”

He leaned in and pressed a long kiss to my cheek. “Why are you so happy, sweetness?”

“Because I’m moving there too.”

Suddenly, I knew it was the truth. Moving to the Thicket didn’t mean giving up on my career. My art had been valued in the Thicket. I’d sold a commission and had a lead on another one right there in small-town Tennessee. There was no reason at all to think I couldn’t thrive in the Thicket and be surrounded by everyone who meant anything to me.

Brooks let out a deep breath and tightened his arms around me. “Thank fuck.”

I felt light and free in a way I hadn’t felt for a very long time, if ever. Red was going to be okay. Ava and Paul were going to be a family. And Brooks Johnson loved me.

The boarding announcements began blaring overhead. Brooks grabbed my hand and towed me over toward the gate counter.