“And to show we’re committed, we have to pay half up front.”
“Oh my God, Brooke…” Keaton had no words.
“I almost have it saved. I’m really close. A couple more paychecks and we’ll have half. The rest can be paid over the course of the treatment, which will still make life tight for us. But after that year, Tammy will be out of school. She’ll get a well-paying job with benefits, and she’ll be able to stand on her own the rest of her life. She’ll be able to provide for Justin until he can provide for himself. But I have to get them there. And if that means putting up with Jillian twelve more months, then I cross every day off on a calendar with a big black sharpie and suck it up.”
“Jesus.” He exhaled the word and sagged on the bed until he pressed his forehead to her foot. “I can’t even imagine.”
“So, now you know why I did what I did today,” she said, her voice soft and sad. “And why we can’t keep seeing each other.”
He lifted his head. “What?”
“You’re right. If we keep doing this behind her back, Jillian will eventually figure it out. We should have ended things this morning anyway. It’s temporary, and our friendship—even if we only see each other occasionally—does mean a lot to me.”
“Whoa. Slow down. Back up.” His gut tightened. “When did we decide this was temporary?”
“What do you mean?” She stared at him with a confused look. “Temporary is all you do.”
He pushed upright. “That’s all I did.”
She shook her head. “Did you hear any of what I just said?”
“Did you just hear me say I don’t want to let you go?”
Anger and fear pushed his voice up a few octaves, and his words continued to ring in the silence. Their gazes held, and for the length of two extended heartbeats, Keaton wasn’t sure who was more stunned by his admission—Brooke or himself.
Fear burned a circuit through his body, then vanished, mellowing instantly into warmth. Yeah. He was sure. He pushed himself up and slid his hand around her neck. Her eyes were still shocked and now watering.
“Brooke, I didn’t mean to yell. I just… I’ve never, you know, done this before, so I’m probably not going to be very good at it for a while.”
She closed her eyes, and tears spilled over her lashes. Fucking perfect, he’d made her cry. But she leaned into him, pressed her face to his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his neck. And now Keaton’s eyes stung. He pulled her onto his lap, rolling his eyes to the ceiling to banish the burn.
“Baby, you’re different. You’re special,” he said into her hair. “I care about you, and I don’t want to hurt either you or Justin. But, baby, I don’t want to just let you go without trying either.”
She sighed against his neck. Her body softened, and she melted against him. The feeling was so heavenly, Keaton moaned.
“How often do you get to Austin?” he asked her.
“This is our first trip.”
“Does Jillian have the next year scheduled yet?”
“Mostly.” She lifted her head and looked at him. Her dark lashes were clumped with wetness the way they had been in the shower and made her eyes look even bluer. “Where are you going to be?”
The fact that she asked shot a thrill through his heart. “Here until the other stunt guy comes back, then LA until they start filming here again, which will be about three months. In those three months, I’ll probably be working close to home. Then between here and LA for the following three to four months of filming. Rinse. Repeat.”
“I know Jillian’s going to be in LA a few times, but I’d have to look at her calendar to know when.” She sounded tired, but she was still talking. “I know we’re in Vegas in a few months. I think we’re filming somewhere in the Midwest in the winter…” She heaved a sigh, her shoulders sank, and she shook her head. “Keaton, this is so unrealistic…”
“Like you moving in with your sister and nephew, and paying all their bills to provide them with a place to live and the opportunity to live happy, successful lives? I bet that didn’t sound very realistic when the idea came up either. But I know you’re doing it, and I know it works. You don’t plan to do it long-term, right? But it works for now.”
When she didn’t argue, he said, “Tell me this.” He paused, mentally preparing himself for an answer he didn’t want to hear. “Do you care about me enough to want something beyond temporary?”
Her eyes fell closed in a look of pain, and Keaton’s protective wall started to crumble. But when she looked at him again, so much affection floated in her eyes, his heart flipped a somersault. “I have been crazy about you for a very, very long time There is nothing temporary about my feelings for you.”
That made Keaton’s lungs release a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. Made a shaky smile ease the tension in his face. Filled his chest with joy and sent a calming warmth into his belly. He gathered her close, and rocked her, releasing a relieved breath.
Then fell back on the bed with her, stroked her hair off her forehead, and kissed her. “Then let’s not worry about the rest right now.” He ran his fingers over her cheek, twined his legs with hers, and just enjoyed looking at her beautiful face without a stitch of makeup. So fresh and real and honest. “We’ll just have to manage as many rendezvous as necessary to keep us going until our situation changes.”
8