Prologue
When I met Brooks, he was like a breath of fresh air. A man who knew how to treat a woman. Someone who valued a female for who she truly is. I didn’t have to hide my true self just to impress him. He loved me the way that I was. That is something I’ll always admire about him.
The way he looked at me was similar to the way that Andre looked at Kai. Warmth in his blue eyes and an inviting smile. Brown hair that was always in a disheveled mess but made him look even more cute. There was more to Brooks than met the eye.
He wasn’t just a cute man, he looked at me like I was an angel on earth. Like we were the only two in the world.
He was different from any other man I had been with in the world, and I would forever love the difference that set him apart from anyone else.
“What are you thinking about,” Brooks asked me, a smile spreading across his features. As if he knew I was thinking about him.
“Oh, just thinking about this amazing man that I get to call mine.”
“Who would that be?” He asked, kissing the nape of my neck.
I playfully shoved him off of me. “Seriously?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
Brooks gave me a sly look and shrugged. “What?”
I walked into the kitchen of the apartment that I shared with Kai. I opened the fridge and pulled out some orange juice. I poured myself a glass and offered something to Brooks. He didn’t want anything, so I placed the orange juice back into the fridge.
I followed Brooks into the living room and sat down beside of him on the couch.
“I have something I want to ask you,” Brooks said, taking hold of my hand.
My heart started to pound in my chest. I had no idea what question he had wanted to ask me. Part of me wondered if he was going to propose, but I put that into the back of my mind. It was too soon for such a question. Or was it?
“What do you want to ask me?”
“Would you want to move in with me?”
I didn’t know what to say. I had been staying the night occasionally at Brooks’ apartment but didn’t know he wanted me to move in with him. We briefly talked about it, but never in depth.
He studied my expression, his eyes staring deep into mine.
“I’d love to,” I finally answered.
A warm feeling brushed over Brooks as he breathed in a breath of fresh air, filling his lungs with renewed oxygen.
“For a moment, I was afraid you would say no,” he said, taking hold of my hand and brushing a kiss upon the top of it.
I smiled and whispered “Let me tell Kai before I start moving things out. I want her to know before I start packing my life away.”
“Fair enough.”
Brooks pulled me in close to him. For a few moments, life felt like it stood still. Like we were the two only people left in this world. He looked deep into my eyes as I stared back into his. We closed the remaining space between us as our lips locked onto each others.
I opened my mouth to give his tongue entrance as he weaved his tongue in and out of my mouth as we were kissing.
We finally pulled apart as he rested his forehead on mine.
“I have something else to run by you,” he whispered into my ear. Goosebumps formed on my skin as the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
“And what would that be?” I asked.
“As you know, I have been working overtime at my job. I have been putting extra hours in just so that I can make extra income. I’ve been putting that extra income aside so that we can take a special trip together.”
He slipped his hands into mine.
“I’ve been looking into different places around the world that we could take a trip to. I think I’ve finally found the perfect place.”
He slipped his hands out of mine and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He pulled up a website and showed me a picture. As I stared at the screen, I looked at the picture. It was a beach house surrounded by beautiful crystal clear water.
“Where is this?”
“Crystal Cove, Bahamas,” Brooks answered.
I sat shocked for a moment. “I’ve always wanted to visit the Bahamas.”
“I know,” Brooks said, pulling me in for a hug. “You can invite Kai and Andre if you’d like.”
I pulled back and looked at him.
“Seriously?”
“Absolutely!”
I could feel a tear welling up in my eyes. I tried not to bat it down, but it rolled down my face anyway.
“I hope those are happy tears?”
I nodded. “Seriously Brooks. This is a lot to take in, but maybe taking a trip with Kai can get her mind off of me moving out. Maybe we can get some quality time together while we’re there. We’ve always talked about taking a trip to the Bahamas together. I’m so excited.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
He pulled me in for one last kiss. This time the time did stand still. So much so that I didn’t even hear Kai opening the door and walking inside of the apartment.
“Goodness Cara,” Kai said. “Every time I see the two of you together you’re always lip-locked.”
I snickered and pulled away from Brooks. The three of us erupted into laughter. Brooks got up off of the couch and I followed him to the front door as Kai made herself at home.
“Don’t forget to talk to Kai about you moving out,” Brooks whispered. “And about the vacation.”
“I won’t,” I hesitated. I hated goodbyes. I wasn’t good at them.
“Hey, he said, lifting my chin. It won’t be long and we will be together all of the time and won’t have to say goodbye.”
I smiled a watery smile as he told me goodbye.
Our lips touched one last time before he walked out of the apartment door and disappeared down the hallway.
