His Little Secret by Aubree Valentine
Epilogue
Keegan
Two Years Later…
Seated next to Brooke’s parents, Keith and Patsy, we wait patiently until they call our girl’s name.
“Brooke Fuller.”
As if I’ve been possessed by someone else, I jump to my feet and cheer loudly for my wife.
Seems crazy to think how much our lives have changed since she walked into my office and threw herself at me three years ago.
I always planned to stay in Rocky Cove and teach in the same district I grew up in. Which I’ve been able to do for two years while Brooke finished her degree, but now with Brooke’s job offer at HarperCollins, we’ll be moving to New York where I accepted a job at a local high school.
That’s right, my girl landed her dream job straight out of college.
While I’m beyond proud of Brooke, I’m a little freaked out at the prospect of moving to such a high cost of living area, especially with a baby on the way. That’s right, we’re having a baby. Brooke dropped that surprise on me twelve weeks ago and we plan to share the news with her parents at dinner tonight.
I think it’s pretty safe to say that nothing has gone according to my plan since the minute I met Brooke. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This woman has been a breath of fresh air in my life, shaking things up from the very beginning.
The dean continues to call the rest of the graduating class to the stage one by one until the very last student has walked across the stage. My mind is a thousand steps ahead and tuning out closing remarks. I’m completely lost in my own thoughts until Patsy gently pats my shoulder and nods to the crowd of people exiting Thackery’s stadium.
I’m the first to spot Brooke chatting with Matt Painter, another graduate and his special lady – and former student – Abbie Arbor. Completely in tune with me, Brooke senses me near and looks up, locking eyes with me.
“Found her,” I smile over my shoulder at Patsy and Keith.
As soon as I’ve closed the distance between us, I wrap my arm around Brooke’s waist and pull her closer to me with a kiss on her cheek. “Congratulations.”
“We did it,” she giggles.
“You did it, my dear.” I cannot take credit for Brooke’s drive and intelligence.
“Oh, my sweet baby girl, your father and I are so proud of you,” Patsy moves in for a hug. “Who are your friends?”
Brooke smiles. “Thank you, Mom. Dad, it’s good to see you. And this is Matt Painter. He’s the amazing artist I was telling you about. The lovely lady next to him is Abbie Arbor.
Her parents trade introductions and small talk.
I take a look at my watch and clear my throat. “Well, if we’re going to make it to our brunch reservations, we should probably get going.”
Brooke looks up at me and smirks, my girl knows that I’m a ball of nerves about what’s next.
* * *
“I’d say that went well,” Brooke says with tired sigh as she collapses on our couch, one of the few things left in our apartment.
“Your mom and dad seem pretty excited about having a grandbaby,” I smile at her as I sit on the coffee table and take off her shoes to rub her feet.
“Yeah, I don’t think they’re so thrilled with me moving to New York though.”
I shrug, digging my thumbs into her arches just the way she likes. “It’s a lot further away from home than Rocky Cove, but they were excited to here about your job with HarperCollins.
“I still can’t believe all of this is reality,” she says as her eyes drift closed.
This is one of the many sides of Brooke that I love so much. When she’s so relaxed that all of her walls are down. Even though I want nothing more than to take her, right here, right now. I’ll hold off because I know just how exhausted she is. Instead, I watch her drift off to sleep before easing her down on the couch and spreading a thin blanket over top of her.
Tomorrow, the next chapter in our lives begin.
The moving van sitting out front is packed with almost all of our things.
In the morning, we’ll be on our way to our new condo at 425 Madison that HarperCollins is covering for our first year.
But tonight…tonight, I’m soaking in every last minute in this place with Brooke by my side.
