Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All by Karen Booth

Epilogue

Eleven months and twenty-six days later

Thanksgiving at Alecand Brooklyn’s house wasn’t the ideal situation for a dog to have puppies. But sometimes, life threw you curveballs.

“How’s the patient?” Alec asked Brooklyn as he rushed around the kitchen, wearing a chef’s apron over one of his many sweaters. The stovetop was covered in pans bubbling away, steam was floating up into the range hood, and he was peeking into the oven, releasing wafts of delicious roast turkey smell.

“Connie’s doing great. She’s a rock star. And the puppies are nursing like crazy.”

Brooklyn and Alec had welcomed Connie into their home a little less than two months ago. Their personal pursuit of pregnancy had yet to come to fruition, and although they’d started looking into adoption, that was all off in the distance. Brooklyn had been desperate for someone or something to nurture, beyond Alec and their ever-growing collection of houseplants. And then out of the blue, Lela called Brooklyn and asked if they had any interest in a dog. She and Donovan had found a golden retriever wandering the woods near his mother’s home in Connecticut. They took it to the vet and without a collar or a microchip, there was no way to find where she belonged. Lela had been unable to find a spot for her at the local shelter, and she couldn’t take a dog because she and Donovan already had three cats. Donovan’s mother couldn’t take the dog because she already had dozens of pets. So Lela had asked Brooklyn to step in.

The only hitch? Connie, who they named for Connecticut, was pregnant.

It had taken Alec and Brooklyn about five seconds to say yes, and it was true love from the start. Connie took to life in Alec’s brownstone immediately. She spent her afternoons sleeping in his office and liked to curl up on the sofa between Alec and Brooklyn at night when they watched TV. Sometimes there wasn’t much room, since Alec and Brooklyn were often glued to each other. When that was the case, Connie simply stretched out across their laps.

“Virginia and Dallas are in the guest room with her,” Brooklyn said. “He’s so excited about the puppies. But I don’t think he bargained on them looking like little aliens at first.”

Alec wandered closer to Brooklyn and placed a hand on her hip. “Oh, come on. Connie’s puppies are adorable.”

“I think you should admit that you’re biased. She can do no wrong in your eyes.”

“That’s because she’s perfect.” Alec had definitely become a sunnier person since Brooklyn moved in. He seemed to worry less. He enjoyed everything more. It turned out that the burden of Good Day USA had been weighing on him far more than anyone fully appreciated. Of course, that left him without a job for several months.

Until Robin Ortiz called and asked if he had any interest in coming back to the network—in the news division, but this time, he’d be working off camera. She felt he had the knowledge and expertise to be a segment producer. He’d countered the offer, asking for minimal travel and regular hours. Miracle of miracles, they’d agreed. So he did ultimately end up in news. Just not like he’d first thought.

“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?” Brooklyn asked, knowing Alec would say no. She wasn’t a great cook, although she was excellent at loading the dishwasher. They’d worked out the division of labor pretty well in their relationship. Every night after work, Alec cooked and Brooklyn watched. It was perfect.

“I think you should probably focus on the puppies for now,” Alec said, returning to his charge at the stove. “Plus, we need to start thinking up dog names that start with Chelsea. So far all I’ve come up with are Chelsea Football Club and Chelsea Market.”

“Chelsea boots?”

“Let’s just make a list.” He lifted the lid off a pot and stirred. “For the time being, dinner will be ready in about an hour.”

“Sounds great.” Brooklyn walked down the central hall, then climbed the stairs to the second floor and the guest bedroom. Dallas was on the floor next to the large cardboard box lined with towels where Connie had given birth. Virginia was seated on the bed, reading a magazine. “How’s she doing?” Brooklyn whispered, peering into the box. Connie was sleeping and the puppies were nursing. All was good.

“The puppies are eating a lot,” Dallas whispered. “It’s weird how the milk comes out of the mommy’s tummy.”

“That’s just how nature works, Dallas.” Brooklyn ruffled her nephew’s hair and took a seat next to her sister. “Is this boring for you?”

“Honestly? No. It’s sheer heaven. It’s quiet, the other mom in the room has her babies under control, and I can catch up on celebrity gossip. Plus I don’t have to watch sports with Tom and pretend to be interested. I love him to death. But it’s more fun up here.” Virginia’s husband had been stationed in the living room since they’d arrived, but it was nice because he was not only watching Paris, he was chatting up Brooklyn and Virginia’s mom. Aurora didn’t like football much, but she did appreciate the tight pants.

“Good. I’m glad you’re happy.”

“What’s with that big zit on your chin?” Virginia asked.

Brooklyn reflexively reached for the spot. It was a bad one. It actually hurt. “I have no idea why I’m breaking out. I have a couple on my forehead, too.” She swept back her bangs to let Virginia see.

Her sister’s mouth fell open. “Oh, my God.”

“Hey. They’re not that bad. I don’t make fun of your bad skin days.”

“No. Brooklyn. I broke out with both kids.” She gestured at Dallas with a nod. “Right at the beginning. Is there any chance that you’re…? You know…”

It was obvious she didn’t want to say pregnant in front of Dallas. “I seriously doubt it.” They’d spent the last year trying with no luck. All Brooklyn had learned was that she had a highly irregular cycle. “And I’m having perimenopausal symptoms. Hot flashes. Difficulty sleeping. That can come with skin issues, too. Basically, I’m a hormonal nightmare.”

“When was your last period?”

Brooklyn had to think on that one. “Mid-October? Five weeks ago? So I guess it is a little late.”

Virginia squealed, totally getting ahead of herself. “Have you thought about taking a test?”

“No. I haven’t.”

“Do you have one?”

“Yes. We bought the big multi-pack. I have a few in the cabinet.”

“Do you want to?”

Brooklyn wasn’t sure. It was always such a big let-down when it was negative. She and Alec had been through the wringer, month after month, hoping like hell, then not getting the result they wanted. Of course, as of this moment, Brooklyn had only had her hopes up for sixty seconds. And she seriously doubted her sister was right. There was deep satisfaction in telling a sibling they were wrong. It was one of the laws of the universe. “Maybe?”

“Think about it. I have a feeling about this.”

“Like a woo-woo, let’s call mom’s psychic feeling?”

“If you must know, yes. And Mom’s psychic is actually a pretty cool guy.”

“Hmm.” Brooklyn placed a hand on the mattress and leaned back. “I guess a test wouldn’t hurt.”

“You’ve been waiting so long. When it happens, I want you to be able to enjoy every minute of it. That’s all.” Virginia patted Brooklyn’s leg, then hopped up from the bed. “I’m going to go get a glass of wine and check in on Tom and Paris. And Mom.”

Brooklyn took a spot on the floor next to Dallas and stroked Connie’s head lightly. She lifted her nose slightly and pressed her head against Brooklyn’s hand. The stunning ring Alec gave her on that snowy day a year ago glinted in the light. They hadn’t tied the knot yet, mostly because she and Alec had been so busy. Yes, Cy had made Brooklyn’s load at work much lighter, and he was working out fabulously, but they’d moved the entire Posh Post operation out to Queens to save money and have more room. That had been a major undertaking. They’d done some reorganization on Aurora Beauty once they brought it into the fold, and the entire line had gone gangbusters after Brooklyn and Virginia got their marketing team involved. Their mom basically just showed up at the office every day and answered emails, went to lunch, then headed home. Which was perfect as far as Brooklyn and Virginia were concerned. But with all of that going on, then Alec’s new job, and the arrival of Connie, a wedding had taken a back seat.

“Dallas, I need to run to the bathroom real quick. Are you okay in here by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Just don’t touch the puppies. Connie might not like it, okay?”

“I won’t.”

Brooklyn padded down the hall and into the bedroom she and Alec shared, then into the attached bath. She opened the cabinet and stared at the box of tests. Knowing Virginia, she was just going to ask about it again later. Better to just do it and stop thinking about it. She closed the bathroom door and went through the process she’d done now more than a dozen times. As she sat on the edge of the bathtub and waited for the test results, she decided that she was okay with whatever it had to say. She was truly happy with the way life was right now. If it didn’t change, that would be fine.

The timer on her phone went off after two minutes, and she got up, not making a big deal about it at all, ready to toss the thing in the trash. And that was when she saw it—a plus sign.

Holy crap.She’d been waiting for this moment for so long, and had imagined it countless times, but she’d also slowly come to the realization that there was a good chance it would never come. Now it was here and she didn’t know what to do. Scream? Yell? Jump up and down? She was desperate to tell Alec, but it was less than a half hour until dinner. News could wait, but a Thanksgiving turkey could not. She really needed to get downstairs and help him. Instead of taking the pee stick with her downstairs, she snapped a photo of it on her phone, then left it on the back of the toilet.

She stopped at the guest room to fetch Dallas. “Come on, buddy. Almost time for dinner, okay? Let’s go see if Alec needs any help.”

“But the puppies. What if Connie needs me?”

Brooklyn held out her hand. He was such a sweet, sweet boy. “I promise you she’ll be okay for a little while. You can check on her later.”

“Can I sleep over?” he asked as they headed downstairs. “That way I can see the puppies in the morning.”

“Maybe? Probably. We’ll ask your mom. And I have to okay it with Alec.”

“Okay.”

They made their way into the kitchen, Brooklyn’s stomach doing a little flip when she saw Alec. He was going to be so excited when she delivered the news, and that made her nothing less than immensely thankful. She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. “How’s it going?”

“Uh. Okay. I guess. There are just a lot to do at this stage of things. It’s kind of a fire drill.” Calm, confident, upbeat Alec was now frazzled. Whispering news about a positive pregnancy test into his ear was going to have to wait.

“Yes. Tell me. What can I do?”

Alec rattled off a list of very rudimentary tasks for Brooklyn—things like popping the rolls back into the oven, stirring the gravy, removing the plastic wrap from the dish of cranberry sauce and asking Dallas to put it on the table.

“Can I help?” Brooklyn’s mom appeared. “I’m sorry if I’ve been missing in action. Tom was explaining football to me. It’s actually quite interesting.”

“I bet,” Brooklyn quipped. “Alec is in charge. He’ll give you a job.”

Alec hustled over to Aurora and put his arm around her shoulder as he asked her to taste the mashed potatoes and season accordingly. Brooklyn loved seeing them together. Her mom didn’t hesitate to shower Alec with affection, and Brooklyn knew that with Alec’s parents gone, he relished it.

Aurora dunked a spoon into the potatoes and let out an orgasmic groan of appreciation. “My future son-in-law is a genius. They’re perfect, Alec.”

“Awesome,” Alec said, sounding immensely proud. “Can you put them in the serving dish?”

“I can do that.”

With Alec at the helm, they were a well-oiled machine, and Thanksgiving dinner was successfully on the table at six o’clock, on the nose. Alec, seated at the head of the table and next to Brooklyn, raised a glass of wine to toast. “To family,” he said.

“To family,” everyone said in chorus. Dallas was the loudest. To fami-wee!

Brooklyn toasted with her water glass, noticing the wobble in her voice. It meant a lot to be celebrating this holiday in the home she shared with her fiancé. It meant a lot that everyone was happy and healthy.

Alec looked at her and reached for her left hand, which was resting on top of the table. He fiddled with her ring, curiously tilting his head to one side. “Are you okay?”

Those three words were enough to bring tears to her eyes, but she held them back, even when it took everything in her. She nodded, pressing her lips together tightly, and leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. “I’m great. But I want to steal you for a minute after dinner. Okay?”

He turned his head and brushed his lips against her temple. “Only a minute?” he asked in a very hushed tone. “I’m fast, but I’m not that fast.”

She laughed and shook her head. “You’re bad.”

He bounced both eyebrows. “If you want me to be.”

“Did you say something, Alec?” her mom asked.

He shook his head and handed her a bowl. “Just keeping Brooklyn happy. Here. Have some green beans.”

The food was passed around and around and around. The sheer volume of dishes Alec had prepared was astounding, but this was the first time he’d ever hosted Thanksgiving and he’d wanted to do it up right. It was his hope that next year, he could convince his brother, sister-in-law, and nieces to come as well. They would have both families blended together. And that would be truly lovely.

As bellies started to strain and the meal slowed down, Virginia caught Brooklyn’s eye and they had one of their silent sister conversations. Brooklyn’s side of it went something like this: I’ll tell you soon enough. But yeah. You were right.

Virginia smiled and wrapped her arm around Dallas’s little head, pulling him closer and planting a kiss on it.

“What was that for?” Dallas asked.

“Nothing. I just love you. That’s all.”

“Oh, Mommy.” Dallas rolled his eyes. “If you love me, can I sleep at Alec and Aunt Brooklyn’s house tonight?”

Alec looked at Brooklyn. “Is that on the table?”

Brooklyn nodded. “It’s fine with me. He asked upstairs. I just hadn’t had a chance to talk to you about it yet.”

“I’m fine with it as long as Virginia and Tom agree.”

“Are you kidding?” Tom asked, plucking one more roll out of the bread basket. “You two are all he talks about. It might get him to be quiet about it.”

“That’s decided then.” Alec set his napkin on his plate and sat back in his chair.

Brooklyn saw her opportunity. “If everyone’s done eating, maybe we should go upstairs and figure out where Dallas is going to sleep.”

Alec shot her a questioning glance, but she bugged her eyes at him in response. “Oh. Sure. Let’s do that.”

“Tom and I can get the dishes going.” Virginia started stacking plates. “And I think Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is available on demand, Grandma, in case you want to watch it with Dallas.”

Their mom hated being addressed as ‘grandma’ by anyone over the age of six, but she could never say no to her grandson. “Sure. I can do that if Tom helps me with the remote.”

“I’m on it.”

“We’ll be right back,” Alec said, getting up from the table.

Brooklyn smiled and followed him down the hall, grabbing her phone from the front table where she’d plugged it in to charge. As they walked upstairs, her heart was thumping like a happy rabbit. She took note of every sight and sound, every smell in the house. If everything went okay, she would remember this day for a very long time.

When they arrived on the landing, Alec came to a stop. “Okay. You are freaking me out a little bit. Is everything okay?”

She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the bedroom. “It’s better than okay. Come here.” She flicked on her phone and opened the photo, then handed it to him. “I need to show you this.”

He stood in silence, staring at the screen. Then he started to walk backward to the bed, taking long and slow steps before plopping down on the mattress. The whole time, his eyes never left the phone. It wasn’t until he was sitting that he finally looked up at Brooklyn, his eyes welling with emotion. “You’re pregnant?”

She nodded quickly, tears rolling down her cheeks as she shuffled over to sit next to him. She explained her conversation with Virginia, prompted by her pimple from hell. And how she was scared to be disappointed again, but ultimately decided to take the test anyway. “It’s kind of amazing, isn’t it?”

“I mean… I felt pretty confident that we’d make it happen one day. But yes. It’s wonderful. It’s the best news ever.”

“Obviously it’s so early. So many things can happen. Or go wrong.” She pulled his hand into her lap. “But it’s nice to feel this happy. Right now.”

“I totally agree.” His fingers rolled back and forth across her knuckles. “When we get a little farther along, we’ll have to decide what to do about the adoption agency.”

“What’s your gut?”

“Honestly, my gut is telling me that we keep moving forward with that, too. I mean, maybe it’s better if we bring two children into our lives in close succession.”

“We already have five puppies and a full-grown dog,” Brooklyn said. “Although I promised one puppy to Dallas. Don’t tell Virginia.”

“I’m pretty sure your sister will figure it out when her son brings home a dog.”

“Serves her right for being such a know-it-all. She’s going to gloat like crazy when I tell her I’m pregnant.”

“Probably. Then she’ll just be happy for you. And she’ll want to start buying baby clothes and throwing showers.”

“And telling me five thousand things I need to know.”

“Of course,” Alec said, his eyes growing larger as he shook his head and seemed to take it all in. “I can’t wait to tell my brother. He is going to flip. And it might be a good way to guilt him into coming here for Thanksgiving next year. We’ll have a three-month-old.”

“I’m not getting on a plane with our baby. Those things are germ factories.”

Alec grinned so wide, it looked like he’d just been told that he won ten million dollars. “Did you hear what you just said? Our baby.” He pulled her into a hug, squeezing tight. “Our baby,” he whispered into her ear.

“Our baby,” she repeated.

“We should probably get downstairs.” Alec loosened his hold on her, but still took a moment to smooth her hair back from her face. “They’re going to be wondering what we’re doing up here.”

“Yeah. I didn’t really need to plan out where Dallas will sleep. I think we just put the blow-up mattress on the floor in here.”

“That’ll kind of squash the romance, won’t it?”

“For one night. And I’m full of turkey. You are not getting anywhere close to this.” She waved her hand in a circle in the vicinity of her lap, then got up and started for the door.

“One more thing, Brook,” Alec said behind her. “We cannot keep putting off the wedding. Let’s just go to City Hall and make it happen.”

“Do you really want to do that? I want a party. Like a real one with lots of dancing.”

“How about this? City Hall, big party, and I let you pick the band,” Alec said. “Let me guess. Somewhere on this earth there must be a Prince cover band, and of course they have to be called Purple Rain.”

“How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” Alec grinned and pulled her closer, leaving a sweet and slightly naughty kiss on her lips. “You just have to have everything your way, don’t you?”

Brooklyn reared back her head and gazed into his face, feeling nothing short of grateful, taking one more mental photo for the scrapbook titled, The Day I Found Out I Was Pregnant. This one would be labeled, Daddy. “Alec, you know this about me. I want it all.”

THE END

If you enjoyed Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All, please consider leaving a review online.

Look for the final book in this series, It’s a Widow Thing, coming Summer 2022.

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