“I do understand, and honestly, I’ve sensed the same need in her. I can be patient with her, and I plan to, Mrs. Casterley—goddamn it—I mean, Aunt Ellen!” Her lecture frustrated me because I heard her, I really did. “I hear you. Sorry for the language, again, too.”
She laughed at my obvious distress, but it wasn’t in a mean way. “You always were very respectful when addressing your elders, Caleb. I think your father raised some fine sons and daughters.”
“Thank you for bringing him up. I know he would have been very happy for the two of you. He would have been thrilled to celebrate with everyone today.” I noticed she only referred to my father and not my mother. I wondered how their relationship had gone down over the years. It couldn’t have been sparkling because my mother didn’t pal around with the staff—ever. Madelaine Blackstone liked to keep the lines of status well partitioned at all times. Which is what made this wedding celebration all the more uncomfortable for her, by forcing her to blur those lines while bearing a fake smile upon her face.
“I feel the same way about your father,” she said with a nod, “but now, Caleb, I want to know how you really feel about my Brooke. Do you love her or is she just a distraction for you after the loss of your beloved father?”
Whoa. Talk about going straight for the jugular and digging in with a twist of the blade. Mrs. Casterley—fuck—Aunt Ellen . . . didn’t beat around the bush; she jabbed a fuckin’ spear into it instead. My hesitation to answer spurred her to say more.
“I do apologize for my direct approach, but you must understand I am her only family, Caleb, so think of the question I’ve just asked you as coming from a very concerned parent.” She tilted her head with emphasis. “It is reasonable for me to ask, considering where Brooke has been and what she has endured. She cannot be hurt again.” Ellen delivered her final statement with steeled intent to hurt me if she didn’t like my answer.
I liked the fact she was bulldogging me, actually. She was entitled to be protective of her only granddaughter who she had raised for the most part. She’d taken on the role of a parent to Brooke. I put myself in her place and could guarantee I wouldn’t be so accommodating to the guy “sleeping” with my daughter. I’d want his balls on a platter if he harmed a single hair on her head—if he ever got close enough to her in the first place, would be debatable.
“I love her. She’s not a distraction.” The truth was very easy for me.
“I thought so, but I just wanted to hear it from you, Caleb.” She now gave me a true smile.
“I am going to marry her,” I blurted. She raised an eyebrow at me. “I know she’s not ready yet, and I will wait until she is totally ready,” I assured her. “And then I’ll come to you and ask properly.”
Ellen’s expression softened again, and then we went right back to generic conversation topics as if the one we’d just finished had never even happened. Strong, gentle, determined, kind. Four words that definitely suited both Casterley women. Well, soon to be two Blackstone women when I get my wish.
“What were you and Nan talking about? It looked fairly intense from across the room,” Brooke asked a few minutes later when she made her way back to me after being dragged away by my sisters earlier.
I picked up her hand and planted my lips to the back of it. “We were talking about how precious you are.”
“Oh, Caleb—”
Her eyes grew watery as she stared up at me. I got the feeling she had to struggle a bit to accept my answer, but now I understood how her emotions worked, and the tears pretty much confirmed she did, indeed, believe me.
“It’s all good, baby. It’s all good between your grandmother and me. She just needed some reassurance that I was more than happy to give to her. She also insisted I call her Aunt Ellen from now on.”
She took in a deep breath and gave me one of her half-sad smiles—the kind I recognized already as her signature Brooke-is-okay-now smile.
“I have something to tell you later on tonight when we are alone together,” she said, still smiling.
“Oh? Is it something I will like to hear?” I really fuckin’ pray it’s something I want to hear.
My heart sped up. I didn’t want to hope, but my mind went right to the words I most wanted to hear from her more than anything.
Just three words.
Three words that would confirm what I was feeling went both ways. That it wasn’t just my dick talking because the sex was so fucking hot. Sex with Brooke was incredibly hot, but I knew I couldn’t allow sex to be the main reason behind my ever-growing feelings for her. There had to be some other justification for why I’d felt so strongly about her right from the beginning.
She brought her hand to my cheek and caressed with her thumb, soothing me in an instant. “I think you will like hearing it, Caleb.”
Brooke