Coming Home (Pierpoint View #1)

Chapter Thirty-Four - Brooks

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Brooks

I’m exhausted. No, scratch that, I’m more than exhausted.

After the game today, I had my assistant book me a flight back to town so that I could get there for Summer’s birthday tomorrow but there was shitty weather and my flight was delayed and once I eventually landed, Gray called to tell me that there was a crash on the bridge and he was going to be an hour late.

Now here I am, feeling asleep in the passenger seat of his truck while he tries to tell me about his feelings that I should definitely be listening to but I just can’t bring myself to pay attention.

“Do you think I should propose?” he asks and immediately I’m awake looking at him as if he’s crazy.

“What the fuck, Gray?”

He laughs and it shocks me to the point of speechlessness. I haven’t heard Gray laugh like this since before he left and I can only hope that this is a sign that he’s getting better.

“I needed to get your attention somehow. You’ve been out of it the whole car ride.”

“I’m exhausted Gray.” I yawn and its the perfect emphasis to my point. “I just want to get home and pass out.” I look over at him and he has a forlorn look on his face, “But… I am up for giving some advice if you need it.” I force another yawn down and try and give him my full attention for the rest of the drive.

I was debating whether Gray should drop me off at Summer’s but I know she would’ve been asleep and as much as I want to be with her right now, I’m not that much of an asshole to wake her up at 2 in the morning.

So begrudgingly, I unlock my own front door, throwing all my bags on the floor. I’m only here for 3 days and I usually pack light, but two of these bags are full of presents. Lennon’s like a kid still, wanting as many presents as she can to open and I wanted to go all out for the first birthday and Christmas Summer and I spend together.

I’m so wrecked that I don’t even both turning on the lights and blindly make my way to my bedroom, shucking off my clothes as I go.

I slump on to my bed, my hand ending up hitting something hard at the same time a yelp sounds out.

I scramble to turn the bed side lamp on, the flash of light burning my eyes.

“Brooks, what the fuck?” A familiar groggy voice says from behind me. I turn around, my heart pounding in shock to see Summer sitting up holding her head. “Why would you do that? Am I bleeding?” she asks, taking her hand away.

I huff out a laugh. “No Princess, you’re not bleeding. What are you doing here?” I turn the light back off, getting under the covers and pull her down with me, tucking her in my arms, burying my face in her hair.

This feels like home, this right here with Summer in my arms, the smell of coconut, the sound of the waves outside the slightly cracked bedroom window that I’ve just noticed because Summer’s a lunatic that has to sleep with the window open.

“I wanted to wake up here on my birthday,” she says sleepily and I can tell she’s already falling back to sleep. Her admission hurts my chest and if I didn’t know it already, I do now.

I love this girl. With everything in me.

“Well, happy birthday, Princess,” I whisper, placing a kiss on the back of head.

“Thank you, Brooks. I’m going to sleep now,” she says, causing me to chuckle.

“Goodnight.”

Summer’s birthday went exactly as I’d planned. When we woke up, I gave her presents which she loved although she said I spoiled her which yes, I did, but she deserves it and if I have the money, then I’m always going to.

We went for a chilly walk along the beach into town after grabbing coffee from the cafe — she’d closed it over Christmas but perks of being the owner means you can do what you want. We sat and ate breakfast at the restaurant at the end of the pier and it’s nice because now its fully winter and the weather is terrible, there are barely any tourists around and I can walk around in peace, knowing that I’m not going to get accosted.

When we got home, I worshiped her the best I knew how until she couldn’t remember her own name and then I ordered in Chinese food because I know thats her favorite even though I hate it and I had to feed her after making her cum multiple times over and over .

I’m still carrying the thought of our activities yesterday in my head as I cut up the vegetables for Christmas dinner. Summer wanted a traditional dinner not a takeout like my siblings and I would usually get and I am not one to deny her.

Summer comes running into the kitchen in the new sweater I got her yesterday and some shorts, the necklace with my initials on it that I also gifted to her yesterday still hanging around her neck. She hasn’t taken it off since she opened it and demanded me put it on her right that second and it makes me feel some type of way seeing a piece of jewelery on her that proves she’s all mine.

Summer starts rummaging in the fridge looking for something, “What time are Gray and Lennon getting here?” she asks, her voice echoing in the near empty fridge — the only things in there being whatever food Summer had bought for the dinner.

“Gray and Alex will be here in,” I check my watch, “5 minutes and Lennon is getting here when Archer gets back from work around 4.”

She comes over to me, a plastic bag of brussel sprouts in her hand. She dumps them on my chopping board, looking up at me as if I murdered her dog or something. “We’re having sprouts,” she says, “ and I didn’t know Archer was coming?”

“He was able to get off work early so asked to join and Princess,” I turn and face her, looking her in the eye as I say this, “No one likes brussel sprouts.”

She glares at me. “You just haven’t had mine yet and my Gran would have a heart attack knowing I had a Christmas dinner with no brussel sprouts. You want to go against my Grandma? ”

Summer called her Gran earlier in the day and she introduced me to her and even from that short introduction I can tell that she’s a fighter. I mean she raised a young Summer after her parents died, and I know better than anyone that she can be a stubborn handful.

“No, your Gran is not someone I want to go against, not now or ever, thank you very much.”

“Good.” She leans up on to her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to my lips before going to check on the turkey roasting in the oven.

She’s a good cook and not that I can say I’m surprised, she was doing the cooking at the cafe for a month or so until Nate came along, but it’s nice to see her in her element.

A couple minutes later, right on time, as is Grayson’s M.O., he and Alex walk through the door without knocking and I have to remind myself to lock the door when we’re home because if this were yesterday, they would’ve walked in on something I’m sure neither of them would’ve wanted to see.

“Merry Christmas!” Alex calls, Gaia racing ahead of her and running up to Summer and Grayson lagging behind carrying two bottles of wine and a bag I assume is full of gifts.

“Merry Christmas guys!” Summer responds, finishing up scratching Gaia behind the ears and turns to hug her best friend. She really has assimilated in to this small town life and everyone really does love her here and I’m overjoyed that my girlfriend will be able to have the support of the town while I’m gone.

After I get the vegetables cut, I make everyone drinks — Summer wouldn’t let me stop cutting if I wasn’t finished, saying I had to get it done or I wouldn’t eat — and we all cheers, Gaia creating a good distraction from the fact that watching Summer interacting with my family and cooking up a storm in the kitchen wearing my initials makes my heart squeeze and my dick hard.

One excruciating hour later, Lennon and Archer arrive and I’m relieved until I see them through the front door standing a little too close for comfort talking heatedly.

I open the door and Lennon doesn’t even flinch, just walks in not saying a word.

I raise an eyebrow at Archer in question, and he just shakes his head. “Merry Christmas B.”

He pulls me into a hug, slapping me on the back once, twice, before pulling away. “What was that?” I ask.

“Apparently I was acting like her dad.” He rolls his eyes and walks past me too, joining the rest of the group. I shake it off, not in the mood to deal with that today.

“Okay everyone, take a seat at the table. Dinners ready!” Summer calls, poking her head out from the kitchen.

I help her bring out the food from the kitchen, serving platter after serving platter being handed to me to place in front of our waiting friends and family.

“Boss, you’ve made enough to feed 10 thousand,” Lennon says as Summer finally comes to sit down beside me.

“Hey, I’ve seen these two boys eat and I can only imagine Archer’s the same, you’ll thank me later.”

After we all eat and us boys having finished our third plate of food, we clean up and exchange gifts.

Every comes to sit around the fireplace in the living room, Summer and I sharing the plush arm chair where she sat when she first came to my house months ago. Oh, how much has changed since then .

My sister was ecstatic when she saw the stack of presents with her name on underneath the makeshift Christmas tree Summer made out of the fake plant by the fireplace this morning. It’s not perfect and next year I’ll make sure we have a real one but it’ll do for now.

Lennon opens her last gift, which is the best one and it’s probably too much but she can’t be staying with John and Stevie forever.

“Brooks what the fuck is this?” she exclaims making everyone stop opening their own presents to see what all the fuss is about.

“I bought an investment property,” is all I say with a shrug.

“Then why the hell have you given me the key for it?” she asks.

“You have to move out of John and Stevie’s one day, and if I have a place, then you may as well stay there.” Summer turns to look at me stunned, as does the rest of the group.

“Brooks this is too much, no, I’m not taking it,” Lennon argues, shaking her head, throwing the box with the key inside on the coffee table.

I act nonchalant but really this was my plan all along.

The apartment I bought wasn’t just any apartment, it’s Summers apartment. I spoke to the Taylors about a week ago and they agreed to sell, especially after I told them my plan was to have Summer move in here and Lennon to move in there. They’re getting older and want to spend more time traveling and offloading a property was in their plans anyway, so it wasn’t a hard sell.

“Okay, well what about you take the apartment above the cafe?” I compromise, to which Summer makes a choked noise. I don’t look at her, not yet .

Lennon looks at me like I’m crazy. “Are you fucking stupid, Summer lives there.”

Gray, Alex and Archer all have the same look on their faces as Lennon and they’re looking between the two of us like it’s a goddamn tennis match.

“Yeah, Brooks I kind of live there…” Summer whispers, a concerned look on her face.

I turn all my attention to her, lacing my fingers with hers, placing them on her legs draped over mine. “What if you lived here?”

I know not even a month ago I gave her the key to the house, making sure she knew that it wasn’t me asking her to move in with me, but as soon as she left, the thought had been plaguing my mind and coming home to her after that long ass night of traveling was the final nail in the coffin. I want her to be here when I come back, I want to know that even when I’m away, I can take care of her at least in some way.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” she asks. Her hand comes to rest on her throat, her face still showing how shocked she is.

I nod. “Only if you want to. I know I won’t be here a lot, but it would be nice to know that when I’m gone you’ll be here when I get back.”

She crashes her lips to mine, hands cupping my cheeks. “Is that a yes?” I murmur against her lips.

She smiles, nodding, “It’s a yes.” Her eyes go glassy and I sure hope she doesn’t cry, I hate it when she cries and I’ve only seen it happen once, and I’ll strive to never see it again.

“Well if Summer’s moving here, then I guess I’ll move into the apartment,” Lennon sighs, “It makes my commute shorter, and it means you don’t get to be my landlord.” she says, acting smug.

“That’s the apartment I bought, Lennon,” I say absentmindedly while Summer plays with the hair at the base of my neck. I can’t wait until these guys leave and I have her to myself.

I hear Lennon start complaining, Grayson telling her to shut up, Alex consoling her, telling her it won’t be too bad, thats its better because I’ll be more lenient than any other landlord.

But all I can focus on is the girl sitting on my lap, the one who almost got away but stayed even though she had every right not to.

“I love you.” I whisper against her cheek.

She turns to look at me, the gentlest of smiles on her face.

She presses a kiss to my lips and whispers, “I love you too.”