Dancing in the Florida Sun (Completed)

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     Brooke felt anxious as she packed the diaper bag for their park play day. She was getting ready early, since she knew Jacob planned to call her before they went. Was she ready to talk to him? Thankfully, the night before, her grandmother had been there for her with open arms, and no questions asked. How would she have put into words all she felt, knowing that Grams was best friends with Jacob's Nan? Talking to Elise later for nearly two hours helped too. At least with Elise, she could openly talk about her issues with Jacob.

     "I've got to run. Love you dear. Hopefully this time out will cheer you up," Grams said with a hug to Brooke and Noah as she left to work at her church food pantry.

     "Thanks. Love you too," Brooke pasted on a smile. That smile disappeared almost immediately once the door was shut and her phone rang. Jacob's name was on the screen. Her stomach clenched.

     Noah had been pushing a toy around the family room, but stopped at the sound of her phone. He clearly knew Jacob's ringtone. "Dada?"

     It was like a punch to the gut. She knew what she had to do, but it would be like cutting off one of her own appendages. "You play, Noah." She swiped the screen. "Hey."

     They went through the initial pleasantries, before Jacob finally broached the subject of what had her upset the night before. "So what was going on last night?" He hesitated. "Was Mari making you feel unwelcome? I'm so sorry about that. She's kind of in her own world a lot of the time."

     "It's..." Yes, she totally was. "That's not really the problem..." But it's the root of it. "It's just...I think maybe you don't need to spend so much time with Noah."

     "What? Why would you say that? Have I done something wrong."

     "No." That's part of the problem, you're actually too perfect, and it's breaking me. "He's just getting so used to having you around." This was the reason she and Elise decided would sound best, to avoid touching on her own feelings for him and the embarrassment over that, since he clearly didn't feel the same way. "I mean, last night was a perfect example; he didn't want to leave you. And it's only going to get worse. You're leaving again in a couple of weeks for your two month tour. How's he going to handle that? I feel like I'm setting him up for disappointment, and I just can't do that. It's bad enough that his own dad doesn't want to spend time with him unless it benefits him. He doesn't need another man that's unpredictable in his life." That part really was true and is what made this decision necessary.

     "But I...Brooke, please, what are you saying? I promise I'll do everything in my power to be there for him. We made it work when I was gone overseas for a month. This time we'll mostly be in North America. I'll fly you guys to me a few times, and fly back when I can. We can get through this."

     There is no we, she wanted to say. She shook her head, even though he couldn't see it, and worked to hold back tears. "I really think it would be better to cut back n how often he interacts with you." It felt forced. She didn't want to say it, but knew it was best.

     "I...wow. Are you worried that my fame will affect his life negatively? Worried about him being seen with me, and you guys being hounded? Because we can be more careful."

     Brooke held the phone back as she tried to calm herself enough to speak. "No, that's not why. Look, I've got to finish getting ready for the park. Bye." She hung up before he could answer, and tears fell as she laid her phone down. "Oh, God! What have I done?" She softly cried, trying to keep from upsetting Noah.