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Chapter Forty Two

Three thirty in the morning. That was the time displayed on my alarm clock as a sharp shrill cry filled the whole upper floor. The second cry joined in moments later.

I waited and listened. The crying got louder. With a sigh, I swung myself out of bed, grabbed my robe and headed into mom and dad's room.

"Where's dad?" I asked. Mom had one baby in her arms and was rocking a bassinet with her foot.

"I sent him downstairs. He hasn't slept for a week."

"Neither have you."

Mom smiled. "I'm used to a lack of sleep."

I picked up Taryn. "Hungry or wet?" I asked.

"Hungry."

Mom handed me a bottle. We sat side by side and stuck our bottles into the two hungry, waiting little mouths. The cries instantly stopped. Taryn's blue eyes looked up at me as her little cheeks went in and out.

"Thank you for checking on me," mom said. I leaned against her. "It's okay," I said. "I hate to hear them cry."

Mom smiled. "Spoken like a great future mom."

"In the far, far distant future," I said.

"It better be," mom said. She smiled down at Megan.

"How did the delivery go?" I asked. I hadn't asked before; something told me I was the only one that was curious.

"I wish you all would have been twins," mom said with a laugh. "I mean, I was already pushing. In fact, I delivered both of them quicker than I delivered you."

"Was I really that much of a pain in the ass?"

Mom looked at me with an impish look in her eyes. "Only a little pain in the ass."

I shook my head. Taryn had sucked the bottle dry. I took it out of her mouth and copied mom's movements for burping. When I looked at her again, she was already back asleep.

"Milk in the tummy will always do that," mom said. She lowered Megan into her bassinet. I put Taryn down.

"Get some sleep hon," mom said. I hugged her. "See you in the morning."

I walked back down the hall and crawled into bed. The display on the clock read four fifteen.

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"Oh my god Brooke, I thought you went to school!"

My eyes flew open. It was ten thirty.

"Shit!"

I scrambled out of bed. Dad stood in the doorway.

"I'll call the school. Don't rush yourself."

It was easier said than done. I had just missed a math test. I yanked my hair into a ponytail and threw on whatever I had handy.

"Want me to drive you?" dad yelled from the kitchen as I ran downstairs.

"NO!"

"Don't speed!"

"I won't!" I said.

My foot was like lead on the accelerator. I kept glancing at the clock. I was just about ready to congratulate myself on beating the speed of light when a siren blared behind me. I groaned.

I pulled over on the shoulder of the road and drummed my fingers against the wheel. An officer climbed out of the squad car and walked over. I unrolled the window and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I had no idea I was going so fast."

"License and registration?"

I bit my tongue. I opened the glove box, removed my registration and passed it to the officer along with my license. The officer slid his glasses down and looked at my license closely.

"Brooke Carter? THE Brooke Carter?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I am. Again, I'm really sorry."

The officer smiled. I tried not to look too excited.

"Tell you what. I'll let you go with a warning."

I exhaled. "That's so nice of you."

"My daughter loves you. Do you think I could have an autograph?"

I laughed. "Absolutely."

Ten minutes later, the officer had my autograph and I cruised into the school parking lot. I felt a little guilty that I had pulled the celebrity card, but it was better than telling mom and dad I was being reckless.

Then again, I was a Carter.

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"You know what I would have done if I was the officer that pulled you over?"

I chewed on the end of my pencil and pressed my ear to my phone a little more. "Hmm?"

"I would have made you get out of the car. I would have turned you around, hands on top of the car and I would have made you spread 'em. Then I'd frisk you until you wanted me bad."

I dropped my phone. I tossed my pencil down and scrambled to catch it. When I finally had control of it again, I laughed. "I would have had you kicked off the force, Jas."

"No you wouldn't. I would have handcuffed you to me and had my way with you."

I flushed. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Thirteen months, right?"

"Right."

We were both quiet.

"I wouldn't tell if you didn't," I said.

Jasper sighed. "Brooke..."

"What?"

"I'm going to make a good women out of you yet."

"If I remember correctly you said I was pretty good when I had my mouth on your--"

"Your mouth on what?"

I looked up. Noah was hovering in my doorway grinning. I panicked and hung up on Jasper.

"GET OUT!"

"I'm curious as to what you had your mouth on," Noah teased. "Are we going to have to see a video of it?"

I picked up a sandal and chucked it at him. He ducked. It landed with a thud against the wall.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go help mom change some diapers?"

"That's not my job," Noah said quickly.

"It's going to be soon!" I said.

"Maybe not," Noah said. I opened my mouth to bitch at him some more until I realized what he said.

"What?"

Noah scowled. "Don't worry about it."

"Is something wrong with Kay?"

"No!"

"You can't just say that and not tell me!"

"Don't worry about it Brooklyn. It's not your decision to make."

"Noah," I said softly. "What are you two thinking?"

NoNo hesitated at the door. "Kay and I want to put the baby up for adoption."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Do you think I'm dad material?"

I hesitated. "Right now?"

"Or in a few months. It doesn't matter."

I sighed. "No," I said honestly.

"The little dude deserves more," Noah said. I saw how much it hurt him. I suddenly felt bad for chucking my shoe at him.

"NoNo, I'm sorry..." I whispered. My phone began to ring. Noah backed up.

"Later," he said.

I wished I could fix things. I wanted to go back in time, stop Kay and Noah from getting down and dirty. I wanted to take back sleeping with Nate and Trevor.

I wanted my first time back. I wanted to give it to Jasper.

But it was gone.