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Brooke leaned back in the passenger's seat, watching the traffic go by. She and Neal had decided to forgo the usual morning routine at home and head to their favorite coffee shop.
Neal hummed along softly to the CD in the stereo, trying to remember when he'd learned the melodies to all of Brooke's songs. He risked a glance away from the road to look at her, seated beside him. She was looking absolutely radiant this morning...her face was damn near glowing in the morning sun...God, she was stunning..
With a sigh, he turned back to the road, weaving deftly through traffic until their coffee shop was in sight. Smiling faintly at memories of their first visit here, he turned into the parking lot and into a space, shaking his head slightly as he put the car into park and cut the engine. So much had changed in just a few short years...
Brooke smiled and reached out, squeezing Neal's hand as they came to a stop. "Think we'll be able to get our normal table... Doesn't look too packed this morning."
She got out of the car and walked around to wait for Neal.
Neal slipped out and locked the door, coming over to take Brooke's hand. "We're a little later today than usual, too..." he murmured lowly, shooting her a slow grin. There was a damn good reason his back muscles were a little tight...but he sure as fuck wasn't complaining. Hell of a way to wake up in the morning - and a hell of a lot better than an alarm clock.
Brooke leaned against Neal's shoulder and grinned. "I must have had a good dream this morning," she whispered into his ear with a soft smile as they walked into the door of the coffee shop.
Neal chuckled softly, squeezing her hand lightly. "All I know is, I was hopin' it wasn't a dream, before I realized I was already awake," he replied lowly, brushing a soft kiss over her hair. "Seriously, Brooke, anytime the mood strikes you...God, feel free!"
Brooke laughed into his shirt. "I'm going to go and get our seat... Will you get my usual please?" she said softly, leaning up and to kiss him before she slipped off to the other end of the shop, and sat down in the corner booth at which they always sat.
Neal approached the counter, smiling at the barrista warmly. "A white chocolate mocha latte, and one coffee, black, nothing in it?" she said with a grin, parroting his usual order before he could even open his mouth.
Neal laughed softly, nodding agreement. "Yep, exactly right."
They made a little bit of small talk as she prepared his order, mock-fighting over whether or not he should be paying for the small cheese danish she set on his tray with a wink and a surreptitious glance over her shoulder...in short, a typical morning for them. Smiling, Neal picked up the tray and headed toward the booth where Brooke was waiting, setting it down on the table in front of her.
Brooke smiled when she saw the danish. "Susan's working today, huh?" She picked up her coffee and started to take a sip, stopping in mid-drink. The instant the coffee hit her taste buds, it took everything she had to not spit it out. Her stomach instantly rebelled, and Brooke held her hand over her mouth to keep from getting sick. She pushed the coffee away gently and let her hand rest on her forehead getting herself back under control.
Neal cocked his head slightly, studying her over the rim of his cup. "What's up?" he asked softly, an undercurrent of concern in his voice as he lowered his coffee to the table. "Is the milk bad?"
Brooke swallowed as her stomach settled. "No... I don't know... Maybe it's just too sweet." She hated not having something to drink in the morning... "Maybe I'm coming down with something... You think that you could get me some tea?"
Neal took the cup from her and took a quick taste, frowning slightly. Everything tasted the way it should, the way it always did...huh. Maybe she was coming down with something...
"Hope it wasn't all that other stuff you, uh...'drank'...this morning..." he murmured, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a wicked grin as he sat the cup down. "And if you're coming down with something, God, please don't have given it to me...I kind of like their cheese danishes here..."
He gripped her hand lightly, whispering a low "be right back," and headed back to the counter again.
"Time for a refill already?" Susan asked with a smile, reaching for another coffee cup automatically.
"No, actually...my wife's not feeling too well...upset stomach, I guess...could we just get some tea? Earl Grey, if you would, with lemon?"
Brooke shook her head at Neal and slowly picked at the plain bits on the cheese danish. She hoped that she wasn't coming down with anything either. She watched as Neal headed back up to the counter and wondered what it was that he was going to do.
"Thanks..." Neal murmured, stuffing a sizable tip into Susan's jar - enough to cover the cheese danish from before, and then some - when she wasn't looking, and carefully picked up the two mugs, heading back to their table.
"Here, love," he murmured, setting one of mugs in front of her with a smile. "It's Earl Grey...good stuff..."
Brooke smiled softly, covering Neal's hand with her own, and squeezed. "Thank you," she whispered. She took a tentative sip and relaxed. "That is much better... I don't know what what it was - as soon as the taste hit my tongue..." she shuddered.
Neal turned his hand over in hers, gripping lightly as he watched her closely. The concern was still there, reflected in his eyes, but he relaxed slowly as her body seemed to accept the tea instead of rejecting it. "Good..." he murmured softly. "Sometimes, I guess, it just happens..."
Brooke sighed. "Maybe just too much sugary sweetness for me this morning." She took another sip of her tea and smiled at Neal. "So what are we doing to today on our rare whole day together?"
Neal grinned, squeezing her fingers gently. "Hmmm, I dunno...shop? Girls like t'shop, right?" he teased, slipping his foot between her ankles.
Brooke smiled and noticed that Neal had gotten a cup of tea as well. "Oh honey... You could have kept your coffee."
Neal shrugged slightly, hooking his foot around the back of her calf, stroking it lightly. "Tea's got caffeine in it, too," he murmured, sliding his thumb gently over hers, looking up into her eyes with a soft smile. "I'm good."
Brooke grinned and pulled her hand back, folding her hands together as she closed her eyes and let her chin rest on her hands over her tea. After a moment, she reached out and entangled one of Neal's hands with hers, resting her chin back on them again, leaning down to kiss his knuckles softly. "You are too good to me."
Neal's smile deepened at the brush of her lips. "No such thing," he murmured tenderly, unconsciously leaning forward across the table as if he couldn't bear to be even that distant from her. "You deserve everything I can give you, and more..."
Brooke let out a soft breath and just sat there, watching Neal. He was everything that she had ever hoped and dreamed that she would have in a husband... She was just glad that they had found each other when they had. "Love you...so much..." she whispered, before she pulled one hand free and took another sip of her tea.
Neal's gaze grew tender, his thoughts unknowingly mirroring hers. "...Remember th'first time we came here?" he asked softly, dropping his eyes to the tabletop. Only a few short years ago... It didn't hurt as much now as it had then, the rejection and the heartbreak suffered at the hands of his best friend's sister...but God, if Brooke hadn't asked him to meet her here for coffee, on that fateful night...
He shook his head with a slight shiver, not even wanting to consider the alternative. He just knew it wouldn't have been good.
Brooke smiled and nodded. "Yeah... I remember knowing that I just needed to get you out of the house... And I needed it too," she said softly. She knew that there had been a higher power at work that day...and she was thankful that she had listened.
"I remember sitting here waiting for you to show up...I was worried that you wouldn't. And then I was worried that your coffee would be cold."
"...I had no idea what t'expect..." Neal whispered, tracing random patterns on the tabletop. "...That house was just so damn...empty...without her there...couldn't eat, couldn't sleep...swear t'God I was goin' crazy, little by little..." He paused, swallowing hard over the building lump in his throat, blinking away the welling tears in his eyes. "...Did I ever thank you for that?"
Brooke reached out and smoothed her fingertips down his cheek. "No...but the day you asked me to marry you was more thanks than I ever could have asked for. I thank God every day that I listened when I felt that need to reach out to you... It was our time, and I'm glad that we found each other," she whispered, and leaned in, kissing Neal ever so softly.
Neal smiled against her lips and sighed quietly. He may not ever subscribe to her idea of the Divine, but even he agreed that there were other forces at work on them both, drawing them together.
Brooke took in a deep breath and pulled back slightly. "You want to split this danish with me? That tea really helped settle my stomach, and now I'm hungry!" she grinned.
"Sure thing," Neal agreed, settling back with a warm smile.