The phone was ringing when Derrick walked into his apartment, so he hurried to the phone. Seeing by the caller ID, that Brooke was calling, he got excited, assuming she had changed her mind about them getting remarried. He didn’t care who the father was of the baby, he just wanted her back in his life.

“Hello Brooke,” he said lovingly as he sat down in his favorite chair.

“Derrick, this is Garrison.”

Afraid something wrong with Brooke or the baby, Derrick jumped out of the chair. “Is something wrong with Brooke or the baby?” he asked.

“No, there isn’t anything wrong here,” Garrison told him.

“Then why are you calling me from Brooke’s house?” Derrick asked his brother with confusion in his voice.

“You aren’t going to like what I have to tell you.”

“What is it?” Derrick couldn’t even image why Garrison was at Brooke’s house.

“I have been in love with Brooke for years, and when you left her, I told her how I felt about her. You should know that we’re going to get married.” Garrison heard just silence on the other end of the phone. “Derrick, did you hear what I said? Brooke and I are going to get married, the wedding is next month.”

Derrick was speechless by his statement and it took him a few seconds before he could respond. This was a nightmare, as he hadn’t ever dreamed that his own brother would steal his wife from him. “Yes, I’m just trying to figure out what you mean by years. How could you be in love with her for years? Brooke and I have only been divorced a few weeks?”

“I fell in love with her when we were just kids.”

“That isn’t a very funny.” Derrick was beginning to get angry with his brother teasing.

“I’m not joking, I really did.”

“You’re too young for her,” he sputtered, as it was the first thing, he could think of to say.

“I was back then, but I’m not now. I just wanted you to know about our relationship from me and not from someone else.”

“How can you do this to me? I have been trying to get back with Brooke since the divorce.”

“I know, but it was already too late for that even before the divorce.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure as you’re not married to her yet,” he responded in a cocky voice.

Garrison shook his head as he tried to get it through his brother’s thick head that he wouldn’t ever have Brooke again. “Derrick, you lied to her about results of the fertility test. You left her for another woman and then only wanted her back, when the new girlfriend dumped you. Even if I wasn’t in her life, she wouldn’t be remarrying you.”

“You don’t know that,” he told him hatefully.

“Yes, I do. She and I have talked about the relationship the two of you had together. She had been unhappy in your marriage for some time but didn’t really realize it until you left. Once you were gone, she actually felt relieved.”

“You’re lying,” he shouted angrily.

“Derrick, I’m not lying. Think about the last year of your marriage, how often did the two of you have sex?” Before Derrick could answer, Garrison added. “With each other,” he added sarcastically.

“That’s a mean thing to say, besides our sex life isn’t any of your business,” Derrick told him.

“You’re right, it isn’t, but think about it, would you say you made love at least one a week?”

“I would say more like four times a week,” Derrick told him, as he couldn’t very well tell his brother the truth about his sex life with Brooke.

“I think that’s stretching the truth just a bit, wouldn’t you?” Garrison knew his brother was lying; as Brooke had told him, there hadn’t been any sex between them for months before Derrick moved out.

“No, why do you say that?”

“How long were you having the affair with the new lady in your life?”

“That is none of your business,” he told Garrison hatefully.

“You’re right again, your affair is none of my business, but it was Brooke’s business. She told me during the last three months of your marriage, the two of you didn’t have sex at all.”

“She had no right to tell you that.”

“I’ll put it in a way you can understand. Wouldn’t you want the woman you were about to marry to tell you about her relationship with her ex-husband?”

“Yes, but not if that ex-husband just happened to be my brother,” he shouted into the phone.

“Why would that make a difference?” Derrick didn’t respond to Garrison’s question. “Do you understand now?”

“Yes, but if you were a good brother, you wouldn’t have gotten involved with Brooke after our breakup in the first place.”

“Maybe not, but if you had been a good husband to Brooke, you wouldn’t have left her in the first place.”

Derrick gasped at his words. “Garrison, that’s a low blow.”

“And your comment to me wasn’t?” He tried to keep his temper, but it wasn’t easy. “Do you really think I’m not a good brother to you?”

“I’m sorry.” Derrick sadly responded to his brother. “Where do you and I go from here?”

“You accept Brooke and I are together, and we go on with our lives.”

“It will take some time for me to accept your relationship with my ex-wife, but I’m willing to give it a try. Does Mom know about you and Brooke?”

“Yes, she does. We should have told you sooner about us and for that, I apologized, but we just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I can understand why you didn’t. Garrison, I don’t want to talk about this anymore tonight. I need to do some thinking and try to come to term with you and Brooke being an item.”

“There is one more thing I have to tell you.”

Derrick sighed at the thought it was going to be more bad news. What could be worse than his brother marrying his ex-wife? “What is it?”

“I’m the father of Brooke’s baby.”

“Fine, you’ve told me.” Of course, now that he knew, he regretted thinking that he wouldn’t care who the father of Brooke’s baby was, as he did. Garrison had been able to give Brooke the one thing he couldn’t, making him wondered if he would ever be able to accept Brooke and his brother having a baby together.

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“I’m sorry we’ve hurt you. Bye Derrick.”

“Bye Garrison.” Derrick hung up the phone. As he continued to rest his hand on the headset, he thought of the mess he had made of his life, by leaving Brooke for Peggy. His heart felt heavy, as Brooke had told him that night when he was packing, that if he left, then he would suffer the consequences if he decided to change his decision, and now he was.

As he continued to sit there thinking, he slowly realized that if he had truly still been in love with Brooke, he wouldn’t have gotten involved with Peggy in the first place. Not only that, but Garrison’s news would have torn him apart more than it had. Maybe he just wanted her back because she was familiar to him and had been in his life for so many years.

He knew this had to be hard on Garrison and Brooke, so maybe it would be best for all concern in this matter if he moved away for a few years. The decision lightened his heart, as was going to find a different job and leave Kansas City. How hard would it be for him to find another job, as he was an engineer for goodness sake, and a damn good one at that?

Luckily, for him, he didn’t have to find out the answer to that question, as the next morning his boss asked if he would be willing to transfer to their Phoenix office for a few years. Thinking this was the answer he was looking for, Derrick quickly accepted the transfer, hoping that the time away would be enough for his family to heal.

* * *

Derrick took a week off to go to Phoenix with the hope of finding a place to live, luckily, he’d found an apartment that first day. Now all he needed to do, was go home to pack up his belongings and tell his mother he was leaving town. He hadn’t realized how hard it was going to be to tell his mother his news until he stepped into the kitchen of the house, he and Garrison had grown up in.

Katrina had looked up when she had heard the door opening and smiled as Derrick entered the house. “Derrick, I didn’t expect to see you today.” When she saw her son’s sad expression, she took it as a bad sign. “What’s wrong?” she asked him, expecting the worst she rushed towards him.

Derrick took his mother’s hand into his. “Mom, I am being transferred to Arizona,” he said, hoping she would understand why he had to leave Kansas City.

Seeing he didn’t look upset; she had the feeling this was a good thing for him. “You want this?” she asked, looking deep into his eyes.

Derrick weakly nodded. “Mom, I’ve made a mess of my life by my lousy decisions and in the process, I ruined my marriage, and may have even lost my only brother. I realize it’s entirely my fault I lost Brooke, and so I haven’t anyone but myself to blame for this problem.” Derrick looked miserably at his mother. “Garrison told me about his relationship with Brooke, and that the baby is his. I don’t think I can stay around here and watch the two of them making a life together.”

“Derrick, maybe you’re right about leaving for a while. I know Garrison didn’t mean to hurt you, but once you left Brooke, he felt she was available for him to love her openly.”

“He told me he’d loved her since we were kids. His comment surprised me as he hadn’t ever let on, he felt that way about Brooke.”

“I had an idea he did, but he never confided in me about his feelings for her until after your divorce.”

“He probably didn’t want to put you into the middle, which would have been an awkward position for you.”

“Are you going to say good-bye to Brooke and Garrison?”

“No, I think it would be best if I just disappear into the sunset. You can let them know after I’m gone. I’ll give you my address and if they want to, they can write me.”

“When are you leaving?” Katrina asked, already missing her eldest son.

“Since I’ve found a place to live, I’m leaving for Arizona tomorrow morning.” When he saw the tears forming in his mother’s eyes, he quickly put his arms around her. “Mom, I’m not going to be in a different country, simply a different state. Besides, I’m just going to be gone for a few years and I promise to come home to visit as often as I can.”

“I know, but this will be the first time you’ll be so far from us.”

“I got to get away for a while.”

“I know. Can you stay for a bit?”

“Mom, I can’t, as I have to pack up my apartment tonight, as the moving truck will be at there at six tomorrow.”

“I love you,” she muttered tearfully as she hugged him.

“I love you.” He moved out of her embrace. “I’ll call you when I get there to let you know I arrived safely.” Derrick waved as he stepped out of the house. Once he closed the door, he took in a deep breath of the cool night air to try to calm the aching feeling in his chest. He wondered if he would ever lose this empty sensation, as he didn’t enjoy this hollowness in his heart, not one little bit.

In the back of his mind, he knew he was doing the right thing in leaving town for a while, but part of him didn’t want to go. He got into his car and hurried to his apartment, once there he packed everything he could on his own. When he was done, he returned to his bedroom where he set his alarm, undressed and got into the bed.

The next morning, after all his belonging was packed in the moving truck, he looked around the living room one last time. His eyes watered at seeing the empty apartment, as his heart felt the same way, then closed the door on his apartment for the last time, leaving the only town he’d ever lived.

* * *

Brooke and Garrison’s wedding was a simple affair, and to Garrison it seemed a bit empty because his brother wasn’t there to be his best man. After the wedding, the newlyweds took off to California to soak up some sun and play in the ocean for a week.

They hired a moving crew, and while they were gone, all of Garrison’s belongings were moved into Brooke’s house, making it into his home too. Since they were out of town, Katrina over saw the movers to be sure everything was moved in one piece.

After the newlyweds returned home, they started getting the nursery ready for the baby. Garrison wished his brother was talking to him, as he would have loved to tell him how things were going in his life. He started to call him a few times, but each time he simply laid the phone back down, as he didn’t want Derrick to feel that he was rubbing his life with Brooke in his face.

* * *

The next several months were busy ones for Derrick, and before he knew it, he finally felt settled in his new position at work and his life. He gave up smoking and was now exercising regularly with a couple of his coworkers, which had reduced his weight by over twenty-five pounds. He hadn’t started dating, as he needed to heal a bit more, before he ventured out into the dating world.

Seven months after he left in Kansas City for Arizona, he returned to Kansas City to celebrate Christmas with his family. He was afraid it was going to be painful as this was going to be the first-time seeing Brooke and his brother since he moved away.

When the agony he thought he would experience didn’t materialize at seeing Brooke and Garrison together, he was relieved, as he assumed this was a sign that he was starting to heal. He and his brother had a good visit together, but neither of them mentioned the situation that had caused a riff to their relationship in the first place.

He thought Brooke looked beautiful, even though she was nine months pregnant with his brother’s child. He didn’t know if she was always smiling because she was finally having a baby, if Garrison being her husband was the reason, or both. Either way, he knew she was happy and realized it was time for him to get on with his life and find someone new.

Up to now, he hadn’t been looking for anyone to have a relationship with, but now he was ready, as his heart had healed from the breakup of his marriage. There were a few attractive women in his office that had let him know they were interested in him, so maybe he could start there by asking one of them out.

The next morning before leaving to go to the airport for his flight back to Arizona, Derrick checked the weather for his trip home. All reports said a severe snowstorm was about to hit Indianapolis and its next target would be Chicago, where he had a two-hour layover. He hoped they were wrong about where the storm was headed, that or it waited until after he left the area before it struck the city.

As his plane landed, he could see it had already started snowing, but since the flakes were light, he wasn’t worried. Just in case the storm was going to hit the area, he would keep a close attention to the local weather report, with the hope his plane left before the brunt of snowstorm arrived.

Derrick was hungry, so he headed to the restaurant to grab a quick sandwich. After he finished eating, while waiting for his bill, he glanced around the room. As he checked out the other occupants in the room, his eyes stopped on a beautiful woman sitting at a table by herself, who looked as if she was about to cry. It broke his heart to see her so sad and wondered what horrible thing had happened in her life to make her so miserable.

He frowned when he noticed tears had started running down her cheeks. Wanting to bring her some comfort, he ordered each of them a drink, but once he had the drinks in his hands, he had second thoughts about joining her. Would she think he was trying to pick her up?

He wouldn’t mind having sex with her, but that wasn’t why he wanted to join her at her table. There was something about her that drew him to her; an attraction that he couldn’t explain. He didn’t remember ever feeling this way before, not even with Brooke, which confused him, as he was sure he’d loved her when they were married.

He knew he had handled the whole situation with her the wrong way and felt ashamed of himself for how he had treated her. A husband who loved their wife didn’t cheat on them, especially if they were a good husband, and he had been a good husband, that is until he met Peggy.

Meeting Peggy and sneaking around behind Brooke’s back had been exhilarating, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Now that he thought logically about the whole thing, maybe he hadn’t been truly in love with Brooke. Could that be why he’d been unfaithful to her? Not only had he cheated on his wife, he had ended their marriage because of the other woman.