Epilogue
Brooke paced. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Was this really happening? She looked down at her plain, simple white dress.
Yes, yes it was.
She thinks of how different her life is now. It's crazy how much change five years brings. It doesn’t seem that long since that day when she was sitting on Vanessa's couch with her favorite people in the world. All was well….until the doorbell rang…
Brock had come to stay with them in the middle of the night. Brooke woke up and Vanessa was not next to her, and while she tried not to panic, it was hard. She was so excited when Vanessa said Brock was back, and when they heard Jose's bed frame hit the wall once...twice..followed by Jose's giggles and a not-so-quiet shhh, Brooke knew she wasn't the only happy one.
"I just...left. I told them I love Jose and then I left before they could react."
"I'm so proud of you, Brock." Brooke smiled a genuine smile.
She was about to get up and hug her brother when the doorbell rang through the house. All four of them froze, de'ja vu falling over them as they remember the day before. It was too familiar.
"Brock, is your car hidden?" Vanessa asks.
Brock nods, "Jose and I took care of it this morning."
Vanessa gets up and walks to the door, looks through the peephole, and then walks back to the couch.
"It's ya momma, B. Want me to fight her?"
Brooke lets out a soft chuckle and shakes her head.
"No, maybe it's time I talked to her."
"Lets hide Brock upstairs then, and I'ma stay with you the whole time, k?"
Brooke nods, Jose ushers Brock upstairs, Mrs. Hytes-Hayhoe rings the doorbell one more time, and an annoyed Vanessa opens the door and crosses her arms.
"Vanessa." Mrs. Hytes-Hayhoe says with an iciness in her voice.
"Ma'am." Vanessa mimics the woman's tone.
"I want to see my daughter."
Vanessa steps to the side and allows the woman to enter. She shuts the door and quickly returns to Brooke's side. Mrs. Hytes-Hayhoe follows and sits across from Brooke, where Brock and Jose were just moments ago.
"Brooke, honey, we need to talk."
"And what about?"
"I want you to come home."
Vanessa lurches forward as though she is going to shield Brooke from her mother's words.
"Absolutely not, miss thing, she ain't goin nowhere! I ain't lettin you send her away!"
Brooke's mom gives Vanessa a cold glare.
"That's not for you to decide."
"Mother," Brooke Lynn starts, a hand firmly planted on Vanessa's back, "with all due respect, I am 18, and I am about to graduate high school. Vanessa's mother has said I can stay here as long as I need and she has accepted me as her own, which is more than you have done this last week. I love Vanessa, and I am not leaving her side."
"Brooke, you're just a child. You don't know what love is, let alone whether you love another girl or not!"
Vanessa tenses next to Brooke, but Brooke's hand never wavers, it keeps her grounded.
"Mother, I love Vanessa, and I'm not coming home with you. I'm not coming home, I'm not going to that camp, and I'm going to stay here with Vanessa. If you can't accept that, then I'm sorry."
Brooke's mother is visibly frustrated. Her face turns red and Vanessa wants to paint a smug smile on her own face because finally this woman is getting a taste of her own medicine.
"Well then if that's how it's going to be," Mrs. Hytes-Hayhoe stands up, "I'll be going. I love you, Brooke, I just need some time."
And she was gone.
Brooke wasn't sure if she would ever have a relationship with her mother after that. It sucked, really, because she did love her mother a lot. She needed her mother. She didn't know-
"Brookie?" A familiar voice pulled her from her thoughts.
She turned towards it.
"Oh, honey, you look so beautiful." Her mother smiled.
Those words turned out to be true. Her mother needed a lot of time, patience and help, but they were finally here, she had made it and just in time to plan a wedding.
~*~
"Mija, if you don't stand still, your veil will be crooked! Do you think Brooke wants to see you with a crooked veil?" Miss Mateo scolded.
"Sorry, mama." Vanessa giggled.
Vanessa never thought this day would come, she thought they'd be planning and planning with no end in sight. But here they were.
They wanted to keep the wedding itself small and simple with a central theme: love, and they didn't care how cliché that was.
"Tonight?" Jose asked.
He knew it was coming, knew what his sister was planning. Vanessa just nods. Nerves running too wild for her to form words right now. Jose pulls her into a tight hug and it's calming.
"Alright, well, I'm gonna bounce because I know she will be here soon."
Vanessa nods and hugs her brother once more. Once he leaves, she checks the clock. She still has half an hour before Brooke gets home. She goes over her words in her head. She has a speech prepared. She's ready.
But the moment Brooke walks in the door from dance class, all of the words melt from Vanessa's brain.
"Hey Ness," Brooke said.
She looked around the dining room. The lights were low and candles were lit.
"What's going on here?" She asked.
"Marry me?" Vanessa asks before she can stop the words from slipping out.
She instantly wants to kick herself.
So much for the speech. She thinks.
Her skin vibrates with electricity and Brooke, sweet Brooke who she loves so much, just stares at her.
"Huh?" Brooke asks, her brain was clearly a few steps behind.
"I had a whole speech prepared, but honestly that doesn't matter anymore. I love you and I want you to marry me. I-if that's what you want too."
Brooke is speechless. Vanessa pulls the ring from her pocket and drops to one knee.
Brooke mutters a soft yes, but Vanessa hears it plain as day. Vanessa smiles so much her cheeks hurt and she stands back up. She places the ring on Brooke's finger and presses a soft kiss to her lips.
"I love you, V." Brooke whispers.
"I love you back."
"Mija, are you ready?" Her mom checked her watch, "it's almost time."
Vanessa takes a deep breath and nods.
"Beyond ready, ma."
~*~
Jose straightened his tie. His mother was with his sister, and he was getting ready alone. He was okay with that, Vanessa's dress had straps and buttons and zippers. She needed the extra hands.
I'm getting married today. Jose thought to himself.
When Vanessa suggested that he and Brock get married with them, he thought she was crazy.
"I mean it, Jo, I already talked to B too. She cool with it."
Jose was shocked. He had gotten engaged to Brock shortly after Vanessa and Brooke got engaged and it was a struggle trying to decide what day worked. Vanessa wanted to include her brother and Brock in their day.
"You sure?" Jose asked for the fifth time.
"Do I needa call Brooke just for you to hear her say it?"
Jose laughed, "no, I just want to be sure."
"We want you and Brock to get married with us. A double weddin. It'll be cute!"
Jose said he would talk to Brock, but he was on board.
Brock took some convincing. He didn't want to intrude on his sister's big day. She finally had to sit him down and tell him yes it's what I want in order for him to agree. But he did and they started to plan.
"Jose, she is ready for you."
Jose's heart skips. Ever since they were little, ever since their dad left, Vanessa wanted Jose to walk her down the aisle if, when, she got married.
Jose walked down the hall to the room where Vanessa was getting ready. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her.
The white dress was stunning against her skin, and her hair looked amazing.
"V, you look incredible. Blondie is gonna cry like a baby when she sees you."
~*~
Brock was hesitant to get married. His father didn't accept him. How could he be a man and a husband without his own father to look to?
Then he really thought about it. His father didn't accept him. If he couldn't accept him, was that really the type of man Brock wanted to grow to be? Absolutely not.
So Brock vowed to not be like him. He vowed to love unconditionally. If he and Jose were to have a family someday, he would love them for who they are. That would make him a good man, a good husband, and a good father.
Brock had been engaged for exactly three months, six days, twelve hours, and nine minutes when he decided to have a chat with his dad about attending the wedding. He knew that Brooke had talked with her mother and things were on the right track and he wanted that with his father.
He approached the front door for the first time in months. He hasn't been back since he "officially" moved out and into his apartment with Jose.
Brock rang the doorbell and waited, and moments later his step-mother was at the door.
"Hello, darling!" She smiled and pulled him in for a hug which he gratefully accepted.
"Honey, who's at the-" his father came around the corner and stopped in his tracks, "‐door...absolutely not. No. Go away." His father continued, "you are not welcome here."
"Stephen!" Theresa says, "listen to what he has to say!"
"No, I'm putting my foot down. I don't want to hear it."
Brock stood there, he didn't even have a chance to say anything. He was crushed.
"Known what?" He said, "you're right. I'm not going to waste my breath."
He turns to his mother and gives her another hug and leaves, not even having the energy to fight him.
Brock had kind of hoped that his father would come around and show up at the wedding, but he wasn't going to get disappointed when it didn't happen.
The people who mattered were here.
"Brock," his mother's voice rang through the room, "it's time."
Brock was ready, and he followed his mom to the hall.
~*~
Five years down the road, Brock is packing up the attic into boxes. He and Jose were moving across town into a nicer house. They were in a good place. They both had great jobs, and they had a baby on the way via a surrogate who would be here in mere weeks. A little girl, named Rosie. Everyone was doing well, Brooke and Vanessa included. They both had their dream jobs. Vanessa was a nurse and Brooke a ballet teacher. They even had a little boy. Elijah, he was two. He was the spitting image of Brooke but somehow had Vanessa's personality, and Vanessa was quite proud of that.
Eli loved his mommies, but Uncle Broccoli was his favorite person ever, and Brock loved it.
Everyone was happy, and so, so loved.
Brock looked into a box that he never opened. It was a box he had brought from his childhood home. Inside the box were notebooks, school books, and pictures. He picked up a composition notebook from the year he moved here. Brock gkt bored one day and wrote a letter to his future self.
He opened the notebook at a random spot, pleased when he realized he got it right, even by accident.
Future Brock,
I'll be honest, this is awkward, but you knew that already. I'm not quite sure what to write. Life sure isn't easy right now. Losing mom was really hard. I was worried about the toll it's taken on dad, but then he met Theresa and we moved in with her and Brooke,
Brooke is cool. She's a little quiet, but she's cool.
I've made a friend. I hope you remember Jose. He's made me feel welcome here.
Future Brock, I think I like Jose a lot. He's such a beautiful human. His sister, Vanessa, is sweet as well. The three of us get along great.
I hope things are easier for you. I hope that you and Jose are still friends.
I just hope you're happy, Brock. You deserve it.
Brock's not sure when he started crying. The whole letter was so beautiful. He wishes he knew then what he knows now.
But then again, would things have the same outcome? Who knows.
"Hey Brock," Jose's voice brings him back to reality, "I got lunch ready, you hungry?"
"Yeah, babe, I'm coming."
Brock closes the box once again and heads to the door.
He loves his life, and he wouldn't trade it, not even the negatives, for anything.