“But, Brooke… she’s really nice, a total sweetheart, and she’s a huge Anti-Zero fan. Can’t you at least meet her and see for yourself?” C.C. tried to persuade her stubborn sister.

Brooke’s sigh was audible over the phone. “C.C., I’m out of the crush stage. In fact, I never was into it to begin with. So,why don’t we just forget that we even had this little conversation?” Brooke listened for an answer, but hearing none, she prompted. “Okay?” When she heard C.C.’s sigh of defeat, she knew she could relax.

“Well, okay.” C.C.’s voice showed her rejection. “Hey look, I need to go see about registering for a couple of classes.”

“Nothing like waiting until the last minute.” Brooke replied as she beat the top of her desk with a couple of pens, tapping out the rhythm to an old song she had written several years back.

“Yeah, well… they had some last minute openings.” Then, the idea struck her; “Hey maybe we can check out a movie or something next weekend. What do ya think?”

“Yeah sure, that sounds okay,” Brooke answered absentmindedly. “I’ll let you go. I’ve got some contracts to look over. I’ll see you at Mom’s on Sunday.”

“Okay, Sis. Love you. Take care.”

“No problem and love you, too.” Brooke thought for a moment then quickly added, “And C.C., thanks for not pressuring me on that little issue. It’s just not something I’m interested in right now. Talk to you later.”

“Yeah, whatever you say, sis.” C.C. paused for a moment before uttering her last words. “Bye Brooke.”

“Bye C.C.”

After hanging up the phone, each woman was left with her own thoughts. Brooke’s about the request of her longtime friend and ex-band mate, C.C.’s on the stubbornness of her sister. Each one running in similar lines but with different agendas.

Not interested… huh? That’s what you think. We’ll just have to wait and see about that.


Chapter 17 Planning For The Future

“…Still there’s hope for those who believe… Down the Road Of A Thousand Dreams… “



Sam looked out the windshield on the almost deserted interstate and smiled. The Thanksgiving holiday spent with Brooke’s family had been a pleasant one, albeit one filled with apprehension as to how she would be accepted. She had to admit that it had gone rather smoothly. The fact that Brooke had even thought to have Sam surrounded by her own family at the same time meant all that and more to the young woman.

Letting her eyes drift from the road to the driver who was carefully driving with both hands on the wheel, Sam felt compelled to speak. “Brooke, I can’t believe how nice you are to your sister, offering to watch Julie so that Randi can do her Christmas shopping early.

After a quick glance in her passenger’s direction, Brooke’s eyes went to the road, then another glance into the rearview mirror where she could barely make out the sleeping child in the back seat carrier. “What can I say?” She shrugged as her attention went back to the road. “I love the little kid.”

The blonde leaned toward Brooke as she checked on Julie. By the soft sounds of snoring and the lopsided position of the child’s head, it was safe for Sam to assume that Julie was asleep. Feeling the warm touch on her hand as it was squeezed lovingly, green eyes shifted to gaze at Brooke.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, Sweetheart?” Brooke glanced in her direction, then back to the road.

“Hmm…about how much I love you, you big kid.” Seeing that she had caught Brooke’s eyes, Sam winked as she returned the squeeze. “I’m thinking how special this time is going to be for me, with you and Julie. It will kind of be like we’re a family.” Sam lips hinted at a shy smile.

“I thought time with me was always special,” Brooke grinned, catching the look in Sam’s eyes. “We are a family, you and me.”

“It is, Brooke, but this will be a taste of what it would be like to have a real family with you someday,” Sam blushed, “with the pitter-patter of little feet in our lives.”

Brooke’s eyes twinkled in the glow of the dashboard lights as she looked over to Sam. “Is all the baby talk getting to you, too?”

Sam took in a deep breath and turned to look out the window for a moment before looking back toward Brooke. “I just know how I was raised and…I think we could…” she sighed. “Well, that is if we ever did have children. I think we could handle it and raise some fine, upstanding ones.”

“You know what?” Brooke grinned as she watched the road ahead so as not to miss their exit.

“What, Hon?”

“I love you and you are going to be the most wonderful mom.”

Sam smirked, then turned to look at the driver, “Well, that’s only cause I’ll have you as my back up. What do you say…Momma?”

Slightly taken aback by the name she was just called, Brooke fought to keep her concentration on the turn and slowed down for the red light, coming to a complete stop. Taking in a deep breath, Brooke’s fingers played with the steering wheel. “I’d say by my calculations that we only have about three months.”

The blonde turned and looked at Brooke as she laughed, “Three months? Ah…three months for what, Brooke?”

The driver leaned over to whisper in Sam’s ear, “Three months to figure out how you can have a baby by next Thanksgiving for Julie to play with.” Brooke lightly kissed Sam on the cheek, and then pulled back, smiling at her.

“Ah…I think that might be a little on the impossible side, don’t you think?” Sam blushed as she caught sight of Brooke’s wiggling brows and confident smile. “You know, there’s nothing that says that it has to be me,” the blonde teased her.

“Nothing’s impossible.” She leaned back in to Sam’s ear and whispered, “Practice makes perfect,” then winked as she moved back into her seat.

Sam looked warily at Brooke, then to her own stomach, and then finally back to Brooke again. “Nothing’s impossible, huh?”

The older woman arched a lone eyebrow. “Nothing’s totally impossible. Why? What are you thinking?” Brooke saw the light change to green and slowly put the vehicle in motion.

Sinking back into her seat, Sam sighed, “That’s what I was afraid of. Aurgh!”

Brooke couldn’t help but chuckle. “What’s wrong, Darlin’?”

The blonde shook her head. “I don’t know, Brooke. If I’m thinking right, there’s a distinct possibility, with you, that the saying bare foot and pregnant could be for real.”

The driver held tightly onto the steering wheel as she turned into the driveway, guffawing mercilessly. “Why…why do you say that?”

Green eyes shot over to the driver at the sound of the boisterous laughter. “Well, you figure it. Do the math, Brooke. I’m twenty-one and it takes roughly nine months for a baby.”

“Okay,” Brooke shrugged not knowing where Sam was headed with her thought.

“If we kept up that pace, we could have one hell…” Sam tried to stop the word with her hand over her mouth but it was out before she knew it. “Oops!” She glanced at Brooke then to the rear seat to see if Julie was still sleeping. “Sorry.” Sam shook her head in reply to questioning blue eyes that looked her way. “We could have one heck of a big family if I let you have your way with me,” Sam ended her part of the discussion in a hushed tone.

“Honey, we don’t have to have any more than you agree to,” Brooke winked at her passenger. “How many kids do you want Sam?

“Hmm…” Sam eyed the driver suspiciously, “Does that mean we have to give up practicing after two or three?”

“Nope, we can practice all we want after two or three,” Brooke grinned.

Sam let a coy smile come to her face, “Then you have my answer.”

Hearing that answer from Sam made the smile on Brooke’s face stretch from ear to ear as the vehicle slowly crept up the driveway to the house. “Sam, do you realize that we’re discussing having a child…heck, children together? We’re planning for our future family.” Brooke turned to look at Sam as she put the vehicle’s gear selector in park. “I think this is pretty amazing.” Blue eyes looked intently in to Sam’s face. “You’d really do it…have a baby, I mean?”

“If they’re all as sweet as that slumbering baby in the back seat…” Sam turned to cast an eye in Julie’s direction then nodded, “I’d have a million of them.”

“No, I mean…” Brooke gulped, then asked what she really wanted to know, “You’d have a baby with me?”

Sam stared into the waiting face of her lover and slowly let the smile come to surface on her face. “Yes, Brooke, I think it would be a great way to celebrate our love for one another, don’t you?”

Brooke listened as the corners of her mouth tugged upward into a radiant smile. “I love you, Sam,” she whispered, before leaning over and kissing the woman next to her.

Swaddled in her favorite blanket, Brooke gathered up Julie in her arms and brought her out of the van. Looking back into the cargo area, the musician shook her head. “God, they sure need an awful lot of things, don’t they? We could have never fit all this stuff in the 300. Now I know why they created these family vans.”

“I guess that’s something to think about for the future, huh? Do you think you could give up that sports car image of yours, Hon?”

“Hmm…I do love that 300…” Brooke looked at her niece, “but I think that love could be replaced.” Brooke smiled, “I guess that’s why Brian jumped at the chance to drive my car when we offered to take her for the night. I think she’s still asleep. We’d better get her into bed.”

Sam carefully laced an arm around the tall woman’s waist as she looked in on the cocooned child and confirmed their suspicions. “You go ahead, Brooke. I’ll get her things.”