Read Matt & Brooklyn: A Standalone in the "Again for the First Time" Family Saga (AFTFT Book 2) for Free Online

friends. Straight up. No weirdness. No sex. Just friends. And that’s what Matt and I are. Friends.”
    I was really getting sick of having to defend myself.
    Judging by the look on my sister’s face, I gathered that she still had her own ideas about the situation, so it didn’t make sense to keep arguing about it.
    I smirked at her. “Bye, girl. Call you in a few hours,” I promised. She leaned in and kissed the middle of my forehead before mussing my hair a bit, scattering curls where they didn’t belong.
    “Quit playing and go check on your kid or something. Get out of here,” I joked, closing the door. She waved and started back toward the house, still wearing that look on her face, trying to convince me that she knew or sensed something I didn’t.
    Whatever…
    My sisters think they know everything.

Chapter Two

    Brooklyn
    The landing gear touched the runway with a slight jerking of the plane and I yawned, taking note of the fact that it should’ve been dark by now. My watch was still set to Lindmore time, three hours ahead of L.A. So, while my body believed it to be eleven at night, it was only eight here—still relatively early.
    My eyes went to the empty seat beside me as the stewardess directed the passengers on how to leave the plane in an orderly fashion. It would’ve been better, more fun, if Matt and I had gotten to fly together, but his schedule hadn’t allowed for that. Seconds after I accepted his invitation, his agent, Cliff, began calling, scolding him for skipping town without saying a word. Apparently, producers like Matt need agents, too, not just actors, singers, and models like I used to think. It was as I suspected; the meeting Matt blew off was more important than he’d let on. Long story short, he couldn’t stay any longer than he already had. I’d never forget what he did for me, though, whisking into town just long enough to be there on such an important day in my life. In fact, that was what convinced me to make this trip. I couldn’t tell him ‘ no’ after he came so far to ask me in person.
    After claiming my luggage, I stepped outside into the warm California weather—sunny but not overwhelmingly hot like I expected. The short, strapless sun dress I’d worn to my party was perfect for these conditions, too, seeing as how there was maybe a ten degree difference in temperature between here and home today.
    This was my first time on the West Coast and despite how highly Matt had spoken about it, how much he kept saying I’d like it, I didn’t anticipate getting attached. I liked being able to tell when the seasons had changed instead of them all kind of running together, the possibility of waking up to snow on Christmas morning, and I preferred to avoid places where the ground shook violently on a very regular basis.
    Call me crazy…
    There were cars lining the drive across the front entrance of the airport. Matt was supposed to be here to pick me up, but I didn’t see him anywhere. A flutter in my stomach forced me to acknowledge that I was at least a little nervous. I’d been around him almost daily before he relocated. Why should this be any different? With that thought, I stopped worrying. It’d be fine.
    Two light pumps of a horn startled me out of my thoughts and I clutched my chest, feeling my heart race beneath my palm. I glanced to the left to find Matt grinning at me through the lightly tinted windshield of his baby, the same red pickup truck he’d driven out here months ago. It did my nerves good to see that he hadn’t upgraded yet, hadn’t gone all Hollywood on me already—even though I knew he could definitely afford to now. I needed this, though, the normalcy. It was like he hadn’t changed. Despite the recognition and taste of fame, he was still the same old Matt.
    “What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelled, half laughing as I scolded him through the open passenger-side window when he pulled closer. Country music, his go-to genre, lulled softly