Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Prescott turns his head toward me. “You know we’re sailors. Now who’s being the immature one?”
“Uh, everyone?” I point to the screen, where everyone’s snickering to themselves.
“How did you injure yourself?” Pop asks.
“Helo crash on a training exercise,” Prescott says. “It’s a broken leg and a concussion. No biggie. I’ll be back on my feet in no time.”
“And how do you think your relationship will work?” Dad asks.
“Now’s not the time for that conversation, Dad.”
Dad gives me his best don’t talk back to me look. “Then when?”
Kit stands and makes his way around so he can lean over me and put his head in between Prescott and me. “We’ll have to have you by one time. Brady’s staying for the summer, and Prescott’s rehabbing his leg here. You should come visit.”
“Dude.” I could slap him. “What are you doing?”
“He’s being more polite than you,” Dad says. “We’re in. When’s the soonest we can make this happen?”
Fuck.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
prescott
Despite Brady trying to put off the inevitable, he has finally run out of the million excuses he used to keep his family away for as long as he could. There was the one where he said the hospital won’t take that many visitors at once, that one where he said I was too busy with rehab. He even implied I wasn’t being treated as an outpatient, even though I am, thanks to staying in Kit’s apartment, but that was his undoing.
Considering the military is putting me through vigorous rehab so I can make sure that the rest of my body doesn’t lose its conditioning while my leg heals and that after my cast comes off, I’ll have to focus on making my leg strong again, athletes, above anyone else, know rehab wouldn’t keep me down or restricted.
So, it’s happening. Brady’s family is invading Virginia. And Brady’s not handling it well.
He paces the pathway in the middle of Warburton—a large park by the naval base that’s often busy with families and navy guys exercising.
But as SEAL Team Two runs a cardio session behind me, even the eye candy doesn’t calm Brady’s nerves.
I don’t tell him I’m excited for this to happen. He’ll assume I mean because I want to meet his famous dads when it’s actually because of what this means to him and for us. Brady is ridiculously close to his family, and the last time we had a chance to meet, he didn’t even consider letting it happen.
While he doesn’t want it to happen now, it’s not because of us. It’s because he thinks we’ll be intimidated or won’t know how to take his family.
He’s met my parents. He should know this is a piece of cake for me.
“It’ll be fine,” I say. They’ve set me up on a picnic bench, facing outward so I can keep my leg straight. My crutches are beside me, I have a drink in my hand, and I’m leaning back on my elbows. I’m comfortable, but it’s frustrating that I can barely get around. I can’t easily stand and walk over to him and take him in my arms to reassure him.
I’d get Kit to do it, but he’s hauling the grill and supplies out of the car to have a cookout.
Everyone else isn’t expected to arrive for another hour. We made sure to get here early to give Brady a sense of control, but I’m starting to think that was a mistake. It gives him more time to dwell on what’s going to go down here today.
“We’ll have some drinks, some food, we’ll get to meet your family, they’ll grill us with questions, embarrass you … It’ll be fine. And if they don’t like Kit and me—”
He finally stops pacing back and forth. “Wait, you think that’s why I’m freaking out? Hell no. I’m scared you and Kit will decide to leave after everything they’ll pull today. Let’s just say you’re lucky to have a broken leg, otherwise, they’d be challenging you to a game of football, or they’d ask to join that team of guys behind you to prove they might be old, but they’re still fit. Then you two will let them win to gain brownie points, and we will never hear the end of them being as fit as navy SEALs.”
I smile. “It’s going to take a lot more than that to scare Kit and me off.”
Kit dumps bags, camping chairs, and a whole lot of other equipment by my feet. “He’s freaking out, isn’t he?”
“You know what might distract him? Helping you cart all the shit from the car. I can’t, obviously.” I gesture to my leg. “Damn. Such a shame.”
“I’m starting to suspect your leg is fine under there. You just wanted a vacation from being a grown-up,” Kit grumbles and stalks back to the car.
Alone.
After hearing about how Brady took care of Kit while I was MIA and those first couple of nights at the hospital, it’s like a silent agreement has happened between them. Or maybe it’s not so silent, I’m not sure. But I get the sense that Kit has vowed to never make Brady lift a finger, be responsible, or be the together one. Unless I go missing again.