Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
I did know how stubborn Dad was.
But there was something he’d apparently forgotten.
I was his daughter, and my own stubborn streak was a mile long.
Boone didn’t respond to my text the next day either and I was pissed. If he truly didn’t want to see me anymore, that was okay, but he should have been man enough to tell me to my face. The team was coming home tonight, though, and I planned to be at Hadley’s when he got there to pick up Joey. I could understand his hesitance to get in touch if my father had somehow intimidated him professionally, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. And I refused to be manipulated again. I’d allowed my father to set me up with Jarvis because I’d been too buried in schoolwork to give it much thought.
I’d never let that happen again.
I was going to have a conversation with Boone and then, depending on what he said, my father and I were going to have a heart-to-heart as well. I loved my father, but he was gruff, opinionated, and often completely self-absorbed. It was his way or the highway, and while my mom had always been a bit of a buffer between us growing up, I wasn’t a little girl anymore. I didn’t need anyone to fight my battles.
“You okay?” Hadley asked me after Joey, Annalise, and Benny had gone to bed. “You’ve been quiet tonight.”
“Sorry.” I scooped up a handful of sippy cups that had been abandoned in the playroom. “Just a lot on my mind.”
“Boone?”
“Among other things.” I absently rinsed the cups and put them in the dishwasher.
“Jarvis?”
“What?” I turned in surprise. “What makes you say that? I think about him as little as possible.”
“I don’t know. Rumor has it you’re talking again.”
“Rumor has it? What rumor? My father’s wishful thinking?”
Hadley grimaced. “I don’t know. Wes mentioned he’d heard it somewhere.”
I was truly going to kill my father.
“My dad can be very single-minded, but he seems to forget that I’m an adult. I try not to be confrontational with him because he yells and his face turns red and then he storms out, which upsets my mother. It’s a whole thing in our house, which is why I live in an apartment even though it would be cheaper to live at home. He’s gotten worse as he’s gotten older. It makes him a great coach, I think, but not the best husband or father.”
“That must be hard for you,” she said gently.
“You have no idea. And the worst part is, I have so many great memories of when I was little. Him teaching me to skate, play hockey, shoot baskets, all the things he would have taught a son. Until one day I became a young woman and it was like someone flipped a switch on our relationship. At that age, around thirteen, most of us are totally self-absorbed, between school and boys and all that goes with adolescence, so it wasn’t until college that I realized how far apart we’d drifted. When he shoved Jarvis in my face, I felt like this would be the thing that would repair our relationship.”
“And now?”
“Now it’s the thing that’s going to drive me batshit crazy.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to talk to him. Try to make him understand how miserable Jarvis made me, and maybe get him to lay off Boone. If he refuses, then it might be time to play hardball.”
“Which is what?” Hadley asked, concern on her face.
“Essentially cutting him off.” I smiled wryly. “Dad’s really protective of our family unit. Sunday dinners. Time with Grandma G. Things like that. If I stop participating, it will fuck with the whole dynamic. Then my mother will be pissed, and once she’s pissed, his life becomes difficult. I hate playing games, but he has to stop interfering in my life. It’s as simple as that.”
“Well, I don’t know that I can do anything to help, but I’m always here if you need a friend.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that more than you know.”
“Of course.” Hadley looked up at the sound of the garage door opening. “Sounds like Wes is home, which means Boone is probably right behind him.”
I nodded. “I’m going to meet him outside so we can talk for a few before he gets Joey. Is that okay?”
“Do what you need to do. I can have Wes carry Joey out if necessary.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed my jacket and walked out the front door.
Sure enough, Boone was just getting out of his SUV and he glanced up as I approached.
“Hey.” He didn’t look surprised to see me.
“Hi.” I walked over to him and stopped a foot or so away, lifting my chin as I met his gaze. “You and I need to talk.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Boone
This was the last thing I needed. Jolie was approaching my car, her long, fiery hair whipping around her head from the wind. And she looked pissed.