Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Yeah, it’s nice. For now.
Mom’s voice echoes in the distance.
“I gotta go. I promised Mom pedicures today,” Kate says. “So we’re off to get pampered while Dad golfs. Again.”
“I didn’t even know Dad likes golf.”
“Me either.”
“Okay, well, I’ll talk to you later. Tell Mom I love her.”
“I will. And Chase?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re allowed to have a life. You should have one. Everyone will be better for it—Kennedy included.”
I pause. “But what if it doesn’t work out? What if Kennedy is attached and Megan takes off?”
“Then Kennedy becomes more resilient. You, of all people, know how strong that little girl is. She lost her mother and somehow still became this happy, spirited, tenacious young woman.”
My heart warms. That’s true. She has.
“I think you’re overthinking this a little, Chase. You’re not giving Kennedy enough credit. I mean, sure, if things get serious between you and Megan and they don’t work out, Ken might be upset. But Chase …” She pauses. “What if they work out? I know you, big brother, and you would never even consider letting someone into your life who wasn’t an amazing person. So if this is even on your radar, that means something. And maybe it means that Megan could not only be good for you, but she might also be very good for Kennedy.”
Fuck.
“Kennedy might get heartbroken. But what if you push away a woman who might bring things into her life that you can’t give her? And, Chase?”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe this isn’t just about Kennedy. Maybe you’re afraid of getting your heart broken too.”
What the hell? “I think you just dove into the deep end, Kate.” Or not.
She might be right. Not getting into a relationship is much easier than dealing with the complications of having another person in my life. Am I using Kennedy as an excuse? Not really. She is my main point of concern. But is that also fortuitous? Yes.
She sighs. “I gotta go. Call me anytime but wait a couple of hours first.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “Fine. Thanks, Kate. Love you.”
“Love you, Chase. Bye.”
“Goodbye.”
I end the call and watch my house come into view.
It glows softly in the darkness, light radiating from the kitchen and living room windows. Just knowing Kennedy and Megan are inside makes my entire body warm.
This is what coming home should feel like.
I put the truck in park and cut the engine.
You have time. Just enjoy the next couple of weeks and see what happens.
Trust in yourself.
Megan looks out the kitchen window and grins. I smile back.
All the worry I have when I’m not here is gone as soon as I’m with her.
That has to mean something.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Megan
“I win. Again,” Kennedy says, yawning. “That’s seriously pathetic.”
“How is that pathetic?” Chase asks.
“Because you both are way older and have played rummy a lot more than I have. Yet I still kick your butts.”
I hold out a hand. “Hold up. I didn’t grow up playing rummy, so that’s not true.”
“Were you raised in a barn?” Chase shakes his head. “Didn’t grow up playing rummy. What did you do with your time?”
Come to think of it, I’m not sure.
I scramble around in my mental trunk full of memories and try to remember how I killed time in my childhood. “I rode bikes. I made sandcastles. Swam. Built forts, climbed trees … played with dolls. But I didn’t play card games.”
Kennedy yawns again, resting her chin in her hand. “Where did you learn how to play, then?”
“My best friend, Calista, was my next-door neighbor in LA. When I first got there, I had an apartment the size of your bathroom, Kennedy.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It was tiny. And I paid out the nose for it, which is wild now that I think about it. Anyway, Calista lived next door, and because of the rent, we couldn’t afford to go out. So she showed me how to play rummy.”
Chase gets up from the table and grabs Kennedy’s snack plate.
“Do you know how to play euchre?” Kennedy asks.
“What?”
“Euchre. Do you know how to play that?”
“I have no idea what euchre is,” I say.
Kennedy looks at her dad and sighs. “We’re gonna have to teach her. She can’t possibly go to Sunday dinners at Gram’s and not know how to play euchre. Luke will never let her live it down.”
Chase puts the plate in the sink. His shoulders are tight as he turns on the faucet. “Yeah, we’ll have to teach her.”
His tone is hollow. Uncertain. And after he shuts the water off and turns back around, he’s watching me warily. I understand why.
I shift in my seat. “Well, thank you for thinking of me. But when Maggie gets home, I’m going home. So no euchre for me.”
My breath stalls in my chest as I wait for one of them to say something.
It’s the truth. I won’t be here for Sunday dinners. They know that.