Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
I wait for all of them to agree. “Crosby lost her parents when she was four. She grew up in foster care. She bounced from home to home, never feeling like she had anyone who was hers. She never had someone who was there, no matter what. Her ex-boyfriend and her supposedly best friend slept together, crushing what she thought she was building.” I pause. “She said she stayed because she was tired of being lonely. The same with the friend. She knew they were using her, but she just wanted to belong to something more.”
“Fuck,” Declan curses.
“I understand where she’s coming from,” Deacon speaks up. “Ramsey didn’t want to depend on anyone. She never wanted to feel as though she needed someone else to survive. Crosby is afraid of losing you.”
“I know,” I tell him. “I understand too, but she won’t lose me.”
“What happens if her contract isn’t renewed?” Archer asks.
“Harris is only twenty minutes away, and there are other surrounding towns.”
“But what if it’s not even in Georgia? She’s going to have to go where her career takes her,” Merrick chimes in.
“Would you leave?” Maverick asks.
My eyes find Ryder’s. Something flashes in his eyes. He’s already said that he would have gone with Jordyn had she given him the option.
“Yeah, I’d do whatever it took to be with her.”
“So you told her you were leaving because she asked you to, but that you weren’t walking out on her, right?” Brooks asks.
“Yes. I needed her to know I wasn’t leaving her. Just leaving her house. Fuck me, I was yelling at her. Well, not at her, but I was yelling. I apologized,” I say quickly when I see my brothers’ faces change, no doubt getting ready to yell at me for taking my anger out on Crosby.
“I knew that we needed space, but I’m not giving up.”
“So you need a plan,” Archer says.
“I assumed that’s why all of you were here,” I tell him.
“You keep showing up,” Orrin says.
“Send her flowers,” Declan says. “You need to make sure she understands that you’re fighting for her and you’re sorry for raising your voice.”
“We’ll keep our ears open,” Sterling tells me. “Assuming she still talks to our wives.” He grins, calling Alyssa his wife. We don’t call him out on the fact that she’s his fiancée. Those two are solid. “If we know she’s going to be somewhere, we’ll tell you.”
“Figure out a way to get you in her path,” Ryder says. “Let her see that you’re still here, and she can push as hard as she wants. You’re going to push back.”
“She’s our neighbor,” Maverick reminds us. “We can work on her too. You know, help her carry in groceries, find ways to slip your name into the conversation.”
“And we can watch out for her,” Merrick adds.
“What if it’s not enough?” I ask the question that’s been running through my mind since the very second I walked away from her earlier today. “What if she doesn’t even give us a chance?”
“She will,” Orrin assures me.
“How do you know?”
“Because you love her. You’re going to show her. Don’t push her too far, but keep nudging her. Let her know that when she’s ready, you’re there to catch her,” Deacon says.
“It’s going to take time,” Brooks tells me.
“She’s scared. She’s never had a family. Never had someone in her corner. Look at us,” Declan says. “Maverick called, and here we are. You have a support system. You don’t know what it’s like to have nothing and no one. You need to show her that she has you.”
“She has all of us,” Archer adds. “We’ll do our part to help her see that too.”
“He’s right,” Orrin adds. “And we won’t tell our wives what you’ve told us, but we will tell them that you’re in love with her. That you know it’s going to take time, but Crosby is yours. They’ll understand, and without us asking them to, they’re going to do their part too. We’re your family, which means if you love her, we’re hers too. Besides, they know we’re here. We’re going to have to give them something.”
“No. I’m fine with it. She’s gotten close to them, so I’m sure they know a little of her background, but it’s her story to tell. There are things I glossed over for you all, but I told you enough for you to understand where her head is at.”
“Slow and steady wins the race,” Maverick tells me.
“I can do slow and steady.” I nod, feeling hope start to build. They’re right. She’s never had this. I want to give it to her. I want to give her the big, loud, boisterous family she’s never had. I want to shower her with so much love and give her all the fucking hugs she’s willing to accept.