Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
“Because we aren’t surprised,” Dad answered. “We’ve always known.”
“And you didn’t think to mention it to me?”
“It wasn’t our place to tell. Besides, I didn’t think you’d care.”
“Didn’t think I’d care?” I roared louder than I’d intended. “Why wouldn’t I care?”
“Because you two have never been all that close. I didn’t figure you had any interest in her.”
“I knew you liked her,” Mom admitted. “It wasn’t until she was about to leave for college, but I saw the way you looked at her. I just never understood why you didn’t tell her.”
“Because she was too young.”
“That’s no excuse. You knew how that poor girl felt about you, and you just let her leave without saying a word.”
“What was I supposed to say? Don’t go. I think I have feelings for you.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“No. You were right to leave it alone,” Dad disagreed. “You both were young and had a lot of growing up to do. You’ve done that. Now, you can see if there was something really there or if it was just kids being kids.”
“He’s right.” Mom stepped over to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “This could be a good thing.”
“Maybe, but I still can’t believe you didn’t say anything. It’s not like I didn’t ask about her.”
“I know, but Big and Josie asked us not to say anything.”
“But why?”
“Because Beck didn’t want anyone to know.” Dad shrugged. “If you want to know any more than that, you’ll have to ask her.”
Dad gave me a pat on the back, then grabbed Mom’s dishes and headed out the door. Mom and I followed him outside, and I followed them over to the clubhouse. When we pulled in, Rooster and Maggie were unloading all the food they’d brought, and Samantha and Nathan were helping them carry it inside.
I got off my bike and started over to them as I said, “Damn, brother. You feedin’ an army with all that.”
“Just trying to cover all my bases with all these picky eaters.”
“Understood.”
I held the door open and waited as they all streamed inside. Mom, Dad, and I followed them down to the family room. When we walked in, we were all amazed by all the hard work the women had done to the clubhouse. It was usually rugged with little to no décor, but the ladies had gone all out and had every inch of the place decorated for our Thanksgiving meal.
Dad turned to Mom and smiled, “You did good.”
“It wasn’t just me. Everyone helped.”
“Well, you outdid yourselves.”
He was right. It was really something. There were flowers on every table and twinkling lights strung from wall to wall. And the tables were overloaded with food. There was an enormous turkey, a honey ham and a country ham, endless casseroles, and countless pies. They had every dish you could imagine and then some.
Dad and I stood in the doorway and watched as Mom walked over and added her dishes to the table. She glanced over at us as she placed her asparagus in the center of the vegetables. Dad smiled, and as soon as she looked away, he leaned over to me and whispered, “You know we’re still gonna have to toss it, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“That’s my boy.” He lingered for a moment, then sighed, “About the Beck thing...”
“It’s fine. I get it.”
“Not sure that you do.” He gave me one of his looks. “Big isn’t one to ask favors, but he asked me to keep the thing with Beck between us. I owed it to him to keep it under wraps.”
“I would’ve done the same.”
He gave me a nod, and it wasn’t long before the guys started to gather around the table. Dad gave me a nudge and said, “You better grab a plate before all the good stuff gets gone.”
“I will in a minute.”
I watched as he walked over and stood next to Mom, and they both took their place in line. The room became filled with a mix of laughter, clinking glasses, and stories being told for the hundredth time. I’d heard them all before, so I stayed put and waited for the line to die down. I took a quick glance around the room, and my chest tightened when I spotted Beck in the back corner.
She was talking with Lauren, Mia, and London, and her head was thrown back, laughing at something one of them had said. For a second, it was like nothing had changed—like it hadn’t been seven damn years since she’d stepped foot in here. I felt a knot form in my throat, tight and unyielding.
I’d told myself I wouldn’t let this whole thing get to me but seeing her like that—her guard down and her eyes so bright—hit harder than I expected. I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from her or Ava. She was perched on the edge of her mother’s chair, soaking in everything the girls were saying. She had her mother’s spark, and seeing her smiling and hanging onto their every word made something twist in my chest.