Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Shit. Situation reversed, and I’d be worried.
So far neither raised the topic of getting some distance between the two. If they did, and again, I couldn’t blame them, we’d figure things out then. But I couldn’t bring it up now because Nate was at our table.
Everyone stood up, greeting him.
Logan hugged him first, pounding on his back. “Good to fucking see you, man. Couldn’t stay away, huh? Where’s your turtle?”
“Fuck you. Harold is at the rescue shelter. Thankfully.” Nate grinned, cupping the back of his neck before moving to return Channing’s hug. “You expect me to stay away? After all the shit that happened last weekend? We love being near Quincey’s family, but I have to admit that I started considering moving back for the first time in a while. Had some real FOMO. Hey, buddy.” He clasped Channing’s shoulder, then moved to me.
I pulled him close for a hug.
I’d called him the day after everything happened, and filled him in. He’d been concerned. We texted and called daily. That was our norm, but it was more this last week.
Logan. Channing. Nate. They were all there for me.
He stepped back, considered me. There was the same unspoken question in his gaze that he’d asked me every day. Was I okay? I gave him a nod, and he grinned before he moved to sit in the chair across from me. Channing was on one side. Logan on the other. Nate took the seat by Channing so he had a better view of the backyard.
“You want a beer?” I asked before sitting.
“Uh.” He began to look around. “Sure. Yeah.”
Logan pushed up from his seat. “I got it.”
“Logan,” I started to say.
He was already heading for the cooler, and waved me off, shooting me a small frown. “I’m good. Monroe? Beer?”
Channing had returned to watching Maddy and Max but raised his empty beer in the air. “Please.” His eyes never left our kids.
Nate noticed, his eyes jumping to me as I took my seat again. “How, uh,” Nate started. “How’s that going?”
It took a little bit before Channing realized the question wasn’t for me.
He jerked his head to him, sitting up straighter. “Me?” He cast me a glance, rubbing a hand over his face. I saw the shadows there. He was concerned, more than he’d expressed to me.
I tipped my chin to him. “You can be honest. She is my kid, but I’m not blind.”
He still hesitated before shrugging. “I don’t think it matters what any of us think. Your kid shows her obsession more, but trust me, Max is just as fixated on Maddy.”
I leaned forward, needing to know. “Chan.”
He looked my way. Held my gaze.
“Do you want them to back off?”
He considered my question for a beat before saying anything. When he spoke, his forehead tipped forward a little. “Am I concerned about how tight they are at this age? Fuck yes. Am I getting alarms to the point where I think we need to move in and do something about it? Honestly, no.”
Some of my tension eased in my chest.
“It’d be different if Max wasn’t all in too. Though, I don’t think Maddy would be as obsessed if he wasn’t. It’s both of them and if it came down to it, if we put our foot down and insisted they don’t get as serious as they are, I think the problem wouldn’t be your kid. It’d be Max. Maddy shows her heart on her sleeve. She’s almost proud of it. Max keeps it contained inside of him. They counter each other out, and fuck, like I can talk about childhood sweethearts.” He looked in the direction Heather and Sam were now coming from the house.
They weren’t alone. Brett Broudou, his wife, and his niece were also in attendance.
“Stevie!” Maddy saw them at the same time, waving. She pushed off of Max, swam to the edge, and pulled herself up. Steele was there, handing her a towel. When it wasn’t big enough to completely cover her, he snatched it away with a scowl, and shoved a blanket at her instead. She laughed at him, but held the blanket wrapped around her. She made her way over to Stevie, smiling politely at Brett and his wife before tugging Stevie in the direction of the food and beverages.
“That’s new,” Logan noted, returning at that time with two beers. He handed one to Nate, one to Channing, and placed the other items in his hand on the table. Two glasses and a bottle of bourbon.
He winked at me before pouring one for me, one for him.
Brett found us by then.
Logan held up the bottle. “You want to join? Or do you want a beer?”
Brett hesitated, before his face cleared and he shook his head. “I’m good for now. I might grab a beer later.”
I’d gone back to watching Maddy as she and Stevie were filling up their plates with food. Maddy looked to be talking her ear off. I couldn’t tell how Brett’s niece felt about that.