Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
It’s ironic, almost, that relating to other humans—something that should be basic instinct—is where I struggle the most.
“He sounds a lot like my uncle Remy. He’s given so much for our entire family, especially my mom and me, and yet, somehow, managed to make it seem like he actually enjoyed it.”
“Is he your mom’s brother?”
“Yes. Well, one of her four brothers. Though, I guess, technically, Finn and his brothers Reece, Travis, and Jack are my uncles too. Strictly genetically speaking, now that we know my mom’s bio dad is their bio dad too.”
Blake laughs so hard he almost snorts. “Pretty funny picturing ‘Fighting Finn Hayes’ as your uncle.”
I shake my head, but I also find myself laughing a little too. “I don’t think anyone has any plans to treat it that way. Finn and his siblings are my cousins’ and my generation. Not to mention, there’s no way I’m going to call him Uncle Finn when I’m six years older than him.”
The truth of my relation to Finn—and his siblings—came out shortly before his girlfriend Scottie Bardeaux was in a terrible accident during a cheerleading competition. To say it’s been a whirlwind of information over the past four weeks would be an understatement.
And while it might already seem pretty crazy, the reality of it all when it comes to Finn and my mother’s bio dad is even wilder. The man, Jeff Hayes, is now sitting behind bars for a murder he committed in the eighties.
Honestly, it sounds more like the plot of Ace’s dad Thatch’s favorite soap opera, General Hospital, than real life. Ever since they started streaming GH on Hulu, Thatcher Kelly—billionaire and financial whiz extraordinaire—has been driving my stepdad Wes nuts with phone calls and text messages about every storyline and plot twist.
Funny thing is, if you know Ace’s dad personally, his obsession with a soap opera isn’t a shock. The man is a proud lover of all things romance and drama. I honestly think that’s one of the reasons Ace’s mom Cassie ended up finding her way to writing romance books in her free time when she’s not busy on location for photography shoots.
“So, calling Fighting Finn Hayes your uncle is a no-go, then?” Blake asks, a teasing tone in his voice.
“Definitely a no-go…” I pause, scrunching up my nose. “And do people really call him that? Fighting Finn Hayes?”
“Not yet, really. So far, it’s just me. Hasn’t really caught on yet.”
“I bet he hopes it doesn’t.”
“You have no idea.” Blake grins. “Threatened me with lots of pain.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, startling me briefly before I realize what it is. Sitting in the cloak of darkness with Blake, eating ice cream, I almost forgot the outside world existed.
I pull it out and swipe up on the screen to read the text message.
Ace Kelly: I know you can normally fend for yourself, but Jules and I have been worrying for two hours. Did you make it out of the stadium unscathed, or do I need to be contacting Wes’s lawyer?
I glance up at Blake, who’s sitting quietly and patiently. He’s not demanding I tell him about the sender, which somehow makes me feel even more like I should.
“It’s Ace. Just checking to make sure I’m not locked up.”
Blake laughs, nodding. “He texted me an hour ago. While you were picking out your ice cream. Wanted to make sure I’d still be eligible to play next year so I didn’t wreck his entire sports betting scheme.”
“You didn’t…tell him we’re together, did you?”
He cocks his head, and my throat feels thick. The last thing I need is Ace Kelly running all over campus telling people I’m dating a twenty-one-year-old quarterback or something.
“I didn’t,” Blake says slowly and softly, pausing briefly before continuing. “Can’t say I’m loving how big of a deal-breaker it seems it would be if I had.”
I shake my head. “It’s just…complicated. I’m four years older than you. And it’s not like there’s something to actually tell. We’re just celebrating our narrow escape from authority, right?”
“Right.”
I suck my lips into my mouth, and Blake stands abruptly, holding out a hand to help me up. “Come on, Lex. I’ll walk you home.”
I’m surprised he’s the one ending things, given how hard he’s been pursuing me, but I have to admit I’m tired. My adrenaline crashed over an hour ago, and I’ve been relying on the sugar from the ice cream ever since.
“Okay.”
As I stand up, Blake jogs over to the trash can at the side of the entrance to the theater and throws out his ice cream bowl, and then he comes back to me to walk down the stairs together.
I use the solo time to text Ace back with just enough to keep him from sending the police to find me and then tuck my phone away again.