Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Hugh
“Well, that was good,” my father said as he finished off the last of the peach cobbler we’d ordered for the table.
“I’m glad we stopped going to Reynolds’ or Garrity’s, because it’s nice to see Hugh actually remain at the table while we eat.
” Cage smirked. My father had insisted we go somewhere else starting this month, because the last few times we’d gone out, I’d ended up in the kitchen or dealing with some sort of work drama.
“Agreed. Good idea on that one, Pops,” Finn said. “You seem a lot more relaxed now that you’ve brought Lila on board.”
“She’s already helped me a ton,” I said, checking my phone for the hundredth time to see if she’d texted me, and she hadn’t. I didn’t want to be overbearing like Travis, so I didn’t text her, even though I wanted to. But I wanted to make sure she got home safely.
“You’ve sure been checking that phone a lot more than usual.
You waiting for a booty call?” Cage asked with a laugh, and my father smiled and shook his head.
He’d raised three boys; he was not clueless about what went on.
None of us were currently in relationships, and we all enjoyed women as much as the next guy—so he knew what we were up to.
Although Cage was in a different boat these days as he was busy raising his daughter on his own.
“I’ll have you know I haven’t gotten laid in quite a while. It may even be a record,” I said, and my father rolled his eyes.
“You might just be growing up, son.”
“I’m a moody fucker when I go too long,” Finn said with a shrug, and we all laughed.
“So then, why are you checking your phone like a fucking teenage girl?” Cage asked.
“I was just checking to see if Lila needed a ride home.”
They all three started laughing like they were in on some inside joke that I wasn’t aware of.
“Let me ask you something,” Finn said, leaning in close to me. “Did this newfound celibacy start when Lila James moved into your casita and started working for you?”
“What? No. It started before that. There is nothing going on there. Are you fucking kidding me? Trav would lose his mind. She’s just here for a little while. We’re friends, nothing more.”
“She looks good, though,” Cage said, waggling his brows, knowing he was getting under my skin.
“That makes you a dirty old man. She’s too young for you. And you couldn’t survive the wrath of Trav.” I laughed.
“So protective, brother. I see the way you look at her,” Finn said. “You may be able to hide it from your best friend, but you know the Reynolds brothers have a gift. We can see through the bullshit.”
“Oh, yeah? Where was that gift when this one shaved off your eyebrow in college?” I laughed. Finn could turn on the dramatics whenever he wanted to. It was the actor in him. But he’d lost his shit when Cage pulled that stunt.
“Don’t go there.” He pointed his finger at me and then at our oldest brother, and my father sat back watching with a big, goofy smile on his face. “You know my face is my moneymaker, so that was a low blow.”
“Then you shouldn’t have told Elaine Bridges that I was into her.” Cage shook his head with disgust.
“She told me she had made an entire bulletin board that was covered in photos of you. What was I supposed to do?”
“Um, nothing? She’s a stage-five clinger. We never even dated. She’s also much older than me. I’m just fucking thankful she moved away because that was a rough couple of weeks.”
“And I see our dear baby brother did a wonderful job of deflecting the conversation. Just admit you want her. Own it, dick licker.” Finn smirked.
“Never going to happen. I, unlike you two, am a man in control of both my emotions and my dick. Sorry you have to sit through this tonight, Pops,” I said, winking at my dad.
“You know I love some good Reynolds brother banter.” He smirked. “But I’m just going to say this, and we’ll drop it.”
“Ahhhh… I love when Pops gives his words of wisdom.” Finn clapped his hands together.
“Let’s hear it, old wise one.” Cage chuckled.
“Watch yourself, buddy. I’m not that old.” My father turned his attention to me. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”
I grunted. “That’s your advice? You’ve been watching too many sappy movies with Mom.”
“That was a little cheesy, dude. Even for you,” Finn said as he shook his head.
“Hey, it may be cheesy, but it’s true. I wasn’t looking for anything when I met your mom. She was way too good for me, and I knew it, but look at us. Five kids later, and we’ve built this great life together. You know why?” He raised a brow and took his time looking at each of us.
“Because the heart wants what the fucking heart wants,” I said, and the table erupted in laughter.
“Take it or leave it, boys. I don’t worry about this one,” he said, slapping me on the back. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and like I’ve always said, you know when you know.”
“Wow. This is really riveting advice, Pops. The heart wants what the heart wants, and you know when you know,” Cage said after we paid the check and all pushed to our feet. “It’s a good thing Mom’s the therapist.”
“You losing it, old man?” Finn teased.
More laughter erupted as we made our way outside.
“Hey, I’m a simple man, but I speak the truth. Always trust this.” My father clasped a hand over his heart. “It’s gotten me everything that matters in my life.”
“You’re a wise man,” I said, pulling my dad in for a hug because he happened to be one of my favorite people on the planet. I went to him every time I needed guidance, and he’d never failed me.
We all said our goodbyes, and I knew they were just razzing me. But I also knew I needed to be careful where Lila was concerned.
I liked hanging out with her all the time, but it concerned me that I thought about her when we weren’t together.
I knew better, yet I struggled with doing the right thing when it came to her.
I pulled in the garage, and when I stepped inside the house, the door to the casita flew open. “You’re finally home?” she gasped.
I raised a brow because she looked angry. “I am. Am I not supposed to be?”
“No. Of course not. I just—I was waiting for you.” She shrugged and then waved me toward her room. I followed her inside as she slipped on her flip-flops. “I’m going to Cottonwood Cove to skinny dip. Are you coming with me?”
Ain’t that the million-dollar question.
“Did something happen with Kline?” My hands fisted at my sides. She was off, and Lila wasn’t a hothead, so something had obviously happened.
“Kline’s fine, but he’s not worth my time anymore. It’s time to focus on the list.”
I cleared my throat. I didn’t completely trust myself around her.
She was wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a white tank top. Definitely not what she’d left Reynolds’ in when she’d gone to meet Kline for dinner. Her long, dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she quickly stalked past me, heading for the door.
“You seem a little upset. Why don’t we talk about it here? There’s no rush to check things off the list. The water will still be there tomorrow.”
She whipped around. “I’m tired of waiting until tomorrow. My whole life has been about tomorrow. I’m doing this right now, with or without you.”
I groaned and followed her out the door. I sure as shit wasn’t going to let her go down to the cove and strip naked alone.
At least, that was what I was telling myself.
We walked in silence for about half a block, side by side.
“You going to tell me what happened?”
She came to a stop and shook her head. “That’s the thing.
Nothing happened, per se. It’s the same old shit, different day, Bear.
It’s my brother and his irrational behavior.
It’s the way everyone gossips about my father.
And tonight, we were at the restaurant, and that damn Mrs. Compton was running her mouth. ”
She turned around and started storming toward the water again.
Her ponytail swayed from side to side down her back.
Her long, lean legs moved briskly, and her perfect ass was impossible to look away from.
There was a path at the end of my street that led through the trees and down to the water.
She maneuvered around the branches in the dark like she knew this place well, so I assumed she must be running over here in the mornings.
“What did she say? She’s always been an asshole, just like her daughter.”
She stopped again, my chest slamming into hers as she’d caught me off guard when she’d halted. The light from the moon peeked down through the tall evergreens and shone down on her pretty face. “She made a comment, and it pissed me off. Because it’s what everyone thinks about me, you know?”
“Tell me,” I said, moving closer as I shoved a branch away from my head.
“She said that I turned out better than anyone expected, as if I should have been a train wreck and it’s such a pleasant surprise that I actually made something of myself.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and I swiped it away with the pad of my thumb.
“Fuck her. What did Kline say?”
“He agreed with her!” she shouted. She turned and marched toward the little beach entry beside the water. The tide was coming in, and the waves lapped against the shore. “As if he knew what a shitshow my childhood was and couldn’t jump on the bandwagon fast enough.”
I followed her down the path, my voice calm and even. “Hey.”
She came to an abrupt stop and whipped around. “What?”
“The way they’re saying it sounds like a backhanded compliment, but the truth is, they’re right, Snow.”
She placed her hands on her hips, her mouth hanging open. “So, you expected me to be a failure, too?”
I chuckled. “No. Don’t put words in my mouth. Someone’s being a little dramatic now, yeah?”
“Dramatic? How? Do you know how it feels to know that everyone expected you to fail? How exhausting it is to prove that you’re worthy? And then when you finally prove yourself, everyone tells you how shocking it is?”