Chapter 14 #2
“Ford told me about that,” I said quickly, grateful I could speak the truth about something. “He mentioned they’ve tried setting him up. Blind dates, right?”
Brian nodded, and rolled his eyes. “I told them both not to interfere, but you know how siblings can be.”
“I do,” I said, smiling. “I’ve got three of them.”
“Three siblings?” Maggie chimed in. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yes, I have one older sister and then Andrea, and my younger brother Christopher.”
More laughter erupted from the pool area, and I glanced back in that direction to see Ford now in the water, lifting the young girl onto his shoulders while one of his nephews clung to his arm, both demanding more of his attention.
My chest tightened in a way I wasn’t prepared for. He was so good with them.
“He loves being an uncle,” Maggie said, pride softening her voice. “Ford was so excited when each one of them was born. And so happy to see his sisters married.”
“Gave me and Blake one hell of a talk before we married his sisters,” Brian chimed in, his tone wry. “Scared the hell out of me, honestly, but he’s a great guy.”
“He really is,” I admitted before I could stop myself.
“Hot dog or burger, Violet?” Brian asked.
“Oh, uh, I’ll have a hot dog,” I said, watching as he put one in a bun and handed me the plate.
“Condiments, sides, and drinks are right over there on that table, so help yourself,” Maggie said.
“Thank you,” I said, and headed in that direction.
I added mustard to my hotdog, put a few chips on my plate, and grabbed a soda. I smiled at the cute dinosaur themed cake that said “Happy Birthday Kevin” on it, trying not to think of all the birthdays that had come and gone in both mine and Christopher’s lives that had been completely forgotten.
Ford’s sisters were busy corralling the kids, their husbands had joined Ford in the pool and they were now playing volleyball over a net someone put up, and Maggie had gone indoors to do something in the kitchen.
So, I found a quiet corner to sit at, where I could eat my food and watch Ford interact with his family, which I enjoyed.
They were all so nice, but I felt much more comfortable being an observer than a participant.
I’d only eaten a few bites when a deep, amused voice startled me. “I clearly didn’t raise my son right if he’s leaving a lovely woman like yourself sitting alone.”
I glanced up to see Landon standing there, bottle of beer in hand. He gestured at one of the seats next to me. “May I?”
I smiled at him. “Of course.”
He settled in, studying me with kind but sharp eyes. “So, Violet, I hear you like art and you have siblings, but that’s about it,” he said, clearly having eavesdropped on my conversation with Maggie and Brian. “How did you and Ford meet?”
There was no reason for me to concoct a lie about this, and decided to just go with the truth.
“Through my sister and her fiancé. Although he wasn’t her fiancé at the time, they were just dating.
Chase—that’s his name—is a friend and co-worker of Ford’s.
We all went indoor skydiving together and Ford immediately started pressing my buttons.
” I let a little humor slip into my voice.
Landon chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “Maggie used to press mine. Still does, if I’m honest. Nobody can get under my skin quite like she can, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
It struck me just how much Ford was like his dad.
Not just the similarities in their facial features or the watchful looks, but in the way he carried himself with that unshakable steadiness, like nothing could knock him off balance.
Military men, I realized, had a certain presence about them, forged from training that drilled discipline, control, and composure into every movement and decision.
With Ford, that discipline hadn’t just stayed on the surface.
It had seeped into the deepest, most intimate parts of him, shaping the way he lived, the way he worked… and the way he handled me.
“Ford mentioned you were a colonel in the Army,” I said, redirecting the conversation to him.
Landon nodded as he took a drink of his beer. “Yes, I was. Worked my way up in the ranks. Now that I’m retired I volunteer at the local VA to help disabled veterans.”
“That’s admirable,” I said softly, and meant it.
“Well, just because I retired didn’t mean I didn’t want to keep busy. And I wanted to give back. I was proud to serve my country but at the end of the day, it didn’t feel like directly helping people the way volunteering does.”
We talked a bit more as I finished my hot dog, the conversation light and easy.
He asked what I did for a living, and I was honest about working at a casino.
Where some people might find that career path less than desirable, Landon didn’t even blink.
There was no judgment in his eyes. He just nodded like it was as respectable as teaching or nursing, and asked a follow-up question about what games I dealt.
That acceptance threw me more than criticism or disapproval ever could. I wasn’t used to people taking me as I was without looking for the cracks or flaws. It was…disarming.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone approach, and when I glanced in that direction I realized it was Ford, who’d just gotten out of the pool and was soaking wet.
He had a wicked little grin on his face, and my pulse skipped a beat as he stopped in front of me, then leaned down and braced his hands on the armrests of my chair, invading my personal space.
Uncaring that his father was right there, that his sisters and mother were watching as well, he looked me in the eyes and said, “You came here to enjoy the pool. I know you have a swimsuit beneath that dress, so you have fifteen seconds to take it off or you’re going in with it on.”
I knew everyone else would hear his words as a playful dare, but that single command stirred something in me.
My pulse stuttered, my thighs clenched together, heat gathering where it had no business being at a family barbeque.
God, he sounded just like he did at The Players Club…
demanding, unyielding, certain I’d obey.
Only here, in front of his family, they would see this as a bit of harmless flirtation.
They had no idea how those words made my skin prickle and my breath catch.
But Ford knew exactly what he was doing, and he didn’t seem to care that we had an audience.
I tilted my chin up, aiming for bravado—and a little defiance—even as my body betrayed me. “You wouldn’t dare,” I shot back.
Ford’s grin widened with pure, unadulterated sin. “Oh, Trouble, you should know better by now than to challenge me, even here.”
Laney, from somewhere behind us, called out with a laugh, “Do it, Ford!”
I shook my head at him. “Ford, don’t you—” I started, but before I could finish, he scooped me up.
I shrieked, and instinctively grabbed onto his shoulders, unable to believe he’d pull this stunt in front of everyone.
“You put me down right this second,” I demanded, laughing despite myself.
“I’m not kidding, you put me down right now, Ford! ”
He carried me toward the pool as the kids whooped and hollered and Maggie clapped her hands in delight, all of them egging him on.
His eyes sparkled with mirth, and his stride never wavered. “You had your fifteen seconds and you should know by now that I follow through when you don’t obey.”
With that, he tossed me straight into the pool. I came up spluttering, hair plastered to my face, and I pushed the wet strands out of my eyes. I mock-glared at Ford while his whole family erupted into cheers and laughter.
“The things I want to say to you right now, children shouldn’t hear,” I said, treading water in my dress and giving him a mock glare.
Ford only grinned wider, infuriatingly smug and looking too damn hot and gorgeous in just his swim shorts. “Sorry, but it’s a pool party. You had to get in at least once,” he said, then jumped into the water with me, cannonball style.
The ginormous wave he created drenched me all over again, and then he was scooping me up like I weighed nothing, tossing me back into the water the way he’d been playing with his niece and nephew earlier. I splashed at him furiously, both of us laughing too loud, too easily.
And then I realized that his family’s eyes were on us.
They were watching this like it was normal, like we were truly a couple.
And for one reckless moment I let myself imagine it was real.
A boyfriend who made me feel safe. A family who welcomed me like I belonged. Warmth and chaos, laughter and teasing.
The thought was so sweet it made me ache, and that ache terrified me because I couldn’t afford to fall into the fantasy of belonging, not when there was an expiration date stamped on whatever Ford and I had. He wasn’t mine. This wasn’t mine.
So I shoved that longing down where it belonged and forced myself to focus on the lie Ford and I were perpetrating, because it was easier to put on an act than to admit how close I was to wanting something I could never have.