Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
B oon
“I promise to have her back by eleven, sir.”
Tatum had been nothing but respectful picking up Kinsley to take her on their first official date, and yet I was way too close to wanting to yell at him to go home. It wasn’t even his fault. It was me. I was having a shit day and Tatum was the collateral damage.
I looked to Kinsley, the stress of this conversation clearly etched across her young face as her eyes darted between us. I thought about what Warrick had said. Just fuckin’ do better. Straightening my spine, I clapped Tatum on the shoulder. Solidly and not with an underlying threat.
“I trust you, son.”
And it was even true. I’d gotten to know him as the captain of the team the last few months.
He was a good kid, and Kinsley was crazy about him.
He’d asked her out and insisted on picking her up.
Kinsley had spent all afternoon after school getting ready, her and Mom giggling every few minutes.
If this kid could make my daughter that happy while also showing a high level of respect, then I could only wish them well. No threats required.
Tatum dipped his head and stepped back, holding out his hand for Kinsley. Her face transformed into an ear-to-ear grin. She took his hand, but doubled back to quickly kiss me on the cheek.
“Thanks, Dad,” she whispered, then whirled around in a puff of perfume and walked with Tatum to his truck. She looked so much older than her seventeen years. She was pretty like her mother and had my athletic grace. She was stunning.
Tatum helped her into the passenger side and then rounded the hood. He locked eyes with me for a moment before climbing behind the wheel and we had a wordless exchange that only men could understand. I knew Kinsley would be okay. And he knew if she wasn’t, he would soon not be okay.
I watched from the base of the porch stairs until the taillights disappeared. Mom stuck her head out the front door.
“You ready to tell me what’s had your head up your ass all week?”
I rolled my eyes, biting back a grin. Mom saw everything. It was annoying as fuck and yet comforting to know she’d either have my back or whack some sense into my head, depending on the situation. I turned and climbed the stairs.
“Actually, I asked everyone to come over tonight so I can talk to all of you.”
Mom’s eyes went wide. “A family meeting?”
I dipped my head in affirmation, putting my hand on her back and steering her inside the house.
I didn’t need to be out here any longer than necessary.
Seeing Shae right now was not ideal. I had some shit to figure out now that she’d turned my marriage proposal down.
Figures…the one time I actually asked a woman to marry me, she’d turn my ass down.
Mom didn’t pepper me with questions while we worked in the kitchen, getting out drinks and freshly baked cookies.
Warrick and Emmerleigh were first to arrive, Georgia making a beeline for her Gigi.
Mom swooped her up and covered her with kisses before giving her the biggest cookie on the plate.
Emmerleigh offered Vivian a bottle while she was strapped to her mama.
Warrick put a six-pack of beer in the fridge and offered me one long-necked bottle.
“No, thanks.” I filled a glass with ice and water and took that to the living room instead.
He cocked his head, but didn’t say anything.
He sat down and took Vivian from his wife, continuing to feed his daughter a bottle while he tickled her feet and made her smile.
Colson and Tully arrived, busting through the front door with their two dogs.
Hayes moved slowly, lying down at Colson’s feet when he sat on the opposite couch.
The puppy ran for Georgia, making her shriek with happiness.
Mom got Georgia and the puppy set up in her room on the bed, cookies, television, and a rawhide bone keeping them company.
When everyone was back in the living room and looking up at me as I paced the room, I unloaded.
“Shae is pregnant. The baby’s mine. I asked her to marry me yesterday and she said no. What the hell do I do now?”
There were gasps and shocked looks, but everyone got on board quickly. Mom, especially, seemed happy about this news. She jumped to her feet and hugged the stuffing out of me and then whacked me on the back of my head like I was still eight years old and testing out swear words for the first time.
“Hey!” I rubbed my head.
“That’s for making me a grandma again.” I only stared at her like she’d lost her mind. She rolled her eyes, looking just like Kinsley. “The hug, that is. The smack is for doing this all backwards. I swear, I’m glad Shae turned you down.”
“Hey!”
“You should show her you plan to stick around and help out,” Tully offered.
“Ideally, you’d move in together at the very least. Those middle-of-the-night feedings can wear a new mom down,” Emmerleigh added.
“Do you even know how to change a diaper?” Colson asked.
I shot him a look. “Do you?”
Colson stroked the ugly mustache he’d regrown recently. “Hey, I’ve delivered a baby on the side of the road before. I think that makes me more qualified than you.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “I have a daughter already. I know kids take a lot of work and time and attention.”
Mom threw her hands out, shutting us all up. “What do you want for your life, son?” Her emphasis was clear. She wasn’t asking what everyone else thought. She wanted to know what I envisioned for my life, something I’d been giving a lot of thought to in the last few days.
My answer was easy now that I’d given it thought. “I want a happy family, like the one you and Dad provided for us boys. I know it looks different and I’m a little later in life than most people, but I’d like to think coming back here is at least giving Kinsley a glimpse at that life.”
“But how do you feel about Shae?” Tully looked around at our assembled family. “This is the first I’m hearing about you and her being an item. Was this a one-night stand with an oops? A relationship? What?”
This was when old-me would normally throw out a joke to break the tension and divert attention from the question at hand. But I was doing something fuckin’ different with my life right now.
“I’ve been seeing her. Secretly.” I gave Mom side eye. “Mostly sex, sorry, Mom. But I also really like Shae. I respect her. I’ve always looked out for her, even when we were kids. I feel protective of her. I want to be part of this baby’s life but also part of hers.”
“Kinda sounds like you love her,” Colson drawled.
Tully rounded on him. “But it isn’t enough for him to love her. He’s gotta be in love with her. She deserves nothing less.”
Emmerleigh interjected, her voice soft. “Are you ready to put your desires to the side and be who she needs in her life right now and in the future?”
I thought about a life without Shae. I’d already tried living that life, and while it was fun and fulfilling in many ways, I always circled back to her.
I donated a cool million anonymously to build the gymnasium and weight room when I heard she was back at Blueball High as a teacher and volleyball coach.
Just to make her life better. I kept tabs on her over the years, even when I shouldn’t have.
“You know, I’m not sure that I’m not in love with her,” I said quietly, thinking out loud.
Warrick handed Vivian back to Emmerleigh and sat forward. “Wait a second. That was a lot of double negatives. Are you in love with her or not?”
The epiphany was almost as hard-hitting as the moment Shae confirmed she was pregnant. I sat my ass down, right there in the middle of the living room floor.
“What is love exactly? Wanting to spend every second with them? Wanting to see them succeed with everything that matters to them? Wanting to grow old with them? Wanting to keep other men away from her? Wanting to see her smile, no, needing to see her smile every day? Caring about her happiness more than your own? Is that love? If so, then yes, I’m in love with Shae. ”
Mom sniffled loudly. I looked over to see her wiping her eyes. “Mom…”
“What?” she said thickly. “Not every day I finally see my knucklehead youngest son get his shit together.”
Tully laughed, and I glared at her. She just shrugged, like, we were all waiting for you to get your shit together .
“Listen,” I started again, serious as a heart attack. “I want to be with her. I want to be there as a father. I want to be a better man for Shae. That’s why I asked you all here. What the fuck do I do now?”
“Well, you start by cleaning up that fucking potty mouth,” Mom groused into the charged silence, making us all laugh.
And then, we began to make an extensive plan.
The rest of the family cleared out before Kinsley got home from her date. I was waiting on the couch when the front door clicked open and my daughter crept in. She didn’t look like she’d been rolling around in the hay—or the back of a truck bed—so I let out the breath I’d been holding all night.
“Hey,” she whispered, aware that her grandmother was already asleep at this hour.
“Hey,” I said back. “How was your date?”
Her face split into an immediate smile. “Good!” She walked over and sank onto the opposite end of the couch. “He took me to dinner at Grass. He pulled out my chair, held the doors, and wouldn’t let me pay.”
Well, that sounded promising. “And then what did you do?”
Her gaze skittered away, and I was once again holding my breath.
“We went to some field where kids hang out?” She wrinkled her nose. “Blueball Hill or something?” She looked up at me and saw the way my jaw was tense. “Nothing happened! We just sat around the bonfire and talked. It was really great, actually.”
“So, are you two officially dating now?”
Her gaze dropped to her lap, smile breaking free. “Yeah, he asked me to officially be his girlfriend and I said yes.”