Chapter 10
My eyes began to water from how much we were laughing. I had forgotten what family dinner at Gran’s house was like. David and I would crash it when we were kids. All us boys would end up playing football outside, wrestling, or fishing. But as time went on, we all drifted apart, and I forgot.
Lucy caught an airborne roll as it hurtled towards my face, and I nearly spat out my drink. “Dylan, behave.”
Dylan gave his worst innocent look as he turned to Eve. “Eve! How dare you? You know you can’t throw food at an officer.”
Eve gasped and looked at her mom, offended at the accusation. “Mom, I didn’t!”
Lucy glared at Dylan and launched the roll right at his face. Perhaps what shocked everyone into silence before laughter was that Dylan somehow managed to catch it in his mouth.
Brett rolled his eyes and smacked Dylan upside the head. “Would you grow up?”
Dylan took a bite out of his bread. “Can’t. I fear I have the Peter Pan disease. I’ll forever be stuck at fifteen years old.”
“God help us all,”
Josh groaned.
I took the moment to glance at Lucy just to have my breath stolen. Her smile was bright, and her eyes were light as she watched her brothers. Pink tinged her cheeks from how hard she’d been laughing, her freckles popped beneath the color. She looked happy, relaxed. Calling her beautiful would be an understatement. She was perfection.
Her eyes met mine and she grinned. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her, run my thumb over her plump pink bottom lip, caress her cheek, lean in and-.
“So, Garrett, got any big plans this weekend?”
Gran broke through the fray of her grandkids bickering and leaned forward waiting for a response. The table fell silent.
I cleared my throat and shook my head. “Not too much planned. It’s my weekend off. I’ll go to my parents and help where I can.”
Gran smiled, proud of my answer. Everyone was always proud of the answer, but I was so tired. I couldn’t even remember my last day to myself to just be. I would always go to my parents. I’d always help as I could, but man was I tired.
Lucy watched me with an intense stare, as if she could see exactly what was going on in my mind.
“When you get the time, we should go for a hike like we used to,”
Josh said as he lifted his beer in my direction.
Truthfully, that didn’t sound so bad. “Yeah, man, I’ll let you know.”
Josh nodded with a pleased smile.
“I’m done,”
Kaley declared, looking to Lucy. “Can I got play outside?”
Lucy pursed her lips and glanced out the window. “In the back, yes. Eve, will you go with her?”
Eve looked between me and her mom, as if she were nervous to leave us together without her supervision, solidifying the fact that I really should keep things platonic with Lucy. Her kids had been through so much and I would be an intruder. Her expression could be read loud and clear. She eventually nodded and followed Kaley out the back door.
Lucy watched the girls head out and took a long breath. “I’m sorry.”
It was barely a breath.
I placed a hand on her knee and squeezed.
Gran chuckled. “Oh child, I remember when your grandpa passed, your mom gave me death glares any time I spoke to another man, even though I never dated.”
“We aren’t dating,”
Lucy argued, pointing between the two of us.
Gran raised a brow in disbelief and Dylan laughed as he said, “Yet.”
Lucy stood abruptly from the table, taking her dishes and went to the kitchen. I shot a seething glare in his direction before following her to the sink.
The sound of Joshua’s hand smacking Dylan upside the head, followed by “dumbass”
echoed from the dining room.
Lucy’s breathing stuttered as I met her at the sink. She scrubbed her dish with white knuckles. “We can’t…Garrett, Eve will…I can’t.”
I set my hands over hers and waited for her eyes to meet mine. “Nothing has to happen, Lucy. I won’t push you and I certainly won’t push your kids. As far as I am concerned, my best friend of nearly twenty years is home and I’m thankful as fuck to have you back. I missed our late-night bonfires. Of course, it’s not the same without David, but there is no pressure for us to be anything more than friends.”
Her bloodshot eyes searched mine for a long moment, it was as if the whole house went silent, waiting on bated breath for her response.
“I’m scared that I would eventually want to be more than friends, Garrett. I’m so scared.”
Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms and held her to my chest. Her body shook with silent yet powerful tears. “Then, we cross that bridge if and when we get there, Daze.”
She sniffled and pulled out of my grasp. “I’m sorry, Garrett.”
“Don’t apologize, Daze.”
I wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled tenderly. “I meant it when I said being your friend is all I need.”
Meaning it and believing it were two separate things, though.
She swallowed and nodded before whispering, “I’m sorry I kissed you that night.”
I chuckled and leaned down whispering in her ear, “I’m not.”
Her eyes went wide before her cheeks flushed and she turned her attention back to the plate. As if fate determined our evening was over, my police radio went off. I was needed for an active vandalism call.
With a sigh, I squeezed Lucy’s hand. “See you tonight around the fire?”
Lucy shook her head but smiled despite herself. “We’ll see Sheriff. Go get the hooligans.”
I rolled my eyes and made my exit, thanking Gran for a delicious meal. My mind replayed the scene in the kitchen on repeat as I argued with myself. Could I truly be content as just Lucy’s friend? All our stolen touches and heated glances told me there was something real there. Something we were both feeling. And that kiss was definitely the farthest thing from a mistake.