Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“Before you answer that, it’s been twelve years since he’d stand in the bleachers, yelling at us, play-by-play. I thought he had to be at least ninety years old back then. No way he’s still around,” Bryce said.
“And he still looks exactly that old,” Wyatt commented, popping the top on his can as he took a seat on a barstool on the other side of the kitchen island from me. “Mom says he’s in his late eighties. I couldn’t believe it. I made her prove it. He’s in a wheelchair now. Always sittin’ on his front porch when I drive through town, yellin’ at the vehicles or whoever walks past. He’s an ornery old coot.”
“I saw him when I came home for the Willis family reunion,” Scout said. “I stopped by and talked to him for a couple of hours. He’s still mentally there. He remembered us all by name.” As he spoke, he continued taking special care with the beef I purchased today. Apparently, his special, secret marinade was an award-winning proprietary blend—at least award-winning in the military’s special-teams annual cook-off. He took home the first-place prize making him akin to Gordon Ramsay. According to him, anyway.
“He went to State with us. Even when we made it all the way, he still kept yelling we were gettin’ the plays wrong. I’ll never forget hearing his booming voice all the way down on the field,” Gray said.
“I know, right. His voice is still just like that. In my truck, I swear I can hear that man yellin’ at me about somethin’ I’m doin’ wrong. Did you hear that Carolyn finally got married?” Wyatt asked, more to Gray than anyone else. They’d been high school sweethearts up until the very day he’d gotten caught with another guy.
“Yeah, Mom told me. I figured she would’ve done that a long time ago. She was always talking about marriage,” Gray said. Every eye in the room fixed on Gray who didn’t take his eyes off the beef. Scout began to shake the dry rub bottle like a maraca with the spices flying every direction. Probably the best way to distract from those tough days of the past. Carolyn took the breakup hard. “Dude, more’s on the counter than the meat.”
“He’s makin’ a fuckin’ mess is what he’s doin’,” Wyatt added.
“I gotta get it all over the meat,” Scout explained without slowing the shake of his hand as if that made perfect sense.
“Okay, so what about this baby, Bryce? You really gonna be a father?” I asked, still stunned by the revelation.
“Yup,” Bryce said, lifting his beer can for a swallow, trying to hide the smile quivering at the corner of his lips.
“What about marriage?” Wyatt blurted out.
Bryce’s features slid into an instant scowl. “She wants to wait.”
“Really? She wants to wait? That’s remarkable. I never saw that comin’,” Scout said and paused in the application of the dry rub as every eye shifted toward Bryce. Having loads of cash, and being reasonably nice looking, he was usually considered a prize catch in just about every circle known to man. Women fell all over themselves trying to be the one he put a ring on.
“Me neither.” Bryce gave a cold sounding chuckle. “She blindsided me with that. Won’t even consider marriage right now.”
“When’s she due?” Scout asked, clearly the bravest of us all to face Bryce’s angry glare, slowly moving the shaker again.
“February fifth’s the official date.”
“Where’s she at now?” I asked.
“With her roommate, Kade.” When he didn’t say old roommate, my brows shot up. They weren’t even living together?
The entire room stilled. Bryce wasn’t someone to be put off by anything in life.
“He’s gay, correct? The police officer?” Gray asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the kitchen counter.
Gay roommate. Another interesting twist to the story.
“Yeah, and you stay away from him,” Bryce’s words were as pointed as his index finger shooting to Gray.
“What?” Gray asked. A shrug of one shoulder followed the innocently stated word.
“No, really, I don’t need the chaos that hookup brings to my life. No matter what he says, Kade’s not in it just to hit it. He’s got real issues. Stay away from him.”
Honestly, outside of all the questions forming, the whole exchange was kind of funny, especially as serious as Bryce was about the idea of Gray hooking up with anyone. Gray was the biggest player in the room, and when he gave Bryce a wounded glance, I burst out with the laugh I’d tried to hold in. Then the doorbell rang. Like a bullet, Wyatt instantly darted from his chair in the direction of the front door.
“He’s here! I might be too busy to go campin’ with you guys this week.”
Instinctively, I grabbed Wyatt by the back of the T-shirt as I stared at the unexpected profile of my angel from the liquor store. Mace hadn’t been too far from my thoughts since this morning. The impact of their brief meeting was substantial, and just like at the store, when I first spotted him, I grew immediately territorial.