Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Finn studied him curiously. “Is this about a woman?”
Inwardly, Damien groaned—was he really that transparent?—but he kept his face neutral. “I’m just drinking a beer. Why would it be about a woman?”
Finn nodded knowingly. “It’s definitely a woman.”
Damien let out a sigh. They might not be as sympathetic or understanding as Erin, but at least his dad and Finn were men. He decided to take a chance on them. “I’ve never gone after a girl and been rejected. I don’t know my next move.”
Finn cradled his beer thoughtfully. “And here I was thinking I was the best-looking one in the family.”
Damien chuckled. “You are,” he said good-naturedly. “Even when you get terrible haircuts. Or refuse to ever wear anything that’s not splattered with paint.” He looked pointedly at Finn, flecked with sawdust, with a smattering of green paint across the knees of his work pants. Still, there was no way Finn had ever been rejected by a woman. Every single girl at their high school had admired Finn’s brooding dark eyes, curly dark hair, and sculpted bone structure. But Finn had always shied away from the attention, trying to downplay his exceptional good looks. Unlike their brother Archer, who had made a fortune from his.
Damien took another long gulp of his beer.
Casually, Finn said, “Crystal, right?”
Damien was genuinely shocked. He swallowed the mouthful before he choked on it. “What makes you say that?”
It was like Damien had asked him the color of the sky. “Dude,” he said, “you guys have been friends for years. You should see yourselves when you’re hanging out here—it’s like you’re in a little bubble. You dance like you’ve already spent the night together. And, in case you haven’t noticed, she’s super hot. Who else would it be?”
Damien exhaled. Nothing went unnoticed in this house. But in a way, he was glad Finn had guessed. It made him feel a little less crazy that he might be falling for Crystal. “She might be super hot, but I don’t think she wants a relationship with me.”
Even as Damien spoke the words, he questioned himself. Did he want a relationship with Crystal? Did he even know what he wanted right now? He looked over at his dad, who had remained quiet while Finn was talking.
Howie leaned back. “I think the world of Crystal. She hasn’t had an easy time, and she’s made an incredible success of her life. But if she’s being cautious, you need to cut her some slack. I’m sure you recall that her father walked out on the family right when she was about to go to college.”
Damien remembered those days clearly, but it wasn’t until they’d been hiking on Saturday that he’d understood how much she’d given up for her family. And while she hadn’t said the words, he felt how deeply her father’s leaving had hurt her.
Finn said, “I remember when she used to come over to hang out with Erin. They used to do their homework together and Erin never had to ask Mom for help—she could always just ask Crystal. Erin’s smart, but Crystal’s next-level smart.”
Howie nodded. “You know how your mom feels about college. She was just as excited about that scholarship as Crys was. Do you remember how much Crystal wanted to be a doctor? She did the right thing, but I can still remember Betsy crying for that girl’s lost dreams.”
Maybe Damien hadn’t fully realized how significant that had been for her. By the time the girls were set to go to college, his career had kicked off and he was away on long tours. He could see Crystal as a doctor, with her kindness, empathy, intelligence, and strong work ethic. She’d have been terrific in medicine. It was why he’d tried to get her to commit to exploring all that again. Wasn’t that what good friends did? Pushed each other to be true to themselves even when it was really difficult?
His dad added, “If you did want a real relationship with her, you’d have to do everything possible to prove history isn’t going to repeat itself. She needs to know you’re the kind of man who sticks.”
It had been a long time since Damien had felt this deeply offended. He was nothing like Crystal’s jerk of a father! “What do you mean, history not repeating itself? Do you think I’m the kind of guy who would have a few kids and then abandon them?”
Howie shook his head. “No, son, that’s not what I mean. Look at your life—you don’t stay around long enough to have kids. A baby takes nine months to grow. When’s the last time you stayed anywhere for nine months?”
Damien exhaled. That hurt. He’d been away working hard at his passion and trying to make music that told the truth. Countless people had told him his music had helped them through the ups and downs of their lives. But now he tried to see his career from Crystal’s perspective. “You mean she thinks I’m only capable of having a fling?”