Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 101758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Good morning, pretty girl,” he says when he answers.
“Good morning. Hey, I’m in town today, and I was wondering if you’re up for company this morning?”
“I’ll never turn down your company, Ivy. Why don’t I make us breakfast?”
“That sounds great to me.”
“Come on over, honey.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
I end the call and walk downstairs to find someone in the driveway, plowing snow. I walk out on the porch and wave at them, and then Tucker hops out of his truck and strides over to me.
“Good morning,” he says with a smile.
“Hi. Do you always plow Xander’s driveway?”
He grins and shakes his head. “No, he called me this morning. Told me you were here and he wanted to make sure you could get in and out.”
Oh, my heart.
Even when he’s mad at me, he still looks out for me.
“Thank you. I’m going into town to have breakfast with your dad.”
Tucker’s eyes soften. “You don’t have to—”
“Are you kidding? I love your dad. I asked him to hang out, and he offered breakfast. I couldn’t say no to that.”
He nods and walks back to the truck. “I’m almost done here. Give me just ten more minutes.”
“Thanks, Tucker.”
He waves, and I walk back inside to gather my things and give Cally a scratch.
“I won’t be long, baby.”
I dread leaving her again later tonight.
But rather than dwell on that, I walk out to my truck when I hear Tucker pull away, and I make my way into town. The roads are dicey, so it takes me longer than usual, but I arrive safely, and when I get up to the door, Greg opens it and welcomes me with a big smile and a warm hug.
“This is a fun surprise,” he says as he pats me gently on the back and then gestures for me to join him in the kitchen. “I’m making bacon and eggs with fried potatoes and toast. Well, you get toast.”
“I don’t need toast.”
“Of course you need toast.” He winks at me. “How’s my boy?”
I sigh and sit at the table in the eat-in kitchen, bracing my chin in my hand. “Stubborn.”
Greg lets out a chuckle and gives the potatoes a stir in the cast-iron skillet.
“All of my kids are stubborn,” he says. “Are you two fighting?”
I lift a shoulder. “I don’t know what we are.”
Greg lifts an eyebrow and begins plating our food. “Maybe you should start at the beginning, and we’ll figure it out together.”
Why couldn’t my own mother have been this good?
I had Chris, but he had so much to deal with, given who he was married to, that I didn’t want to burden him with my problems.
I never had this kind of a relationship with a parent.
Greg sets my plate down, and I immediately salivate. “This smells so good.”
“Breakfast is my specialty. Go on, don’t let the potatoes get cold.”
I take a bite and moan. “I’m coming over every morning.”
He laughs and takes a bite of his own breakfast.
“How have you been feeling?”
He nods and waves me off. “I’m fine. We’ve got it all figured out again. That seems to happen every few months.”
“You scared us.”
“It wasn’t fun for me, either, but I’m grateful that you and Xander came so quickly to help me. Now, no more evading. What’s going on with you?”
“I think I screwed up.” I shove a bite of eggs in my mouth and chew while Greg watches me. “I’ve been anxious about Xander playing. I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“I understand that. None of us wants him hurt.”
I nod, but then I frown.
“It’s not just that.” I take a deep breath. “I love him. So much. I’ve loved him since I was a teenager.”
I take a sip of coffee, and Greg just waits. There’s no judgment on his face, no concern. Just patience and acceptance.
I love Greg too.
“Did you know that Xander used to stick up for me in high school? I was bullied really badly, and if he was ever around, he’d protect me.”
“That’s my boy,” Greg says. “That’s exactly what I raised him to do.”
I smile softly and nod. “You raised a whole bunch of really good people.”
He reaches over and covers my hand with his. “I know. They’re my favorite people.”
Who’s your favorite, Red?
Did I ever tell him?
Fuck, did I ever tell him?
“I have pretty bad anxiety,” I say softly. “And I never talk about it or show it because I was taught . . . well, I just don’t. I don’t know how much you know about Xander’s medical history, and I can’t betray his trust.”
Greg’s eyes narrow.
“But he forgot all about everything he did for me in high school. So when we started working together, I was basically a stranger to him. We’ve fallen in love, and my relationship with him is everything. He’s an amazing man. He treats me so well. Do you know that he found out that we got all that snow last night, and he sent Tucker over this morning to plow at the house so I could get in and out? And he’s mad at me right now. So you can only imagine how good he is to me when things are good.”