Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
“That’s gratitude for all he’s done for you,” John remarked.
“Hah, see?” I told Luke.
He rolled his eyes. “No, Dad. It’s not. You don’t feel gratitude way down deep in your gut, and gratitude doesn’t make you want to—”
“Small child,” Viola interrupted, pointing at Tatum.
“—keep someone with you for the rest of your life.”
Tatum sighed happily. “I was scared.”
“Why were you scared, Tate?” her grandfather asked her.
“I didn’t want Nash to go away. I love how everything is now, and I love how happy Daddy is. He’s never been this happy. Not ever. I know. I watch.”
“Is that true?” John asked his son.
He nodded. “It is.”
“Hey,” Griff said, arriving at the table, standing there, not sitting. “I wanted to give you time to eat, but I’m dying to hear about the guy you chased.”
“Of course,” I said with a smile. “Take a seat and I’ll—”
“Are you guys gonna get married?”
Funny that he’d changed topics. “I thought you wanted to know about the guy?”
“I do. I really do. But I wanna hear if you’re gonna get married too.”
“Not right now.”
“Griff,” Luke began, “we should probably talk about—”
“But probably? Someday?” he pressed, and I saw how invested he was in the answer.
“We’re not quite there yet, buddy,” I replied honestly.
“Yeah, but if everything goes great, then you will, right?”
“That’s what people do,” I said, thinking of the endless wedding I had attended and smiling for whatever reason. My boss was married. I needed to let that sink in.
“But from now on, no matter what, you’re gonna stay with us.”
The kids loved me, and I was an idiot to think I could have ever left them. “That’s my plan.”
“And you’ll move all your stuff in here.”
“It’s not a lot of stuff once you take out my ugly furniture, but yeah.”
Quick inhale of breath. “You’re gonna stay with us and marry Dad, and you guys will be together, and you’ll be here?”
“I will.”
“And you won’t leave?”
He was forever going to worry about people leaving him if he didn’t work through that with his therapist. “You know I won’t ever leave you.”
“I know.”
“Then don’t ask me something so stupid.”
“Okay.”
“Good.”
Eyes on his father now. “And you want all that? To be married to Nash someday?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Griff said, exhaling deeply. “This is really…this is great news.”
“Is it?” Luke asked his son.
“Yeah. I’ve been scared about what would happen when Nash left, and I want you to be happy too, Dad. You need someone who will stay and won’t ever leave you, so…yeah.”
He cleared his throat. “People might say something to you about Nash and me being together, and I want you to be ready for that.”
“Like what? Like my father’s gay? Nobody cares. And besides, all my teachers and my lawyer, and Benny’s mom and Sean’s mom, they all think Nash is crazy hot. It grosses me out, but I’m dealing with it, ya know? I mean, even Dr. Marlowe was all, your father’s partner is a very handsome man.”
“When did I say I was your father’s partner?”
“I think it was…what’s the word?” Griff asked his grandmother.
“Implied,” she offered.
“Yeah. Implied.”
“And it grosses you out?” I asked defensively as Viola started laughing.
“Well, yeah,” Darwin chimed in, having returned to take a seat at the table beside his grandmother. “You’re old, and especially that lawyer, can’t he find someone his own age?”
“Yeah, that guy needs to give it a rest,” Griff assured me. “I mean, he’s a good lawyer, I guess, but I don’t like him touching you and stuff.”
“Nope, don’t like that,” Tatum agreed.
“At all,” Darwin concurred.
I turned to Luke, who grinned at me. “My kids don’t like you getting hit on in the house. I was not a fan either.”
“That doesn’t seem professional,” John rendered his verdict.
“It’s not,” Luke replied. “But I set him straight the last time he was here.”
“Oh, that’s good,” Griff stated, slipping around the table to me.
I got up, and he threw himself at me hard, wrapping his arms around me as I hugged him back, pressing his face under my chin.
“I was so scared that day, but you saved me, and I know it’s selfish to keep you here instead of helping other people because you’re a fixer and all,” he said, his voice cracking, shivering against me, “but I think you should stay here with us because…you know.”
“I know,” I whispered, clutching him to my heart.
When he pulled back, I let him go, and he leaned down and hugged his father.
“You can trust Nash, Dad. Everything’s gonna be great.”
Luke absorbed the warmth and closeness, and moments later, Griff took a seat beside his grandfather, who looked pleasantly surprised.
“Okay,” Tatum said, leaning forward to scrutinize me. “Can you tell us what happened now? Do you have enough soup in you?”
“Not really, but I’ll explain what I know so far.”
“Thank goodness,” she said petulantly.
When I elbowed her gently, she giggled, which was always good.