Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Jace’s heart is in the right place,” I defend, because really, if anything, Brice should be thanking him for the offer, then apologizing for being a jerk. Not that he shouldn’t have fallen in love with Haylee, because sometimes things happen and you can’t stop how you feel. “Where are Haylee and Dash?”
“Out with Eva.”
“At least there’s that.”
“At least there’s that,” she agrees. “Haylee would be sick if she knew the two of them were fighting,” she whispers, and I know she’s right. But I also know you can only avoid the elephant in the room for so long before it tramples you.
We fall into silence, and I wonder what is going on downstairs, because now it’s quiet, then my pulse skitters when the door is opened, and I jump to my feet when Daniel pokes his head inside.
“You two can come out now.”
“How much furniture did they break?” Janelle asks like she’s asking about the weather.
“A couple of chairs.”
“Do I need to get my shoes to go to the hospital?”
My eyes widen at that question.
“Not this time,” he says, then looks at me. “Jace told me to let you know he’s gonna have a beer with Brice but will be back.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah.” I nod relieved the two of them are actually talking and that the fight didn’t make things worse.
“Were you two going somewhere?” Janelle asks as we head down the stairs.
“We were gonna go into Wenatchee to see some historical sites.”
“That sounds fun. I’ll take you if you want.”
“Oh, no, that’s okay.” I shake my head, stopping at my bedroom door. “I think I’ll hang out until Jace gets back.”
“All right, well, you’re welcome to join me down by the lake if you get bored. The kids have the sac race and tug-o-war this afternoon.” She rubs my back before heading to the kitchen, and I let out a breath before I turn to look at Daniel.
“Was Jace okay?”
“He might have a shiner, but he’s all right,” he says gently, then nudges me toward my door. “Go rest. He’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.” I nod, then without much of a choice, I open the door and walk to the bed. I fall to my back and stare at the ceiling, knowing two things for certain. One, the knot in the pit of my stomach isn’t going away until I can see for myself that Jace is still in one piece, and two…
Men are so weird.
Chapter 25
Time Out
With Jace and Brice still not back after hours, Haylee and I sit cross-legged in the grass with a group of girls surrounding us. All of them are watching with excitement and fascination as we braid together daisy chains using the flowers they brought to us. The first one I made while Haylee and I talked, I gave to Dash, and after he ran to show his cousins and friends, chaos descended on me in the form of little girls. So Haylee, who is a quick study, started helping me out.
Not surprisingly, Haylee was worried when she arrived home to news that a fight had taken place between her husband and Jace, and she immediately came to make sure I wasn’t upset with her about what happened. After explaining I thought both men were idiots, the relief on her face let me know just how worried she was about how I was feeling.
I’m sure that another woman might have felt upset that her fiancé was fighting over his ex, but Jace isn’t really my fiancé, and even if he were, I know the fight had less to do with Haylee and more to do with his brother’s lack of respect. I’m not saying Jace would have liked Brice telling him that he had feelings for Haylee when the two of them got together, but I can almost guarantee he would have been able to accept it if the conversation had taken place.
Instead, he felt like everyone was keeping a secret from him. So not only did he have to deal with the fact that his brother was in love with the woman he thought he would eventually marry, but he had to deal with his family not telling him about it. And even if I get why they did what they did, I still think it’s wrong. The truth always comes out at one point or another, so it’s usually easier to deal with things head-on and face the consequences.
When the daisy chain I’ve been working on is done, I hold it up, and the little girl who has been waiting for her turn leans forward so I can place it on her head like a crown.
“Do I look like a fairy princess?” she asks with a toothless grin, making me smile.
“Yep.” I tap her nose, and she shoots to her feet. “I’m going to show my mom.”