Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
I tilted my head down, gaze in my lap. I couldn’t look at him, wasn’t sure what I would see there and how it might change things. We were both quiet for a moment, the air around us thick and stifling.
“I’m sorry, Tyson. I don’t know what I can say other than that. I want what’s best for you, and clearly, I haven’t always gone about that in the right ways.”
“But what about Perry? Don’t you want what’s best for him too? Why me? Why did I get to be the one you raised? Do you know how terrible I feel about that?”
“It’s complicated,” he replied softly, with emotion he didn’t typically show. “It wasn’t just my decision. His mother made it as well. We decided it was what’s best and—”
“And now he and I suffer for your decisions?” I ran a hand through my hair. “God, I have so much shit to unpack. Some of it, I didn’t even realize it until recently. The rest I’ve been holding in for years. Did you know I hate tech? That I want nothing to do with computers or Langley Enterprises? Why is it automatically mine and not Perry’s? I want to go to nursing school. I want to work with the elderly, and I fought with Brax last night, the guy I’m in love with, because I was angry and embarrassed that I didn’t have the balls to tell you. And now I’m afraid I’m going to lose him and—”
“You’re not,” Brax’s soft voice said from behind me. I whipped around in my chair, and he was there, hair styled, wearing slacks and a nice button-up white shirt because he’d wanted to look nice for my dad…because he wanted to make a good impression. “You’re not gonna lose me, Lacrosse. I went and did something stupid and fell in love with you too.”
My face hurt, my smile was so big, like my head was just going to crack in half because of it. “You did?” I asked, before shaking my head. “I mean, of course you did.”
He reached out, cupped my face, brushed his thumb over my cheekbone. “I’m proud of you. You’re gonna be the best nurse I know.”
“Do you know many others?”
“The ones at the assisted-living facility. Best nurse in California?” He cocked a brow.
“I plan to shoot higher than that.”
He rolled his eyes, bent forward, and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, making every nerve ending inside me spark with electricity. Then he straightened his back, held out his hand to my dad, and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Langley. I’m Braxton Walker.”
My dad shook it. “You too…and please, call me Montgomery.” Dad’s voice was terse, wary, but he’d still said it.
Brax pulled out the chair beside me and sat down.
Dad’s gaze darted between us. The disapproval was there, the initial judgment when he knew nothing about Brax, but he didn’t mention it. Instead, he held my stare. “So…a nurse, huh?”
Brax put his arm around me.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“You thought you couldn’t tell me that? Why would I be angry with you for wanting to help people?” Dad frowned, the question clear in the wrinkles around his eyes.
I could understand why it sounded silly, but he also couldn’t pretend he hadn’t put expectations on me. “Because you never gave me a choice. It was always understood I’d be just like you. That I would play lacrosse, go to FU, then take over Langley Enterprises.”
He sighed, looked down at the table, before our gazes met again. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, son. I have a lot to make up for, but regardless of what I’ve done, I have always loved you…and your siblings. And if you’ll allow me to, I’d like to work on making it up to you.”
“All of us?” I wouldn’t allow it to be just about me, or hell, even just me and Ainsley.
“That’s up to Perry.”
Fair enough. “Maybe we can talk some more later? Just me and you?” Because none of it could be fixed with one conversation, but if he was willing to try, I was too.
“I’d like that,” Dad replied, before turning to Brax. He cleared his throat, uncomfortable, but asked, “So, tell me a little about yourself.”
“He likes computers, Dad. He’s majoring in computer science, and he’s a whole hell of a lot better at it than me. He’s always forcing me to study and do my homework.”
Light sparked in Dad’s eyes. Just like that, he started to see a different side of Brax. “Oh really?” he asked before launching into a whole conversation about shit I didn’t care about, but I liked hearing it simply because it was Brax talking to my dad. Mom already liked him, and now Dad would get to know him too.
We stayed at the restaurant for close to two hours. Dad insisted Brax order food too, and we talked long after we were done eating. For the first time, Dad didn’t answer any calls or texts.