Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“We can just flow into the living room,” Archer tells her.
“I guess,” Mom says. You can tell from her tone that’s not what she has in mind.
“Tell me what you need, dear, and we’ll make it happen,” my dad says.
“Balls. Vise,” Maverick says.
“Maverick!” Mom and my brothers, who have kids, scold him.
“What? I disguised what I was saying.” Maverick shrugs and keeps piling food on his plate.
“I want us all to be able to eat together,” Mom explains. “We’re already eating in the living room, and it’s not right. A family should eat together.”
“We’re all together, Mom. That’s what matters,” Orrin tries to soothe her.
“I know.” She makes eye contact with my dad, and he nods. There’s nothing that man wouldn’t do for his wife, as long as it's within his power.
By the time we all have our plates, Maverick, Merrick, Ryder, and Archer are set up in the living room. I also see that Ramsey and Deacon are in there as well. I want to sit next to Crosby at the table, but instead, I take a seat on one of the open recliners and kick back before diving into dinner. This way I can watch her without it being obvious to everyone sitting at the table.
There’s not much talk as we all stuff our faces. My mom is an amazing cook. Laughter from the dining room catches my attention, and I turn to see Crosby with a smile on her face. She’s so damn gorgeous, and when she smiles, her beauty is only intensified.
“What’s up with you?” Ryder asks.
I turn to look at him. He’s sitting in the other recliner. “Nothing.”
“Rush.”
“Fine, I don’t know, okay. I think about her all the time.” I nod toward the dining room.
“Crosby?”
I bob my head.
“Ask her out.”
“I have. She keeps turning me down.”
“Is it the chase?”
“Honestly, at this point, I’m not sure what it is. She’s fucking gorgeous,” I tell him.
“That she is.”
I bite my tongue because all I want to do is tell him not to look at her. That’s irrational, and I know it. Besides, Ryder loves Jordyn, and he’s my brother. He’d never go after someone I was interested in.
“Are you interested in her? You know more than just hooking up?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. I don’t really know her.”
“But you want to.”
“I do.”
He nods. “Then keep after it. You’ll wear her down eventually.”
“Or cause her to get a restraining order,” I retort. It’s not that she’s telling me no, not really. She’s telling me not right now. There’s a difference. I know she wants to, but she’s holding back.
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Archer asks.
“Nothing. Just talking,” I’m quick to answer.
“You heard from her?” he asks.
There’s no need for him to clarify. We all know he’s asking about Jordyn and if Ryder has heard from her. Jordyn and Ryder were dating when she just up and left for an internship across the pond. Ryder wanted to do long-distance, but Jordyn left before they had the chance to discuss it. She’s not taking his calls, but she is reading his text messages. So that’s something.
“Yeah, she picked up last night.”
“What?” all three of us say too loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the dining room.
“She answered.”
“What did she say?” I ask.
“Not much. Just that she was sorry she left the way that she did. We talked for about an hour. She said she’d pick up the next time I called.”
“So you called again today?”
“Nah, she’s sleeping right now. The time difference is a challenge.”
“That’s good news, man.”
Ryder nods. “It’s definitely a start and more than just random replies to my text messages.”
“Are you two working things out?” This comes from Mom. All heads turn to find her standing in the doorway.
“I’m not sure yet. I’m taking what I can get until she’s back home where she belongs.”
“What if she doesn’t come home?” Mom asks. What she doesn’t say is that she’s worried that Ryder will leave Willow River and go wherever Jordyn decides to live.
Ryder shrugs. “That was never her plan. She always said she was coming home, so that’s what I’m holding on to. I’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.”
Mom walks further into the room, and as if they read each other's minds, Ryder stands and pulls her into a hug. I watch as my brother fights the emotion of the woman he loves moving away and struggling to love her with thousands of miles between them. I don’t know why I do it, but I look toward the living room and find Crosby’s eyes on me. I hold her stare, trying to see beneath the surface. There’s something in her eyes that I can’t name, but it looks a hell of a lot like longing.
“You keep loving her harder,” Mom tells Ryder. “She feels it.” Mom places her hand over her heart, and I’m suddenly swallowing back my own emotions.