“You’ll have to excuse my husband.” Leann offered me a kindhearted smile. “When it comes to Chloe—”
“And you,” I added, and she agreed with a nod. “No need to apologize or make excuses for him. I completely understand. In fact, when it comes to your daughter, I feel the same way. She deserves to be happy, and if I have it my way, I’ll be the one to ensure she is.”
Leann surprised me as she leaned in and gave me a hug. “I believe you.” Her words soothed me.
“Let’s go, woman,” Ben hollered from the other room. “Apparently, if we don’t leave now, my daughter will refuse to talk to me for ruining her evening.”
I smiled when Leann giggled. “If there is one thing about my husband, he hates to have either of us upset at him. That, Landon, is his weakness.”
“Effective.”
“Very.” Pleased, she walked away and joined her husband and daughter. I remained in the kitchen, toying with the edge of the pizza box while they had their moment of family time.
Five, maybe ten minutes passed, before she finally returned to the kitchen. The minute she entered, our eyes locked, and she offered me an apologetic smile. “I honestly had no idea that they were stopping by.”
“No reason to apologize.” I could still feel the heavy weight of her father’s words and her mother’s acceptance lingering in my stomach.
“Are you kidding me?” She leaned over the counter and rested her elbows on the top. Placing her head in her hands, she let out a loud, exasperated sigh. “My father is ridiculous, and I’m sure after that, you feel like running away as fast as you can.” It’s cute how she parted her fingers enough to peek through at me. “I wouldn’t blame you, really.”
“He’s just protecting his girl.” I rounded the counter and paused at her side.
“I’m not a girl anymore.” Reaching out, I tugged at her fingers, and she eventually lifted her head and crossed her arms over her chest.
“To him, you always will be.” I gently traced my thumb over her jaw, and she leaned into my touch. “You hate it, but he’s only trying to ensure that whomever is in your life is there for all the right reasons.” I had no problem proving my loyalty to her father. Or to anyone, actually.
“Why don’t we warm up this pizza?” A look of disappointment covered her face, and I chuckled. Like a scorned child getting her candy taken away, she pouted at me. “I’ll admit having him show up did sorta kill the moment.” I wanted Chloe; I literally felt the physical ache from not having her, especially after we were so close. But there was time. We would get there. I had no doubt about that.
Chapter Twenty-One
Chloe
“Stop laughing.” I shoved Grace’s shoulder, and she fell over onto the grassy patch at her side. Holding her stomach, she continued to enjoy my misery. Looking to Maddison for help, I found her doing everything she possibly could to hold back her own laughter.
“You both are horrible.” Throwing my hands up in the air, I gave in to defeat. “I am so happy that my pain brings the both of you such joy.” Falling back to the grass, I covered my face with my arms and groaned out in a frustrated manner.
“Pain?”
I didn’t know which one of them actually said it, but I lurched forward and looked between them both. “Yes, pain.” Girls suffered from it, too, ya know. That build up, that need, and I was suffering here. “It was happening. Just a few seconds longer and I would not have heard my parents knocking on the door. In fact, I’m pretty sure they would have been the ones hearing things knocking.”
That was all it took; Maddison lost it. “Could you imagine the look on your father’s face?” Crossing her legs, she pulled them up to her chest while laughing uncontrollably. “Oh my God, I’m gonna pee my pants.”
“Jerks.” I pointed between the two of them. “Both of you.”
“Okay sorry,” Grace shot Mad a warning look, “we’ll stop.”
“So back to the point of this gathering.” I was over talking about me. “AJ’s bachelorette party.”
“Should we even do it considering she and Rhett have a child, live together, and are practically married already?” Maddison was the last person who should use that as an excuse. She and Mike lived together before they got married, and though none of us knew it at the time, she was carrying his baby on their wedding day.
“Yes,” Grace practically shouted, “we need to do this.” Maddison and I shared a look before looking back at our sweet little Grace. “A night out away from Rhett and the baby is exactly what she needs.”
“We can’t go to a bar.” I immediately noticed the mischievous gleam in Maddison’s eyes. “Our little Grace isn’t old enough.”
Grace sticks out her tongue, making Mad laugh.
“So we rent a suite in Statesboro and then have the gathering there.” Grace shrugged.
“Gathering?” Mad laughed. “Should we invite our mothers, too?”
“Hell no,” she shrieked, sitting up, her back straight and her eyes wide with worry. “We are getting strippers, and the last thing I want is for my mother or any of your mothers to be there. I can’t even walk out of my house wearing a crop top without my father going all caveman or my brother covering me with a burlap bag. I damn well plan on enjoying this little shindig without anyone hovering over me telling me I’m too young or too innocent.” With a determined look on her face, she squared her shoulders. “I am not innocent, damn it.”
Again, Maddison and I had no other reaction other than to stare at her.
“I’m not.” If she
