Gavin and his other son, Garrett, who was less than a year younger than my sister, Grace, had gone to pick him up from the airport, and the time seemed to drag by so slowly.
It was like Thanksgiving with all the food the ladies had made, but in Maria’s words, her son had gone long enough without a home-cooked meal. So, you name it, we had it; I was sure there would be enough to feed us for a couple of days to follow.
The guys—Grandpa, Reed, Colton, and Ben were all hovered over near the barn, steering clear of the women. Can’t say I blame them; they were running around like rabid animals, each barking orders and rearranging things with every new dish they added.
Grace, Maddison, and Chloe were off under the tree talking about whatever it is teenage girls talk about. Most likely boys, which for the moment I ignored. Last time I stuck my nose in Grace’s personal life, I took her bedroom door off the hinges and got hit in the head with a flying boot. Then when Mom got home she refused to give me back my phone until I put the door back on.
I’ll admit it—I was a twenty-one-year-old guy who was still terrified of his mother. That woman could get pretty vicious when needed, especially when I was upsetting Grace. My sister had both my parents believing she was this sweet little delicate gem. I believed, though, that my sister possessed that same kick-ass gene my mother had; she just hadn’t been forced to use it yet.
The popping of tires against the gravel gained my full attention as Gavin’s truck came up the drive. It slowed to a stop and I remained at a distance, allowing Maria, Colton, and Mikey’s grandmother to move forward. One by one they each greeted the man who had left here a boy.
Damn, he’d changed.
No longer was he that lanky kid with big dreams, but he was a man with broad shoulders and thick arms. His hair was buzzed in a short cut and a shadow graced his face, remnants of a goatee that I imagined if he’d let it, it would grow thick and full.
After he hugged each and every one of the ladies, including the three that were hidden beneath the trees, the men stepped forward for their turns to greet him.
I was the last to offer my hand, but instead he moved in for a hug that I’ll admit I wasn’t prepared for.
“Damn, look at you,” he said with a deep chuckle. “Where’d that little guy I left behind go?”
“Me?” I replied, pulling back from our hug. “What about you?”
He shrugged. “When I wasn’t studying or scoping out bad guys, I worked out. It kept me busy.”
“I’d say so.” There was no longer much difference between him and Gavin, or my dad for that matter. He was a man, one who had visited parts of the world I’d only seen in history books. He’d fought for our country and lived through times that would terrify even the bravest of men.
He was a hero in my eyes and someone I still looked up to.
The rest of the guys agreed Mikey had changed and passed around a few comments about his new enhanced size. He took it in stride and tossed a few of his own playful comments in return.
We moved toward the food and everyone dug in. It almost felt like he’d never been gone; the conversation flowed with ease and we picked up where we’d left off, jumping right back into old habits, cutting up and enjoying one another’s banter.
Looking around the group gathered in my grandparents’ yard, a warm feeling fell over me. This was my family, each and every one of them. On most occasions they were crazy and wild, but they were all mine.
It was time I started looking ahead like Terrance preached and stopped living in the past. Because he was right—my past was no longer living with me in mind. She was living her life like I no longer existed.
Chapter Four
“That was one hell of a game, son.” My dad slapped my back as he pulled me in for a quick manly hug. “That double play you pulled was sick.”
I played shortstop for the Eagles on a full scholarship. Hell, I’ve played baseball since I was old enough to hold a mitt. I loved the game; it was still the one thing I had that kept me grounded. The thrill of the game was like nothing else I’d ever felt.
“You got plans now?” my mother asked as she moved in to offer me a hug of her own. “Because I was thinking we should go celebrate.”
“Celebrate” to her meant a feast with a shit ton of people. Nothing was ever simple when it came to Kori Jackson. My mother was, and I knew always would be, a little over the top, especially when it came to her children.
“I think the guys were all talking about going out for pizza.” I looked back over my shoulder, hoping they’d be game to back me up when my mother made a happy little shrieking noise that made me jerk in surprise. I spun back around to face her and immediately looked around for whatever it was that made her react like that.
That was the moment I saw it—that ecstatic look in her eyes that assured me I most likely wouldn’t agree with whatever was rolling around in her mind.
“We’ll meet you all there then.” She spun around on her heels and hurried away before I had the chance to react and began dialing her phone before lifting it to her ear. The sound of dad’s laughter
