“Nah, see, neither of those will work,” I say with a casual shrug.
“Cross can come and get me.”
I watch her until she lifts her eyes to mine. She’s adorable when she’s unsure, when she lets her guard down long enough to let me see it. I should be as unsure as fuck about this, but I’m not. I’ve not been so certain about anything in a long time.
“Nana said you have to come,” I say. Even though that’s not totally the truth.
“Oh, I don’t know …”
“Tell it to Nana. I’m not.” I take my cup back to the Keurig. As I pop in another pod, I look at her out of the corner of my eye. She’s grinning with her hands folded together in front of her face. “She said we’re eating at three, which means we have to be there by two. She gets really pissed if you show up when it’s time to eat.”
“I can understand that.”
The coffee stops. I take my mug and walk back to the table. Instead of sitting, I lean against the chair. She looks up at me with big, wide honey-colored eyes.
Sunday dinner has never looked so appetizing.
“It’s eleven,” I say. “That gives us a few hours.”
She gulps. “To do what?”
I take a long, intentional drink and watch her squirm. Once she’s sufficiently worked up, I swallow. “Do you know how to prune rose bushes?”
She punches me in the stomach and laughs, getting to her feet. “I hate you.” She laughs in what I think is relief. “I hate you so much.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes. You know I know how to prune rose bushes.” Her hair wobbles as she reaches for her plate.
I don’t know what it is about this moment that does it, but I can’t help myself. I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her into my chest. She gasps but doesn’t fight it. Every place her body touches mine lights up. Her eyes do the same as they meet mine with a hopeful anticipation.
I could say something funny here and let her go, and nothing would be worse for wear. But we’re going for what feels right, and nothing feels more right than her in my arms.
If it bites me in the ass later, then it does.
I touch my lips to hers. We melt together in perfect sync, retracing the steps of a dance we perfected years ago. Her lips are soft, her breath sweet, and her hands perfect as they rest on my chest.
I break it way before I want to. The smacking sound sings through the room just like in the movies. She watches me back away, the smile on her face matching mine.
“I’m gonna get a shower,” I say, adjusting my cock as discreetly as I can. “I’ll clean this up if you leave it.”
She doesn’t stop grinning. “I’ll get it. I need to call Emily and cancel our plans for today, so I’ll do it while I talk to her.”
“Fine,” I say.
“Fine,” she says.
As I walk by her, we both laugh.
Twenty-Five
Machlan
“There you are. It’s about time you showed up.” Nana waves a spoon in my direction. “I was just saying if you didn’t get here in a few minutes, I was sending Lance after you.”
“Lance? Come on, Nana. At least send Walker. Make it worth my while.”
“Hey, fuc—dge you,” Lance says as he scoops up part of my favorite cheeseball on a cracker. “I caught myself, Nana. I don’t want to hear it.”
“You boys.” Turning to me again, she starts to speak but stops when she sees Hadley beside me. She looks at Hadley, then at me, before stalking toward her like a madwoman. “Oh, Hadley. It’s so good to see you, sweetheart. Come give me a hug.”
Hadley envelops my little grandmother in her arms. She holds her tight, much the same way I do. Much the same way I hug both of them.
I’m pretty sure Hadley stops and sees Nana when she visits town, making sure to avoid me most of the time. They’ve been close since I brought Hadley here for one of Nana’s famous tonics when she was sick in high school. Nana can do no wrong in Had’s eyes. Hadley is Nana’s favorite, besides Walker. Me? I’m just happy to see the two of them in the same room as me.
My cheeks ache as I grin, watching them chat about Nana’s fried chicken. I don’t dare look at Lance. He’ll laugh at me, for sure, but there’s nothing I can do. Seeing these two together makes me a pussy.
“Don’t start,” I say to my eldest brother. “And give me the cheeseball.”
“I’ll share, but you can’t have it.”
“There’s another in the fridge, you two,” Nana says, releasing Hadley. “But don’t get it out until Peck gets here.”
“Forget Peck.” Lance points at himself proudly. “Did you hear that? I didn’t even almost say fuck. I’m learning. All those years of riding my ass worked.”
“Until you just said ass,” I point out before a load of cheeseball goes in my mouth. “Where’s the golden boy?”
“Who?” Nana asks.
“You know. Walker. The favorite,” I say.
“I don’t have favorites, Machlan.”
“Yes, you do,” Lance says. “You’ve always liked Walker most. But that’s okay. Parents always like the dumbest child most. It’s why everyone likes Peck.”
Hadley comes up to my side. Her fingers drag across the small of my back. She doesn’t look at me or acknowledge that she did it, nor does it feel like a sexual invitation. It’s more intimate, like she’s acknowledging I’m here, and she’s here, and we’re here together. And I’m not sure what to do with that.
“Actually,” Hadley says, “everyone likes Peck because he’s nice. Hi, Lance.”
“Everyone likes Peck because they feel sorry for him. Hi, Had.”
They exchange a smile.
“Where is he?” I ask.
Lance rolls his eyes. “That’s why she was going to send me to get you. Walker is with Sienna, taking her family back to the airport.”
“Aren’t they loaded?” I ask. “Why wouldn’t they just rent a car?”
“They did, but Sienna, Camilla, and Mariah went shopping yesterday, and I guess it was a tight fit with the bags or something.” Lance looks up at Hadley. “Mariah’s home sick today. I know she’s been looking forward to meeting you.”
Hadley looks at me through her thick lashes. “I didn’t know she’d know who I was.” When she realizes she’s not talking to Lance, she blushes and turns to him. “I hope to meet the woman who tamed the beast someday.”
“Don’t get it twisted,” Lance says. “I’m not tame.”
“You’re a pussy cat.” I laugh.
“I heard pussy.” Peck’s voice rings through the room as he steps through the open sliding door. “That means Lance is here.”
“Fuck off,” Lance says.
Nana swats him with a spoon as she moves behind him. He yelps, caressing his butt cheeks, and grimaces.
“You boys get to the table. We’re ahead of schedule today,” Nana says. “Peck, grab the tea.”
“Can I help you with anything?” Hadley asks right before I give in and pull her to me.
My grandmother pulls my girl into a quick hug again. “It’s so nice having you here, sweet girl.” She looks at me over Hadley’s head. “I’m guessing you’re why he missed church—”
“Don’t blame her,” I say. “I overslept.”
Nana releases Hadley and grabs my chin as she walks by. “I’m not blaming anyone. It’s nice to see you have a girlfriend.”
Hadley’s gaze finds mine as Nana floats that word out there as though it’s a given. She smiles nervously before turning and sorting through the silverware drawer.
I want to say something, but I don’t know what. All I can think is how I don’t hate the idea, and I don’t hate that she’ll be sitting next to me at the table today.
“And yet, no one thinks Machlan might be gay.” Lance stands in the doorway, his arms stretched in front of him. “Anyone want to explain that?”
I grab a last bite of cheeseball before heading to the dining room. “Well, I’ve never ha
d a pocket protector, geek.”
“I had one in sixth grade. You can’t possibly even remember that.”
“There are pictures,” Peck says. “We’ve all seen them.”
“I didn’t think you were gay either,” Nana says, handing Hadley a handful of large spoons. “I just said if you were, I’d still love you.”
Lance continues his whining as we make our way to the table. I pull out Nana’s chair after she sticks a spoon in every dish. Once she’s settled, I take a seat next to Hadley. Peck says grace, and we dig in.
Usually, I fight for the chicken legs. They’re the crispiest pieces and my favorite, but I look at Hadley for a second too long, and Peck and Lance take them to spite me. So when Peck reaches for the gravy, I take one off his place.
“You can’t do that,” Hadley whispers with a laugh.
“I just did. Here. Want some green beans?”
“Yes. Thanks.” She shakes her head. “This all looks great, Nana.”
“Thank you.”
Something about Nana’s voice makes me look up. Her face is beet red, a line of sweat dotting her forehead. She’s as pale as a ghost.
“Hey.” My chair scoots against the floor. “Nana? You okay?” The sound of silverware clattering to the table pierces the room. I kneel next to Nana’s chair. “You feeling all right?”
“I’m just tired,” she says softly. She takes my hands in her clammy palms and pats them. “You’re a good boy.”
“Do you want to lie down?” Peck asks. “We’ll help you to bed.”
“No. I’m fine. I just needed a second to rest.”
Her eyes struggle to open. Under the cake-y makeup she wears every Sunday, I can see the tiredness etched in her features. I know she’s old; I’ve purposely thought of that in case something happens to her, so I won’t be shocked. But I think I’ll be shocked anyway.
Hadley’s hand finds my shoulder as I squeeze Nana’s in mine. “Did you take your medicine today?” she asks Nana.
“Yes. I took them all before church. I’ll be fine, kids. Just give me a minute to get my bearings.”
My heart sinks. “I’m calling Doc Burns.”
“Don’t you call him on a Sunday,” she protests. “I’ll call in the morning and get an appointment.”
“I’ll be doing that,” I say.
She squeezes my hands this time. “I will do it, Machlan.” She looks up at Hadley with a sweet look in her eye. “You have things to do. You don’t need to be babying me.”
“Apparently, I do because you were supposed to make an appointment the other day, and I’m guessing you didn’t.”
“I got busy.”
“That packed schedule of yours must be impossible to rearrange,” I say, getting to my feet. “So I’ll be calling him this time. And I’ll come and get you and take you.”
She tries to glare at me but fails. “You just want to hear what he says.”
“You’re damn right I do.”
Hadley’s hand falls from my shoulder, slipping down my back. Her presence doesn’t do anything to fix Nana, but it does soothe something deep inside me.
I’m afraid to feel that for long. So, I focus on my grandmother instead.
The room grows quiet. The color slowly comes back to her face, and her palms return to normal. Kissing the top of her head, I return to my chair.
Hadley sits too, watching me with a worried expression. When her hand hits my thigh, I don’t think about it. My hand goes to hers and laces our fingers together. She stills next to me before working her fingers deeper into mine.
My heartbeat settles, and I get comfortable in my seat. Hadley gives me a gentle squeeze, bumping her shoulder with mine.
“This might not be the right time for this,” Peck says, “but Machlan stole my chicken leg.”
The table erupts in laughter—everyone but me.
“You know they’re my favorite,” I point out.
“Yeah, well, if you weren’t making goo-goo eyes at Hadley, then you could’ve gotten it yourself.”
“I did get it myself.” I lift the leg and take a big bite of it. “Damn, that’s good.”
“Don’t taunt him, Machlan,” Nana says. She fans her face with her hand. “I think I’m getting too old to fry chicken. I’m pooped.”
“Then who will cook for us?” Lance whines.
“Um, you have a girlfriend,” I point out.
“Yeah because Nana won’t let us elope.” Lance takes a bite of mashed potatoes. “I really wish you’d reconsider.”
“I really wish you’d stop talking nonsense,” Nana tells him.
“You know what you need?” Lance asks.
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“You need a day to teach our girls how to cook like you. You know, just in case you get too old to fry chicken.” Lance makes a face. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud. You can’t forget how to fry chicken, right? Like, that’s not a thing.”
“Can we not talk about this?” I ask.
Hadley tries to pull her hand away, but I tighten my hold.
“You need a day with Mariah and Sienna and Hadley and I’d say Blaire, but that’s a joke,” Lance says. “She’d read you a legal brief while you fixed food.”
“I’d actually like that,” Nana says. “Not a bad idea.”
“I like this idea too,” Peck says. “It’s like having backup Nanas. I have a fear of starving, you know.”
“Would you be interested in that, Hadley?” Nana asks.
Hadley fidgets in her seat. “Um, yeah. Of course. I just, you know, don’t want to intrude.”
“I love how we pretend Machlan and Hadley aren’t together,” Lance says.
“Shut up, Lance,” I say.
“What?” He takes another bite of potatoes. “When’s the last time you had a girl over here? Never. You two need to get over yourselves and—”
“You wanna do this?” I ask. “You wanna put her on the spot like this?”
“Machlan …” Hadley touches my bicep.
“Looks like I put you on the spot, if you ask me,” Lance says, wiping his hands on a napkin as if I’m not threatening to kill him. “I’m sorry, Had, if I made you uncomfortable.”
“That’s okay,” Hadley says. “You didn’t.”
Rattling my teeth as I bite them together, I give my brother a final warning glare. Hadley pats my arm again.
“It’s fine,” she whispers.
Nana laughs out of nowhere. “Do you remember when I had you help me make macaroni and cheese on that Christmas Eve, Hadley?” Nana smiles fondly. “You forgot to add the macaroni and boiled all the water right out of that pot.”
“Not a good sign for the future,” Lance says, winking at me.
“Fuck off.”
Nana smacks my hand. “Don’t do anything to him in my house.”
“Oh, but he can kill me as long as it’s not in here?” Lance asks.
“Oh my God. Nana just authorized Lance’s death.” Peck gasps.
“I did no such thing.” She laughs. “Lance is a smart boy. If he wants to push Machlan, he knows there will be a pushback.” She turns to Hadley. “You let me know when you’re free, and we’ll have an afternoon together,” Nana says.
“Okay,” Hadley says.
“It’ll be fun. Mariah is a pretty good cook now, and Sienna is catching on. She usually gets frustrated and wants to cater everything. But between the three of you, maybe I’ll turn over Thanksgiving and see how you girls do.”
Hadley stares at her chicken as though it’s the most interesting thing in the world. She pulls her hand away again, and this time, I let her.
I think about Thanksgiving and how we all pile in here for the day. We watch football, eat all fucking day, and then, before we go home, we get out Nana’s Christmas decorations. It’s my favorite holiday, and I look forward to it all year. But as I look at Hadley and realize she won’t be here, Thanksgiving doesn’t seem that exciting.
“You know,”
Nana says, “I always wanted a daughter. And I got one, but she didn’t want anything to deal with my things. I would love someone to teach all my tips and tricks. Someone to give the little love notes that your granddad sent me when we were young.”
“You have Blaire,” Peck offers.
“And Blaire is too busy for all that. Such a smart, industrious girl, she is.” She sets her glass down, the sweat along the outside creating a ring on the tablecloth. “But now I have your girls. And you’ve all picked very good girls.”
“As long as Peck doesn’t wind up with Molly,” Lance says.
Peck throws a napkin at my brother. “I’ll get her even if it takes a hundred years.”
“Your dick won’t work in a hundred years. Sorry, Nana,” Lance says.
“Stop it,” Nana says. “Let me tell you something. Things work out when they’re supposed to. I hear all the time these newfangled ideas about making things happen and forcing your way through stuff, and let me tell you, you can’t do that.”
“I might disagree,” Lance chimes in. “If you don’t press for what you want in life, it’ll never happen.”
“True. But you can press and press all day long, and if the time is not right, it won’t matter.” She settles back in her chair, wincing as she moves. “When you get to be my age, you can look back on life and see it. Things happen when they’re supposed to. You get a little distance between yourself and a situation, and you can see how if you got everything you wanted when you wanted, how wrong it all would’ve been.”
Hadley swallows. “What do you mean, Nana?”
“I wanted a baby as soon as we got married. All I’d ever wanted to be was a mother, and I couldn’t figure out why on earth God would deny me that. Now, I look back and see all the things I would’ve missed if I’d been caring for a baby then.” She smiles at some memory we can’t see. “Staying up late with my husband, talking all night. I got to know him in those years before we had the boys. Being available to travel with him when he worked for the oil company. We made so many memories going from state to state in our beat-up truck. The one we had to stop every couple of hours and add coolant to.” She chuckles. “Or when my husband, back before we were married, asked and asked me to go out on a date with him, and I refused. I was so smitten with Johnny Lindsfeld.” She laughs. “Oh, dear. I forgot about him.”
Gibson Boys Box Set Page 87