The concern on Bennett’s face, even as he had finally relented, had struck a chord with Grace. Though her grandmother certainly cared about her, she hadn’t been overly concerned about who her friends might be. Before Bennett had shown up, Grace had called her grandmother to let her know she was hanging out with friends, and she’d just told Grace to let her know when she was on her way home. She knew it wasn’t that her grandmother didn’t care, it just seemed that the older woman had raised a teenager in a different time and perhaps didn’t understand how things were different now from when Grace’s mom had been a teenager.
So seeing Bennett’s obvious care for his sister, Grace had found herself wanting that for herself. But Bennett had had a girlfriend at the time, so Grace hadn’t even been on his radar as his sister’s friend. He’d asked her out on a date finally, and she had accepted, but before they’d had a chance to go out, her grandmother had died unexpectedly. Her grandmother’s death had brought with it a realization that whoever she loved, died. Not wanting to take a chance with Bennett’s life, Grace had told him she couldn’t go out on their date after all.
And then she’d put the nail in her own coffin by asking Kenton to be her date for her graduation. He’d been offseason with his first NHL team and had said yes without hesitation. Grace knew that her emotions would never be invested in Kenton the way they were with Bennett. If she’d have let him, Bennett could have become the most important person in her life. She wasn’t sure she could have survived losing him. So instead of taking that chance, she made the decision to exist on the edge of his life.
Maybe people would have thought she was crazy if she’d voiced how she felt, but she didn’t really care. Most likely, they hadn’t lost their whole family either. Everyone they loved. If they had, maybe she’d be willing to listen to them, but if not, then they had no right telling her that her fear of losing more people in her life was invalid or crazy.
“How about we all head out to Mom and Dad’s?” Bennett suggested. “Dad said he’d start up a fire in the pit and we can roast marshmallows for s’mores.”
“Well, you don’t have to ask me twice,” Forrest exclaimed as he got up from the table.
It seemed that the others shared his sentiments because soon all the stuff in the room was packed up and the garbage was cleared away. As everyone climbed into their cars and began to head out of the parking lot, Grace sat in hers, waiting. She stared down at her phone, debating if she felt up to going or not. There was no doubt that she was tired from the day, but she couldn’t decide if she was too tired or if she could still go and enjoy herself.
A knock on her window made her jump. She looked over to see Bennett, bent down next to her door. After a brief hesitation, she started her car and then lowered the window.
“Are you planning to come out to the house?” he asked, his brow concerned.
“Thinking about it. I’m feeling kind of tired.”
“I think Makayla would worry if you didn’t. We’ll make sure you have the most comfortable chair, and you won’t have to do anything. Mitch or Gabe would even roast all the marshmallows you want.”
Grace looked into his serious dark blue eyes. She still wasn’t sure what to do, but she knew that he was right. Makayla would worry if everyone else showed up, but she didn’t. Especially since if she went home, she wouldn’t be close enough for Makayla to check up on her after their time out at the house.
“Okay. I’ll come for a little while,” Grace said with a nod. “But I probably won’t stay too long.”
“Sounds good.” Bennett tapped the edge of the window before straightening. “See you in a bit.”
Grace watched in her mirrors as he walked to where his car was parked. She sighed as she put her car into reverse and slowly backed out. Was there anything Bennett could ask her to do that she’d refuse?
Bennett followed Grace’s car through the traffic heading north out of the city. He hoped that she really did feel up to spending some time at his folks’ place. Though he hadn’t meant to guilt her into going, that’s probably how it had come across. He just hadn’t liked the idea of her going back to her condo and being by herself while the rest of them were together. It was important for her to know that they were all there for her.
His phone rang as he was driving, and he tapped the screen to accept the call through the Bluetooth. “Hello!”
“Hi, sweetheart.” His mom’s voice filled the cab of the truck. “Are you on your way out?”
“Yep. Just a little bit behind the rest of the gang.”
“Good. I’ll have your dad get the fire going.” She paused. “Is Gracie coming out too?”
“I don’t think she was planning to, but I kind of talked her into coming for a little while. Make sure that people leave a comfortable seat for her. I promised her that.”
“No worries. I’ll make sure that they leave her a good spot,” his mom promised before ending the call.
The parking area in front of the house was pretty full, so Bennett had to double park behind Mitch’s vehicle. Grace had already parked behind Ethan’s truck but hadn’t gotten out of her car yet. Bennett hoped that she was feeling okay. It was so hard for him to know anymore if her behavior at any given time was related to Franklin’s death or the pregnancy or just how she was going to be from now on. Even though he hadn’t been that close to her, he could see the differences in her now. He hoped, for the sake of the baby, that she would find the joy with which she used to live her life once again.
Even though she’d hurt him earlier with her revelation that she didn’t really even view him as a friend, Bennett couldn’t help but worry about her. As he rounded the bed of the truck, he spotted her climbing out of her car.
“Did everyone end up coming out here?” Grace asked as they headed for the steps leading to the porch.
“Looks like it.” Bennett motioned her away from the front door. “Mom said Dad was starting a fire in the pit, so why don’t we just head on around to the back?”
They walked together along the wraparound porch and found the rest of the group in the large back yard. Bennett could smell the smoke and with the slight chill in the air, he knew it would feel good to sit around the fire.
Grace moved away from him to where Makayla stood with Tami and some of the other women. Bennett watched her go before turning to find Kenton watching him. Their gazes met for a moment before Kenton looked over at Grace. Bennett felt the slow burn of anger that he always had when he was around Kenton briefly flare to life. He pushed it down, though, because he was doing his best to keep from letting his feelings about Kenton color this special time for his sister and Ethan.
“Are we gonna sing around the fire?”
Bennett turned to see Dalton standing beside him, his guitar clutched in his hands. The boy was all about music and art and all things creative, so it didn’t surprise him that Dalton would want them to sing. Dalton flicked his head to swing his long bangs out of his eyes, a relatively futile effort since his hair always slid right back to cover part of his face. The one bright blue eye that Bennett could see was peering up at him in expectation.
Bennett slid an arm around his narrow shoulders and gave him a quick hug. “I think we could probably sing a few songs.”
“Thanks, Ben!” Dalton darted off toward the pit where their dad stood with Mitch and Gabe building up the fire.
“I’ve got the s’mores’ fixins,” his mom said as she moved through the group with a large tray in her hands. “But it looks like it might be a bit before the fire’s ready for the marshmallows.”
As if drawn by a Pied Piper, people followed her toward the fire and the chairs set up around it. Bennett considered making sure that Grace got the best seat there but held back. That wasn’t his responsibility. She could take care of herself, and something told him that any effort on his part to aid her would be frowned upon.
Bennett stood behind the circle of chairs, hands on his hips as he stared at the flames. Life was going to
change…even as it stayed the same. With Ethan and Makayla getting married and Grace having a baby, life was going to be different. The business was expanding, even with his dad having retired. Makayla was usually the one that resisted change, but Bennett found that he was not really looking forward to those changes. Maybe it was because the changes weren’t actually happening to him. Yes, he’d gotten a new position when his dad had retired, but he’d already been doing a lot of the work in preparation for that change.
Now that he and Ellie had broken up, he didn’t even have the prospect of a serious relationship. Same job. Same apartment. Same relationship status. Single… And with things getting busier at work, he wouldn’t have the time or energy to devote to a relationship. There was no one that he currently knew that he was interested in pursuing a relationship with, and the prospect of having to get to know someone from scratch just seemed to require too much effort.
Bennett heard Dalton begin to quietly strum his guitar. The teen sat on a stool back a bit from the fire, the guitar on his knee. Bennett still wasn’t sure where Dalton had gotten his musical talent and creative gene from. Aside from singing, the rest of them had no interest or ability in playing an instrument. When someone called out a title, Dalton lifted his head and immediately began to play the song.
Though there were seats in the circle, Bennett chose to settle on the picnic table a short distance away. He sang along with the group but found that right then, his heart wasn’t really engaging with the music. It was a frustrating feeling for him because it was so out of the ordinary. Normally he was focused and strong and able to handle everything, but the upcoming changes were affecting him in a way he hadn’t anticipated. Maybe he was more like Makayla than he’d ever thought.
“What are you doing back here, sweetheart?” His mom’s arm linked with his and she pressed her head against his shoulder. They were back far enough that she could speak to him without disrupting the song. “Everything okay?”
11
Bennett covered his mom’s hand with his as he kept his gaze on the fire. There wasn’t a day that went by that he wasn’t grateful for his mom and her decision to stay strong even when she’d been left a single mom. And then Steve had come into their lives and been the male role model that they had needed. All of them. Even Sammi and Makayla. They’d needed a good example of how a man should treat a woman. By the time he’d passed away, their own father had been a pretty poor example of that.
“Everything’s fine, Mama.” Because really, in the big picture, it was. He had a family who loved him, a job he enjoyed and a roof over his head every night when he went to bed. He had no reason to be down or to complain about anything. He needed to remember that when he was tempted to feel discouraged or frustrated with certain areas of his life.
Knowing that he was causing his mom unnecessary worry, Bennett began to sing along a bit more enthusiastically with the rest of the group. These were moments he should be treasuring. His family was all together—yes, even with Kenton there, he should be treasuring it. His sister was getting ready to marry the man she loved, and their family was going to expand. These were good things. And even though Franklin was gone, he lived on in the child Grace carried. That too was a good thing.
As the song ended, Bennett took a deep breath then let it out, pushing aside his negative thoughts and feelings. Now was not the time or the place for any of that.
Though he didn’t move any closer to the circle, he joined in with the singing as Dalton moved them from song to song, sometimes responding to a request from someone in the group. When the fire had finally died down to hot coals, Bennett and his dad began putting marshmallows on sticks while his mom and Sammi got the chocolate and graham crackers ready.
Even though it hadn’t been that long ago since they’d eaten Erin’s cupcakes, people still happily indulged in more food. Grace included.
“Guess the baby was in the mood for s’mores, eh?” Mitch said as Bennett moved past where Mitch and Grace sat to hand Sierra another stick with a marshmallow on it.
“Yeah. Go figure. Sticky, chocolatey mess is baby’s fave at the moment.” Grace held out her s’more toward Mitch who lifted his in response. “To chocolate!”
Bennett wondered what it must be like having moods and food cravings dictated by someone you hadn’t even met yet. If a pregnancy could do this to someone as upbeat as Grace normally was, he couldn’t imagine what it would do to someone already naturally moody like Makayla. He hoped that Ethan knew what he was in for. At the moment, however, it seemed that the sun rose and set on Makayla as far as Ethan was concerned. Maybe that admiring attitude would carry them through the first pregnancy.
All pregnancy thoughts aside, Bennett was just glad that Grace seemed to be enjoying herself in spite of him basically guilting her into coming. It helped him feel a bit better about it all. If she hadn’t been enjoying herself, he would have felt badly. Of course, he’d had little to do with her enjoyment, but that was beside the point when it came right down to it.
“You ready to play at being the best man at the wedding?”
Surprised to hear Kenton’s voice so close to him, Bennett glanced over his shoulder from where he’d been putting more marshmallows on sticks. “No playing at it, man. I’m definitely going to be the best man there.”
“And so humble too,” Kenton remarked as he leaned a hip against the picnic table where Bennett was working.
“I learned humility from watching you,” Bennett informed him.
“When you’re as talented and good looking as me, humility is highly overrated.”
Bennett straightened and turned to look at Kenton, not entirely sure the man was joking. They didn’t know each other well enough anymore for him to know for sure. And the way the guy always had one model girlfriend after another, it appeared that they, at least, thought he was attractive. Or maybe it was his money. He was just lucky he’d managed to avoid getting the “hockey smile.” So far.
“If all else fails, you could buy yourself a good dose of humility.” Bennett turned back to the marshmallows. “Did you have a s’mores or does your trainer forbid you from enjoying the simple pleasures in life?”
“I’m off-season—in case you’ve forgotten the hockey schedule—so I can indulge. Maybe it’s your trainer that should be keeping you from indulging.”
“You’re making the assumption I have a trainer. And I’ve been too busy loading up sticks with marshmallows to do one for myself.”
“Always the martyr, Ben. No wonder you’re still single. Who could compete with that?”
Bennett hoped the darkness and the fact that he had his profile to Kenton hid his frown. “Certainly not you.”
“Boys!”
Though the sharp tone of his mother’s voice snapped him back to where he and Kenton were actually having words, he didn’t look in her direction. He finished the last stick before turning around. “Who needs another marshmallow?”
Without meeting anyone’s gaze—not hard to do when it was basically dark—he made his way around the circle, handing out the sticks to anyone who wanted one and collecting the ones they were done with. “Do I need to make some more?”
“Can I make one for you, Ben?” Dalton asked when he appeared at his elbow. “I promise not to burn it.”
Hearing the earnest tone of Dalton’s voice, Bennett said, “Sure thing, buddy. Let’s get a stick.”
Dalton grabbed onto his arm as they headed for the picnic table. Bennett had a strange feeling that his younger brother was taking a side in what he saw as a conflict between him and Kenton. He had specifically avoided talking about what had initially caused the strife between them and usually went out of his way to not bring it up when they’d been together over the years, but since Kenton had initiated the conversation, Bennett wasn’t going to just let him take his jabs. Unfortunately, everyone gathered there had had a front seat to their verbal sparring match.
He didn’t want to create division in the family, especial
ly with a wedding in the offing. Part of him was angry at Kenton for choosing this night to fan the flames of their conflict. The guy could have just left things alone like they had done every other time they’d been in the same vicinity as each other. Of course, Bennett realized, he could have chosen to react differently. He’d also fanned the flames, and no doubt made the situation uncomfortable for the people who had heard them.
“Here you go,” Bennett said as he handed Dalton a stick. “Remember. Golden brown. No burning.”
“You betcha.” Dalton took the stick and headed over to sit next to Sammi.
Kenton had taken a seat beside Gabe and Mitch which also meant he was sitting near Grace. When Bennett looked at her, however, he found that she was watching him. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever realized what had triggered the distance between him and Kenton.
After being nearly inseparable once their parents had married, cliché as it was, conflict over a girl had driven them apart. He had no idea what it would take to get them back to being the best friends they’d once been. If that was even possible because that type of closeness required trust, and that was something he just didn’t have for Kenton anymore.
“Here you go.” Dalton returned with the marshmallow done as Bennett had requested.
His mom appeared with two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. Dalton put the marshmallow into place. When his mom handed the s’more to Bennett, she reached out to place a hand on the back of his neck to pull him down to her level. “We will be having a conversation about what just went down with you and Kenton. I understand that he started it, but I expected better of you.”
Though she placed a kiss on his cheek before releasing him, Bennett felt the burn of disappointing his mom like acid in his stomach. And she was right. While Kenton appeared to have left behind the faith they’d been raised with, Bennett hadn’t, and he should have known better than to spar with Kenton verbally like that.
He would be glad to see the end of this day.
For the Love of Grace: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 2) Page 10