Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“No.” Hutch shook his head. “We’ll stay. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? We don’t mind, sweetheart,” Mom said to him, and Christ, I didn’t think I’d ever felt as lucky that my parents were my own as I did in that moment. They were great, and we’d always been close. They continually had my back, even when I made mistakes, but it was one thing to be there for me and a completely different one to be there for Hutch.
“No, thank you, Elaine. It’s okay.” Hutch smiled and sat down. The rest of us stood for a moment, unsure what to do, before following his lead and doing the same.
We ordered a bottle of wine first. We all needed it.
“How have you been the past few years, Hutch?” Dad asked, and again, I was grateful.
Hutch talked about the hospital and things like that, smiling when he was supposed to and laughing when he was supposed to, but his eyes kept drifting to the other side of the room.
We put in our order for dinner. Hutch took a sip of his wine, saying something to my sister, and I cocked my head slightly so I could see the Hutchinsons’ table. We’d been noticed, Grant’s eyes angry and…hurt? Though that didn’t make sense.
Mads was picking at a piece of bread. They hadn’t gotten their food yet either, and damn, I wished they’d come in earlier.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” I asked Hutch.
“No. I’m not gonna let him chase me out of here. I would have had dinner with my own family if they’d invited me, but they didn’t,” Hutch replied. As overprotective as Grant was with Mads, I think we all knew that while his anger had some to do with her, it had a lot to do with feeling like it was our family who had betrayed him again. Because nothing was as important as Grant Hutchinson’s pride.
“Want me to kick his ass?” Kinsley asked, earning chuckles from all of us, lightening the mood somewhat. You could always count on her for that.
“Maybe later.” Hutch winked.
I didn’t catch Grant looking at us again, but I did with Mads. Her stares weren’t hard, weren’t angry, just…curious, studying, sad, and maybe wondering how things could have been different.
Our food came, and the conversation continued. I noticed Hutch didn’t touch me at all. He kept his distance, being polite, but clearly not wanting to make things more uncomfortable. When I put a hand on his shoulder once, he pulled back, his gaze shooting to the other table. I tried not to let it hurt.
Later, Hutch and my dad were discussing a recent sale of his, and I couldn’t help but look over at the Hutchinsons’ table, at Mads. My gaze met hers. She cocked her head slightly, watching us. Her brows were drawn together, like she was straining, trying to see something, or work something out in her head.
Hutch, unaware of what was happening, reached over, absently putting a hand on the back of my neck, stroking my nape with his gentle fingers.
“When Ryder was young,” my dad was saying, “he used to get so mad at me, telling me buildings shouldn’t cost so much money and that we had enough, so why couldn’t we just give things away for free?”
Hutch laughed, then pulled me closer, kissed the top of my head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” he said, and Dad launched into another story.
And I just…watched Mads watching us. It had been so automatic; I wasn’t sure Hutch even noticed he’d done it—the kiss or his hand on my nape. I knew Hutch, and he would be as careful as possible not to hurt Mads even more. The draw between us was just so natural, though, that we slipped into it without thinking.
As if realizing what he’d done, Hutch pulled back sharply. There was a battle going on inside him; I could see it, see him fight himself not to look toward their table and to pretend everything was okay, engaging my parents as they continued to talk and ask questions.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, when I felt Hutch stiffen beside me. When I looked up, I noticed Mads and Nora were gone, and Grant was making his way to our table.
I steeled my spine, ready to go to battle for Hutch if I had to.
“Your sister left because she couldn’t handle seeing the two of you all over each other,” Grant said.
“I’m doing the best I can here. What would you have me do? Not leave the house with him?”
“I would have you put your family first. It’s what I’ve always done.” His gaze flashed to my father before going back to Hutch, and I wondered if there was more to that look, if there was a possibility Grant missed my parents or that he’d done what he felt he had no choice in doing when he’d walked away. “Clearly, that’s too much to ask. Enjoy your dinner.”