That broke the tension, causing everyone to chuckle as they dispersed.
My grandmother stayed in front of me, waiting until everyone was out of earshot before asking, “You okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” Thanks. The word was so insufficient to express what I felt. Having her defend me felt…fulfilling. As if a hole I hadn’t even known I’d been carrying around inside was a little less empty.
She reached up and patted me on the cheek twice, a small smile playing on her lips. “Don’t mention it. I love getting the chance to unleash my inner bitch once in a while.” She peered around me to where Taylor stood. “How about you, honey?”
At some point, Taylor had fisted the back of my shirt, and I felt her pull it even tighter when my grandmother addressed her.
“I’m… I don’t know what I am,” Taylor answered.
“He’s a vicious bastard. Don’t let him get to ya.”
“Oh, no, I’m not… He’s not worth my energy. But…” Taylor trailed off, and I turned so I could wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her beside me.
My grandmother stood and waited for Taylor to finish.
Once she’d nestled into me, Taylor released a breath. “I was trying really hard to not like you, but damn, that was impressive.”
My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe Taylor had actually just said that out loud.
But my grandma simply laughed loudly. “I have my moments.”
“That was a seriously epic moment. I’m sad I didn’t film it so I could study your ways.”
“Oh honey, I have no doubt that by the time you’re my age, you’ll have far surpassed my bitchiness.”
That had sounded like an insult to me, but Taylor beamed, so I guessed this was a woman thing I was never gonna understand.
The smile fell from my grandmother’s lips, but there was still laughter in her eyes. “I’d like to take the two of you to dinner after this circus is over. I think it would be nice for us to…reconnect in a setting where there aren’t a bunch of busybodies wandering about.”
I looked over at Taylor, who shrugged as if to say it was okay with her, before replying. “Sure. We’d like that.”
“Good. I’ll invite your mom and Hudson along.” With that decided, she turned to where the food was being unwrapped in preparation for everyone eating. “Good Lord, Lucille, why don’t you just send out an engraved invitation to every bug within a mile? Sweet Jesus.” And with that, she stalked off toward whoever Lucille was.
Taylor and I stood beside each other in silence for a second before she broke it. “You know, I need to thank you.”
I jerked my head to look at her. “For what?”
“My mom, who’s basically a transient with expensive taste, has never seemed as normal as she does after spending an afternoon with your family.”
I shot her a droll look. “So happy I could improve your assessment of your mom.”
She wrapped her arms around my bicep and rested her head against me. “Despite the insanity that must be some kind of hereditary trait, I have to say, a lot of these people are pretty great. Uncle Cal notwithstanding.”
I dropped a kiss to the top of her head and said, “You’re so twisted.”
And while she laughed at my words, I noticed she didn’t argue. We really were a match made in heaven.
Chapter Fifteen
T A Y L O R
As I watched Ransom play football with a group of kids, I couldn’t help but smile. Even though I got to watch him with kids on a regular basis, there was something about seeing him interact with them while playing a sport he clearly loved.
Maybe it was because Safe Haven was a job and we had to be somewhat responsible there, whereas here, Ransom seemed to not think twice about knocking eight-year-olds to the grass if they got in his way. But he also seemed…freer here. He celebrated with the kids, lifting them up on his shoulders when one of them scored, and he also trash-talked them, laughing loudly when one of them gave as good as he got.
I inwardly groaned. As if Ransom needed to get more appealing. God.
Deciding I needed to stop perving on him while he played with children, I took out my phone and opened my email. My LSAT scores were still there waiting for me.
Part of me was desperate to see how I did, while the other part was worried that if I’d done poorly, I’d be in a mood for the rest of the day. I’d never intentionally ruin Ransom’s time with his family, but I was worried I wouldn’t be able to pretend well enough for him not to notice something was up with me.
That said, I wasn’t sure I could wait. Having waited this long already made me feel like I had restraint rivaled only by Wonder Woman. I was just about to click open the results when someone sat beside me.
I turned to see Kari, who was watching Ransom with a soft look on her face.
“He’s something else, isn’t he?” she said, her voice full of awe and pride and maybe a bit of relief as well.
I smiled, setting my phone down and joining her in watching the man I was sure we both loved, because really, who wouldn’t? To not love Ransom would’ve exposed Kari as the monster it was easy to label her as, but I didn’t think it was that simple. In reality, as I watched her watch her son, I felt that Kari was probably incredibly complicated.
“He was always…good. I don’t mean behavior-wise, because that boy could test the patience of a saint with how high-energy he was, but he was always kind in a way others weren’t.” She hesitated, letting her head drop for a moment before lifting it again. “He wasn’t shown a lot of kindness growing up.” She turned to face me, looking alarmed. “Not that I ever let anyone hurt him. Physically at least.”
I didn’t react other than to offer her a small smile. I didn’t have words to give her. She should’ve done better by Ransom, and there was no reason to act like we didn’t both know it. But it could’ve been worse—she could’ve been worse. And it seemed like a disservice to not acknowledge that her intentions hadn’t been bad, even if her follow-through was shit.
“But people weren’t nice either,” she continued. “They put him down, and I let them. Not just people I brought around when I was high, but people who should’ve known better. Been better.” She gave me a humorless smile. “Including me.”
“I’m not sure I’m the one you should be saying this to,” I said, not because I didn’t want to hear it, but because I shouldn’t be the one to hear it first.
She brought up her legs so she could hug her knees. “I know,” she said quietly. “It’s just…hard. I don’t know why it’s harder to tell him than it is to tell a stranger.”
“Maybe because my opinion doesn’t matter,” I offered.
She looked at me for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s probably it. Not that I don’t care about what you think. You’re clearly important to Ransom, and I value you because of that, but…yeah.”
We sat there quietly for a bit, watching Ransom drag four kids over the goal line as they tried to prevent him from scoring.
Kari laughed beside me. “I know I don’t deserve it, but I hope he’ll give me another chance to know him.”
I bit my lip, wondering what to say. I didn’t want to speak for Ransom or betray him in any way. But I also thought Ransom wanted to have a relationship with his mom, and whatever he wanted, I wanted to do my best to get for him.
“I think letting him know you want another chance would go a long way to convincing him to give you one. And then maybe patience with a good dose of perseverance mixed in will help him see you’re in it for the long haul but won’t push, either.”
She pursed her lips, seeming to run over what I’d said. Then she gave a single, emphatic nod. “I can do that.”
For Ransom’s sake, I truly hoped she could.
After a few more minutes, Kari spoke again. “I’m going to go check in and make sure no one needs help with anything. My mom told me about dinner. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.” She cast
a look at the field. “Both of you.”
“Me too,” I said with a smile.
She started to walk away, and I turned back to the game, but her voice startled me a few seconds later. “Thank you.”
I looked up at her in confusion. “What for?”
“For looking at him the way you do.” Then she walked away, and I watched her go before refocusing on my man. I wasn’t sure how I looked at him, but if it was with half the love I felt for him, I was sure it was an intense thing to witness, and I was glad it was so apparent to others. Ransom deserved that.
I watched the rest of the game, my fingers twirling my phone, but I didn’t open it. The conversation with Kari highlighted how today wasn’t about me. There’d be time for LSAT results later.
A little while later, Ransom ambled over to me, slightly out of breath and sweaty—which was how I liked him best. He dropped to the ground, stole a large gulp of the water bottle I had resting beside me, and then flopped back onto the grass.
The tree behind us offered a decent amount of shade from the Georgia sun. While it wasn’t as warm as I’d expected—due to my limited knowledge of geography, I’d assumed most southern states never dipped below seventy degrees—I could see how he’d have gotten hot running around.
“Tired?” I asked.
“Exhausted.”
“Hmm, who’d have thought the big, strong college football player would be wiped out by a bunch of kids?”
He moved the arm he had resting over his eyes so he could glare at me. “Really?”
“What?” I said innocently. “Just an observation.”
“They were like a wild pack of dogs. Lawless and untrained.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“It’s amazing I made it out of there alive.”
“Definitely,” I said, clearly patronizing him.
“I have the stamina of a stallion.”
A snort burst out of me, and by the way his lips were thinned as if he were fighting a smile, I knew he was equally amused. It felt good to banter with him. Over the past week, we’d been stuck in an us-against-the-world mentality, but it was fun to get back to how we started: teasing each other mercilessly.
“Is it an aged stallion that you’re referring to, or…?”
His eyes danced, and I was struck by what a good look happiness was on him. “Behave, or I’ll show you just how young and virile I am.”
I scrunched up my face. “Is that supposed to be a threat? If so, you’re really bad at them.”
“Behave,” he said through a grin.
“Me? You’re the one who came over here all”—I waved my hand in his general direction—“like that and started making suggestive comments.”
“Are you saying you want me to do more than make suggestions?”
“When are you going to stop asking questions with obvious answers?”
He waggled his eyebrows in response, causing me to scoff in mock disgust.
“Whatever.”
He rolled over to his stomach, which put him closer to me, his side brushing up against me. “When we’re not in the middle of a field surrounded by my family, I’ll try to be more…vague with my questioning.”
“Hmm, how are you going to do that?” I asked. My voice sounded breathy and needy, and Jesus Christ, this was inappropriate on so many levels.
He thought for a minute, his eyes blazing into mine, before he spoke. “I might ask how wet you are. After your shower, of course.”
I huffed out a small laugh, even though the low, husky note in his voice was also a major turn-on. “Is that all?”
“It’ll be Christmas in a little over a month. I’ve been wondering how big of a…package you might want. Maybe we can discuss that later.”
“Sounds like a worthy discussion.”
“Maybe I’ll get you a drum set. You know, so we can do a lot of…banging on it.”
Laughter won over sexual tension, and I collapsed beside him, my body shaking from his ridiculousness. By the time I calmed down, we were lying face-to-face, and he had an arm wrapped around me. I lifted my hand so I could trail my fingertips down his cheek. “No one makes me laugh like you.”
He hugged me tighter. “They better not.”
“No one makes me happier, either.”
Looking deep into my eyes, he said, “Ditto.” Then he pressed a kiss to my lips that was much too short, though probably adequate considering where we were.
We basked in each other’s presence for a minute before I sat up again, not wanting his family to think we were getting it on in the grass.
“Your mom came to talk to me.”
He groaned and pushed himself up so he was sitting as well. “You have the shittiest segues.”
“Sorry not sorry.”
“I saw her over here. What was she saying?”
I shrugged. “Just how happy she was that you found such an amazing girlfriend and that you should probably spoil me to make sure I never leave you.”
“Sounds about right.”
“She’s probably going to pull you aside at some point. She’s…proud of you. And happy at how great you turned out. As she damn well should be.”
“Easy, tiger,” he said as he leaned over and lightly nipped my shoulder.
“Savage,” I said as I flicked him away.
He was quiet for a second and then said with so much nonchalance that it seemed forced, “My aunt Renee hasn’t come over to talk to me.”
“Is she here?”
“I’ve caught a few glimpses of her, but she’s kept her distance. I wonder if it’s intentional or if I’m just reading too much into it.”
I could tell that the idea of it potentially being intentional bothered him, so I did the only thing I could think of: deflect. “Maybe she’s intimidated by what a strong, attractive physical specimen you’ve brought with you today.”
“Hudson isn’t that strong.”
I scoffed and backhanded him lightly. Then I scooted closer and let my head rest on his shoulder. “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.” I hadn’t meant the words as an empty platitude. What could the reason be for her to stay away? If Ransom’s mom and grandmother had embraced his being there, why would his aunt have an issue?
Ransom sighed. “I guess we’ll see.”
We would. And I hoped for Renee’s safety, it was all a misunderstanding. Because I wouldn’t hesitate to cut a bitch.
R A N S O M
Once the reunion had wound down, Hudson found me and said our grandma had suggested dinner at a small restaurant about ten minutes up the street. She rode with us so we wouldn’t get lost, and my mom and grandma followed.
I hadn’t expected Aunt Renee to show up, but she walked in behind the other two women as if she were being led to her execution while sucking on lemons. That was one question answered: she had been avoiding me on purpose at the reunion.
She made no move to greet me in any way and seemed determined to look anywhere but in my direction. I wasn’t even sure why she’d come if she didn’t want to be here, but the sharp glare my grandma shot her gave me some clue.
Despite it being Saturday, we didn’t have to wait long for a table, which I was thankful for since the dark cloud that was my aunt Renee had made it tense as we all stood there awkwardly. Taylor and Hudson had done their best to lighten the atmosphere, but even they were strained for topics as they remarked on how retro the wood paneling on the walls was and whether “that guy over there looks like Chris Hemsworth or Chris Evans.”
When the hostess showed us to our table, there was some odd version of musical chairs played before we all settled. My grandmother wanted me to sit more toward the middle of the table, which made Renee roll her eyes and plop down at one end of the rectangular table.
Once the hostess left us with our menus, my mom opened hers with a flourish and said, “What does everyone feel like?”
“A drink,” Renee muttered as she looked around, likely for our server.
I saw my mom
tense, but she didn’t comment. Hudson also cast nervous glances around the table, even though she pretended to be focusing on her menu.
Grandma Irene had no such hesitation. “What else is new?” she said. She’d tossed the question out casually, but it landed like a grenade, causing all of us to turn to Renee so we could watch her reaction, which was positively glacial.
“I think you mistook me for your other daughter,” Renee shot back, casting a vicious look at Kari.
My mom seemed to draw in on herself, dropping her head and putting her hands in her lap. I wondered about their relationship and why my mom didn’t stand up for herself, but I was completely out of my depth with these people. Their dynamic was nuts, and I hated that I’d been dragged into what was clearly old and deep family drama.
My grandmother still never looked up from her menu as she hummed. “Did I? I don’t think so.” Then she set her menu down and looked at my mother. “Kari, when was the last time you had a drink?”
My mom looked like she wished the floor would open and swallow her into any of the circles of hell—which was fair since I was certain hell was less hostile than this environment at the moment.
“Uh, it’s been, um…” She cleared her throat. “It’s been sixteen months and a few days.”
“Each day is an accomplishment,” Grandma prodded. “Take credit for them all. How many days?”
“Seventeen.”
Grandma didn’t smile at my mom, but the look on her face was clearly pleased. Proud, even. Then she glared down the table at Renee. “See? I got it right after all.”
Renee scoffed. “Because she’s known for being so honest.”
My grandmother set her arms on the table so she could lean forward and have a more direct line of sight to her daughter. “When you said you were joining us, I told you I expected you to be civil. If that’s something you’re incapable of, you know where the door is.”
Let's Not & Say We Did (The Love Game Book 5) Page 13
