“Yeah, but this guy is a stranger,” I argued. “I’ve never met him and as far as I know, Dad hasn’t really had a relationship with him for over twenty years. But now, when it’s getting close to the end of Dad’s sentence, the long-lost brother is suddenly interested in rekindling a relationship with him. Sounds fishy to me.”
“That’s because you’ve learned to expect the worst in everyone.” Grady cocked his head to the side, silently daring me to dispute his accusation. I couldn’t, because it was one-hundred percent the truth. “If your dad’s willing to put the past in the past, maybe you need to to. You don’t know why your uncle didn’t contact him. I say you should take some of the vacation time you never use, get in your car, and see if Carolina countryside could be a good change of scenery.”
“He lives at the beach,” I corrected. And why in the hell did he think I’d move down there if Dad did? I liked my life in New York. My studio apartment was modest, but mine. I was within walking distance to most things, and a quick train ride from the rest. No way was I moving. If Dad felt like he needed to go down there to rekindle whatever with his brother, that was on him. We could keep in touch by phone, text, and the occasional visit.
“Even better!” Grady had always loved the beach. He used to say he was going to move to Florida someday, someplace like Miami where he could spend the days on the beach and his nights split between the clubs and over a warm, willing body. “Seriously, what’s the harm in you going down there to check the guy out?”
“Let’s start with the fact I don’t know the guy. He doesn’t know me other than what Dad’s told him in their letters. What if I get down there and he kicks my ass when he finds out his brother has a queer bastard child?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Grady scoffed. “Look, I know it’s been a shit time for you while your old man’s been locked up, but do you honestly think he’d ask you to do this if he thought his brother would hurt you in any way?”
“No.”
“And do you think he’d ask you to do him this favor if he thought it was a lost cause?” Why did Grady have to be the smart one? I hated it when he had logical arguments for my petulant nature.
“No.”
“And do you think, just maybe, your dad’s hoping this could be a fresh start for both of you?” Grady tipped back his beer, giving me the perfect opportunity to ogle the long lines of his neck, that spot just beneath his Adam’s apple where I used to nibble when we were in bed together. The juncture between neck and jaw where I used to — stop it. Grady’s the past. If you’re that horny, you need to get your ass back to the city and get laid, because you know better than to think anything will ever happen with him again. “Dude, were you checking me out?”
“No.”
“Liar.” Grady smirked and winked. Fuck, if only they hadn’t locked down their relationship when Jen had moved in. No one knew how to press my buttons the way Grady did.
With my mind firmly on the ‘I want Grady’s dick’ train, I decided he may have a point. Maybe Dad wasn’t the only one who needed a second chance at life. Maybe I needed a change of scenery as well, because my mind was a jumbled mess and I was tired of constantly being at war with my own thoughts. I sat up straighter on the couch, twisting my head to one side and then the other, chuckling at Grady’s gagging noises. He’d always hated the way I cracked my neck as if it was punctuation at the end of a deep thought.
“Maybe you’re right. I’m going to do it.” In six short weeks, Dad would be released from prison and he needed a place to land, needed a direction in his life before the depression could drag him under.
“That’s more like it.” Grady stood, motioning for me to follow him through the house. Dinner was served.
A pit formed in my stomach as I realized that if I did follow Dad to North Carolina, it’d mean the end of tortured weekends spent with the Walsh family. Even though our dynamic had changed over the years, they were my chosen family and I wasn’t ready to let them go.
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A Note From Sloan
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If you enjoyed Inseparable, I would love it if you let your friends know so they can experience the relationship of Trevor and Gabe as well! As with all of my books, I have enabled lending on all platforms in which it is allowed to make it easy to share with a friend. If you leave a review for Inseparable on the site from which you purchased the book, Goodreads or your own blog, I would love to read it! Email me the link at [email protected]
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Acknowledgments
A lot of authors bemoan writing blurbs. While that’s definitely one of the most frustrating parts of the writing process, this is the part I dread the most. With every project I ready to release into the world, I fear I’m going to forget to thank someone who was vital to the success of the book. If you read this and you’re the one I missed, please know it’s my ferret brain’s oversight and has nothing to do with how I view you.
Denise and Morgan, it’s hard to believe it’s been three years since we all met on social media. Thank you, for getting me through the low points, listening to me complain, then smacking me upside the head and telling me to get back to work. Friendship like yours is hard to find.
Erin, I was sure you’d reach the point of blocking me on Facebook, tired of me needing “just a minute” of your time. Thank you for not adding up those minutes and charging me accordingly.
Shaw, thank you for moving to my corner of the world! Having a friend who understands me and isn’t afraid to lean on me until I make time for coffee is invaluable. Speaking of, we need to do that again. Soon.
Annabeth, thank you for being a friendly ear and always having the right words to help me get through everything.
Posy, your editing skills are top-notch! Thank you for whipping these boys into shape.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you to every reader who’s taken the chance on me by picking up one of my books. You’re the ones who make this writer’s dreams a reality. Thank you for patiently waiting when life gets in the way of the next book. Thank you for sharing silly memes. Thank you for loving my characters as much as I do. It’s been the best five years of my life and I can’t wait to see what happens in the future!
About Sloan Johnson
Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s life. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, her comfort zone is surrounded by trees and the sounds of nature.
When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing.
Now, Sloan is a tattooed mom with a mohawk and two kids. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in three school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because loses herself in fictional worlds and forgets she has somewhere to be.
Find Sloan Online:
authorsloanj.com
[email protected]
Also by Sloan Johnson
Teach Me
Dance With Destiny
Godsend
Never Too Late
Homeruns
Wild Pitch
Curve Ball
Triple Play
Sweet Spot
Change Up
Line Drive
Wilmington Breakers
Down By Contact
False Start
or reading books on Archive.
Inseparable (Port Java Book 1) Page 19
