Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 142214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 711(@200wpm)___ 569(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 711(@200wpm)___ 569(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
He found Soren outside pacing beside an ambulance. “Hey.”
Soren turned and twisted a red lollipop out of his mouth. “This is totally fucked up.”
Greyson nodded. “Where’d you get a lollipop?”
“Turns out, hospitals don’t offer bourbon.”
Greyson shoved his hands in his pockets. “This is so...” He laughed without humor. “Fucked.”
“Tell me about it. I knew we’d eventually get to this stage, but some part of me always believed he’d rally. I mean, it’s Dad. He’s too much of a prick to die.”
The corner of Greyson’s mouth lifted. “He’s probably outraged.”
Soren chuckled. “Think God knows he’s about to get fired?”
Greyson smirked. “There’s about to be some serious restructuring when the new boss arrives up there.”
They both chuckled.
“Logan’s going to be rough,” Soren said, staring down at his shoes.
They all were.
“This whole situation sucks.”
“Yeah.” He agreed.
They stood in silence for a beat.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about Mom.”
Greyson met his stare. “Yeah?”
“Remember how she used to make us those hot dogs with the spaghetti pushed through?”
“Octopasta?” Greyson hadn’t thought about his mom’s cooking in years.
“Dad hated it. Said hot dogs were nothing but trashy food for trashy people.”
“He never liked when she cooked for us.”
“Mom didn’t care.”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Remember when she and Haven took us swimming in the bay and Dad flipped out?”
Another lost memory surfaced. “He could never control her when Haven was involved.”
“Those damn Wildes!” Soren mimicked their father’s voice, and they both laughed. “I think he was always threatened by Haven’s independence.”
“She made Mom brave.”
“Yeah. The more time they spent together the less she took Dad’s shit.”
Greyson grinned. “Wren’s tough like her mom.”
Soren met his stare. “So, you two are...”
“Yup.”
“And it’s...”
“Yup.”
“No going back now.”
“Nope.” Greyson didn’t want to go back. Only forward. “You okay with it? With me?”
His brother drew in a long breath. “It was always going to be you, Grey. We knew it when you were fifteen.”
“Yet you still tried.”
Soren shrugged. “Hey, if you weren’t going to act, I wasn’t going to let a fine piece of—”
“I dare you to finish that statement.”
“Fair enough.” Soren held up his hands. “I’m happy for you. I’m happy for Wren.”
He wanted to ask if he was making a mistake. “Do you think we stole something from her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think we disrupted her life or messed with her destiny?”
“It’s Wren, Greyson. She was never leaving Hideaway Harbor or Bodhi.”
“I know, but... What if she was meant for someone else? Someone better.”
“You’ve loved that girl since we were kids. There isn’t anyone who could love her more than you will.”
That’s not what he said the other day. “What if I’m like him?”
“What if you’re not?”
“But what if I am?”
“You’re not, Greyson. None of us are. We might have his name and features, but he wasn’t around enough for us to pick up his shitty traits. We choose who we are. Besides, you’re out of your mind if you think you could ignore Wren the way Dad ignored Mom. You’re totally whipped.”
Greyson scowled. “I am not.”
“Oh, please. You’ve been mooning over her for two decades. Disappear to the North Sea all you want. You’ll still come running back at the slightest finger wave.”
“Fuck off. I came home for holidays.”
“You came home for Wren. We all knew it. Just own it.”
The doors opened as other visitors stepped outside. “We should get back.”
They both sighed, forcing themselves to face the inevitable. But this time the elevator didn’t feel as constricting and he could breathe a little easier. When they reached the fourth floor, Wren stood, concern etched across her face.
Soren went in to visit their father and Greyson hugged her.
She eased back to read his expression. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He pressed his lips to her hair, not ready to let her go.
“Is Soren?”
“He’ll be fine. We all will.”
Her arms tightened around him. “Do you want me to go in with you?”
He drew back to look at her. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
She slipped her hand back in his. “I told you, I’m not leaving your side.” They crossed the threshold as one.
CHAPTER 28
“Haul Out The Holly”
Greyson moaned as Wren worked the tension out of his neck. Moving his father back home had been an ordeal. There was the coordination of his care, the arrival of proper furniture and equipment, but above all, the biggest challenge was meeting his father’s unreachable standards. The man refused any additional care outside of his home, and insisted he would die in true blue blood fashion, dressed in a suit, broker on hold, and a fresh cigar in his pocket.
“You know, they say it’s common for people to rally at the end.” Wren worked the tendons of his shoulders and neck. “It’s like autumn, when everything is crisp and at its brightest for one final hurrah.”
Maybe that’s what this was. They assumed the man was in the winter of his life, but he came out of that hospital like a tyrant, barking orders and making demands they scrambled to meet.