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He protests at first, pushing my hand away playfully, but then he turns to me and delivers an earnest, “Thanks for everything.”
I glance around the table to find Tenley, JD, and Mrs. T all looking choked up. “What? No, not again, guys,” I begin, hoping that my smile might lend some levity to the conversation.
“I’m the only one with a valid excuse to cry at the drop of a hat, for the record,” Tenley announces, using her napkin to dab at her eyes. But JD exhales and shakes his head as well.
I hear a short sniffle beside me, where Loren is trying to hide her own red-rimmed eyes. “Not you too, Reed. I thought your constitution was stronger than the rest of these crybabies, at least.”
She rolls her eyes, but I can’t help myself as I slip my hand under the table to rest on her knee.
We say our goodbyes after dinner, and I make sure I pull my sister-in-law in for a hug so I can whisper, “Congratulations,” and “Thank you for letting him have this,” in her ear. I’m not known for my sentimentality, but I’ve always tried to show my brother how I really feel when it matters. And I figure Tenley’s an extension of him now. She’s biting her lip and tearing up again when I pull away, so I spin her around and steer her back into JD’s arms. He’s happy to oblige.
“See you later, Reed,” I say to Loren as I walk out to my truck. Then I take a deep breath as soon as I close the door behind me, finally free to let my emotions run amok in the privacy of my own driver’s seat.
Bam, bam, bam!
I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear Loren’s small fist hitting the glass, then I wipe my eyes quickly before rolling down the window.
“Shit, Reed, you scared the hell out of me.”
“I just wanted to … wait, are youcrying?” she asks incredulously.
“No,” I lie.
She raises an eyebrow. “Did you really hold it in all throughout dinner just so you couldpleurerlike a baby in your truck?”
“Why would I be crying?”
She purses her lips, but her haughty expression is nearly ruined by the fact that she barely clears the edge window and has to look up at me. “Because you’re grateful that you got the chance to help JD secure his happiness. And you secretly love your new in-laws.”
“What do you want, Loren?” I narrow my watery eyes, hoping to distract her from the way my voice cracks.
“To tell you to let yourself in when you get there. I figured you’d want to hold off a few minutes on following me home.”
“Sure, whatever. I’ll be right behind you.” I raise my window as soon as she’s gone so that I can finish collecting myself. My phone chimes, so I check it while I wait for Loren to drive off.
Ethan R
hey “uncle blake”
what’s up with you and ms reed
Blake
Idk what you’re talking about.
Ethan R
caidence saw you holding hands under the table
and mawmaw kept staring at you like she thinks something’s going on
wanna tell me why was she just talking to you at your truck?
Blake
Caidence was mistaken. And ftr, Loren and I can’t stand each other. It’s been that way since we were kids.
Ethan R
