Page 75 of When It's Right

I feel my eyes get watery. Luckily, Jude shows up in the doorway. “Oh, God, did I just walk in on some kind of sorority moment? Gross.”

“You ruin everything,” Winnie jokes with a dramatic sigh as we pull apart.

“Make with the food, chef,” Jude barks back at her. “The supplies are low out there.”

“It might be the off-season, but you should probably stick to salad,” Winnie snarks back at him, and she swats at his hand when he tries to steal a wing.

He manages to steal a wing anyway. Winnie pours the wings onto a platter and carries them out before he can steal another. Dixie grabs the bottle of wine and follows. I can’t help but smile as the cushion-cut solitaire on her finger catches the light. Eli picked a bold, beautiful ring, perfect for bold, beautiful Dixie.

“So Griffin and Dad are on the porch together. Alone,” I tell Jude, and he nods as he finishes the wing. “Any idea what that’s about?”

“Dad’s probably thanking Sully for putting up with you. You know, thanking him for taking you off his hands,” Jude replies, reaching for a napkin to wipe his hands. I smile brightly at him but flip him the middle finger. He laughs. “I could tell you what I really think is happening out there, but you’ll get all weepy and this is a party.”

Now I’m intrigued—and little worried. “What are you talking about?”

Jude opens the fridge and grabs a beer. He turns back around, leans on the closed fridge door, and twists the cap. “He’s probably telling Griffin how much he likes him. How well he fits in this family and how well he fits with you, his sweet, good, strong, and beautiful pumpkin.”

My eyes are watering again. “He’s not.”

“You’re right he’s not saying it,” Jude replies and his face grows dark. “The tablet is saying it, but they’re Dad’s words, even if they can’t come out of his mouth anymore.”

My dad lost the ability to speak about a month ago. He’s been typing what he wants to say into a tablet that speaks for him. Jude sips his beer. I stare out toward the front door. “Should I go rescue him?”

“It’s not a crisis situation, Sadie.” Jude laughs at me. “It’s a good thing. Let them talk.”

I glance at the front door again just as it opens and Griffin comes back in, pushing my dad’s wheelchair. I watch my mom walk over and take his place, wheeling my dad out of view toward the dining room. Griffin glances around the living room and then glances down the hall, sees me in the kitchen doorway, and he comes straight for me. He bends down and kisses my cheek as he enters. Jude slips by him out of the kitchen, leaving us alone.

“Everything good?”

“Yeah.” He smiles at me. “Let’s grab more of my guacamole. Supplies look low out there.”

He lets go of me and moves to the fridge to pull out a bowl full of guacamole he made for the party. I’ve learned Griffin is incredible in the kitchen, which is great, because I’m not. I lift one of the giant bags of white corn chips off the counter and pull it open. Griffin takes a chip as soon as I open the bag and dips it into the guacamole, then turns and holds it up in front of my mouth. “Taste test?”

I take a big bite of the chip. The guac is delicious. “Perfect. Just like you.”

“Sweetheart, you are way too good for my ego,” he replies and drops his head to give me a quick, light kiss when I’m done chewing. He doesn’t pull away afterward, though, looking me in the eye. “Are you okay?”

I nod. “Yeah. Today is a good day. I love a party and we need all the reasons possible to create happy moments.”

“It’s bittersweet,” Griffin remarks softly. I bite my bottom lip and nod, and he pulls me into a hug. I rest my cheek on his chest and close my eyes and let the warmth of being in his arms seep into every part of me.

“I’m focusing on the sweet part,” I whisper, and I feel his lips on the top of my head. “He might not be here for the wedding, but he knows Eli is the right one. He saw it with his own eyes.”

“He just wants you all to be happy,” Griffin says. “And he says that I make you happy.”

“You do.” I lift my head off his chest to stare up into his deep, dark eyes. “I’m glad he knows it.”

“I told him I love you,” Griffin says softly. “I hope I wasn’t supposed to keep that a secret.”

I wrap my arms around his neck. “I love you too, and I couldn’t hide it even if I wanted to.”

He dips his head and kisses me again, long and slow.

“Ew. Gross.”

We break apart as Jude is back, standing in the doorway acting like an overdramatic teenager. I roll my eyes and let go of Griffin. “Thank God you interrupted us now, I was just about to ask him for a quickie. A second later and I would have been bent over the—”

“Why do you do that?!” Jude yells, a look of pure horror on his face. “He’s my coach!”

“I’m Eli’s coach,” Griffin corrects but turns to me. “But he’s right. Please stop using sex with me to torture your brother.”

“I have to use any means possible to torture him,” I explain with a shrug as I pour the tortilla chips into a bowl. “It’s in my genetic wiring.”

“Feel free to beak up with her,” Jude tells Griffin in a fake-serious tone. “I can have her banned from Thunder games so you won’t ever have to see her again.”

“Unfortunately it’s too late for that,” Griffin tells him as he follows me out of the kitchen, carrying the bowl of guacamole. “I’m in too deep. There’s no way out for me. And to be honest, I’m okay with that.”

My heart swells at his sweet words despite the fact that Jude is groaning. Griffin has fit into this family like he was always there. I can’t even imagine what my life would be like without him. And thankfully, I don’t have to.