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I’d gone to Greenwich to say my goodbyes to my mother a few weeks after I’d gotten back from Colorado, but she’d been predictably disinterested. She’d wished me well, but hadn’t asked more than superficial questions about where I was going and what I was going to do. It had been hard to admit to Xander that I’d held out hope that maybe I’d still get my “moment” with her and my father, but it hadn’t happened. I’d finally had to accept that some stories just didn’t have happy endings.
But Xander and Lucky had given me plenty of “moments” to cherish in the past eight months. Hell, every time I woke up next to Xander, it felt like a moment.
“Hi honey, how are you?” Lolly said once they reached me. I automatically walked into her outstretched arms.
She was the best damn hugger in the world, and despite having seen her private bits more than I cared to admit, I would never get tired of feeling her slim arms hugging me so tight, I was certain she’d never let go.
“I’m good, how are you feeling?” I asked as I led her to one of the chairs we’d set up on the lodge’s back patio.
“Great. Margaret and I won our tennis tournament last weekend, so I’ve been bragging about it to anyone who will listen.”
I held up my hand for a high-five. “Way to go, champ. I didn’t realize you were already back in top form.”
“Well, Margaret has a big rack, so that may have helped. We were playing Hal and Bert. Like shooting fish in a barrel.”
I should have known better than to take a sip of my drink when Lolly was around, but as it was, I nearly choked.
As she continued filling me in on the latest and greatest happenings at Bear Trodden Acres, I saw Jake walking across the lawn towards us. Xander had been chatting with one of the lodge employees, but when he saw Jake, he excused himself and went to greet his friend. There was a little bit of awkward tension between the two men at first, but when Jake held up a container of brown liquid, Xander smiled and slapped Jake on the back. I was glad that I didn’t even feel a shimmer of jealousy as they walked across the patio to where all the food was laid out on tables. They snagged a couple of glasses, filled them up and began chatting.
Xander sent me a quick look, and I winked at him to let him know I was perfectly fine with him talking to the other man.
The smile that lit up his face had my insides warming. He was so different from the angry, bitter man I’d encountered when I’d stepped off that bus nine months ago. But he wasn’t exactly the kid he’d once been, either. It was like he finally felt like he fit into his own skin.
The same way I finally fit into mine.
I liked to think it was something we’d brought out in each other.
Gary’s arrival caused the few people milling around to burst into applause. After all, he was the reason for today’s celebration. I watched as he, Xander, and Jake talked for a few moments. It wasn’t until Gary headed my way that I realized he wasn’t alone.
“Bennett,” he said as he reached out his hand. I got up to shake it.
“Gary, you remember Xander’s Aunt Lolly, right?”
“I do,” he said. The pair exchanged small talk before Gary returned his attention to me. “Is Lucky around? I wanted to introduce him to my nephews.”
“Yep, he’s playing with Bear,” I said as I motioned to where Lucky was throwing a ball for Bear in the yard. “Lucky!”
When he looked up, I motioned to him and he jogged over to us. As soon as he saw Lolly, he leaned down to hug her and she gave him an all-in hug like she had me. I loved how he took the time to ask her how she was feeling. He quickly straightened to say his hellos to Gary as well.
“Lucky, I don’t think you’ve met my nephews, right?” Gary said.
Lucky shook his head. I could see a flash of insecurity go through him as his eyes fell on the boys who looked to be about his age. “No, sir.”
“This is Tony,” he said as he put his hand on the shoulder of one boy. “And this is Will.”
“Hi,” Lucky said as he nodded his head and shook both guys’ hands.
“Hey, man,” Tony said.
“Tony will be in your class this fall, and Will is a year behind you.”
Lucky nodded awkwardly. Part of me wanted to wrap my arms around him and remind him he was perfect just the way he was, but I refrained. I knew there were some things I couldn’t protect him from, and the awkwardness of meeting new kids his own age was just one of them.
