AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you feel like dinner?”
“Do you mind if we invite Jesse and Maddie along?” I ask.
“If it’s okay with Donny, it’s okay with me.”
After a rather awkward dinner—Donny and Jesse together is a recipe for awkward—Brock and Donny take us to the Carlton, where they’ve reserved suites.
Jesse is rigid. It’s clear he doesn’t want to be beholden to the Steels.
I leave that to Callie and Donny to deal with.
In the meantime, Brock takes Maddie and me to the suite he’s reserved for us. As much as I want Brock to stay, I know he has to get back to the ranch.
“What else do you ladies need?” he asks Maddie and me. “I’ll have it delivered to you.”
“You’ve done plenty,” I say.
“Yeah,” Maddie says. “We can get a toothbrush and toothpaste from housekeeping. And we’ll just sleep in our underwear.”
“Listen,” Brock says. “We’re going to be family when Callie and Donny get married. We want to do whatever we can to make this easier on all of you. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to open up an account”—he fiddles with his phone—“on Instacart for you, and I want you to order whatever you need. Got it?”
“All right.” I nod. “Thank you, Brock.”
He cups my cheek then, presses his lips over mine. “Anything you need. And I mean anything.”
Maddie goes into the other room to give us some privacy, and I wrap my arms around Brock’s neck and kiss him. A deep, loving kiss.
“I wish you could stay,” I say.
“Me too, but you need your family right now, and your family needs you.”
I nod and kiss his lips once more. “I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart. I’ll text you when I’m home. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“You text or call if you need anything. You hear me? Anything. Let me know how your dad is doing.”
“Thank you.”
And then Brock leaves.
Maddie returns. “Daddy’s going to be okay, right?”
“Yes, we’re going to think positive. Dad is going to be okay.”
Maddie sighs. “You and Callie are so lucky.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You each have a Steel.”
“I suppose so.”
“I wish I had a Steel.”
“You’re twenty-one years old, Mads. You’re way too young to be thinking about settling down.”
