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He’d been busy with the Lakeshore U Lakers hockey team for the last couple of years. I’d been dating Josh for almost eight months. There just hadn’t been a good time to drop it on him.
“Nice deflection, Bug.” He smiled, and the temporary tension melted away. “It was good, busy. I’m glad to be home for the summer. I’m glad you’re home.”
Usually, at a moment like this, we would hug. It was kind of our thing, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. So I blurted out, “He’s a good guy, Cars.”
“I’m sure he is. Just would have been nice to hear it from you and not your folks.” His voice was flat, cool even, and I inhaled a quick breath. Carson’s approval was important to me, and I didn’t want any drama. I wanted my two favorite people to get along.
“Carson, come on.” I shot him a sideways glare.Give me a break; I wanted to add.
“Does he make you happy?”
“Very.” I didn’t even have to think about it. Josh drove me a little insane and didn’t always channel his inner gentleman, but he was a good guy. He’d been nothing but generous and kind and patient with me over the last eight months.
“Do you love him?”
He went there. Of course, he went there. It was something my brother Dalton would have said had he been around. Damn him.
“I—”
“I left Josh with towels and instructions on how not to flood the bathroom.” Mom breezed into the kitchen, completely unaware of the awkwardness between Carson and me.
“Thanks, Mom.”
She dropped a kiss on the side of my head and then went to Carson. “Gosh, it’s just like old times seeing the two of you in here.”
“Plenty more where that came from, Judy.” Carson caught her around the waist and hugged her to him, making Mom giggle—full-on high-school crush giggle.
Lord, help me.
Not that I blamed her. Over the years, I watched more than one girl fall at Carson Walsh’s annoyingly good-looking and charming feet.
When he released her, she had that dreamy doe-eyed look that had me rolling my eyes at her. “What?” she fake-gasped.
“Hussy,” I grumbled, shooting her a ‘you know what’ look.
Mom glanced between us, and I was pretty sure her smile couldn’t get any wider if she tried. “My heart’s so full it could burst.”
The playful moment from only seconds ago slipped away.
“My family is back right where they should be.” She slung her arms wide, capturing us both. And I went willing because what else was there to do?
She was right; we were family.
And by God, if it didn’t feel good to be back.
* * *
“Hey.” I knocked again, poking my head around the door. “Can I come in?”
Josh smiled and patted the space beside him on the guest bed. “Are you sure your dad won’t mind? He didn’t seem to like the idea of me coming around a lot.”
I slipped into Josh’s arms, kicking my legs up in front of me. “Don’t worry about Dad. He’s just looking out for me. I told you this was new territory for me, Josh. I’ve never brought a guy home before.”
We’d had this talk already when I’d invited him to come and stay before his job in Toledo started.
“And Carson, did he just slip your mind in that conversation?”
“Josh,” I sighed. He was right, it didn’t look good, but Carson belonged to a time in my life I still wasn’t entirely comfortable sharing.
