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“Worst idea,” Avery interjects and my eyes find hers. “You two going over there guns blazing over what very well may be a rumor is the worst idea! And it’s going to make an already sensitive situation more precarious. She knows how you guys feel about Wes.”
“We use his name?” Lucas blinks at her like she just used the name of his sworn enemy.
“Sure.” She shrugs. “She posts him on Instagram with his name. I know you weren’t raised in a barn; have some manners for your future brother-in-law.” She gives him a smile, blinking her eyes several times.
I groan and point at Avery. “You are not helping.”
“Wait for her to come to you.” She looks at me with those bright hazel eyes that had me on my knees last night. “When has she not? Are you worried she’s going to elope? She wouldn’t do that.”
“Wes,” Lucas interrupts before I can respond, “should at very least come talk to Dad. Want to talk about not having manners?”
“And maybe he will! All the two gossiping Gabbys have come up with is that there’s a ring. That can mean so many things.”
I feel out of control at the moment. Last night. Being here with Avery. Talking to my ex-wife—which always makes me feel a little uneasy afterwards. And now my daughter potentially making the biggest mistake of her life. I flex my hands before balling them into fists while looking at Lucas.
“I’m going to head out. You good with getting home?” I say, not looking at Avery because I don’t want her to think this is about her.
“Yeah of course, but you want us to come?”
“No, you guys stay.” I sign the check and stand before either of them can protest.
“Dad, if you’re going over there, I want to come.”
“I’m not. I just…need some air,” I say without another word.
My eyes follow Theo out of the restaurant and I wish I was going with him. I wish I could hold his hand and tell him to breathe and that everything will be fine. I wish I could sit on his lap and kiss him and rub the stress off of him.
But if I’m being honest, I’m not sure if it will be or if I’m even the right person to help for that matter. I don’t know if his agitation is about Raegan potentially being engaged to someone he barely knows or the fact that he’s twice her age, thereby making his feelings a little more complicated and maybe even a touch hypocritical given that he spent last night sleeping with his son’s best friend who happens to be half his age. It’s probably a little of both which is likely why he wanted to get away from me.
“Damn,” Lucas shakes his head. “You want to go sit at the bar?”
I nod, knowing that under any circumstance other than what happened last night, my only concern would be Lucas and talking it out with him with shots of tequila and fried foods. We find two empty bar stools and Lucas orders us two shots before I’m even in the seat.
“Remember we have dinner with my parents tonight.”
“Right.” He looks at his watch. “In six hours?”
“I’m just saying,” I tell him, hearing his underlying meaning that we will definitely not be drunk by then.
I want to text Theo, but sitting directly next to Lucas is not the time to do it.
“I have to pee. I’ll be right back,” I tell him as I hop off the stool and make my way into the ladies’ room. I push into a stall and have my phone to my ear before I’ve even locked it behind me.
“I assume you’re by yourself.”
“You assume correctly.” I expect him to say something else and when he doesn’t, I speak up. “Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking?”
“Not really.”
“Can you tell me where you’re going?”
“Home.”
“Okay.”
I can hear the distance in his voice and I don’t know what to say now that won’t come off clingy so I decide just to end the conversation. “Alright, well…I’ll see you.”
“Wait,” he says. I don’t respond but I don’t hang up either. “I want to see you tonight.”
