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Once we stepped into the large family room, I let out a scream. Avery stood there with a wide smile on her face. Bradly stood next to her, equally happy. Every time he had been home, he had missed the chance to meet Bryson. Finally, tonight was the night.
“Oh my God! Avery!” I cried out as she made her way to me, throwing her body into mine. I caught her and laughed. When she pulled back, I was once again captivated by those sapphire eyes of hers. Her golden-brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and I could not believe she was only seventeen years old. She looked older.
“Look at you,” I said as I pushed her out at arm’s length and gave her a once-over. “You look beautiful.”
She smiled, and her cheeks blushed. “I’m here until after the first of the year! I’m so excited to be home for a month!”
Avery hadn’t been able to come home at all this past summer like normal due to a small role in a movie that was being shot in France. Acting wasn’t at all what Avery wanted to do, but she couldn’t pass up the chance to do it, and Uncle Dirk and Aunt Merit agreed.
“I bet your mom and dad are over the moon to have you and Bradly both home!” I said, hugging her once again.
Bryson cleared his throat, and I clapped my hand over my mouth. “Shit! I’m so sorry. Avery, this is Bryson Robinson.”
Looking at Bryson with a dreamy expression, Avery said, “I’m so excited to meet you. You’re one of my favorite pitchers.”
“You watch baseball?” he asked, his brows raised in suspicion.
With a shy shrug, Avery replied, “Only for the uniforms, if I’m being truthful.”
Bryson and I both laughed.
Bradly waited patiently for his sister to step aside. When I looked past her at him, Avery jumped out of the way. “Sorry, Bradly!”
He grinned and waved it off like it was no big deal.
Stepping up, Bradly reached his hand out to shake Bryson’s. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. Robinson.”
Bryson chuckled. “It’s just Bryson. The pleasure is all mine. I was watching some of your rides with your father and Brock the other day. Impressive. They both stated you ride better than either one of them ever did.”
A deep red filled Bradly’s cheeks, and he looked down at the floor, kicked at something invisible, then met Bryson’s gaze again. “I appreciate them saying that. I love what I do, so I think that helps.”
“Amen to that,” Bryson said, holding out his hand and slapping it with Bradly’s.
“Josh and Nathan mentioned something about a family baseball game tomorrow.”
Bryson nodded. “Yes, I hope I can count on you to be on my team.”
I laughed. “They broke up the family into two teams. Bryson is coaching one team, and my dad, because he thinks he knows more than Bryson, is coaching the other.”
Bradly grinned. “I’ll make sure I’m on your team.”
Giving him a hit on the side of the arm, Bryson replied, “Great.”
As Bradly and Bryson started talking about bull riding and what life was like out on the road, I searched the house for my father and mother. I finally caught them both walking into the room carrying boxes of pizza. My stomach growled the moment I smelled the food.
With Bradly and Bryson deep in conversation, I made my way across the room and started to help them spread out the pizzas on the table Lincoln had set up.
“Mom, Dad, is there any way Bryson and I can speak to you in private real quick?”
My father looked down at the pizza, and I swore he was about to cry.
I looked at my dad. “It will only take a minute.”
“Of course, darling. I’m sure Brock won’t mind us using his office. Ty?”
With my dad licking his lips and staring at the opened box of pepperoni pizza, my mother hit him in the side with her elbow. “Ty?”
“Right. Yes, Brock’s office.”
Smiling, I reached up and kissed his cheek, then my mother’s. “I’ll go grab Bryson and meet you both there.”
Mom took hold of my father’s arm and practically dragged him away from the pizza. As everyone started to make their way to the table, Dad called out, “Do not eat all the pepperoni, or I’ll have to hurt someone!”
Bryson was walking toward me when I motioned for him to follow. “They’re waiting in Brock’s office.”
“Now? We’re doing this now?” he asked in a panicked voice.
“Yes, we’re doing this now,” I said, taking his hand and dragging him from the room almost exactly like my mother had with my dad.
We stopped shy of the office, which had the door open. I could hear my father complain to my mother that it better be good, and if he missed pizza, he was making me and Bryson go get more.
