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“It’s fine,” his father said. “How is everything going? We can all see how much you care about Laine. How well you get along.”
“You want to know if I’m in love,” he said. “I am. She is too.”
His father lifted his eyebrows at him. “I’m not surprised. I think we knew when you brought her over to the house weeks ago.”
“No lecture on going too fast?” he asked.
“No,” his father said. “You’re an adult. This is a completely different situation than with Brynn. You’re not swayed by trying to help her. Or feeling sorry for her. Nothing along those lines. You’re not someone looking for something before you are ready either. Or being led around by your guilt.”
He sighed. Only his father would be so blunt. “You’re right. I was young and naive and in love. I was trying to save her. Help her. I don’t know. In the process it drained everything out of me. She finally touched on that one nerve that made me yelp and say I’d had enough pain.”
“Which we saw,” his father said. “If we didn’t see it, we might not have been so concerned. She wanted you for herself but in the process didn’t want you to be yourself.”
“No,” he said, not wanting to even think of that time.
A time where he might have moved away from his family had Brynn approached things differently. Who knows, he might have thrown his career away but didn’t believe he would have gone that far, even though Brynn hated the time he was away with school.
Hell, there were times he wasn’t prepared for tests because he was with her when he should have been studying too.
“With Laine, you can be who you are. She seems to enjoy that person.”
“She loves who I am. I love who she is. I guess if there is anyone out there that is open to let people be themselves, it’s her.”
“It’s not like you’re different,” his father said. “You’re a pretty normal guy.”
“Laine isn’t all that different,” he argued.
“Sure, she is,” his father said. “Her personality and demeanor are completely different than anyone else I’ve ever met. She’s open and honest and hardly ever gets mad. That’s not normal. At least if I go by what you’ve said about her.”
“I haven’t seen her get mad once,” he said. “But I’m not with her twenty-four seven. I’m sure she was mad when she hit her hand against the wall.”
“That was anger in pain,” his father said. “Do you want to be with her more?”
“Sure,” he said. “But it’s not easy.”
“It will work itself out when it does,” his father said. “She’s got a career too. She isn’t going to be a stay-at-home wife or mother. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” he said. “I’m not looking for that. Hardly any of the women in our family in my generation are in that situation.”
“Really?” his father asked. “That isn’t true.”
He thought of Hunter’s wife, Kayla. She had two kids and didn’t work though he’d heard she still wanted to. Hunter met Kayla when she was working at the front desk at The Retreat. If he knew his cousin, he’d find work for Kayla to do at some point, but it’d be something flexible for Kayla when the time came.
Drew’s wife had a baby and owned her own salon, but she didn’t work as much as she used to, he was sure. Maybe enough to get out of the house.
Mac’s wife didn’t tend bar anymore, but she was a children’s author and illustrator too. She created coloring books also. Those were things she could do on her own time.
Hailey worked. Penelope and Emily had children, they owned a hotel and worked. His sister would always work. Bode’s new wife was an engineer and worked for Bond Construction. He expected Sam would continue to work after a child too, but who was he to know? The same with Delaney when she had children.He was positive his twin would let his wife do whatever she wanted.
Egan had a baby coming, but he was sure Blake would still work since she worked remotely anyway for her father’s company and moved here for that job.
Avery had her own vet clinic; she’d work when she had children and she had Josie already. Hadley had a restaurant named after her; he suspected she’d still have an active part there.
Chelsea and Roark were engaged. Chelsea was raising her teenage sister and worked for Hailey. He was positive she’d be the type that would continue to work too.
“It is true,” he said. “Only Kayla isn’t working. Sidney from home, Amanda part time in her salon. Everyone else went back to work after kids.”
His father grinned. “I’m glad you see that.”
