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He’s had a thing for Bri since he was ten years old. He was smitten when she intercepted the football right in front of him during recess. Since that day, they’ve been friends. Best friends, if you ask either of them, but I see the way they look at each other. What once was simply a deep friendship has grown into more. And the fact that neither of them date anyone else but continue to spend as much of their free time together as possible is a big flag in theI love you but am terrified to tell youbook. He’ll figure it out, but he knows I see it. He also knows I’ll never stop giving him grief about it until he mans up and does something about it.
“One day, boy. One day some other schmuck is gonna walk into her life and recognize her for what she is, and you’re not gonna know what to do with yourself.”
“Dad. We’re friends,” he says, but I know he’s saying it to remind himself as much as me. Meanwhile, his jaw ticks. It’s obvious the thought of her with another guy doesn’t sit well with him.
“Yeah. I’ve never heard of friends turning into more. Ever. Good luck with that.” I chuckle and tip my coffee cup in his direction.
“He’s so in love with her. She loves him too, though. Everyone at school sees it,” Maggie, my fifteen-year-old chimes in as she walks into the kitchen looking like a younger version of her mother. Beautiful.
I’m so screwed.
Grady groans and warns his sister, “Mags.”
“Just sayin’,” Maggie sing-songs. “Morning, Daddy.” She smiles sweetly and leans up to kiss me on the cheek.
Harper is shuffling behind her, but considering that she barely slept last night — I should know since she chose to let me join the party and is definitely not a morning person anyway — I don’t expect to hear her small voice for a little while yet. I give them both a kiss on the cheek and lean against the speckled tan, granite countertop and cross my legs. This is the second best part of my day. Seeing our children, hearing their relationships with each other. Harper slides onto one of the benches that flanks the kitchen table I made when we first moved into our house and lays her head down on the table, causing me to roll my eyes.
Maggie pours herself some orange juice and starts peeling a banana, but I can see the wheels turning in her head already. I smile as I watch what I know is going to be a fun exchange of theshit or get off the potspeech that Maggie is undoubtedly about to give Grady. She’s Bri’s biggest fan. Well, aside from Grady, obviously.
“Just keep quiet. You know I can’t go there,” Grady says with irritation already lacing his voice. He starts gathering the ingredients to make himself a protein smoothie and lifts his eyebrows to Harper, no doubt knowing she’ll ask him for one anyway.
She nods in her own sleepy way and gives him a small smile. “I don’t know why not. I swear, Grady, you know how the other guys at school look at her. You have to just suck it up and go for it.”
Called it.
“She likes you. Not just as a friend. You know she does,” she huffs, clearly disgusted by her older brother’s reluctance. “Besides. If you don’t go for it, you know Dawson is going to. He’s been flirting with her all school year. He’s so gross and creepy, though.”
“I don’t have time for a girlfriend,” Grady mumbles, ignoring pretty much her entire speech. He presses the button on the blender, but it doesn’t deter his sister from continuing on.
“Newsflash, you already have a girlfriend. You two just haven’t crossed the line.”
He fills his own cup and then one for Harper. He slides it across the table to her and winks. “How do you know we haven’t,” he smirks, hoping it will shut her up. Apparently he doesn’t know his sister well at all.
“Right. And she looks so satisfied because…”
“If we had crossed the line, she’d be satisfied!”
His defense makes no sense, but I let it go, though I do swallow down a laugh because he’s flustered by just a couple simple remarks from his little sister.
“Satisfied about what? What does that mean? And what line?” Harper’s innocent question cuts through their conversation. She may not be a morning person, but growing up with three much older siblings has made her know way more than she should… and a nosy little turd.
And that’s where dear old Dad has to step in. “Nope. This conversation just took a wrong turn.” I look behind me to Grady and give him a pointed look. “You’d better not be crossing any lines or satisfying anyone. Got me?” I say with my eyebrows raised. I’m not oblivious. My kids aren’t always going to be innocent, but in no way am I condoning anything.
“I got it. Dad, I was just messing with her.”
“I know that, but don’t disrespect Bri that way. You know better,” I tell him and raise my eyebrows.
Grady has the common sense to look a little ashamed but still smiles as he nods his head and replies with a quick, “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now that we have that settled,” I say clapping my hands together and rubbing them. “Who’s making their dad breakfast?”
At that, the kids laugh and walk out the kitchen door. I’m really not sure what was so funny about that.
Chapter Three
Tess
Tweet Tweet. The sound of my phone tweeting makes me giggle. My husband, the idiot, loves to change my ringtones and my text alerts often. So often I usually have no clue that it’s even my phone alerting me to someone trying to reach me. But he finds it hilarious. Because he’s a weirdo.
