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Great. Lawson’s first image of me after eight years and I look like a damn zombie. “Thanks, Georgie, for your disappointing, but accurate, appraisal of me.”
She laughed, squeezing me one more time before turning to where Hampton stood, his arm around Smith. “And you, big brother, look like a stud. Things must be going well with you two.” She winked over at me and then looked back at Ham. “You gettin’ some on the regular?”
Mr. Reed started sputtering, his glass of water shaking in his hand. “Georgia Rose!” he thundered, his red face still quaking.
Georgia giggled. “Oh, come on, Daddy. Hampton’s a grown man. He’s allowed to have sex!”
Hampton mussed her hair while Smith stood awkwardly, his cheeks pink.
I leaned into him and whispered, “Get used to it, buddy, she has no filter.”
Smith swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and nodded.
I was still laughing at his discomfort when Lawson and Mrs. Reed strode back into the room. Lawson was still frowning, his stare pinned on Smith. His mother, on the other hand, was more animated than usual.
“Piper, honey, come sit next to Lawson so y’all can catch up!” She pulled the chair out beside her oldest son and I ran my fingers through my hair quickly as I made my way to the table.
Once everyone was settled, Hampton turned to his brother. “What are you doing back?”
Lawson stabbed a potato from the serving platter,
setting it down on his plate. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his large hands, and the way the muscles in his forearm flexed with the movement. He’d obviously taken up a new hobby while in Sin City…and damn if the muscles didn’t look good on him.
He cleared his throat and began speaking, his words clipped. “Got transferred back. Gonna be running the set-up of the new office here.”
“Where ya stayin?” Hampton asked, his mouth full of pot roast.
Lawson chewed his potato slowly before answering. “Bought a house over on Willow Lane.”
Nearly choking on his food, Hampton’s eyes bugged out of his head. “You bought a house? Dude, you really are back.”
Lawson grimaced. “Just short term. Buying’s just a good investment.”
“What do you mean short term? You just got back!” Mrs. Reed cried. “Walter, I don’t understand why our son is so desperate to get away from us.”
“Jesus, Mom,” Georgia groaned.
“Lawson, son. You seeing anyone?” Mr. Reed asked, trying to change the subject. It didn’t help matters, though, because Mrs. Reed pounced like a cat going after a mouse.
“Yeah, honey. I’m not getting any younger. Grandkids would be great.” She waved her fork at Hampton and Georgia. “And Lord knows these two aren’t gonna give me any.”
“Nope,” Georgia replied quickly. “Kids suck.”
“Well, mine do at least,” Mr. Reed grumbled, a smile on his face.
Looking offended, Hampton remarked. “Hey! I could have a kid sometime soon.”
I laughed, nearly choking on the crescent roll I was nibbling on. “Yeah, right.”
Hampton cut his eyes at me, squinting them, and then looked around the room. “Well, I was going to wait. But since we’re all together, now’s as good a time as any.”
“For what, son?” Mr. Reed asked, leaning forward and resting his large forearms on the table. He’d been a professional football player, now in the Hall of Fame, and despite his age, was still in pretty good shape. Growing up, our friends had always been intimidated by his size and the rumble of his voice, but we all knew he was nothing more than a gruff teddy bear. Hampton had gotten his size from his father, whereas Lawson was built more like his mother. Georgia had been lucky enough to be the perfect mix of the two.
Hampton took a long swallow of his water and then wiped his mouth with his napkin. Smith laced his fingers through Hampton’s and gave him a reassuring smile. The gesture made my stomach flip. They were so sweet together, I’d been hoping things would finally work out for Hampton. But what he said next wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting.
“Smith and I eloped.”
As the words died out, chaos erupted around me.
