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“I do want to go.” He leans in to kiss my cheek. “I do. I’m going to pull on some clothes in case Becs walks back in here and I ruin her for all other men in her life.”
I smirk. “You’re so modest.”
“It’s a bunch of bullshit, that’s what it is,” my uncle Matt says, shaking his head as we chat with him and Nate, Stella’s dad, at the barbecue the next day. “That some random asshole can just accuse you out of the blue and ignite a whole investigation is just bullshit.”
I glance up at Ike and see that he just politely nods. I know he’s sick of talking about this.
“We haven’t met.”
I turn and see Uncle Caleb, the former Navy SEAL and the toughest one in the family, standing behind us. His steely gaze is on Ike.
“Ike Harrison.” He holds out his hand to shake, but Caleb just stares at it. “Uh, nice to meet you.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t punch you in the face.”
“Uncle Caleb, it’s okay. Ike’s actually a nice guy.”
“I don’t give a shit. He’s trying to date my niece.”
“Do you punch every guy who tries to date a girl in this family?” Ike asks.
Caleb just narrows his eyes at him.
“Seriously, this is completely ridiculous.” I roll my eyes. “Uncle Caleb isn’t going to punch you.”
“Looks like he might.”
“He won’t,” Matt replies and slaps Caleb on the back good-naturedly. “He just likes to act scary. Come on, let’s get some ribs before Will eats them all.”
The other men leave, and Ike takes a deep breath.
“Sorry. Caleb is really just a softy.”
“Yeah, looks like he is,” Ike says, and his jaw clenches as he looks over the backyard.
“You don’t want to be here, do you.” It’s not a question.
“It’s fine.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Fine.” His voice is low so only I can hear. “Your family is a lot. You spend more time together than I ever knew was even a thing.”
“We’re a close family.”
“And that’s great. But I’m not used to it. And I’m damn sick of talking about all the shit going down at work.”
“I know.” I cringe. “They’re just trying to show you that they support you.”
He blows out a breath and nods. “You’re right. I know you’re right. And I appreciate it.”
He’s not trying to keep me from them; he’s just not used to them. He said himself that he doesn’t even remember a time in his life when his dad was kind to his mom.
That’s a far cry away from my own family.
“Listen, we can duck out early. It’s totally fine.”
“No. No, I’m sorry. It’s fine.”
But, before I can even blink, my parents walk over to us, and my mom wraps Ike up into a big hug.
“I’m so sorry for what you’re going through, honey,” she says, and Ike’s expression hardens all over again.
Damn it.
“He’ll be fine,” Dad says to her and watches my face. His eyes narrow.
I give him a slight shake of the head.
It’s okay.
“We went to the island the other day,” I say, trying to change the subject. “We saw some of the O’Callaghans and had some good food, then looked around over there.”
“Oh, the island is gorgeous,” Mom says and nods. “We love it over there, too. What did you think of it, Ike?”
“It’s really special,” he says, already relaxed, and that makes me feel better. I want him to feel at ease with my family. “There are some really crazy views from out there, and the pub was fun. They seem like a nice bunch.”
For a while, it seems like a crisis was averted. Conversation veers all over the place, from the island to investments, to basketball, which is fun to talk about rather than football.
Natalie tells us all that Liv and Vaughn are having a great honeymoon in the Maldives, and she shares some photos with us.
“Wow, it’s really pretty there,” I comment, looking over Natalie’s shoulder. “The magazines definitely aren’t photoshopped.”
“I vote for the Maldives next Christmas,” Stella calls out, holding her glass of iced tea up high. “We did snow in Iceland last year. Let’s do tropical this year!”
“You guys went to Iceland for Christmas?” Ike asks, looking shocked.
“Yeah, the whole family went,” I reply. “It’s the first, and probably the last, time we did something like that. We’re all too busy to make it happen.”
Ike’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and he pulls it out, frowning down at it.
But he doesn’t answer it.
“Everything okay?” Dad asks him.
Ike just nods. “Yeah, it’s fine.”
But it’s not fine.
The phone buzzes again, and this time Ike doesn’t even look down at it.
“Is it your dad?” My voice is soft, but the others next to us can hear me.
“I’ll talk to him later,” Ike says.
“You’re welcome to go inside and take it in private,” Dad offers. “It’s not a problem.”
