AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sighing, I pushed my glass away and looked at my father. “Dad, how do you think everyone is going to react when they meet Beck? I know I haven’t even known him for a full day, but I feel… I don’t know how I feel. Protective of him, maybe? His story broke my heart, and at first I was so excited for him to meet everyone, but now I’m worried.”
He frowned. “What are you worried about?”
Chewing on my lip, I said, “I don’t know. I know Grams and Grandpa, and they both have hearts of gold. No one in that family would ever turn Beck away, but…will he bring too many sad memories with him? Does that make sense? Will it cause Grams and Grandpa pain to meet Beck?”
My father reached out and took my hand in his. “I love that you’re worried about the impact Beck could have on the family, but I promise you, angel, he will bring more happiness than he does sadness. I’m sure he’s probably lying in bed right now, having the same thoughts. Wondering if he should have even come, or if he should have left well enough alone. That’s a hard call for anyone to make. But I know deep in my heart that if Stella and Ty had any idea Beck had a child out there, they would want to know him. Love him. Bring him into the family.”
I nodded. “How do you think Beck is going to handle it all?”
He laughed. “He’s going to be overwhelmed, there’s no doubt about it. But let’s look at you and Bradly. Have you ever felt anything other than loved when you’re with the Shaw gang?”
“No, not once. Even at Christmas, Grams and Grandpa always made sure Bradly and I had gifts like the rest of the grandkids. I just wonder if they’re going to feel sad when they see Beck, I guess.”
“Sure, they’ll be sad, especially since that boy looks so much like his daddy. It’s unreal, looking at him.”
“Well, I guess we’ll find out how things go tomorrow,” I said as I stood and took both of our glasses and rinsed them out in the sink before placing them in the dishwasher.
My father stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “You seem to be very invested in this, Avery.”
“It’s hard not to be, Dad. When I found out who he was, I was so shocked. I just decided right then and there I needed to help him.”
“I’m glad you did, and I’m sure there was a reason you were seated next to him on that plane. I just want you to remember a few things.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Beck lives in Texas. We don’t know how long he’ll be here…and he’s quite a bit older than you are.”
My mouth fell open as I stared at my father. “What are you trying to say?”
He shrugged. “I’m not saying anything.”
It was my turn to fold my arms over my chest. “Are you warning me off of him, Dad?”
Waving me off, he started out of the kitchen. “Don’t be silly. The second I did that, you’d want to date him.”
“I never said I wanted to date him. My gosh, I just met him!”
Before he turned the corner to head to his room, he looked at me and grinned. “Avery, I was young once, too, and trust me, the way he was looking at you, and you were looking at him… Well. I’ll just leave it at that.”
I started to say something, but he disappeared. I huffed. “I wasn’t looking at him in any way.”
The voice inside me let out a cackle of laughter as she said, Liar.
“You’re beautiful no matter how long you stare at yourself in the mirror.”
Looking up, I saw my mother’s reflection behind me. “You have to say that. You’re my mother.”
She walked in and leaned over to pick up one of the ten dresses I’d tried on and decided were a no for tonight’s dinner.
“Says the young woman who was walking runways in Paris.”
Smiling, I turned back to the mirror and looked at the blue dress I had on. It made my eyes pop even more than normal. “Does this dress look okay?”
She walked up and rested her chin on my shoulder. My mother was beautiful, and looked like she was in her early thirties, not her mid-forties. Her turquoise eyes matched mine, and her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. We looked like sisters.
“How do you not age?” I asked.
Laughing, she said, “Look closer. You’ll see the beginning signs of age. And that dress is stunning on you. Are we dressing to impress someone?”
I felt my cheeks heat. “No. Why would you say that?”
She shrugged and picked up another dress and placed it on the bed. “You don’t normally dress up when we go have dinner with family.”
