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“So…you like plants.”
Laughing, I nodded. “I do, indeed. When I was younger, I remember helping my grandmother in her garden. She would tell me what we were planting, then tell me a story around that plant.” I smiled to myself. “I loved those times I got to spend with her.”
“Is she still here?”
“Oh yeah, but now she travels with her husband. She remarried. She and my grandfather got divorced I think after Bradly was born. He died a few years later.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t know him, but I know it was hard on my mother and uncle. They had a rough relationship with him, from what I’ve gathered through the years of hearing them talk about him.” I turned and looked at Beck. “What do you want to ask me about the Shaws?”
He blew out a long breath. “Wow. I’m not sure. I don’t even know where to begin. What about my dad’s parents?”
Grinning, I nodded. “Stella and Ty Senior. They truly are like my own grandparents. They’ve never treated me and Bradly any different from their own grandkids.”
“Do you spend a lot of time on their ranch?”
“Oh yeah, growing up we were there all the time. I think we spent more time there than at our own house,” I said with a laugh. “Every week, there’s a family game night. They’ve done it for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it’s a blast, other times…well…this past Christmas we had to play dominoes.” I shivered. “A storm blew in, thankfully, so that ended that. We also do family game night on Christmas. It was at my parents’ house this year. It’s normally at Brock and Lincoln’s house. Brock is the second to oldest.”
He nodded.
“Do you know anything about them?” I didn’t want to make him feel like I was dominating the conversation, and wanted to give him a chance to tell me what he knew about these people I called my family.
“Not really. I looked up my dad’s name and saw the ranch. I clicked on the About page and started to read it, but then stopped. I’m not sure why.”
“Well, your grandmother and grandfather are two of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet. They love their family fiercely, and there isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for them. From what my father told me, Stella didn’t talk about Beck, your dad, for the longest time. It was too painful for her. But then Aunt Lincoln moved to Hamilton from Georgia, and moved into Uncle Brock’s old house. They fell in love, and I think Lincoln really asked a lot of questions about Beck and got Grams, I mean Stella, talking about him more.”
He looked at me and smiled before focusing back on the road. “You can call her Grams, Avery.”
“It feels weird to call her that in front of you. She’s really your grandmother, not mine.”
With a shake of his head, he said, “Blood doesn’t make you family. Love does.”
I thought about his words and realized that what he said was exactly what I’ve been telling him since we met a few hours ago. “You’re right. Well, anyway, once Aunt Lincoln and Aunt Kaylee showed up on the ranch, things changed, and everyone began talking more and more about your father. I’ve heard a few stories about him as well.”
“Really? You’ll have to share them with me.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “I’d love to.”
“Okay, give me the rundown of the family, from oldest to youngest and all the in-between.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Okay, let me think about this. That family is growing fast!”
Beck laughed. “Maybe we should wait and let me write it all down.”
“Oh,” I said as I waved my hand. “I’ll write it down for you later and give it to you to take back to your hotel and study.”
“You’re sure your parents won’t mind me showing up unannounced?”
“Positive—and they’re expecting you. I told them I was bringing someone home.”
He looked at me, his brows raised. “You really do like surprises, don’t you?”
I smiled. “I do. Now, the Shaw family tree. Of course, you have Stella and Ty Senior. Then you have Ty Junior. He used to ride bulls for a living until he was injured and had to give it up. He started working on the ranch while Brock started making a name for himself in the professional bull-riding world. Ty Junior married Kaylee, who’s Lincoln’s best friend. Their story is for another day. But Ty and Kaylee had two kids, Rose and Josh. Rose is married to Bryson Robinson, who was a professional baseball player.”
“Wait, didn’t he play for Seattle?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Okay, that’s badass.”
I laughed. “It is! Rose is pregnant with her first baby, and it’s due in July.”
He smiled but kept his eyes on the road.
“Okay, back to Brock. His first wife died when she gave birth to Blayze, who’s two years older than you. He’s twenty-nine and will be thirty on September fifth. When’s your birthday?”
