Page 35 of Contentious

Carson shrugged, trying very hard not to relive the most exceptional kiss of his life. “I gave her a peck on the cheek.”

“You’re such a fool.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“No, really. I’m serious. A woman like that doesn’t come a-knockin’ every day, my friend. Don’t be sitting in a place like this someday looking back at your life and regretting what you let get away.”

“Do you have regrets about what you let get away?”

“Every fucking day. Your grandmother was the best damned thing to ever happen to me, and I was a fool. I neglected her to the point that she found someone else and left me in her dust. By the time I woke up, she was long gone. I never really got over losing her, if I’m being honest. But I took her for granted and got what was coming to me.”

“I’m sorry, Gramps.”

“Don’t be sorry for me. Be sorry for yourself if you let a good thing get away by being stupid or stubborn or so ethical you miss out or thinking you have to adhere to some stupid pledge you made to your siblings. Have you ever seen Julian happier than he is since he met Isla?”

“He’s lost his fucking mind.”

“No, my friend, he’s lost his fucking heart, and it’s the greatest thing that can happen in a lifetime. Trust me on that. When you’re ninety-four and living in an old folks’ home, you’re not going to be proud of yourself for keeping your promises to your siblings when you’re all by yourself having never experienced true love.”

“I don’t want anything to do with true love.”

“You say that because you’ve never had it. Once you’ve had it, you’ll do anything in this world to keep it, unless you’re an idiot like me and let it walk out the door as if it’s possible to find that same feeling anywhere when it isn’t. It absolutely isn’t.”

Carson had never heard his grandfather talk about how much he regretted the divorce with their grandmother. In fact, he’d rarely spoken of her at all that Carson could recall.

“I wish you kids had had one damned example of a functional marriage in your lives. Maybe you wouldn’t be so bitter and determined to stay single.”

“I’m not bitter.”

“The hell you aren’t. Your parents put you kids through hell, and it’s no wonder you’re out to avoid that fate for yourselves. But just know that by making that stupid vow, you’re setting yourself up to miss the best thing this life has to offer any of us. It would break my heart to see you miss out on that. It truly would.” Spencer laid down a book of aces. “I win. Again.”

“Why do I continue to show up for a weekly ass-kicking?”

His grandfather’s guffaw was the sound of joy to him. Carson loved making him laugh.

“I keep you humble, Mr. Hotshot Investigator.”

“That you do.” Carson tossed his remaining cards on the table and stretched. “Jules is playing with the band tonight. I might go catch the first set.”

“He told me you guys are pissed at him.”

“Not pissed so much as concerned.”

“He’s happier than a pig in shit.”

“I can see that.”

“Before you condemn him for breaking his promises to the rest of you, you ought to give it a whirl for yourself. Once you do, you’ll get why he said fuck it and went all in with her. He’s bringing her and her kids to meet me soon. Looking forward to that.”

“She seems like a nice person. It’s got nothing to do with her.”

“You think I don’t get why you feel the way you do? Of course I get it. But she makes him happy, and don’t we all deserve to be freaking happy? We only get this one rodeo, Carson. Don’t fuck it up and end up with regrets to go with the bitterness.”

Carson stood and leaned across the table to kiss his grandfather’s cheek. “Love you, even when you kick my ass.”

“Love you all the time, my boy.”

“I’ll bring you some In-N-Out lunch this weekend. We’ll sit outside.”