Page 45 of Moving Forward

“Someday, maybe,” I answer.

Andrew shifts uneasily from one foot to the other. I flip one of the burgers, then another. After a few minutes of us just watching the burgers cook, he clears his throat. I fight back a cringe. That’s got to mean he’s going to say something serious. Meaning I’ll actually have to contribute more to the conversation. Time to prepare for an incoming train wreck.

He reaches for the glass of water sitting on the table beside the grill and takes a long gulp, giving himself more time. Once he’s swallowed, he sets the glass back down and turns to me. “You and my daughter—more than just friends, I assume?”

“Yeah,” I say hesitantly.

“We’re being watched.” He peers up at the kitchen window. I follow his gaze and nearly jump back. Max’s grandpa is staring at us, his eyes slit like he’s hunting prey. Fucking hell. I quickly turn my attention back to the burgers. “Don’t let Jack get to you. He’s protective of the people he loves. Just don’t do anything to get on his bad side, and you’ll be fine.”

Something tells me everyone starts out on the bad side. “Does the man have a good side?”

“I’ll let you know when I find it,” he tells me, half serious.

I flip more burgers and decide it’s my turn to clear my throat. “Max and I—I don’t think either of us know what we are yet. Whatever it is, it’s just starting. But I already care about her a lot.” Quietly, I add, “She’s the best woman I’ve ever met.”

“Glad to know we raised her right.” He guzzles the rest of his water like it’s hard liquor. “She’s been through too much heartbreak for anyone her age. Wish I could absorb it all and carry it myself. She should be planning a wedding of her own and thinking about her future. Instead, she’s been stuck. But today something’s different. She seems a lot happier than I’ve seen her in a long time.”

“She’s been good for me too.”

“You’ve been through your own heartbreak, haven’t you?”

“Unfortunately,” I admit.

“At least you have an understanding of one another.”

I work my jaw, prepping myself to ask my question. “Ethan—he was good to her?”

“He was,” Andrew says, but there’s uncertainty in his tone. “He loved her just as much, if not more, than Opie and I could’ve hoped for. We did have our reservations at first. His first impression wasn’t great, and he was immature and a flirt. Then there was a time when he must’ve done something to hurt her because she wouldn’t stop crying, but after that, things got better. He proved himself. Eventually he asked me for permission to marry her, and by then he was family.”

She must have been crying because Ethan had cheated on her, and I guess she never told her parents about it. If she had, I doubt they would’ve changed their opinion of him. Family doesn’t forgive that sort of thing. Case in point: Ellie.

“It’s a shame. A young, good man like Ethan . . .” he trails off, choking up.

“At least Max had the time with him that she did,” I say from experience.

He lays a hand on my shoulder in silent agreement.

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