Page 89 of Stealing Home

He holds his hand out toward me, then pauses, realizing he hadn’t asked my name yet. Scott jumps in, “This is my girlfriend, Harlow Pierce.”

“Did I hear Aiden say that you’re moving to Seattle with Scott and have a degree in finance?” Beckett asks me.

I nod, but I don’t get a chance to elaborate before Aiden is asking more questions. “You’ve already discussed the future then? So what was the point in having us meet her if your mind was already made up?” he asks Scott.

The muscle in Scott’s jaw ticks. “Because she’s important to me, and I stupidly thought my family might like to know the woman I fully intend to marry, and soon.”

“She’s too old for you,” Aiden presses. Not that he hasn’t already been clear about his opinion.

When no one says anything, he looks around. “Someone back me up here. She’s thirteen years older than him.”

Beckett holds his hands up and takes a step back. “I can’t help here. I’m fifteen years older than Evie, and she’s my best friend, Colter’s, daughter.”

“Don’t forget Colter is married to her best friend, and he’s what, twelve years older than his wife?” Jeremy adds, clearly enjoying stirring the pot.

“But that’s different—” he begins, but Becca comes over and cuts him off.

“I swear to god, Aiden, if you say it’s different because their wives are younger I’m going to be really pissed off.”

“I was going to say because they’re all adults,” he grumbles.

Jeremy puts his hand on his shoulder and squeezes. “Scott isn’t a kid anymore, Aid. He’s twenty-one. You’re not helping yourself by digging your heels in.”

Beckett digs a card from his wallet and hands it to me. “My email is on there. Send me your resume and we’ll chat.”

“Thank you,” I say, and look for where to put it.

Scott takes it and slips it into his wallet. “She’ll email you as soon as we’re back in Centralia,” he promises Beckett.

“Jeremy, we’re going to take off. Evie doesn’t like leaving the baby for very long, even if her dad loves spending time with his granddaughter.”

A fancy car pulls in the driveway and they practically rush to leave.

“Thanks a lot, dad. That wasn’t humiliating or anything. I can’t believe you thought that was a great conversation to start in front of my new boss. And making me look like a child, gold-star effort.” Scott slow claps.

Digging into his pocket, he pulls out the keys and hands them to his mom. “Here’s your car keys. We’re going to go back to the hotel. Suddenly I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Scott, wait, your sister hasn’t even gotten here yet,” Becca tries to convince him to stay.

“I thought she was riding down with Jeremy. I can’t be here anymore. I’m sorry mom.” He bends down and kisses her on the cheek.

Scott takes my hand, and I nearly have to run to keep up with him as he heads towards the front of the house. I’m not sure why he’s in such a rush since we no longer have a car to drive out of here. “We should have rented a car,” he grumbles.

Footsteps behind us alert us that we’re being followed to the front. I hope it’s only his mom, because like Scott, I’ve had enough of his dad too. A car turns into the driveway too fast, throwing rocks and dust behind it.

We step on to the lawn to avoid being hit by rocks. The car comes to a stop behind his mom’s car, making me glad we gave up the keys. The last thing we need is to be stuck here.

The driver’s door opens, and a pretty girl who is almost a carbon copy of Becca Ryan steps out.

“I take it that is your sister,” I say to him. He doesn’t respond. I know it’s been a while since he last saw his sister, but I realize quickly he isn’t looking at her, but rather the woman sitting on the passenger side of the car.

His entire body has gone stiff, and judging by how still he is, I think he’s holding his breath. I don’t need him to say a word to know who that is. Why she’s here is a mystery, but I know without a doubt, I’m looking at his ex-girlfriend. The one who messed him up so badly he earned the nickname “the hookup king.”

I let go of his hand and he doesn’t notice. He’s frozen staring at the one woman who shook him completely. The one he had planned a forever with before me. I held firm when his dad was insulting me, practically calling me a gold-digging predator. Well, maybe not the gold-digger part, but c’mon, all that interest in my job? Yeah, he was thinking it at least.

Not for a second do I think it’s an accident his sister shows up with his ex-girlfriend on the weekend Scott brought me home to meet his family. I promised him I wouldn’t run away again, but I’m not going to stand here and be disrespected like this either.

So I won’t run, but I will walk away from this day. It’s up to him if he follows me or not.

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