Page 50 of Pitcher Perfect

“But what about theirchild?” I realized I had too tight of a grip on his shoulder, so I relaxed my hold and swiped my thumb back and forth like a windshield wiper.

“I think my parents had a kid because it was the next logical step after getting married in those days, but I don’t think theyreallywanted one. Aunt Carolyn has hinted that my grandparents put a lot of pressure on all their kids to help populate the Earth.”

That was no excuse to abandon a child to the kindness of relatives.

“Eventually they just… left you with Tyler’s family?”

“Basically. My dad got a great job offer in New York to run a prestigious restaurant, so they asked Ty’s parents if I could stay with them for a while. My parents said they would rather I stay with family than go with them and be raised by a nanny. Not sure why my mom wouldn’t be around, but whatever.” He blew out a breath. “That turned into the rest of my childhood until I went off to college. I only lived with Ty’s family full-time for a few years, though.”

Long enough.

“Ty’s parents are better parents than mine ever could have been. I realize now that, despite all the pain, I’m lucky I was raised by Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Larry because I know my parents wouldn’t have been as good as them.” Austin tried for a brave smile. “Now I just have to suffer through occasional calls with my parents.”

Would it be weird to send Ty’s parents flowers? Probably.

He shifted to face me more fully. “I heard he might be doing a show in the PNW, but he hasn’t said a word to me about it. If he comes to Portland, he’ll probably text me the day of to invite me to dinner, knowing it’s likely too last minute for me to make it happen. He hasn’t even been to the brewery yet.”

One question burned on the tip of my tongue. My fingertips had extended their exploration and teased the skin where his shoulder met his neck. I decided to go for it. “What about the brewery? Did he ever offer to help? He has so many contac—”

“No.” Austin’s voice boomed in the quiet room. His shoulder tensed under my hand. “No,” he said more softly.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you needed him.”

The entire time Austin had been talking, he’d kept his attention on his lap, but he looked up at me in that moment with tears in the corners of his eyes.

“I will never ask my father for a single damn thing. I know if I did, we’d be set with the brewery. With one call, I could ask my dad to use his connections to get us featured in publications or have some celebrities visit and take selfies for their social media, putting us on the map. It kills me that I could so easily make things better for my friends and our business. Hell, I wouldn’t even need to do Portland Pairing if I would just get over myself and ask my dad for help.”

“He hasn’t offered?”

Austin shook his head and looked back down at his hands.

I wasn’t sure if it was because Henry was oblivious about helping his son or he wanted to make Austin jump through hoops. Both options were too shitty to imagine.

I stared in awe at the strong man in front of me. “Why should you have to punish yourself to give your business a leg up? Most business owners have to make it happen on their own. Just because you happen to know someone who could help doesn’t mean you should have to compromise yourself to make it happen. I don’t know the guys well, but I get the feeling they wouldn’t want you to do anything that puts the brewery above your well-being.They’reyour family.”

Austin reached up and placed his hand over mine on his shoulder. “Thank you for understanding.” He stared at me with his hypnotizing eyes.

The heat from his body cushioned my hand.How could I only be friends with that man?

Austin stared at me like I was some sort of magical creature. “Why are you so easy to talk to? I’ve talked to the guys about this to varying degrees but not really anyone else, not to this level of detail. The guy I dated while we were in the early stages of the brewery didn’t understand why I wouldn’t capitalize on his fame like some sort of emotional reparation for him being so shitty.”

“Good thing you got rid of that clown.”

He chuckled then placed his free hand on my thigh. “I don’t know what it is about you, but it’s like you have a battering ram that gets through every defensive wall I try to throw up. You should be running from my daddy issues instead of listening to me complain about them.”

“I don’t want to run from you, Austin. I want to pull you toward me.”

CHAPTER16

AUSTIN

My heart poundedas I stared into Caleb’s eyes. I had laid myself bare at his feet, and he hadn’t fled. I knew it was a terrible idea to kiss him again, but I needed the kind of comfort that commiserating over a beer couldn’t provide. I needed his comfort, neededhim. I dropped my hand from covering his and leaned forward, glancing at his mouth with intention.

He sucked in a breath but didn’t pull back.

“This okay?” I moved close enough for his quick breaths to fan my face.

“What is this, exactly?” His eyes shifted back and forth as he stared into each of mine.

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