Page 45 of Say I'm Yours
“They all suck.”
“No, they don’t. You’re stuck on the same five movies. It’s time to broaden your horizons.”
Cooper leans in, kisses my cheek, and then walks toward the door. “I’ve got a lot of work to do on that tractor. You’ve got some food to make.” He grins. “Get to it, woman.”
My hands brace the edge of the barn door and my temple rests against my knuckles as I watch him walk toward the tractor. I almost think he’s going to leave without looking back, but then he turns and smiles.
“Hey, Grace?” Cooper questions. “This may not be a date, but don’t be surprised if I bring flowers again.”
He seems persistent about doing this, and honestly, I’ve warned him all I can. Emily is right, he’s a big boy and isn’t going into this blind.
I lift my head and muster my courage. “Be there by eight.”
“I have the perfect movie,” he yells back.
“Which is?”
“Not tellin’. I’ll see you tonight!”
Cooper waves once before he disappears. Dinner at my house, no chance of tires exploding, and just two old friends sharing a meal.
What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 10
Trent
“Dad, stop.” I swat at his hand as he tries to fix the line on my rod. I’ve been fishing since I was three, and he still treats me like an idiot. Today is not the day to fuck with me. I’m in no mood. We’ve been out here for hours, and I still haven’t caught a damn thing.
“Does Daddy need to fix your line again?” Wyatt tries to piss me off, which happens often.
I flip him off and go back to adjusting the fly.
“Trent has always been a little special,” Zach starts in. “Has he ever won?”
“I won twice, thanks . . . asshole.”
Not that it’s all that much of a competition to catch fish in this lake since we stock it every year specifically for the Hennington fish off. It doesn’t mean I don’t absolutely dread this day, though. Sure, Zach and Wyatt have won at least ten times each, but that’s because they’re losers who fish every day. I would much rather be shooting or working out. I’d love to see one of them try to compete in a shoot off. They’d both lose.
“Ohhh,” Wyatt says while laughing. “Twice.”
“Enough!” My father puts a stop to our bickering. “You three are still as annoying as when you were teenagers.”
All three of us look at each other and shrug. We’re all close in age, stubborn, a little dense, and yet there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them. My brothers are everything to me. When Wyatt lost his shit last year, I was at his house every day. When Zach got hurt, I flew out to California to get him home. Being back in town together is all I could ask for.
Family is the only thing that matters. And Grace, but she let me know where I stand.
“How’s work, son?” My father asks.
“I’m hiring another deputy. This way I can work a little less.” I finally got the approval last week.
“And how are things goin’ with gettin’ Grace back?”
“It’s not. It’s done.”
“He got his head out of his ass a little too late,” Zach tosses another insult.
Dad clears his throat. “Don’t waste time, Trent. If you don’t cherish every second with that woman, you’ll regret it. Trust me on this, if you want her, you need to prove that to her.”
