Page 26 of I Found You
“That’s right,” I told him. “It’s times like this I miss having Lydia home.” My thoughts jumped to Maeve. Visions of her at my father’s table, surrounded by my family, a sparkle in her eyes. I would bet everything in this garage that she would love it. As far as I knew, she’d never had that. She’d already told me she never had that with her mom, but that didn’t mean she didn’t get that loving family environment with a previous boyfriend. During all of our conversations, she’d never once mentioned a boyfriend, past or present. Although, I thought I would know if she had a present commitment. “Actually, I’ll see if a friend of mine wants to join.”
“Is this friend of the female variety?”
“Yeah, Dad. But just a friend. I just think she might like a family dinner and a home-cooked meal she didn’t have to make herself.”
After talking to my father for a bit longer, mostly about his sore knees and the fact that he most definitely was not suffering from hearing loss (he absolutely was), we ended the call, and I sent quick texts to my brothers to let them know about the dinner.
A voice from the side of the room startled me. I completely forgot I wasn’t alone today.
“She would, you know. Like all that family shit,” Jackson said quietly.
I nodded at him, thinking the same thing.
“Good to know. Alright, back to work.”
“I don’t work for you,” Jackson laughed.
A car pulled up to the garage, and a minute later, the door was flung open, two kids strolling in.
“Jackson!” one kid yelled, followed by Sam. “Let’s check this thing out!” Why was he bellowing everything he said? The kid could stand to take it down at least three notches.
Jackson met them halfway, giving them both daps. New kid immediately started touching all of the tools. My gaze tracked them from the corner of my eye.
“Put that down,” Jackson hissed.
Jackson started telling them about the truck and some of the work that it would take to get it running. I could hear him reciting what I told him earlier, and it made my lips pull up in a smirk. He paid attention, at least.
He wasn’t halfway through when the other kid interrupted him.
“Yeah, it’s dope. Speaking of dope though, let’s get out of here.”
His two friends made their way out the door while Jackson came over to me.
“My ride’s here, so I’m taking off,” he said, looking over his shoulder at the door. “But thanks for your help today.”
“Anytime. I’ll be in tomorrow around 7:00 a.m. if you want to come by to work on her.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Jackson that hisfriends were dipshits, but I held back. I know I wouldn’t have appreciated that comment when I was nineteen, especially from someone I barely knew. So I let it go, for now.
11
Maeve
“Who’s the prettiest girl in the whole wide world?” I asked Jane. She chewed on her fingers, getting drool all over them. I grabbed a clean dishrag off the counter and wiped them down. She was just going to put them right back in her mouth, but at least I tried. “You are!”
She was strapped to my chest in the front carrier Wyatt had bought while I did the dishes. It didn’t leave me much room to reach, but I was making it work. The rumble of Wyatt’s truck sounded out front, and I immediately got butterflies in my belly.
Calm down, Maeve.
I wiped my hands on the dishrag and looked down at my dress. I had thrown on a basic summer sundress earlier. It wasn’t my most flattering dress. Maybe I could change really fast. No, that was dumb.He isn’t here for you, Maeve. He doesn’t care what you’re wearing.Plus, I didn’t really have time to change. He knocked on my door a second later.
“Hey,” I said, opening the door for him.
His smile lit up his face, and he reached out to brush Jane’shead.
“Hey. Did you already make yourself dinner? I know I’m a little later than usual.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. “Not yet, but I can whip something together if you’re hungry.”
