Page 25 of When We Were Reckless
I raised my brows, skeptical, but he ignored it.
“I’d like to spend more time with you before you head to college. Just hanging out. As friends,” he added, emphasizing friends.
I considered his words. Maybe we could make this work. Maybe we really could be friends. “Hanging out and doing what?”
“You were always asking for a ride on my motorcycle… Still interested?”
My eyes widened, and I clapped my hands together. Jesse laughed. I probably looked like a kid, but at this point, I didn’t care anymore. “You’ll take me on the back of your bike? Really?”
“Mmhmm. You just have to promise to hold on tight. If anything happened to you, your brothers would kill me. And I’d never forgive myself.”
“I don’t want your guilt on my hands. Or my brothers’ wrath. I promise I’ll hold on tight.” Like that was such a hardship.
“How’s tomorrow?”
The brewing company was closed on Mondays, so I had the day free. But I tried to hide my excitement at the thought of spending the day with Jesse.
I gave him a casual little shrug and kept my tone breezy. He didn’t need to know that my stomach was doing somersaults. “Tomorrow works for me.”
Chapter Ten
Jesse
“You’re late,”my dad grumbled when I stepped onto the back porch of our stone and timber farmhouse and joined my family. They were already seated at the long oak table, casserole dishes filled with Cajun food down the middle of it, and by the looks of it, halfway done with dinner.
I put my hands on my mom’s shoulders and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “Sorry I’m late.”
She patted my hand. “I’m just happy you’re here.”
I greeted my family—my dad at the opposite end of the table, Jude and Lila across from Brody and Shiloh—and got a chorus of hellos. The newest addition to our family, my niece, Gracie, was in Jude’s arms, her head resting on his shoulder while he ate with his free hand. She was four months old with silky, dark hair and rosy cheeks. So fucking cute and tiny.
“She’s asleep, Jude,” Lila stood from the table and reached for her daughter. “Let me put her in her—”
“I’m good.” He put his hand on Lila’s shoulder and pushed her back down in her seat. “Eat your dinner. My baby girl’s happy right where she is.”
Lila rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the smile on her face. We all grew up together, and I’d always considered Lila to be the older sister I’d never had. Still pretty with long dark hair and big green eyes. “Someday, you’ll have to let her go.”
“Never.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You love me anyway.”
Jude and Lila had the kind of love I’d always wanted for myself. The type of love that transcended time, that rose above every obstacle and grew stronger and deeper with each passing year.
“Hi, Uncle Jesse,” Noah yelled as I circled the table to take my seat.
My nephew was in the backyard chasing his two-year-old brother, Levi. “Hey, buddy. How’s it going?”
“Good.” He bobbed his head and pushed his sweaty dirty-blond hair off his forehead. He looked so much like Brody there was no doubt the kid was his son. I had no idea how Brody, Jude, and Lila had moved on from that betrayal, but they’d found a way. “I’m babysitting. I get a dollar an hour. So I’m gonna be rich real soon.”
“You sure are. I might have to borrow money from you.”
“Oh. Okay.” His brow furrowed. “I’ll have to charge interest, though. Uncle Gideon said you never justgivesomeone money. You have to make a profit.” He shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands as if to say,I didn’t make the rules.
We all laughed at that one. My brother Gideon was a venture capitalist and lived in New York City. Money was the only god he worshipped, so his advice to my seven-year-old nephew didn’t surprise me.
Noting that Ridge was absent from the family dinner, I took the empty seat next to Shiloh. It still blew my mind that Brody not only had a girlfriend but that his girlfriend was Shiloh Leroux, the rock star.
