Page 38 of What About Us
It’s pathetic, I know, but when I talked to Wren earlier, she said she’d be here helping Hank. So, I thought, why the hell not? Duke and Emily love me, and Wren is my other best friend. So, if I try hard, I can justify it.
I hated the thought of going home to an empty house and wallowing like the lonely, single loser I feel like. Instead, after I’d finished up at Timber Haven for the day, I turned my car in the opposite direction from home. Within a couple of minutes, I pulled down the long drive to the ranch.
When I put my car into park next to Wren’s Chevy, I promise myself I’ll keep my distance from the little playdate. I don’t want to seem like a complete stalker keeping tabs on my best friend.
In a perfect world, where he isn’t my only person, we’d make sense. Obviously, he’s attractive. Even though it’s a nice thought, I can’t let myself go there. Still, knowing that doesn’t keep my eyes from scanning the field next to the house just to see if I can catch a glimpse of him. It’s stupid,really. I mean, I literally see him every day. My eyes have always sought him out over everyone else in a room, but ever since Christmas, it’s been for an entirely different reason.
I made the mistake of letting my imagination run wild after our movie in the park, and I laid awake for three hours last night, wondering what Hudson truly thought about Erin. She’s pretty and blond—two things Hudson seems to look for in a woman, given who he’s married and dated. And she’s smart. He said today isn’t a date, but Erin is totally his type, and that rubs me the wrong way.
For so long, Hudson has been mine. My best friend. I haven’t had to share him with his cold, heartless ex-wife in two years, or worry about him splitting his time between me and someone else. But it hurts that he’s only been back just over a week, and he’s already hanging out with someone else. I try not to think about the fact that I wouldn’t give one shit if she was one of his siblings, or even one of the guys from the softball team.
I drag my mopey ass up the stairs to the giant wraparound porch. Before I can pull open the screen, I hear laughter spilling out through the open door. Just like all of her children, Emily Hayes’s laugh carries.
The Hayes bunch has always been rowdy, fun-loving, and tight-knit. Knowing that Hudson is here with another woman, and that Wren will soon be a permanent part of the family when she marries Hank, makes me feel like an outsider on this ranch for the first time in my life. The sudden thought of Hudson potentially marrying Erin, sharing a bed with him or watching her take care of Paige when she’s sick makes me nauseous. I’m being completely ridiculous, and logically, I know that, but I can’t help it.
With my hand on the screen door handle, I hesitate, wondering if I should knock instead of walking in like I normally would. Thankfully, I don’t have time to dwell on it because Duke’s boom of a voice greets me as he comes into the entryway from the short hallway. A grin splits his face when he sees me standing on the porch.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite honorary daughter!” He throws open the screen door and pulls me into a giant bear hug.
At just over seventy, Duke Hayes—or Pop, as we all call him—is a mountain of a man. He’s about Hudson’s height, with broad shoulders and graying hair. Even though he’s got a small paunch—which he blames on Emily’s love of baking and his even bigger love of indulging—he’s still pretty spry. Admittedly, he has slowed down since his back injury a handful of years ago, but he still rides his horse, Blackjack, several times a week and fishes all summer long with a group of his buddies.
“Hey, Pop,” I say with a big grin. My nerves melt away as I wrap my arms around his middle. The man has been like a father to me since I started hanging out with Hudson as a teenager.
“How’re you doing, kiddo?” he asks, stepping back to take both of my hands in his. He gives them an affectionate squeeze.
“I’m great.”
“Glad to hear it.” He nods toward the yard, the barn, and fields beyond it. “Hudson’s out in the ring if you’re looking for him.”
I glance that way, and I’m glad the barn blocks any view I’d have from here. “I’m actually here to see Wren.”
He nods and smiles. “Well, as I’m sure you can hear, she’s in the kitchen with Emily. Head on back,” he says, releasing my hands.
“Thanks.”
With that, Pop grabs his hat from the hook just inside the door and plops it on his head. With a wink, he’s gone, the screen door slapping closed behind him.
I head down the hallway, and when I step into the kitchen, Wren is rinsing something in a colander at the sink, and Emily has just finished wiping the table down. A roll of butcher paper, white tape, and a Sharpie sit on the counter, as well as ten or so tightly wrapped packages, most likely some kind ofmeat.
“Finnley!” Emily says when she sees me. With a smile, she comes to pull me into a hug.
“Hey, Finn,” Wren calls over her shoulder, before shutting off the tap and giving the colander a couple of good shakes.
“I’ve got some laundry to switch out, but you get yourself something to drink and sit,” Emily says, brightly, ever the perfect hostess.
I watch her go and then turn back to Wren, crossing over to the sink. I wrap my arm around her back, resting my head against her shoulder to give her a squeeze. She presses a kiss to the side of my head, her hands clearly occupied.
My gaze drops and I scrunch up my nose at the sight of the gigantic bowl of bull testicles occupying half the large farmhouse sink.
“God, your job is weird,” I say with thinly veiled disgust.
She chuckles. “Not a fan of bull nuts?” Laughter sparkles in her eyes.
I shudder and scrunch up my face. “I’m surprised the girl who doesn’t like slimy noodles isn’t squeamish about handling all those little suckers. Especially while pregnant.”
She shrugs, completely unbothered. “You get used to it.”
I pour myself a cup of coffee, even though it’s nearing dinner time, then take a seat at the counter. Wren’s been helping out at the ranch since she moved back, and though she doesn’t do as much manual labor since getting pregnant with the twins, she does not shy away from even the dirtiest of jobs. In this case, washing bull testicles.
