Page 27 of Falling for Him
I didn’t expect a reaction, but I had to speak the words.
“It’s about time you wake up and accept that.” I shift my gaze toward Adley who appears to be sleeping. Her eyes are still closed, but a huge smile is on her face.
“We all saw it coming, Bennett,” she confesses, finally peeking at me. “She deserves to be loved.”
“So do you,” I tell her with a wink and she shrugs her shoulder as if she isn’t quite convinced. “I never really had anyone to admire when it came to healthy relationships. My parents fought all day every day until they finally filed for divorce. You think that would have helped, but they somehow ended up fighting even more. I swear they did it in their sleep.”
I felt horrible for Adley. No kid should have to see or hear shit like that. My parents barely fought, because my dad couldn’t stand the sight of my mom upset. She won every battle, they never reached the war.
“To me, relationships aren’t meant to be all sweet and cozy. Seeing you and Lex, or Brant and Sutton, it’s all foreign to me. But I like to imagine that maybe one day I’ll find the kind of peace you all have.”
“You will.”
“I hope so Bennett, really I do. Because I’ve been at war with myself my entire life.”
She closes her eyes and a part of me breaks for Adley.
She deserves peace.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Bennett
“What are we doing?”Lexi asks as I lead her toward the deck. Her hand in mine, she climbs along the piles of dirt from the build until we reach a clearing.
Pointing ahead to the boat mounted at the side she wrinkles her brows. “Fishing?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, grabbing her wasit and moving her off the pile and closer. Her body now only inches away from mine I push back the hair from her face.
“What about working on the house?”
“We took the day off.” Shrugging I lean in, kiss the tip of her nose and she scrunches it up playfully. “Rather spend the day with you,” I confess, linking my fingers with hers, and continuing on toward the already stocked boat.
Recruiting Sutton to help stock gather everything we may have needed, I’ve got shit in there I never would have thought to bringon a fishing trip. Hand sanitizer, baby wipes, sunscreen, hair clips, mosquito repellant. I thought it was excessive, but who am I to question it.
I asked my mom to pack a cooler. I even found a way to mount a damn umbrella if Lexi needs some shade.
“Did you forget anything?” she asks with a smile looking around at everything.
“Nope. I have everything I need.” Offering her a wink, her cheeks redden as I take a seat and push off the dock. Using the oars I get us to the deeper parts and then throw in the anchor.
I watch her, seeing how comfortable she is in this setting. Relaxing back in the seat, her feet kick out. Baiting a hook, tossing the line and looking around watching and waiting for the tug on the other end, she is in her element.
More focused on her than actually fishing I am mesmerized by the smile on her lips.
“My grandpa used to take me fishing,” Lexi shares, reeling in her line just a little bit. “We’d spend hours in the boat going up and down the lake. My grandma hollering from the bank, telling us it was time to call it a night. He’d have the lake stocked, just to ensure I’d always have luck. Being the only grandchild, he didn’t get to share it with anyone else.”
I say nothing, only letting her tell her story. I already know he passed last summer and I don’t want to bring up anything that might upset her.
“I told my dad about Camryn last night,” she switches up and I hold off on casting out my own line, invested in where this conversation is about to go.
“I thought for sure he’d tell me I should be young and not tie myself up, but he surprised me.”
“Your dad isn’t going to question you Lex, hell that man is one hundred and ten percent in your corner. No matter what it is, I think he’s on your side. You could tell him you were shaving your head and choosing to live in a cave off the grid and he’d weave you a blanket.”
“I doubt that, but I know what you’re saying.”
“Let me guess, he asked when he gets to meet her?”
