Page 15 of Worth the Risk

“Let me help with that.” I walk to Drew and take hold of his tie, and I can tell he is visibly nervous. Willingly he lets me take over, which is a surprise since he’s more stubborn and independent normally. “Thanks for inviting the Arrows clan. My sister picked up my parents, and April will be here soon, she texted me from the car.”

“You don’t need to thank me. They’re…”

We both raise a brow at one another and move past words. It’s hard to say family when Drew has only met them a few times. Drew only came into my life a year ago when by chance I discovered an old high school fling had a baby. She’s no longer in either of our lives, but it doesn’t matter, as I ended up with the winning ticket. My son is the best, and we’ve grown close.

“And also, my neighbor and a few of the football guys,” I add.

Drew shrugs a shoulder like it’s nothing.

This tie is a pain in the ass; even I am struggling, but I won’t relent, I have to get this right for his big day. “This will probably be one of the biggest days in your life, until one day you have a kid.”

“Geez, no pressure or anything.”

I snort a laugh. “That was a bad intro for my father-of-the-groom talk, wasn’t it?”

“I mean… it was average.” He smirks.

I take a deep breath. “Okay, let me try again. The moment I met you, I was lucky, not only that you are my son but that you have people in your life who care, and one of those people is Lucy. I’ve never known you without her in your life, and I feel like she is a part of you, and you do too. So today, you become her husband, and you’ll probably make me a grandfather when I’m far too young and handsome to be one, but I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

“Not even for a first-draft pick?”

I laugh. “No football talk here.”

Holding the tie up, I assure him, “Come on, let’s be honest. A tie isn’t you, and Lucy won’t mind if we ditch this thing. Your shirt under the blazer is fancy enough.”

Drew contemplates and tips his head to the side. “Damn it, you’re right.”

I throw the tie to the side. “Points for effort, as I know you want to give her the perfect wedding.”

We both walk to the room’s small sitting area. Drew sits down, but I grab two bottles of water from the side and hand him one.

“You’re going to be someone’s husband,” I point out the obvious.

He twists the cap off and looks at me. “I thought our sentimental talk was done.”

I kick my feet up and land them on the coffee table. “Let the father of the groom go all in on this conversation, okay?” I smile to myself.

“Go on then.”

“As much as I hate it, since I only just found you, but your wife is now number one. You love her like crazy and can’t explain why you can’t get enough of her. Every day you want to discover something little that is new and enjoy the things that remind you of why you love her. You are never ever to forget when she asks you to pick up something from the grocery store, and you gotta keep it exciting, I’ll let your imagination run wild there.”

Drew shakes his head. “And that’s the cue to wrap up this conversation.”

Probably for the best because my speech is running on instinct and what I assume it would be like.

I feel my phone vibrating in my inner breast pocket. Pulling it out, I check to see if it’s Catherine, as she was driving my parents here. An unknown number.

“You can take that. We still have time to kill before I head downstairs.”

I bring the phone to my ear. “I’ll be quick. It could be my sister since sometimes her number comes up as unknown when she calls from the car.” Drew nods, and I hit accept. “Hello.”

“Hudson. Hi.”

Her voice immediately causes me to straighten up to full attention, with my feet sliding off the table because I need the ground to stabilize me during this surprise. “Piper.” My tone is steady, thank God.

Drew gives me a peculiar look with a hint of curiosity.

“Yeah… sorry, is this a bad time?” She continues.

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