Page 66 of Forever After All

Jess shivered and groaned. “I’m not afraid of a normal spider, but I don’t like that they’re sneaky. They never announce their presence!”

“You think a spider should give you a heads-up?” Linc asked with a wide grin.

“It would be polite. If they could talk,” Jess added.

Linc covered his face with his hand and laughed. “You’re killing me.”

“I am not!” Why would he say that?

“It’s a figure of speech. Not literal.”

“Oh, well don’t say things like that.” She’d never understand some of the things people said that didn’t have the same meaning as the actual words.

“Yes, ma’am.” His chuckles died, but commercials still played on the screen. “Between your recent date problems and Bethany’s exotic pet dealer, I’m glad I’m not worried about dating.”

Jess’s smile fell. He’d brought up his dating life. Now she had a free pass to talk about it. Wasn’t that how conversations worked? “You don’t want to date?”

He looked down and brushed at the knee of his jeans. “Nah. It’s not for me.”

“Why not?”

Linc shrugged, and she loved being this close to him. She could study every move and every expression. Maybe she’d figure out what made him so appealing.

“Just never thought I was the kind to settle down and have a family.”

“Why not?” Maybe if she kept asking that question, he’d keep talking. She could hang on to his every word and forget about the throbbing that was starting to build in the back of her head.

“It’s a long story,” he said, looking everywhere but at her.

“I’ve got time.”

Chapter19

Linc

Family. Yeah, he wasn’t the family type. In fact, he thought the whole concept of a group of people who shared blood and loved each other was a myth, until he saw Ava come to the ranch and go through so much in the name of family.

Ava was a special case. She wasn’t the norm. Most people wouldn’t have been nearly as forgiving as she was. Her mother had lied to her. The man she grew up calling dad was only kin to her by marriage. She spent her first summer at the ranch with her real dad without knowing it.

Linc couldn’t understand half of the lies Ava had believed her whole life. Thankfully, he didn’t have any false truths to debate.

“I don’t have a family. I can’t really be a good husband or dad when I don’t even know what that looks like.”

Jess rolled her eyes. “That’s not true. We see Mr. Chambers be a good dad to Linda every day, even after she was so horrible to him. And Colt and Remi are good parents to Ben and Abby when the kids aren’t even theirs.” The steady boldness in her voice said she truly believed it.

She was right. The people at the ranch knew how to do the whole family thing. Why did the thought of family still leave a sour taste in his mouth?

“I don’t know who my parents are or when they gave me up. For all I know, Child Services could have made the decision. I was a toddler when I started getting passed around in the foster system.”

Jess’s brows furrowed. “I don’t understand why anyone would give up their kid, or be mean to them, or not take care of them.”

Despite Jess’s terrible parents, she somehow ended up with a strong sense of responsibility and a kind heart. Most people would have used their upbringing as an excuse to live a selfish life. That’s exactly what Linc had done.

“You’re a rule follower. Your own parents were terrible to you, and you still think parents are supposed to be good to their kids.”

Jess shrugged. “Well, yeah. If you have a baby, you should love it and take care of it.”

Linc held up a finger and started ticking off reasons. “Some parents are young and ignorant. Some parents are selfish. Some are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some can’t afford to raise a kid. Need I go on?”

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