Page 60 of Tempt Me

“Why exactly did you wait if you’ve been interested in Bella for so long? She’s carried a torch for you forever. If I’m being honest, I expected this to happen before she graduated from high school. Not that Kim and I aren’t glad you waited. Weweren’t looking to have grandchildren that soon.” His ears turn red. “We aren’t pushing you in that direction right now either.”

He flips on the blinker and eases into the turning lane. Silas’s office is across the street, and both their vehicles are in the lot. Emily was right. Brock is in the office today.

“Dad….” Ben chuckles. “You’re rambling.”

“Sorry,” he grumbles under his breath and pulls into an open spot by the front door.

“It’s fine. We’ve not discussed the future in that much detail, but I respect Bella, and she needs to finish school before we think about kids. And we’ll need a place to live on our own.”

“Damn straight, you will.” Sam unsnaps his seatbelt. “Except….” He looks up at me with horror in his eyes. “That means you’ll move. Bro, we agreed not to grow up and get married before thirty.”

“Exactly.” Ben follows Sam’s lead. “We can’t have your happily ever after breaking up the group.”

I shift sideways and face them. “So, you want us to live there?”

“Whoa.” Lee turns off the ignition, causing the pickup to rattle to a stop. “Living together?”

This trip has turned into a mess. How am I supposed to answer this? We’ve only briefly talked about living together. But I don’t want to say we won’t because I’d like to spend every second I can with her. My head spins. But if she doesn’t want to live together, I don’t want to piss them off unnecessarily.

I swipe my palms on my jeans. “Let’s table this conversation.”

“Good idea.” Ben snaps open the door, swings his legs out and drops to the pavement.

“You didn’t answer. Why did you wait to date my daughter?” Lee opens the door but doesn’t get out. “You’ve had her name plastered on your chest since she graduated high school.”

Heat floods over my face. So much for no one noticing.

“I didn’t think I was good enough for her. My mom is a cook at school, and my dad is a deadbeat asshole con, it’s not like I come with glowing references.” I open the door and climb out as everyone else joins Ben in the parking lot. The hot sun makes the scent of asphalt fill the air. It’s a smothering heat as summer clings to the last few days of September. “And Sam and Ben had made us promise not to date her.”

Lee’s shoulders are tight as he stands in front of his pickup. “I don’t want to hear any of that again. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

He shoves his hand into my back, launching me forward. “You’ve been a part of our family since day one. No one cares about your dad, and your mom is the best.”

“I get that now, but I let things get in my head.”

“Well, get it out.” Lee stops and watches as a patrol car eases into the parking lot and pulls in beside us. It’s Jake. We all went to school together, but he moved away for college and just returned a few weeks ago.

What’s he doing here? I glance around the parking lot. Everything appears to be in place. No broken windows or smashed fenders.

The door snaps open, and Jake unfolds himself from the seat. The monitor on the console is lit up, and the dispatcher is spouting some police lingo over the speaker. “Hey, guys.”

“Jake.” Ben nods.

Jake is in his uniform. Not a crease to be seen. His shoes are polished until they shine. Some people think that small-town cops are wannabe cops that couldn’t make it in the real world. But Jake isn’t that kind of guy. He’s smart, athletic, and easy to get along with, but just so happens to prefer living in a small community over the hustle and bustle of city police work.

“Emily called and said you needed backup.”

“Interesting.” Ben eyes Jake.

“Don’t read anything into it.” Jake frowns. “Emily still hates me.”

“Ah, too bad.” Ben slaps him on the back. “I don’t think we’ll need backup, but it’s good to have you here and back in town.”

Sam nods at our friend. “Are you coming to the scrimmage tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Jake grins. “That’s one of the main reasons I moved back to Brookhaven. That, and I prefer not getting shot at on a weekly basis.”

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