Page 109 of Before You Can Blink
“Can’t wait to hear the rest,” I muttered.
“I’m keepin’ Penny on the road with me.”
That pulled a bitter laugh from my chest. “Well, aren’t you a big man now, doing the telling instead of asking?”
“I’ve been grown for a long time now,” he snapped before adding under his breath, “Not that you’ve bothered to notice.”
“You act like a child, and you can bet your ass I’ll treat you like one, so don’t get smart with me, boy.”
A low growl sounded in my ear. “Listen. I didn’t call for a lecture.”
I snorted. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“Just do me a favor and let Wade and Caroline know she’s safe. If you feel compelled, you can share with them that she’s mine—legally, and in every other way that matters—but I’d prefer that information go no further than her folks. At least until we make it back.”
“And when exactly do you think that will be?” I pressed.
Tripp let out a non-committal hum. “Could be end of the season, could be sooner. Gonna play it by ear.”
“I’ll be sure to sit here waiting with bated breath.” Sarcasm dripped from every word.
“Whatever,” he said on a heavy exhale before the line went dead without so much as a goodbye.
“Can’t believe that little shit hung up on me.” I shook my head in disbelief, staring at my phone, the screen having gone dark with the call ended.
Daisy failed to hold back her laughter beside me. “Now I know for sure it was Tripp.”
“He goes out of his way to take the hard road, time and time again. And I’m sitting over here stumped, trying to figure out why.”
My wife eased the phone out of my hand, setting it down on the table, before she tugged me into the living room and urged me to sit on the couch. I dropped onto the cushions heavily with a groan. Joining me, she curled into my side, her head coming to rest on my shoulder.
“All right, why don’t you tell me what he did this time that’s got you all twisted up,” Daisy coaxed gently.
In her mind, our son could do no wrong, so my frustration with him was always seen as an overreaction. And I had a feeling today’s drama would be no exception.
Clearing my throat, I shared Tripp’s big news. “He and Penny went and got themselves hitched.”
She reared back before smacking my arm. “Don’t tease me like that, Jett.”
Ha! If only I were.
I dragged a hand over my stubble. “While it is unbelievable—considering she was set to marry another man only yesterday—I don’t see any reason why Tripp would lie about something like this.”
Daisy’s mouth dropped open as her eyes grew wide. “Tripp—ourTripp—and Penny Atkins are married? For real?”
“Suppose she’s Penny Sullivan now,” I muttered in confirmation.
She cocked her head at my annoyance. “And you’re not happy about this because . . .”
I leveled her with a glare. “Really? You have to ask?”
“Yeah, I think I do, considering they’ve been in love their entire lives. We always prayed—well, we hoped—it would come to this.”
Throwing my arms in the air, I shouted, “How the hell is he going to manage taking care of a wife when he can barely take care of himself?”
My wife cupped a hand beside her ear. “Do you hear that? It’s the pot calling the kettle black.” I grumbled in annoyance, but she kept going, pointing out my hypocrisy in detail. “If memory serves, you were far younger than he is now and not in any position, financially or otherwise, to care for a wife when we got married, but that didn’t stop us.”
“You’re proving my point, Daze. It tookyearsto set aside my selfish ways, and even when I did, we struggled for a really long time, in case you’ve forgotten.”
