Page 58 of A Lot Like Forever
“Oh yeah, funny, ha-ha,” Chase grumbled. “My ass hurt so bad I couldn’t sit for a week, and I broke my arm.”
They settled down and Nate reached for his beer. “Heads up on the oil, just so you know. The whole area’s going to be permanently reserved now, looks like it’s finally all go.”
“No problem,” Chase said. “You handle the signage and fencing to keep it safe?”
“Sure will.” Nate settled back into his chair. “Now that that’s all settled, wanna play poker?”
“While the cat’s away the mice will play,” said Ryder with a mischievous grin.
“Oh yeah, we’re so bad these days,” Chase groaned.
Nate laughed, pleased that his brothers were happy. Compared to the havoc they used to wreak as a trio out on the town, they’d virtually turned into a bunch of old men. But Nate didn’t mind. When he hung out with his brothers now it was as family men, on the ranch or out for a few quiet beers, and it suited him just fine. When he traveled he partied, dined at the best restaurants, flew on their private jet. He had the best of both worlds. Just because he’d settled into something comfortable with Faith didn’t mean he wanted what his brothers had. He never had and nothing had changed.
ExceptFaith. Faith had changed him. He was lying if he tried to pretend that he didn’t care for her. But he couldn’t let her get closer to him, couldn’t crave the kind of home life that his brothers had, because that would be admitting that he could fall for her. And he wasn’t going to fall in love with anyone, couldn’t go through losing a woman he loved.
He gritted his teeth. Because what if he did and they had children and then he lost her? What if he turned into the same man his father had when he’d lost his wife? To hell with the fact that Nate didn’t think he was anything like him, because they were blood and he could end up repeating the same pattern that he’d suffered through himself. That wasn’t going to happen, which meant he had to keep Faith at arm’s length. Stop pretending like what they had could just keep on going like they were.
“Nate?”
He looked up, realized he’d shredded the label off his beer bottle. “Sorry, I was a million miles away.”
Chase chuckled. “Come on; stop thinking about the femme fatale living with you and get your head into the card game.”
Nate went to say something smart back, then shut his mouth. His brothers were only having fun with him; the last thing they needed was for him to snap their heads off just because he was all messed up over Faith. Instead he downed his beer and reached for the cards he’d been dealt.
“I think we should switch to whiskey,” he said.
Chase shrugged. “You guys do what you like. I’m just having a few beers in case the kids need us. One of us needs to stay sober.”
Ryder nodded and Nate rose to find the Jack Daniel’s. “Nice to have a night just the three of us without Chloe here to kick our butts at poker.”
“I’d tell you off for talking smack about my wife, except for the fact you’re abso-fucking-lutely right.”
They all settled down around the table to play.
“Let’s go, boys,” Nate muttered. “Fast game’s a good game.” And it was also the only way he was going to be able to keep his mind off Faith.
