Page 81 of When We Were Us
I let out a laugh. “No, sweetheart, I do not have a swear jar.”
She considers this for a second and points to her dad. “Ours is completely full of quarters and some dollar bills. Daddy has a potty mouth too,” she says with a smile.
I cut a glance at Hudson, and he rocks back on his heels. “I learned it from Uncle Hank.”
I roll my eyes and look down at Paige. “Did you teach Uncle Hutch, too?” she asks, her eyes wide and serious.
We both laugh. Our younger brother needs no help in that department.
“Do you have a jar? We could start one right now if you want?” She climbs to her feet, all talk of mantises forgotten.
I take the hand she offers me and crouch down in front of her, while smirking up at my brother. “I’ll tell you what, kiddo. I’ll keep track of all my swears, and Uncle Hutch’s, too. Then, I’ll tell your dad, and he can put some money in your jar when you guys get back home.”
“Yes! I'm gonna be rich!” She swings a fist pump in the air and skips away. “Come on, Tuck. Let's go find some more bugs!”
Hudson chokes on a laugh. “Dude, what the hell? You’re gonna bankrupt me!”
I burst out laughing. “Turnabout is fair play, brother.”
We walk back to the cabin. Hudson nudges me with his elbow as we climb the steps and settle back into our chairs. “So, you gonna tell me what happened with Wren? Seriously. No fucking around. I really want to know.”
Scratching my beard, I decide to tell him a small piece of the truth. “We kissed. We called a truce. We’re good.”
He lifts a brow at me. “That’s it? She didn’t kick your ass for kissing her?”
I can’t help the smile that I feel pulling at the corners of my mouth. “She did not.”
“What’s that smile for?”
I drop my head back and groan. “Hudson, lay the fuck off.”
“Ok, Hank. I’ll just get the rest out of Wren at dinner tonight.” He laughs and gets up. “Pip! Let’s roll out!”
Paige comes running from around the side of the house, then plucks her helmet and gloves off the seat of the ATV.
“See you later, Uncle Hank!” She puts her helmet on top of her head and pounds down on the top of it with both hands, securing it into place. She gives me a thumbs-up as Hudson revs the ATV to life.
I raise my hand and wave them off.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
wrenley
After spendingtwo hours trying to decide what to wear and how to fix my hair while talking to Ginger, Finn and I drive over to the ranch together.
I don’t know why I am so nervous. This is Hank’s family, and I have known all of them for years. Sure, I haven’t been around the last two decades, but it isn’t like we were strangers. I spent enough time around them that summer that this night shouldn’t be awkward like a first date.
However, for some reason, that’s exactly what it feels like—like I am meeting a new boyfriend's parents for the first time. Which is utterly and completely ridiculous, because Hank isn't my boyfriend, and this isn't a date.
We are here to celebrate Pop’s seventieth birthday. Nothing more, nothing less. No matter what my thundering heart wants to tell me.
The setting sun bathes the evening in golden light as I step onto the back deck of the ranch house. Solar lights crisscross above my head, and they are just beginning to blink to life. The crickets are already singing their lullaby, but it's quickly drowned out by the sounds of grunts, shouts, and raucous laughter coming from across the yard, where all sixHayes kids are engaged in what looks to be an incredibly competitive game of cornhole.
Hank, Hutch, and Hayley are on one side with Hudson, Nat, and Norah on the other. They all have drinks in hand and wide, easy smiles on their faces. It’s one of those scenes that makes you feel a little like an outsider looking in, as if you’ve just stumbled upon something intimate and sacred. The bond the six of them share is evident in every one of their faces.
“Come on, Hud. Get in the hole, man!” Nat shouts with a groan when he goes for a quick lob and misses by a foot.
“That’s what she said.” This comes from Hutch. He and Hank dissolve into chortles of laughter, elbowing each other in the ribs like a couple of fifteen-year-olds who have just heard the funniest joke ever told.
