Page 81 of Hooked On Him
“Alright, let's get in there.” Austin looks over at me with that smile that melts my heart.
Smiling back, I nod my head and go to get out. “Wait!”
“What?” I look over at him with confusion.
“Just wait,” he says, getting out of the car and running around to the other side. He opens my door, and I laugh.
“Really?” I smile wide.
“I’m a gentleman, Levi,” he huffs. “Opening the car door for my boyfriend is the least I can do.”
And it’s things like this, where no one is around, that have me believing this could be something real, something long-term.
Shaking my head, with the grin still on my face, I take his hand and let him pull me from the car.
As we head around to my parents' backyard, I can hear the sounds of my cousins screaming their heads off and laughing. Excitement fills me, and I’m glad I came this year already.
“Hey!” Austin greets everyone like he’s part of the family. Because he is. Hell, at this point, he’s probably more part of the family than I am. And I’m not even mad about it.
I stand back and watch as my mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all come over to greet him. Austin places the present down on the table with the rest of them before coming back over to me.
“And look who I brought,” he wraps his arm around my shoulder.
“Levi.” My Nan’s face lights up, and tears sting my eyes as she rushes over and cups my face. “My darling Levi. Oh, I’ve missed you.” She pulls me down and peppers kisses all over my face. I pull her in for a hug and try not to cry because fuck, I missed her. I missed all of them. I can’t believe I’ve let work take overmy life so much. No more missing family events. They’re more important than money.
“Hey, Nan,” I whisper, my voice cracking. Nan hugs me for a good, long moment before letting me go. I say my hello’s to the rest of the family and give my mom a kiss on the cheek.
For the next little while, we all mix and mingle. Charlie is here, but I notice Claire isn’t with him. He seems fine, but I’m noticing that as soon as he finishes a beer, he’s already onto the next one.
“Austin.” I look up at him. “What’s going on with Charlie?”
Austin frowns. “I don’t know.” He sighs heavily. “Honestly, things between us have been different for a while.”
“How so?” I frown.
“I’ve kind of been preoccupied with life,” he says with a guilty look. “And anytime I try to talk to him, he insists he’s fine. I know he and Claire have been going through some ups and downs. I’m guessing by her not being here, they’re fighting again.”
My brother and I used to be so close growing up. But since I’ve made school and work my whole life, he’s been pushed to the back like the rest of my family.
I’m a shitty brother. I need to try harder with him. With my whole family, actually.
Today is a good start. It’s been amazing just talking and catching up with everyone. I don’t think I’ve laughed and smiled so much in such a long time.
“I’m gonna go talk to him,” Austin says, drinking the last of his beer and kissing my cheek.
He leaves me and heads over to Charlie. I stand and talk to Mom, filling her in about Peanut and what Austin did. She might not be a fan of dogs, but she thinks it’s so damn cute what Austin did for me. Her words exactly too.
Eventually, I make my way over to where my Nan is sitting next to my Pop, who’s in a very deep conversation about hockey with my uncles and dad.
“Hey, Nan.” I smile over at her.
“How are you doing, my love?” she asks. She’s in her late seventies but has the spirit of a thirty-year-old. Her health is amazing for her age, too. Gives me hope she’s gonna be around for a while longer.
“I’m good,” I tell her honestly. “School is good, I’m set to graduate with good grades, and I have a job waiting for me at the vet clinic I work at.” I’m looking forward to working there full-time on the weekdays. I’ll miss working at O'Connell's, and I appreciate everything Eddie’s done for me, but my time there is coming to an end.
“That's good, my ducky. But how are you doing?”
I blink at her, not sure what she means.
