Page 192 of Steeling Her
I watch the kids squeal in laughter as they play some games in the water, blowing water through the foam noodles and throwing the football around, cutting the water as it falls onto the surface before floating in their vicinity.
My dad arrives to join us three after some time tending to the burgers to flip them over on the overly expensive barbecue with Austin behind them.
I huff down into the seat next to my mom and across from Haley while I listen into their conversation about TJ’s training and recovery program the team had set him for the summer. He’s stuck religiously to it for the entire offseason. Now that their first game is tomorrow and it’s at home, she’s hoping that nothing will bother him tomorrow either.
“You okay, baby girl?” my dad asks me as he pats my shoulder from behind. I nod and stare down at my hands, not wanting to tell him what has me annoyed. Chris and his big fat mouth. Surprise, surprise.
I can’t make Ted the guy they all want him to be. The fact that Chris said that comment was uncalled for. I’m not happy with him.
“Why are you frowning?” he asks again.
“Chris is an asshole,” I mutter to myself.
“Yeah, but I’m an honest asshole,” he comments, and I blink up at him. The nerve of him to follow me over here.
“What did you say?” my dad asks in his warning tone we all used to hate growing up.
“Nothing.” He shrugs like it was nothing. I deadpan him and extend my leg to kick him but he dodges me. “Okay, so I may have said that I liked Nick better than Ted. So what? It’s my opinion.” This causes Haley to snort across from me. I glare her to zip it and keep quiet. He’s making yet another dig at Ted.
“See, you’re an asshole,” I point at my brother while I stare at my dad over my shoulder as proof of my argument.
My dad starts to laugh too. “You’re on your own there, son. I don’t like either of them.” My dad continues tending the meat cooking over a hot fire. I shoot him a glare for saying that openly. They’re not helping.
I feel bad enough as is that I haven’t even told Ted that Nick and I used to date. I’m hoping it won’t bother him either. I was hoping the two could get along, but I know that’s not likely; not after their conversation earlier.
“That’s not true, Roger, and you know it.” My mom reaches over to slap her husband on the arm to hush him, but it doesn’t do anything.So, he’s not telling the truth, but about which part?
“I don’t know, Dad, I’m with Chris on this,” Austin butts in when I don’t need him to. I need everyone to stop beating my relationship down. Their opinions aren’t wanted. Not by me and most certainly not by Ted.
“Can you all stop. I don’t care that you don’t like him. I like him, I do! That’s all that matters,” I cut off the conversation that they’re having about Ted.
“I like him!” My mom offers a hand and pats my leg. She winks at me and reaches across to my dad to hit him for saying that kind of stuff. I know they don’t like Ted, but it’s not fair to me.
“You like everyone.” The three of them roll their eyes at her.
“He doesn’t lay a hand on her, he treats her right—” my mom begins to rant off the good things about Ted but gets interrupted as soon as she starts.
“Questionable,” Austin mutters before drinking.
She warns her eldest with her eyes while continuing to talk. “He’s not blatantly rude to you guys. Just because he’s not a big football fanatic doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.” She waves their judgments off into the summer day.
“Yes, it does!” they say in unison and it makes me so mad.
“We’re not doing this!” I glare at the three men in my life that cause a conflict when I’m around with Ted. They don’t like him, I get it, but leave it alone. “We aren’t going there right now, so just drop it.” I slide down in the seat, trying to disappear.
“Give us a minute, boys,” my mom asks them to leave me, her, and Haley alone at the table. None of them move and she sighs, knowing they’re being stubborn mules. “Please, just give us some girl time.” They finally leave us alone to have a girl chat about something else. I know Haley doesn’t like Ted either, so I really don’t fancy hearing it from her too. They always butt heads when they’re around one another.
“Hey, so, I know you kicked the guys out, but I just wanted to come over and say a quick hello to you, Elaine.” Nick’s sweet voice echoes around us as he makes his way over to the table to get to my mom. My mom always liked him. She had a soft spot for him ever since he took care of me in the hospital when I contracted that virus. She always thought he was kind and considerate and always saw the good in him, even when he dumped me.
My dad . . . not so much.
It wasn’t that she was taking his side, it was more along the lines of keeping an open mind as to why he did what he did. She used to say that she knew he liked me ever since that time in the hospital. He looked worried and made himself sick with it. It’s how she knew.
My mom pushes herself up from the chair she was sitting on to greet him. A kiss on the cheek and a hug are what he gets from her. “Hi there, how are you settling in LA?” she beams at him while they chatted between themselves. It’s taking all I have to not turn around and see him again.
I can’t deny how good he looks, even my niece knows it. When he arrived into the house, he stole my breath away. I gladly let him. I wanted to run my hands through his blond hair that has grown since I last saw him five years ago. I wanted him to slam me up against the wall and kiss me like there was nobody watching us. I wanted to rip his clothes off, take me in his arms, and I want him to look me in the eyes and tell me there’s something still there.
Dammit, Carter!
