Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
I shake my head. “I just want to do right by him. I want to support him in the right ways and love him the best I can. What if I do something wrong?”
“It doesn’t look like Easton is the only person taking blame for things they can’t control. No matter what, Easton’s choices and how he moves forward is up to him. You can’t force him to do anything. You can’t make him get help. Even if you force him to go, therapy doesn’t work if you’re not an active participant in it. What you can do is be honest with him, and love him the best you can, which I know you’ll do. And sometimes you might mess up. You’re human. But your heart will always be in the right place, and if there is anyone who will do their best by East, I know it’s you.”
I nod, then push the hair off my forehead. “I just want to make it all go away for him.”
“You can’t, but you can help make every day from now on better than the ones he had before.”
Jesus, I hope she’s right.
“I’m so proud of the man you are, Archer. And that boy—that man. He’s something special too. I feel it in here.” She places a hand over her heart. “I knew it hearing Allison talk about him, and I felt so connected to him that day with Ella. He was meant to be in this family, and I have to believe everything will be okay.”
A deep breath wooshes from my lungs, a sort of calmness settling in my bones. “I feel the same.”
“Do you think he would mind if I asked him out to lunch or something sometime? I don’t want to overstep.”
I reach over and squeeze her hand. “I think he would like that.”
She places her other hand on top of mine, and we sit there for a moment together like that.
“Do you want to know why I do what I do?” I finally ask, and she nods. “When Trav started to get into trouble… I kept telling myself that if only someone had given him a chance, tried to help him rather than just seeing him as troubled, as wrong, maybe that might’ve made a difference. Maybe he’d still be here. That’s why I went into law enforcement, but sometimes it feels like I was wrong. I haven’t done what I planned to do. Hell, I don’t even know if I like my job…but maybe…is it too wild to think that part of it was for him?” Even as I say it, I feel my cheeks heat.
“I think this world is filled with a million little miracles that we just don’t see, or don’t believe. This could be one of them.”
Because those times I went to help East when he needed it are part of why he trusted me, part of why he let me in. If it hadn’t been for me, he might not have ever told anyone what really happened that night he’d gotten into trouble for assault. But just like East has felt different to me from the start, maybe I’ve been different for him.
“Archer…Travis wasn’t your fault.”
“Yeah, I know. East said the same thing. I told him we’d work on our misplaced guilt together.”
She smiles, pulls me closer, and kisses my temple. “I love you.”
“I love you too. And thank you, for everything. Not just me, but how you are with East.”
“You better be careful, or he might end up being my favorite,” she teases, and I laugh along with her. I don’t think I would mind that at all. He deserves it.
We talk for a few more minutes before I go out back and chat with Dad. East is still at work, and I drop by there before going home to change and then meet him at his place.
He and Dusty are laughing, the two of them by a car in their coveralls, East with his head thrown back in a way I don’t often see. I stop and stare at him for a moment, struck stupid by this fucking man and how beautiful he is.
Dusty sees me first and gives me a knowing smile. “Archer is here,” he tells Easton, who turns his blue eyes on me.
“I went to see my mom after work. The shop is on my way home, so I stopped by.” I force myself not to put an arm around East, not to pull him close and kiss him. “She asked for your number. I hope that’s okay. She said something about you being her favorite and wanting to take you out to lunch.”
“I…” He nods. “Yeah, that’s fine.” And then he surprises me by reaching over and taking my hand. Dusty notices, of course, but just grins and doesn’t call us out. “Will you be around on Sunday? We were thinking that might be a good day for Dusty, Morgan, and Rhett to come over.”