Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“I don’t know what we are,” I say. “We’re taking some time to process it.” I take a deep breath. “I know where I stand.”
“You love her,” Tate says simply. “You always have. We all know it.”
My head whips to him, my mouth hanging slack.
He laughs. “We all talk about it all the time, wondering if you two will patch things up or if you’ll screw up and marry someone else.”
My heart pounds as I watch him smile, seemingly happy that this transpired.
Does he really think that? Do our friends? Why didn’t anyone say anything?
And hell, if she married someone else … Fuck. Fuck no.
“So is this a done deal as soon as you ‘process it’?” Tate asks.
I take the ball from Waffles and throw it again.
“There’s only one little hiccup that concerns me,” I say. “And, although Georgia hasn’t mentioned it specifically, I think she’s worried about it, too.”
“What is it?” Gannon asks.
I take my seat again. “It turns out that Dad had an affair with her mom.”
“When?” Anger paints Tate’s face. “Recently?”
“No, I’m not sure but it was when we were in high school.”
Gannon shakes his head. “Just when you think you can’t hate Dad more …”
“Apparently, her mother hates all things Brewer,” I say.
“You can win her over,” Tate says, nodding. “Bust out that charm and she’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“You could fuck Georgia and her mom,” Gannon says.
I ignore him and keep my focus on Tate. “That’s my hope. I think Georgia is trying to figure out how to get around that. Her mom is the only family she has.” I bite my lip. “I couldn’t get in the middle of that, you know?”
“No, I don’t know.” Gannon stands up and stretches his arms over head. “If her mom had a problem, that would be it—her problem. You can’t carry around everyone else’s problems, Rip.”
“This is why no one likes you,” Tate tells him.
Gannon smiles. “And that keeps life simpler.” He winks at us. “I gotta get going. Good talk. If you need any more life advice, do not let me know.”
“See ya,” Tate says, giving me a look.
“Later,” I call after him.
Tate waits for Gannon to disappear inside the house before speaking again.
“I truly hopes this works out for you,” he says. “You and Georgia? I think it makes sense in a very hurricane-meets-a-tornado kind of way.”
“Me, too.”
I hope. God, I hope. Because I know I can’t go back to trying to keep my distance and try to hate her.
Not when I think I might love her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Georgia
Sutton stares at me with her mouth agape.
“Say something,” I say.
“Holy shit.” The words stir her out of the fog my admission just cast around her. She shakes her head. “You and Ripley?”
I wince. “You think it’s a bad idea?”
She laughs, the surprise on her face melting into excitement. “A bad idea? Are you kidding me? Finally.”
“Finally?”
“Georgia, it’s about damn time. We were all waiting for this to happen. Granted, it took much longer than anyone anticipated.”
I don’t know what to say. Is she serious right now?
I refill our wineglasses—mine to the tip-top—and breathe deeply.
My expectations for telling Sutton about me and Ripley were all over the place. She knows our past, so I expected her to think it was a terrible idea. I also worried what she’d think because of The Invitation. I also wondered what she’d think about the one part that worries me the most—my mother.
She lifts her glass to mine and clinks them together. “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings.”
“And lots of sex.”
I laugh before taking a sip of wine.
The alcohol, my third glass in a short period of time, fills my blood with an appreciated warmth. The nasty edges of my anxiety have been rounded off. I can finally think clearer, but that might be the wine talking.
When Ripley dropped me off this evening, I was on a high. I walked through the door, but I may as well have been floating on clouds. I was aware that I hadn’t processed the ugly parts of this reality, and I was willing—I needed—to just enjoy the moment before I had to recognize the obstacles in front of us.
But now that time is here, and I don’t know what to do.
“So what happens now?” Sutton asks, twirling her engagement ring around her finger. “Are you officially a thing?”
I smile at my friend. Of course, she didn’t worry about herself first. She’s such an amazing person.
“Before we get into all of that, let’s talk about what this may or may not do to The Invitation,” I say.
“I’ll handle that. It might make things easier, actually, because we can stage more scenes. You’ll be cooperative.”
I gasp. “I’ve always been cooperative.”
“You know what I mean.” She grins. “Now, let’s get back to the important part—where do you stand with Ripley?”