Page 23 of Beckett the Bad Boy
He seems pretty damn willing…
“Don’t crush her, you big lug,” Beckett jokes as his brother wraps me in his burly arms.
We all laugh, and I accept hugs from the rest of the Caldwells, before we settle at a large dining table where numerous mismatched chairs have been added to accommodate the siblings’ partners.
It's a tight fit but cozy all the same.
And I cross my fingers under the table that this is a glimpse at something permanent—a life full of love and family that I get to call mine.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BECKETT
I watch Beth through the kitchen window as she laughs with my brothers and Gramps around the firepit. Dinner has been devoured, and now everyone is ready to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and some s’mores.
Everyone except for my sister.
Kennedy joins me at the kitchen sink, where I volunteered for dish duty, and motions to the group outside.
“Makes for a pretty picture…” Her elbow digs into my ribs. “Beth’s different for you, but I like that, and you do, too, huh?”
Her smug words shatter the carefree facade I've been wearing all evening, so I don’t respond, just keep looking out the window and scrubbing a sponge over the same damn plate.
Maybe she’ll take the hint.
“Oh, yeah, you definitely do,” she says, ignoring the hint completely.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I refuse to acknowledge how right she is.
Because I absolutely do not need relationship advice from my little sister.
“Really? Your eyes haven’t left her from the moment you guys arrived.” She crosses her arms over her chest and faces me.“I’m guessing you’ve never felt this way before, and it probably confuses the hell out of you. Close enough?”
I shrug.
What can I say? She’s right.
I haven’t understood a damn thing happening to me since Beth crashed into my life. All I know is that I want her to be happy. Taken care of. And, as selfish as it is, I want to be the man who makes all of that happen for her.
Which makes no damn sense.
Because I’m not that guy. I never have been.
Until one woman changed everything.
“Mind your business, sis,” I say with little heat then escape outside. The rest of the dishes will have to wait as Kennedy's knowing laughter dogs my footsteps.
Footsteps that lead straight to Beth.
Looping an arm over her shoulders, I hug her close. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yeah, your family is great.” Her smile beams up at me, and my heart stutters then thumps to life again with a painful throb.Goddammit.I’m so fucking screwed.
“They’re also a lot. Do you want to get out of here?” I ask, suddenly desperate to get her alone.
The weight of my family’s speculative stares is a vise around my lungs. They see too much. Know me too well.
Realize the significance of bringing Beth here.