Page 88 of Meant to Be

“And I’d like to put out there that you better learn to use your offensive line more effectively before you’re sidelined.” Kay’s words cut off my angry rant to my brother, causing everyone except Ty to laugh.

“She’s got a point there, bro!” Carter slapped Tyler on the back.

Ty put his hand to his chest. “You wound me, Red. Us redheads gotta stick together.”

Kayla nodded. “We do, which is why I’m offering some friendly advice.”

Another round of laughter from all of us. I placed my hand on Kay’s waist and kissed her temple.

Gone was the unsure, bashful Kayla that had returned from the West Coast. This confident, quick witted, laughter loving, and at times daring to say whatever came to mind, Kayla was the one I knew and loved.

****

Aaron, Patience, and their children arrived just as we were all sitting down to dinner.

“Sorry, we’re so late.Someonehad to take a business call,” Patience apologized, giving Aaron the eye.

“Everything all right?” my father spoke up.

“No!” My mother cut off Aaron’s response. “Robert, you know we do not discuss business at the table. I haven’t seen my children or my grandchildren in weeks. We absolutely will not spend this time discussing Townsend Industries. Do that at the office.” Everyone at the table knew my mother’s word was final. She loathed talk about business at the table. If it were up to my father, we’d discuss business twenty-four seven. Though he’d retired as CEO years earlier, leaving Aaron to run the company, with me in tow, he still sat on the board and was very familiar with the happenings within the business.

“My apologies, Mother,” Aaron stated and pulled out a chair for Patience to sit.

The children were sitting at a smaller, nearby table, giggling and chatting with one another. I couldn’t help but watch them. An unfamiliar tug pulled at my insides. I turned and my eyes connected with a pair of doe brown eyes that also tugged at my heartstrings. I couldn’t fully describe that moment even if I’d wanted to but there was a decision made in my subconscious. One I wouldn’t be able to put into words until later, but something was solidified in that moment. Under the table, I took Kayla’s left hand in mine, bringing it to my lap. I needed to touch her, to make sure she was real.

“Joshua, did you hear me?” I turned to the far end of the table where my mother sat next to my father.

“No, Mother. What was that?”

“I said, I’m glad to see you’ve been slowing down with all that fighting. I was just reading—”

“Fighting? So you do fight?”

My back straightened and I tightened my hand around Kayla’s.

“You haven’t told Kayla yet?” my mother inquired.

I gritted my teeth, hating being put on the spot like this.

“I thought it was just practicing in your basement.”

The table went silent.Shit.This certainly was not how I wanted her to find out.

“I’ll tell you more about it later. Can we discuss something else?” I said to no one in particular.

“Kyle did well on his spelling test this week,” Patience spoke up, shifting the conversation. Kyle doing well on his spelling was a big deal to the family. My mother chimed in next with what great news that was, and eventually baby Samuel began cooing and everyone directed their attention toward the baby. Everyone except myself and Kayla.

My eyes were pinned to Kayla’s profile as she stiffly ate her meal with her right hand while trying to tug her left hand from my grasp. I held firmly and eventually she stopped trying. Like I said, we’d talk about it all later.

****

“Looks like another one bit the dust.”

I turned, narrowing my eyes on my youngest brother who was grinning like the fool he was. He was flanked by my two eldest brothers.

“The hell is this fool talking about?” I grumbled, looking at the other two.

Aaron shrugged. “I don’t try to decipher what our youngest sibling is talking about anymore.”