Page 19 of Theo (Stone Brothers #6)

SEVENTEEN

THEO

I took the last jump too fast and overshot the landing, which placed me in a rock garden.

The bike and I bounced a few times, but I avoided a crash and kept pedaling.

Dad and Cormac were at the end of the trail.

Dad's hand moved down sharply as he stopped the watch.

Cormac looked over his shoulder to check the time, but I didn't need to see it. My times had been shit all day.

Cormac grinned. "Hey, gramps, that was a half second slower than your last turtle run."

Dad elbowed Cormac back and walked forward to meet me as I yanked off my helmet. The day had started out cloudy, but now the sun was bearing down on the mountainside. I preferred the clouds.

"Think we should probably pack it up for the day, Theo," Dad said. "Not getting any better. Your head is not in the game, buddy. Those new sponsors are going to be looking for much faster times than this."

"Do ya think, Dad? Fuck." I threw the helmet on the ground, dropped my bike over and walked toward a spot of shade.

Cormac had kept quiet about our secret wedding mission, but Jules knew about it, which meant that Mom and Jade knew and probably Amy and Stella, too.

And once news like that got into their circle, everyone in the family knew.

Dad was usually cool about shit, and he hadn't brought it up … until now. He yelled at Cormac to pack up the truck and then joined me in the shade. "You need to decide just how committed you are to this, Theo. You can't let this thing with Lacey get in your head."

I looked at him. His hat was pulled down low enough on his head that I could only see him from the nose down. "Right and 'this thing' you had with mom, that didn't cloud your judgment or get in your head?"

A smile tipped his mouth up. "Fuck, I was a mess when it came to your mom. Once I knew she was my one and only, I couldn't tie my fucking shoes right. But that was different. Your mom knew I was her one and only too. Lacey is married. She made her choice."

I'd heard the shitty news from Jules. She was reluctant to tell me, but when she broke the news, it felt like a ten-ton wrecking ball had slammed through me.

Lacey hadn't responded to any of my texts or calls.

She'd essentially ghosted me. She'd done it to me again.

She'd ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it a second time, like she'd done right after high school, and fucking chump that I was, I'd set myself up for it, in case the first time hadn't felt shitty enough.

Dad tapped my shoulder. "Just figure out where your head is at.

Keep up on your strength and stamina training.

That'll help clear your head, and we'll come back out here when you're ready.

" Dad had never been one of those pushy dad coaches.

Some of the other racers had to contend with keeping their head in the game all while figuring out how not to push their controlling asshole dads off the nearest cliff.

That had never been the case with Dad. He could get tense or cranky, but for the most part, he was always the same, cool-as-a-fucking-cucumber Slade Stone.

Dad put his hand on my shoulder and left it there. "Don't know about you but I could eat a double cheeseburger with a cold beer chaser right about now. Let's head over to Lazy Daze."

I nodded. "Sounds good."

"Nah, not you. You're in training." He smiled.

"Kidding. C'mon, buddy. My treat." We'd made a habit of stopping off at my Aunt Amy's place, the Lazy Daze, for food and beer after a long workout.

My riding had been shit, but at least we could finish the crappy day off with good food and beer.

It had been three weeks since I'd won and lost Lacey, all in a few hours' time, and I needed to just get the whole thing out of my head for good.

I was determined to get past this. I'd come too far with the sport to fall back now.

"Hey, Dad, I'll be back on my game next time. I promise."

"I know you will. You're the best damn bike rider these mountain trails have seen in a long time, and I'm proud of you, kid. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know." My dad and his brothers had grown up in a horrible, abusive household where they could barely take a breath without their dad firing off an angry fist, but somehow, they all knew how to be great dads, even though they had no model to work from.

Dad had told me more than once that the three of them hated their old man so much they'd all made a pact to never be him.

"Mac has been on his phone all this time, so it'll be up to us to pack the truck," Dad said. "He can buy his own damn burger and beer."

* * *

It was still early on Sunday evening when we reached Amy's place.

The days were getting longer and warmer, and it seemed we'd all be bitching and moaning about the summer heat soon enough.

There was a decent crowd in the bar, but that was because most of my family was there.

My uncles were playing pool. Griffin and his girlfriend, Shay, were at one of our usual booths.

Jaxon and his girlfriend, Bridget, sat with them sharing a large basket of fries.

My cousin, Stella, was working alongside her mom, and my cousin, Jules, was sitting near the pool table watching the dads play.

Crusoe had taken off for the weekend with a bunch of his friends to surf up north.

And Mom and Aunt Jade were working late at their real estate office.

Dad ordered us some burgers and beers, and he carried the mugs back to the booth adjacent to the one where my cousins sat. I sat down and took a long drink of beer.

"How'd the ride go?" Jaxon called from his booth. "Hey, I saw an ad come up for that cycling gear company, whatever the hell it's called, and there you were, right in the center of it with that big ugly face of yours."

"Ignore him," Bridget said. "He's in a bad mood because he tried to put a new toilet in the guest bathroom, and well, let's just say it didn't go well. And I saw the ad, and you looked gorgeous. I bet they'll sell a million dollars of gear on that smile alone," she added.

I lifted my beer in a toast to her and grinned smugly at Jaxon. A loud combination of a cheer and a groan echoed from the pool area.

"Looks like Hunter just won that game," Dad said. "I'll have to play him next and wipe that annoying smile off his face." They put down their pool cues and walked over. Jules followed. She plunked down next to me in the booth and immediately picked up my beer for a sip.

"Uh, Amy does have more than one glass in the bar," I reminded her.

She shrugged and wiped the froth off her lips. "Too lazy to go over there and order. Mac, can you please go order me a beer? I went on a long run today, and my calves are killing me. Pretty please, Mac?"

"Fine, I've got to order one, too, since my dad decided to show how he only loves my brother."

"It's cuz you spent all your time on that fucking phone, and I needed your help," Dad told him as he walked away.

"Oh, speaking of phones," Jules said, seemingly to herself.

She pulled out her phone and started scrolling.

I knew Jules followed Lacey. She knew all about the wedding weekend, and she knew about the wedding crash.

I hadn't asked her about Lacey. I drank my beer and had a mind debate about whether I should ask Jules for an update.

Did I really want to know? Did I want to hear about the expensive honeymoon or the incredible house they were now living in?

Nope, I didn't want to know those things, but I asked anyway.

I leaned over so I could talk quietly, not that Dad would overhear me. Once his brothers had joined us at the booth, it was impossible to hear anything except the three of them debating who was the better pool player.

"Hey, Jules." I nudged her with my elbow.

"Yeah?" She kept her focus on her phone.

Before I could ask, Stella and Amy reached the table with our burgers. "Where the hell is mine?" Hunter asked.

"I told you, you've had your fucking meat quota for the week," Amy said. She was a third the size of her husband, but she was totally in charge.

Dad and Colt had a good laugh over the meat quota comment. "Bro, you've got a meat quota?" Colt asked with a laugh.

"Is that like a third of a cow, or is it measured in burgers and steaks?" Dad asked.

"It's a little of both," Amy explained. "The doctor said his cholesterol numbers are heading straight to the moon."

"There was no mention of the moon," Hunter argued. "And I need a second opinion on all that cholesterol crap."

"Dad, it's a blood test, and it gives specific numbers," Stella explained. "No second opinion needed, and Mom showed me your lab results. She's right. Straight to the moon."

Hunter looked incredulously at Amy. "Why the fuck are you showing her my personal lab stuff?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "I needed her to explain all the numbers and tests, and frankly, after seeing them, I'm about to take out a million-dollar life insurance policy on you."

"Great, make it two million and bring me a damn burger while you're at it. In fact, make it a double. If I'm no longer working under a quota, I'm goin' with all guns blazing."

After the sideshow, something Amy and Hunter were good at, I had to grab Jules' attention again. "Hey, Jules." I elbowed her.

She lowered her phone. "Stop with the elbow, already.

What do you want?" Her brows smoothed. "Oh wait, I know what you want.

Well, I've got bad news, my friend. Lacey has all but disappeared off the face of the earth.

Well, not the earth, of course, but she hasn't posted anything since the wedding.

Not even a tiny morsel of info like the honeymoon was spectacular or we just got the keys to our new mega-mansion.

She ghosted everyone apparently. Maybe she's too busy being the important wife of Dr. George Plunkett.

" She laughed lightly. "That name always cracks me up. "

Cormac set a beer down in front of her. "Finally, shit, did you grow the hops first?

" she asked and took a sip that ended with a satisfied sigh.

"You're not still pining over her, are you?

" Jules looked at me and frowned. "Oh shit, you are.

Of course you are, otherwise you wouldn't have asked.

All I can say is I think it's time to move on. "

"This from a girl who carried her baby blanket right up until the second that she started first grade," I teased.

She tilted her head. "Really, you're going to drag Bigsby the Blanket into this conversation?

" Her brown eyes rounded. "Hey, maybe we could just get you a baby blanket to carry around.

" She reached for one of my fries, but I blocked her.

"All right. I'm sorry I told you to move on and to get a baby blanket.

" Her hand shot across, and she snatched up two fries.

"Hmm, Aunt Amy makes the best damn fries. "

I picked one up and nodded in agreement before plowing into the burger.

I had no idea what to think about Lacey disappearing from social media.

I was relieved not to see honeymoon photos.

At the same time, I worried that things had gone to shit for her.

After all, for two glorious fucking hours, she'd walked away from it all.

I would never forget the moment when she pushed her hand into mine, so I could take her away.

Just like I'd never forget when she walked obediently over to that SUV and climbed inside. It was the last time I saw her.

This time Jules elbowed me. "Hey, cheer up, old pal.

After all, the last time I posted photos of you after a bike race there were at least two marriage proposals and three women begging to have your baby.

Even though Lacey is out of the picture, at least you've still got it.

" She looked at me and shook her head. "Don't know what it is, but apparently other women see it.

" Jules put her arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. "Love you."

"Yeah, yeah, love you too, Jules."