family?" That totally wasn’t supposed to come out as a question. I cross my finger behind my back and silently pray that she doesn’t call me out on my lie.
"Maybe next time then. So, tell me how long are you planning on staying home?"
"Probably until the end of Summer."
"Perfect, you'll be here for Avery’s birthday, that'll make your sister so happy. And I guess you'll be here for the wedding too?"
"Wedding?" My eyebrows are furrowed in confusion. I don’t know who the hell is getting married but I doubt I even know them. I mean, if someone I knew was getting married I'd know about it, right?
"Liv and Noah’s." At those three words, my face drops and I can feel the color drain out of it.
I haven’t seen Liv or Noah since I broke up with a certain guy whose name begins with B. Liv tried repeatedly to call me afterwards but seeing as she was back here in Franklin along with everyone else and I was in LA, I simply couldn’t face it. In the end, she gave up and there had been too many missed calls and unanswered messages for us to pick up on where we left off. The fact that all those missed calls and messages were possibly to tell me she was about to get married makes me feel like the worst person in the world right now.
"Sure, maybe." I look down at my feet in a bid to hide the tears that are building up in my eyes.
My Mom pulls some glasses out of the cupboard before pouring a generous amount of Ice Tea in each of them and topping them off with a slice of lemon.
"Have you spoken to Brady?" She’s still looking at the glasses but I don’t miss the hopeful tone of her voice. My Mom was definitely a fan of his as was every other member of my family.
"Mom." I groan, wanting this line of conversation to end.
"I’m just asking."
"Well, please don’t and you know that that name is banned in my presence."
She lets out a sigh and gives a slight shake of her head as she gives me the look. It’s the same old look she’s been giving me my entire life. It’s the look that says "You can’t keep burying your head in the sand." The truth is that I like burying my head in the sand and that’s the way it’s gonna stay. I’m just going to hide out here for the next three months and avoid Liv and Noah, and of course, he whose name starts with B, so that’s basically everyone, and then I'll go back to LA, back to my evil roommate and back to hating on my life.
"Where’s my little lady?" My Dad's deep voice distracts me from my self-pitying and head burying as I turn to see his smiling face as he walks through the den towards me.
His bright blue eyes are twinkling and the slight wrinkles at the corner of his eyes from forty-five years of laughing pull me out of my depressive state and I start running to him. I throw myself into his pot belly and breathe in his familiar spicy cologne.
"Hey, it’s good to see you too." He laughs while spinning me around as if I weigh nothing more than a feather. I love my Mom to death but I’m a Daddy’s girl through and through.
He puts me down while holding me at arm’s length.
"When did my little lady grow up, huh?" He says while I smile wider at his nickname for me.
"I’m twenty years old now Dad. I don’t think I’m so little anymore."
"You could be fifty years old and you'd still be my little lady. Just like all your brothers and sisters, you'll always be my babies."
"Hear hear." My Mom chimes in with a warm smile on her face.
"Actually, where is everyone?" I point out, realizing that the usually busy household is near enough empty. Normally it’s a fight to get a seat and a chorus of squabbling.
"Luke is working with your Father now. He’s got his own apartment downtown. It’s very swanky. He’s got a wall with a fish tank in it. In the actual wall! Can you believe it?" Her eyes widen with excitement. "Oh, and Aiden and Avery both got jobs for the summer. Aiden’s working in the hardware store and Avery is working at Annabelle’s."
"Wow." Is it sad that
"Maybe next time then. So, tell me how long are you planning on staying home?"
"Probably until the end of Summer."
"Perfect, you'll be here for Avery’s birthday, that'll make your sister so happy. And I guess you'll be here for the wedding too?"
"Wedding?" My eyebrows are furrowed in confusion. I don’t know who the hell is getting married but I doubt I even know them. I mean, if someone I knew was getting married I'd know about it, right?
"Liv and Noah’s." At those three words, my face drops and I can feel the color drain out of it.
I haven’t seen Liv or Noah since I broke up with a certain guy whose name begins with B. Liv tried repeatedly to call me afterwards but seeing as she was back here in Franklin along with everyone else and I was in LA, I simply couldn’t face it. In the end, she gave up and there had been too many missed calls and unanswered messages for us to pick up on where we left off. The fact that all those missed calls and messages were possibly to tell me she was about to get married makes me feel like the worst person in the world right now.
"Sure, maybe." I look down at my feet in a bid to hide the tears that are building up in my eyes.
My Mom pulls some glasses out of the cupboard before pouring a generous amount of Ice Tea in each of them and topping them off with a slice of lemon.
"Have you spoken to Brady?" She’s still looking at the glasses but I don’t miss the hopeful tone of her voice. My Mom was definitely a fan of his as was every other member of my family.
"Mom." I groan, wanting this line of conversation to end.
"I’m just asking."
"Well, please don’t and you know that that name is banned in my presence."
She lets out a sigh and gives a slight shake of her head as she gives me the look. It’s the same old look she’s been giving me my entire life. It’s the look that says "You can’t keep burying your head in the sand." The truth is that I like burying my head in the sand and that’s the way it’s gonna stay. I’m just going to hide out here for the next three months and avoid Liv and Noah, and of course, he whose name starts with B, so that’s basically everyone, and then I'll go back to LA, back to my evil roommate and back to hating on my life.
"Where’s my little lady?" My Dad's deep voice distracts me from my self-pitying and head burying as I turn to see his smiling face as he walks through the den towards me.
His bright blue eyes are twinkling and the slight wrinkles at the corner of his eyes from forty-five years of laughing pull me out of my depressive state and I start running to him. I throw myself into his pot belly and breathe in his familiar spicy cologne.
"Hey, it’s good to see you too." He laughs while spinning me around as if I weigh nothing more than a feather. I love my Mom to death but I’m a Daddy’s girl through and through.
He puts me down while holding me at arm’s length.
"When did my little lady grow up, huh?" He says while I smile wider at his nickname for me.
"I’m twenty years old now Dad. I don’t think I’m so little anymore."
"You could be fifty years old and you'd still be my little lady. Just like all your brothers and sisters, you'll always be my babies."
"Hear hear." My Mom chimes in with a warm smile on her face.
"Actually, where is everyone?" I point out, realizing that the usually busy household is near enough empty. Normally it’s a fight to get a seat and a chorus of squabbling.
"Luke is working with your Father now. He’s got his own apartment downtown. It’s very swanky. He’s got a wall with a fish tank in it. In the actual wall! Can you believe it?" Her eyes widen with excitement. "Oh, and Aiden and Avery both got jobs for the summer. Aiden’s working in the hardware store and Avery is working at Annabelle’s."
"Wow." Is it sad that
Similar Books
Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2)
Anne Ferretti
A Christmas Promise
Anne Perry
The Orange Curtain
John Shannon
Learning Not to Drown
Anna Shinoda
A Wedding in Truhart
Cynthia Tennent
Dead Man's Footsteps
Peter James
The Ruby Dice
Catherine Asaro
Kissing Kate
Lauren Myracle
The Silk Merchant's Daughter
Dinah Jefferies