Axel found my hand beneath the table, and I was so grateful that he was here with me. The evening had been much heavier than I’d expected.
“Well, this was not the engagement celebration that I was hoping for.” Chrissy pushed back her chair, which skidded against the wood floors. She tossed her napkin on the table and stormed away.
My father glanced around the table and shrugged. “She’s not the best at reading the room.”
My brother laughed first, and then we all joined in because that was the understatement of the year. She’d need to choose her audience better for that particular celebration.
“I agree with Wren, Dad,” my brother said. “You need to sell the house and find a different place to live. This home has Mom written all over it.”
Dad sighed. “I know. I think that’s why I’ve been holding on to it. It’s the only part of her left that doesn’t hate me.”
I felt his words in the center of my chest. His relationship with our mother was beyond repair, and he knew it.
I just had to figure out if I could repair my own relationship with my father and my brother.
It would take a lot of work.
And I wasn’t sure if any of us were willing to do it.
I guess time will tell.
twenty-six
. . .
Axel
The Fourthof July at my aunt and uncle’s house was an event that everyone in town looked forward to. My mom and Aunt Ellie worked for weeks to get everything together for the party.
It was a big event in Rosewood River.
Wren had gone every year with me up until the last two years, and I was just happy to have her by my side again today. She’d gotten up early this morning, long before the sun rose, and taken Wrax out for a long run. Cross-country training was a big part of her preparation, and she knew exactly what she needed to do for the upcoming competitions.
I’d never known anyone who worked as hard as Wren did.
I admired it.
I was proud as hell of her.
She was looking forward to relaxing and having a fun evening.
Aunt Ellie always hired a photographer for this event, and instead of taking the photo under the tree where everyone else was taking it, we asked the photographer if we could step over by the barn, where we’d left Honey and Wrax in the stalls.
“Okay, how about a natural pose,” Brenda said as she looked through her camera.
Wren wore a pair of red shorts, a denim vest, and her red boots, and she looked sexy as hell. Without warning, she jumped up in my arms, legs coming around my waist, arms hooking behind my neck.
I supposed this was our most natural pose.
I laughed, and she leaned down and kissed me.
“Y’all are so cute,” she said as she continued snapping photos of us.
“Thanks, Brenda,” Wren said as she slid down my body and her feet hit the ground.
My fingers intertwined with hers, and we made our way over to where the party was already off and running.
The DJ was playing country music, and people were out on the rustic wood dance floor that they had brought in, line dancing and having a good time. I fetched us each a beer out of the cooler, and Wren headed over to grab us a seat at the large table where my brother and cousins and their significant others were all sitting.
