Reagan sighed over the phone. “I can tell you this. I wanted to change my pattern, too. That’s how I came to be with Hudson. It caused me a lot of heartache to chase something different. It was when I realized that I could be myself and have him, too, that I became happy. Content with my life. Does that make sense?”
“I guess.” He groaned at the thought of Reagan and Hudsontogether. “So I should give her a try? Go back to being a stick in the mud?”
“If she’s going to make you happy, why do you care that someone might call you a stick in the mud? Who makes these decisions, anyway?”
“I can’t believe my baby sister is giving me love life advice.” He grinned and wished he could hug her.
“Yeah, well. I was actually calling about Thanksgiving. Where would you like to have it?”
“Are you able to travel? Because I only have Thursday off this year.”
“I should be able to. I’ll double check with Hudson. He’s been avoiding his parents because they don’t like me.” She laughed.
“They’re idiots, clearly.” That was one thing he could agree with Hudson about—that and his love and affection for Reagan.
“Clearly. I’m perfect,” she said on a chuckle.
“This sounds corny, but you’re perfect for him, sweet pea.”
She made a sniffling sound. “I love you.”
“You better not cry, or I’ll cry.”
“No, I’m not. I’ll get back to you about Thanksgiving.”
“Okay. I love you, baby girl.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
Grant stared at his phone after she’d hung up. Reagan was way too smart for her own good. Could he possibly do what he always did, what he wanted to do, and would that make him happy in the long run? Why did it feel as though he had to be brave in order to be happy? It should be simple, easy. A no-brainer. Instead, he was sitting there chewing up his thoughts and swirling them around and making it harder on himself. Call Alex. Ask for a date. Explain his feelings. The end.
He knew it wasn’t that simple. They would need to start over. Begin again. They would go on a date, yes, and they would have to get to know each other. He hadn’t told her very much about his life growing up, about his struggles to raise Reagan or how much he’d worried he would fail and she would end up in the system. Foster care wouldn’t have worked out for him. He was too old and would have phased out as soon as he entered. He would have been separated from Reagan, and he could never have stood that. He had done the best he could with their situation, and he liked to think it had worked out in the long run. These were the things he needed to tell Alex. it explained who he was at his core.
It was time to give her a call.
