I squeezed the conditioner in my hand and smoothed it over her hair. “No, I was spending the night at my grandfather’s. I usually did go with them, but fishing season had just started and it was still too cold for me to be out there that early in the morning. They were heading back to the dock when a guy on a jet ski cut in front of them. His buddy did the same thing to another boat beside my parents. Both boats swerved to miss the jet skis and hit each other. My parents were in a fishing boat which was much smaller than the boat that hit them. I don’t know all the details, but Gramps said they were killed instantly and the people in the other boat were seriously injured.”
“What happened to the people on the jet skis?”
I cleared my throat and focused on rinsing her hair. “My parents, Blake and Sienna Ward, were well known in the boating and fishing community of Croftridge. Some boaters stopped to help, while several other boaters chased down the jet skis and corralled them until the authorities got there. They were both drunk and ended up going to prison.”
Avery reached up and placed her hand on my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Kellan. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
I couldn’t find the words to respond, so I leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead before I went back to rinsing her hair.
The sound of a camera had me turning around and reaching for my knife before I realized Avery’s mother was standing behind us. “Isn’t this just the sweetest thing? I’ll even forgive you for not calling me back with an update.”
“Oh, shit. Sorry, Claire. We fell asleep as soon as we got back to the house.”
“It’s okay. I figured no news was good news, but thought I’d swing by and check on things before I went to pick up the kids. So, what did the doctor say?”
I finished rinsing Avery’s hair while she filled her mother in on what the doctor said.
“Your gallbladder? No one in our family has gallbladder problems,” she stated. “Are they sure?”
“I don’t think it’s necessarily a genetic thing, but yes, they’re sure,” Avery explained. “I have an appointment with a surgeon tomorrow to discuss when to have it removed, but based on what Dr. Cadet-Destil said, it needs to come out sooner rather than later.”
“Well, hopefully, you’ll start feeling better after it’s out,” she said cheerfully. “I’m going to go pick up your prescriptions before I get the kids. Do you need me to get anything else while I’m out?”
“No, thanks, Mom.”
Claire turned her attention to me. “You know, you could make a killing if you were willing to do that shirtless,” she said and held her hands up. “I’m just saying.”
“Mom!” Avery scolded, but then burst into laughter while pointing at my shirt. “She’s not wrong.” I glanced down to see that I had unknowingly soaked the front of my white T-shirt while I was washing her hair.
I reached behind me and yanked my shirt over my head by the collar. “Woo! Nana’s gotta go!” Claire said and headed for the door.
“Sorry about her.”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me. I’m going to toss this in your dryer.”
“Do you end up washing and drying your clothes at other people’s houses or is it just mine?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, it happens way more than it should, but the women of the club are always good about helping a brother out.”
Avery stiffened and turned her anger-filled eyes to me. “I didn’t need to know all that.”
It took me a minute to realize what she meant. “Oh, I meant the Old Ladies, not the club whores.”
“You’re not helping.”
I stepped between her legs and circled my arms around her waist. “You’re the only woman I’ve laid a hand on since I moved to Devil Springs.” From the moment my eyes landed on her when she was staring into her drink at Precious Metals, the thought of another woman hadn’t so much as crossed my mind.
“Oh,” she said and averted her eyes. “Well, it’s not like I have any right to say anything about what you do or don’t do. I’m sorry.”
“Yes, you do.”
When she brought her eyes back to mine, they were filled with a mix of hope and fear. “What?”
“You want to do this now?”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re referring to,” she hedged. She knew exactly what I meant.
“Do you want to have this conversation now? Because of our past, I haven’t brought it up. I didn’t want to push you, but it seems like you’re ready to be pushed a little.”
