He’d be sad to leave it when the time came.
“Where’s Kayla?” Rusty asked, in what he suspected was the most transparent attempt to change the subject in the history of civilized conversation.
“With Owen. My husband,” Jude said. “They’re probably drawing on the walls.”
Rusty chuckled at that. “So you’ve got two kids, then?”
Jude shrugged. “I painted the wall so they could draw on it and wipe it off,” he said. “I’m thinking about doing the rest of the walls in the house. I don’t think getting older means you have to grow up. At least… not in the sense of getting weird and serious. It’s okay to have fun.”
Rusty smiled at that. Jude wasn’t wrong, as far as he was concerned.
“You know, you’re all right,” he said.
“I’ll… take that as a compliment,” Jude responded. “You’re okay too, I guess. Blake seems to see something in you, anyway.”
Rusty raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Jude asked. “He does. I don’t think that’s much of a secret. If you can’t see it, it’s only because you don’t want to.”
Did he not want to? Or was Jude just being nice to him?
Right now, Rusty couldn’t tell.
“Right, well…” he said. “I need to get back, but we’ll see you later, yeah?”
“You will. I love weddings.” Jude beamed. “Remind Blake of my offer. Maybe even put in a good word for me?”
Rusty chuckled. “I don’t think you need it, but sure, yeah. I think it’d be good for him.”
“I know it would be, but he has to make his own decision. I just… want him to be happy.”
“Yeah,” Rusty said. “Me too.”
“Then I’ll let you go,” Jude said. “Good luck.”
Rusty wasn’t exactly sure what he was being wished luck for, but he was starting to think he’d need it.
He wanted Blake to be happy. That was the first, most important thing in his mind.
The problem with that was that his presence tended to do the opposite with people. He didn’t make them happy. He was a disappointment. Never quite good enough.
His dad had told him so enough times, in enough different ways.
Blake didn’t deserve the burden of that. He deserved to live in this peaceful little town and settle down with someone who’d be good for him.
As much as Rusty wished he could be that someone, he knew he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he never was.
Life was just like that sometimes.
