Maybe this will be the partner he’ll spend the rest of his life with. I mean, he’s still young. I hate to see him wither away alone.
I hear two car doors open and the sound of Forest speaking to them before my dad’s girlfriend and her son enter the house.
My first thought is she’s beautiful, and I can see why my dad is attracted to her. She has long brown hair, dark blue eyes, and thick lashes. Her body is curvy, and when she sees us, she smiles, her teeth white and straight. My dad blushes when she pulls him in for a short hug, slightly embarrassed at the display of affection.
Silly really.
He and Mom were always touching. It was almost electric. I hated it growing up, watching them all over each other, but now I realize how rare that is—to be together for so long and still desire one another.
My eyes move from my dad and Fia to Rhodes, who is standing next to his mom, his hands tucked into his pockets, his eyes moving around the room, taking it all in. He looks a lot like his mom, his eyes and the color of his hair. Except he’s not curvy at all, more lean musculature with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
“So nice to meet all of you. I’ve heard so much about each of Ash’s kids,” Fia says, distracting me from my observation of Rhodes. “You must be Glenn.” She reaches out her hand, and I shake it. Her skin is smooth and warm, and there is confidence in her handshake. Then she turns her gaze on Sage. “Love the hair wrap, Sage. The colors you picked are so unique.”
Sage beams. “Thanks, I got it done at Feral Couture. The one on Main Street.”
“I’ll have to check it out.”
“You should. They do a great job.”
“Uh, Skye, Maverick, and River aren’t here yet,” my dad interrupts, almost nervously.
“Oh, that’s fine. I know they’re busy.” Fia waves her hand toward her son. “Well, this is my son, Rhodes. I believe he’s the same age as Skye.”
My dad nods. “He is. Nice to meet you, Rhodes.”
Rhodes takes his hand from his pocket and looks at my dad through thick lashes. They shake hands, and Rhodes holds on a little too long, but a moment later, releases his grasp on my dad.
His voice comes out raspy and deep. “Yeah. Same.”
My dad’s eyes catch on his, and they hold for a long moment, his nostrils flaring. But then he clears his throat and backs away.
Rhodes does the same, stepping toward me, shaking my hand before moving on to Sage. The way he seems so sure of himself makes me admire him. I wasn’t like that at his age. He’s quiet, more of an observer than anything, but I’d rather that than wild and obnoxious.
And Fia seems genuinely kind. My dad could have done worse, to be honest.
“You hungry? We have some appetizers,” Sage says, pulling out a platter of fruit and veggies. “I made the dip.”
“This looks amazing,” Fia croons as she makes her way to the island to take a plateful. Rhodes follows, his eyes moving back to my dad a few times as he goes.
My dad looks everywhere but at him.
What the fuck is going on? Do they know each other? Because it seems like they do.
“We can go outside if you’d like. The front porch has a great view of the forest,” my dad suggests.
“Oh, does it have a view of the pond? The one you go skinny dipping in sometimes?”
My dad blushes and grumbles at that, a vision of my naked father popping into my head. Fucking hell.
Rhodes suddenly swears as he drops a piece of broccoli on the counter and spills the dip. Sage teases him as he helps wipe it up, but I can see the blush staining Rhodes’s cheeks.
“I’m so fucking sorry.”
“It’s fine. I have more in the fridge.”
Rhodes sighs, and Sage nudges him.
“Really, don’t stress. And yes,” he says, his voice rising. “Let’s go outside. That sounds nice.”
