“Right, not a single similarity,” I deadpan.
“Are these two bothering you?” Their dad joins us, looking at both his sons.
“Aren’t they always?” I joke to Colton.
“Boys, what have I always told you?”
“Uh, be nice to Mom?” Easton guesses.
“No, the other thing.”
They both stay quiet and look confused. Colton sighs, shaking his head. “I’ve failed as a father if that’s the only thing you’ve heard me tell you. Respect women, always.”
There’s a bark of laughter, and it comes from Brynn several feet away, but she slaps her hand over her mouth.
“What?” Colton questions his wife.
She shakes her head. “Nothing. Listen to your dad, boys.” She hardly manages to speak without laughing and I wonder what I’m missing, but realize I probably don’t want to know. My mom said Brynn and Colton couldn’t stand each other for a while, but somehow got together anyway, so I’m sure it has to do with that.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Wheeler, they’re perfect gentlemen to me and always have been,” I tell him, even though we all know that’s not true. Especially when they used to chase me around the yard with worms they’d find threatening to put them down my shirt or in my hair.
“As long as they’re nice enough to you so your dad doesn’t want to kill me.” He leans down like he’s sharing a secret. “I’d have to kick his ass again.”
I laugh, knowing full well my dad has never been in a fight with Colton. “He was a goalie. You never fought.”
Colton smiles. “That was a test, you passed.”
These Wheeler men are ridiculous, but I look up at Grayson and can’t help the way my heart skips. Even though he may be a part of that, he’s always been something more to me.
“Collee on the other hand.” Colton speaks louder. “I’ve been waiting for a rematch for twenty-five years.”
“Not going to happen. Let it go,” Brynn calls out. And again,I think that’s another piece of family lore we don’t need to know about.
“You don’t want a rematch, Wheeler, we both know who will win,” Brent calls out.
Colton grumbles, wrapping his arm around Brynn and holding her against his side. “I won the first time.”
Brynn taps his chest, placating him, “Of course you did, sweetie.”
After dinner,Grayson pulls me into one of the guest bedrooms and cups my face. “That’s much better,” he says before kissing me, causing me to melt against him.
I smile as we part. “What part put you over the edge? Was it Easton refusing to give you the salt, or Matt and your dad throwing bread at each other?”
“I actually think it may have been when our moms tried to make everything better by offering shots to everyone.”
I chuckle thinking about that, and how quickly Audrey jumped up at that idea. I couldn’t help but steal glances at Asher throughout the dinner. He didn’t say much, and had that scowl on his face that I think may be permanent. I wanted to check in to make sure he wasn’t too uncomfortable, but there wasn’t a good time. He kept his distance after everyone was done before Grayson pulled me in here.
I’m rubbing my hand up Grayson’s arm and watching the movement until he hooks a finger under my chin, forcing my eyes up to his. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I try to look away, but he won’t let me.
“Because you won’t look at me,” he calls me out, and I almost want to laugh.
Just to make a point, my eyes find his and then the truth falls out of me. “I think I’m going to see Asher after this.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Care to elaborate?”
