Things were a little bit tense between us, and I hated it. I had totally forgotten about my laptop, and I hadn’t wanted him to find out that way. The look on his face pained me, even thinking about it now. I knew we decided to pause the conversation forthe sake of tonight’s dinner, which had been my idea, but there was so much I wanted to say to him.
I didn’t want it to seem like I was running away from Golden Falls, or from him. I didn’t want to break his trust and make a haste decision. I didn’t want to be like his ex. I wanted to stay—I just didn’t know if that was the right decision. The one thing holding me back was my career and ensuring that I had my own life here and wasn’t clinging onto Wes’s life.
“I’m sorry again.” I looked over at him with a frown. “For earlier.”
Wes stopped at the red light and looked over at me, and I didn’t deserve the gentleness in his eyes. Shouldn’t he be frustrated with me? Angry? “I know you are, Juliette. You apologized already, and you didn’t do anything wrong, okay?” He gave my hand a squeeze, but there was hesitation in his eyes.
“Tell me what you’re thinking?” I asked.
He looked forward, continuing the drive to dinner. We were less than ten minutes away.
“I’m thinking,” he started slowly, “that we’ve both been avoiding this conversation, and we’re getting to the point where we can’t put it off any longer. You need to figure out your plans and I…need to figure out what comes next.” While I knew Wes cared about me, I also knew his life would continue after I left. Eventually, he’d find someone to settle down with. My heart ached at the thought. “But I also don’t want that hanging over us tonight. I love that you’ve been excited for dinner. So have I. It’ll be almost all of my favorite people in one spot. How can I not look forward to that?” he asked with a small smile. “What do you say we try to enjoy tonight? The rest will be waiting for us.”
I slowly inhaled through my nose and exhaled, nodding. I looked down at my hand in his, setting my other hand on top and running my fingertips over his knuckles. “I say that sounds like a great plan.”
We were the last ones of the group to get to Laura and Mark’s. Similar to the first dinner, Mark was finishing up dinner on the grill with Cooper’s help, and Laura was talking with Lily and Eliza.
I tightened my grip on Wes’s hand. As excited as I was for tonight, I was also anxious. What if Laura and Mark didn’t want me to be with their son because I was going to break his heart? What if they didn’t understand what was going on between us, especially with summer wrapping up?
I knew our relationship was between us…but I also knew how important family was to Wes.
“Look who finally decided to show up!” Lily exclaimed as Wes and I walked through the yard to where everyone was gathered. Lily’s eyes fell to our clasped hands, and she let out a squeal. “Okay, yeah, this is adorable!”
Laura got up from her seat, a smile on her face. “I’m so happy you two were able to make it.” She didn’t seem fazed at all by Lily’s comments, which led me to believe she had found out one way or another that I was spending time with her son. “You look beautiful, Jules,” she said, pulling me in for a hug.
“It’s so good to see you again. Thanks so much for having me,” I responded before pulling back. A part of my worries evaporated with Laura’s words and her embrace.
She then went on to hug Wes. I tried not to listen, but I could hear Laura whisper to him, “I love seeing you so happy.”
Laura then looked at us both, motioning for us to join her at the outdoor table. “Come on and get comfortable. Dinner’s almost ready, and it’s a beautiful evening. I’m glad we were able to get everyone together, especially since temperatures are supposed to increase later this week into next. Make sure you two are getting enough water and taking breaks inside if you need them.”
There was an August heatwave expected to roll through the Midwest.
Wes let out a small huff, a smile on his face as he rolled his eyes. “Mom, thank you, but we don’t need the reminder.”
She gave him a look. “I’m your mother, Wesley Richards. Of course, I’m going to give you the reminder.”
“I appreciate the reminder,” I piped in. It was true, but I mostly wanted to tease Wes.
Laura turned to me, hooking her arm with mine. “And that’s exactly why you’re my favorite tonight.”
I looked at Wes over my shoulder and laughed when he shook his head. He had a smile on his face, and that’s all that mattered.
One of my favorite aspects of having dinner with the Richards family was the constant conversation. There was never a dull moment as we sat around the table, from Lily and me sharing how Eliza kicked our butts during yoga to Cooper talking about all the ways a six-year-old put him in his place during recent programming he helped run for the summer camp kids.
And, of course, I had to share the story about how I had accidentally scared Wes a couple days ago when he got home from work.
“I don’t think he’s ever yelled so loudly,” I said in between laughs, while everyone else was cracking up, too.
“I had no idea you were over!” Wes defended, the corner of his mouth twitching. I could see how badly he wanted to smile. “And then you pop out of nowhere without making a sound. That’s not natural.”
“Only thing that would’ve made it better was getting it on video.” I reached over for a napkin, blotting the tears from laughter from under my eyes. “Maybe next time.”
“Oh, I’d pay good money for that.” Cooper rubbed his hands conspiratorially.
“I’ll see what I can make happen,” I said with a grin, to which Wes wrapped an arm around my chair, pulling me closer only to tickle my side. If I thought I was laughing before, it was nothing compared to this. “Wes!” I said in between laughs, swatting his hand away.
He stopped after a few moments, leaning over. “Better watch it, city girl,” he murmured against my ear, pressing a kiss to my temple.
