The Vincent Brothers (The Vincent Boys #2)(59)

“Hell yeah, he hates you. You’re his father and he thinks you care nothing for him.”

“You know Beau. Better than anyone. Do you really think he’d listen to me? That he’d forgive me?”

“Dad, he doesn’t have to forgive you. He doesn’t have to like you. But he needs to know you love him. That you’re proud of him. All you have to do is tell him. How he handles it or takes it isn’t what’s important. What’s important is that he knows. What’s important is that you tell him.”

Dad sat down at his desk and neither of us spoke. There was nothing more to say.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lana

My mother was sitting on Aunt Sarah’s couch drinking tea when Sawyer and I stepped into the living room.

“Mom?” My aunt and uncle had welcomed me back and assured me they were just glad I was safe. They didn’t know the details but understood I had a lot going on with my parents.

“Lana,” she smiled at me and then turned her smile to Sawyer. “Hello Sawyer.”

“Hello, Ms. McDaniel,” he replied politely.

“I didn’t know you were coming for a visit,” I said, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Paperwork came that you needed to sign and I figured we could go do that shopping for your dorm room,” she explained.

I hadn’t told Sawyer about Florida yet. I was afraid my mother was being optimistic and we might not actually be able to make it work. “Oh, um, okay,” I trailed off, trying to think of a way to get Sawyer out of here before Mom said anything else about college.

“Would it be okay if I came too? Lana did get to help pick out my dorm necessities so it’s only fair I get to help pick hers out,” Sawyer drawled in an amused voice as he walked over to sit down in my uncle’s recliner.

“Of course. That would be lovely! Wouldn’t that be lovely, Lana?” my mother asked a little too enthusiastically.

How was I going to get out of this one?

“Mom, we need to make sure everything is sqaured away and okay before we go buying dorm stuff. I mean, there is still a chance this might not work and I’ll need to stay home two years and go to a community college. What if the house doesn’t sell?”

Sawyer sat up from his relaxed position and leaned forward, “What? Why might this not work? I was under the impression it was a done deal.” He was directing his question to my mother like he knew what the heck he was talking about.

“Sawyer—” I began and was cut off by my mom.

“It is Sawyer,” she soothed. “Lana, the house is sold. I made enough money to pay for all four years of your education and buy myself a nice sized condo on the beach. That way when you run off and leave me for Florida I can still be close enough to my sister when I need some company.”

She said Florida. Would Sawyer think I was chasing him? Smothering him? Cringing, I forced myself to meet his gaze. He grinned and stood up and walked over to me.

Both his hands wrapped around my waist and he pulled me up against him and bent his head down to whisper in my ear, “Did you really think I would be this excited about college if I thought I’d be leaving my girl behind?”

“You knew,” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes, I knew. And if you for one second try and back out of following me to Florida I will personally kidnap you and haul you there with me,” he teased, and then pressed a trail of kisses across my face until his mouth hovered over mine. “I’m not losing you again. You’re with me. I want you there beside me. Always.”

*Beau

Sawyer bailed on me this morning, for a girl. I couldn’t help but smile. I was the one who normally bailed on workouts. It was a nice change for it to be him not showing up. I couldn’t imagine why he’d want to go shopping with Lana and her mom. That woman was whack. Not to mention it was shopping. Who goes shopping with their girl? Then again, Ash had never asked me to go shopping with her. If she asked, I’d go.

Running down the bleachers, I slowed my pace. This had been my hundredth trip up and down. It was time for weights. When I reached the bottom, I wiped my forehead with my towel and took a long swig from the water bottle I’d left on the bottom bleacher.

“Hello, Beau.” The deep familiar voice behind me wasn’t one I cared for. Putting my water down I slung my towel over my shoulder and turned around to face Harris Vincent, my uncle/biological father.

“Sawyer isn’t here,” I replied and headed down the last few steps and toward the field house.

“I’m not here to see Sawyer. I’m here to see you,” Harris called out and I stopped walking. Me? He wanted to talk to me? His dirty little secret? I turned back around.

“What?” was the only response he was getting out of me. I would stand here and listen to what he had to say for one reason and one reason only—Sawyer.

“I uh, I saw your practice last week. You looked good out there.”

My practice? What the hell was he talking about? I had practices in Tuscaloosa. Surely, he didn’t mean those.

“I came to watch. You’re gonna do good there.”

Taking a step toward him so he could hear me without me yelling, I asked, “You came to my practice at Bryant-Denny? Why would you do that?” The man hadn’t even come to the hospital when I’d broken my collarbone in little league. He wasn’t exactly active in my life.