Something Real (Whiskey Men, #2)(38)

Lilian





I’m addicted to Ford Blaze.

What we had in Vegas was fun and earth-shattering, but now what’s happening between us is soul-shattering. He has me questioning everything I thought I wanted, every dream I’ve had, and what my future looks like.

So much so, I’ve been putting off my call to Carrie.

I stare at the phone and know that I need to call her.

My body is still tingling from my time with Ford earlier. He had to leave to go pick up Ollie from Austin’s house, and now here I sit, staring at my phone, knowing I need to make the call. I dial Carrie’s number and put the phone to my ear.

“Hey, sis!” she answers.

“Hey Carrie Bear. How’s it going?”

She bursts out laughing. “Carrie Bear? Really? I’m not five anymore.”

I lie back on the couch. “I know, but you’ll always be my little Carrie Bear.”

“How was your Vegas trip?” she asks at the same time I ask her, “How was your honeymoon?”

“You go first! I want to hear about the honeymoon.”

I close my eyes and listen to her. Not only what she’s saying but the pure happiness in her voice. There was a time that I wondered if she’d ever fully recover from our loss. And by no means has she forgotten it, but at least it’s bearable now.

“I’m so happy for you, Carrie.” I try to hide the emotion in my voice. “I can’t wait to see the wedding pictures. You were the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

Before she can ask me about Vegas—because at this point, I’m not ready to talk about it, not yet—I ask, “Has Phillip heard anything about his promotion?”

She blows out a breath. “He’s putting off answering them. More money is tempting, but we just don’t know. I’m supposed to start the teaching job at the elementary school next semester, but if it comes down to it, I can teach anywhere. I just don’t know, sis. I don’t want to hold him back because I know this can be huge for him, but neither one of us really want to leave Whiskey Run. Our family, our friends are all here. I can’t leave you, Lily. I can’t.”

The happiness from her voice earlier is gone now, and I wish I hadn’t brought it up. “Don’t worry, sis. We’ll figure it out. You and Philip need to make a decision on what’s best for you. Don’t think about anyone or anything else.”

“But you…” she starts.

I clench my eyes shut. Before I would have promised her the world without even thinking. I can still promise it to her, but it causes a pain in my chest when I say it. “I’ve told you all along, Carrie. I will always be here for you. Always. If you need me… I’m there.”

Carrie sighs loudly into the phone. “Thank you, sis. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“I love you too,” I tell her. We talk for a few minutes until Philip gets home. I’m glad that she didn’t ask me about Vegas or my trip with Ford again. I’m not ready to talk about it. Probably because I’m not ready to admit just how much he’s come to mean to me. Everything is up in the air and uncertain. Now is not a good time to be falling in love.





Ford





I sit out of the way at the counter in my kitchen.

Ollie and Lily don’t need me. Heck, there’s a hundred other things I could be doing, but nothing could drag me out of this room right now.

Lily showed up right on time, her arms weighed down with grocery bags. I gave her the recipe for Granny’s icing earlier today, and it looks like she took this whole cupcake baking thing to heart.

The laughter between Ollie and Lily is heartwarming to hear. They are both smiling ear to ear as they work, and even though I want to jump in and be a part of it, Ollie needs this, and so I sit here and watch them.

Lily just finished making the icing, and she gets a spoon out of the drawer, puts a heaping of the icing on it, and holds it up to Ollie. “You have to try it. If it’s not right, just tell me, and we can try it again.”

She looks worried as Ollie takes the spoon and looks at it. He’s taking her request to heart and makes a big deal of smelling it and then taking a small lick of it.

I swear Lily is holding her breath until Ollie’s eyes light up. “It’s perfect. Oh Lily, it tastes just like Granny’s.”

He no sooner sets the spoon down then he bursts into tears. Lily’s eyes get as wide as saucers as Ollie dives off the chair he’s standing on and flings himself into her arms. She catches him and holds on to him as he sobs against her chest.

I’m out of my chair and across the room in an instant. “Ollie, you okay, buddy?”

He starts to sniff. Lily is rubbing his back, cooing to him that everything is okay.

Finally, when he starts to calm down, he lifts his head, sniffing. “I know I shouldn’t cry, Dad—”

Lily lifts him up higher on her waist. She’s a tiny thing, and I know he’s too big for her to hold, but when I try to take him, she holds him tighter. She sets him up on the counter and stands in front of him. “It’s okay to cry, Ollie. Are you missing your granny?”

He nods as Lily wipes his eyes and then his nose. “Do you know that even now, I cry when I’m missing my mom and dad?”