Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 51

CHAPTER 51

AUSTIN

W hile Kennedy and Winrey went upstairs to pack, Benji and I hung out in the kitchen. Although I didn’t know the guy very well yet, I liked him. He was easy to get along with, and whenever I’d had the opportunity to have a conversation with him, it had always flowed pretty naturally.

“Beer?” I offered once the girls were gone. “I figure the weekend isn’t technically over yet, so we can still enjoy it.”

He laughed. “That sounds great, man.”

I pulled two bottles from the drinks fridge and uncapped them before handing one over to him. “Did you guys have a good time this weekend? Kenny wanted to give you two space to relax together before the baby comes. I hope you know she was the driving force behind it.”

“She’s the driving force behind everything, isn’t she? I’m grateful for her. We really needed it,” he admitted after taking a sip of his drink. Leaning back on his heels, he looked around the kitchen, sighed, and brought his gaze back to mine. “Really, bro. Thank you for letting us crash here. It felt like nothing in the world could touch us.”

I was about to wave off the thanks again, but there was something about the brightness of his eyes and the tremor in his voice that stopped me. Taking a closer look at the guy, I realized that just in the time since we’d gotten home, the relaxation seemed to have melted out of him, that brightness in his eyes a glimmer of stress that hadn’t been there before.

“Are you okay?” I asked, hoping he’d talk to me even if he hadn’t known me for very long. “You seem pretty wound up.”

A dark chuckle slid out of him and he inhaled deeply. His head shook as he picked at the label on his bottle. “The pregnancy hasn’t been the easiest season for Winrey and me. We were so excited when we first found out. I mean, sure, we were worried about how her parents were going to take the news, but we were ecstatic for ourselves. We’ve both wanted a family since forever, so…”

He shrugged, not finishing his sentence.

I glanced up at the landing at the top of the stairs, but I knew the girls were likely to stay away for a while. “Look, I’m not in your shoes, but I wouldn’t let Jeff and Lori get to me. It doesn’t look like their daughters put much stock in their opinions about their lives either way. They won the lotto and forgot they grew up in cow shit like everyone else in Firefly Grove.”

He smiled. “There have been so many changes coming at us from all sides. I’m feeling pressure to provide unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, and the Sweets haven’t made that any easier. Did you hear about the offer they made Winrey?”

“That was a dick move,” I said, nodding. “From what I’ve been able to put together though, Winrey hasn’t even thought about taking them up on it and Kennedy’s pretty much written them off because of how low a blow it was.”

“Yeah, but those girls know what it’s like to be taken care of. Will she miss it? Will she resent me for depriving her of that? How long do you think it’s going to be before she starts wishing she had taken her parents up on it? I’m not suddenly going to win the lottery like their dad did. I’ll keep looking for ways to get ahead in life, but I’ll never be pulling down seven figures a year.”

I saw the exhaustion in his eyes and inclined my head toward the covered patio. “Let’s go sit outside for a bit. Those heat lamps are great and you look like you could use some air.”

Benji laughed but nodded. “Sorry for dumping all this on you. You must think I’m insane.”

“You’re not insane. Just overwhelmed. I know something about that.” I led him to the sliding doors in the living room, unlatched one, and opened it before I motioned for him to precede me.

Careful to close the door again behind us just in case the women came downstairs, I took a seat under one of the lamps and made myself comfortable as he did the same. As we settled in, I wondered if staying in this house with all its luxuries had made him feel insecure.

I hoped not, but I knew that kind of thing was a touchy subject with him, especially after the Sweets had made the offer they had. All the bells and whistles of this house, technically Slate’s, did not make a happy life, marriage, or family, though.

I should know. I’d grown up working in the dirt and living on a budget as the son of a farmer. I glanced at Benji, wondering if perhaps I should try to guide the conversation a bit. “Financial stress is definitely on a level all of its own.”

He dropped his chin in a nod but gave me a curious look. “Why does it sound like you actually understand that?”

“Because I do,” I said honestly. “Not so long ago, my parents were going to lose the farm that’s been in my family for generations because they couldn’t afford to keep it. We got lucky as a family, but before that? Shit, things were tough, man. My entire life, money was always an issue.”

Surprise registered in his eyes. “I heard about the oil thing, but I sort of figured that given what you do for a living, you’ve always been wealthy.”

I laughed. “I get that, but no. I’ve been doing alright for myself these last few years, but growing up, we were always on the verge of losing the farm if we had a bad season. My parents wouldn’t take any money from me even after I could afford to offer them some. It’s really only been the last few months that things have been going well for us all.”

“That must be quite a feeling.” He smiled before his gaze swept across the view of the garden from here. “I’m never going to be able to give Winrey and the baby a house like this. I know she says she doesn’t need one, but I can’t help but wonder if she’s still going to feel that way when our child is four and bouncing off the walls of our apartment, or seven and the space starts feeling cramped.”

“My mom and dad have been married over four decades,” I said, knowing I was taking a bit of a detour with this but hoping he would humor me. “They’ve been through the good and the bad, but mostly bad when it came to finances. As a teenager, the money thing was a big deal to me. I never understood why they didn’t just pack it in, but my parents often told me to focus on the positives.”

Benji let out a soft exhale. “I’ve been trying, but it’s hard. Right now, it doesn’t feel like we’ve got very much going for us.”

“You have a woman who adores you,” I said without even having to think about it. “My dad has always told me that he can get through anything as long as he has my mom by his side. I thought it was bullshit for most of my life, but I’m starting to understand now.”

“I guess.” He shrugged.

I chuckled and held up a few fingers, counting down on them as I kept going. “You have a healthy child on the way and a partner who wants that with you. A whole world of possibilities is about to open up to you two, and you get to wake up every morning and face it together.”

“True.” He turned in his chair, glancing toward the stairs with a slight smile. “Winrey and the baby mean everything to me. Maybe you’re right. Maybe that’s what I should be focusing on.”

“It definitely is,” I said confidently, and I wasn’t blowing smoke up his ass. “I would give anything to have what you’ve got right now. Kennedy’s dream is to have this restaurant and hotel up and running. Mine is to be a father one day. We’re all fighting our own battles. Just don’t give up, okay?”

“Okay.” He grinned and took a sip of his beer. “I think I’m going to take your parents’ advice from now on and focus on the positives. It won’t be easy, but it does frame things differently.”

“Exactly,” I said. “If my parents are an example of what focusing on the positives does for a person and a relationship, then you’ll also be a lot happier if you do it.”

He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, man. For everything.”

I nodded. Before I could say anything else, I heard the door open behind us. When I twisted to look, I saw Kennedy and Winrey standing in it. Kenny was holding her sister’s suitcase and Benji shot up immediately, draining what had been left of his beer.

“I’ll go grab the rest of the stuff,” he said, brushing a kiss to Winrey’s cheek as he passed her.

She seemed surprised, but her cheeks flushed and she smiled. Her palm absently went to her belly as she glanced at me. “He’s smiling.”

“He is.”

“I don’t know what you said to him, but thank you. You’re a real miracle worker, Austin Merrick. Thanks again for letting us stay this weekend too. We really appreciate it, but we’ll get out of your hair now.”

Kenny and I walked them to the door and I helped Benji load up their stuff. Then she and I stood side by side, waving goodbye. As we watched their car disappear out of the driveway, I wrapped my arms around Kenny’s shoulders and pulled her to me.

“I really don’t want to go back to work tomorrow,” I grumbled against her ear as she rested her head on my shoulder. “The long weekend was a nice break, but I haven’t had enough yet. I especially haven’t had enough alone time with you, and that’s been the best part of the weekend.”

“Your mom’s shortbread cookies were pretty good too,” she said lightly, but her tone was almost absent, like her mind was far away from cookies and the weekend.

“How should we spend our last evening before the new week of business begins?” I teased as I turned us around and started walking back into the house. “I’ve got a few ideas, but I’m open to suggestions.”

As soon as I shut the front door behind us, she slid out of my arms, her blue eyes serious as they met mine. “I’d like to talk.”

Figuring she wanted to discuss my offer to invest in her hotel, I chuckled and sighed. “That’s business. I had something else in mind for tonight.”

She smiled, but her heart wasn’t quite in it. “What would you like to do, then?”

“Nah, we can talk,” I said, taking her hand and leading her to the dining-room table. “I’ve been picking up on a little resistance about this from you, but I’m happy to give you whatever reassurance or information you want. And then, maybe after we’ve crunched the numbers, we can find a better way of spending the last bit of the weekend together.”

Kennedy still didn’t seem reassured or even relieved, but I sat her down anyway and talked her through what I’d been thinking, hoping that eventually I might convince her to stay the night and get in the hot tub with me.

There were things I wanted to talk about as well, but not right then. All I wanted until it was time to get back to reality tomorrow was more of her, and I would take it however I could get it.