“And if it doesn’t work out?”
I shrug. “As long as he doesn’t screw you over, he’s still going to be my best friend, and you’re still my sister.”
“I love you, big brother.”
I swallow hard. It’s rare moments like this that I miss the most. “I love you too.” I turn her into a tight hug just as the patio door opens.
“You two all right out here?” Chad asks.
“We are,” Faith assures him. “You feel like taking a walk before dinner?” she suggests.
Chad’s eyes flash to me, and I give him a subtle nod. “Sure, lead the way.” He motions for her to move in front of him, but she surprises him when she laces her fingers through his, gives him a shy smile, and together they walk off the porch and toward the road.
“I wondered about that,” Mom says from behind me.
“Hey, I didn’t hear you come out.”
“It’s my ninja skills.” She holds up a spatula and does a goofy ninja move.
“You need any help?” I ask, laughing with a shake of my head at her antics.
“No, but you can keep me company. Your dad is showing Shayne his Mustang.”
“I should save her.”
“You should tell me about your sister and Chad.”
“That’s their story to tell.”
“Figures. You two never did tell each other’s secrets. How about your own? Shayne seems sweet.”
“Sweet as hell, Mom.”
She grins. “You’re different with her.”
“I’m older. I’m not a teenager with my first serious girlfriend anymore.”
“I know that,” she says, giving me a look that tells me she’s not that blind. “What I mean is that you seem to be drawn to her. And she with you. The two of you look cute together.”
“It’s been a week.” I feel as though that’s what I need to say. I can’t gush to her how I’m falling hard and fast for this girl. Or can I? If anyone would understand, it would be Mom.
Mom shrugs. “There is no timeline on love, Ford.”
“Who said anything about love?”
“You didn’t have to. You’re my son, and I know you. I also know I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at her.”
“I haven’t been home much the last three years.”
“A mother knows.”
“I’m not sure how we’ll survive long distance.” My thoughts go to Sara and the drama that surrounded us when I enlisted. I know that Shayne is not Sara. In fact, they are complete opposites. However, I’ve seen it with guys I’m deployed with and the distance takes its toll.
“She’s a few hours from the base and from us. We’ll do what we can to include her, make her feel welcome, and you do what you can from base. In the end, if it’s meant to be, it will be.” I send up a silent prayer that it will be. That Shayne and I can survive being separated, and in the end, it will be the two of us living our lives together.
“You’re one of a kind. You know that? You and Dad both.”
“If she’s important to you, she’s important to us. It’s that simple, Ford. Life has enough drama and hardships. Love and family shouldn’t be one of them.”
“Hey.” Dad sticks his head around the side of the house. “I’m taking Shayne for a spin in the Shelby.”
“Be careful,” Mom tells him.
He winks. “Always, honey.”
I wave them off, and although I’m jealous that my dad is taking her for a spin and not me, I’m glad they’re getting along and that they both want to go for a ride. Mom said they would include her while I was gone, and I know she doesn’t mean while living on base. I’ll be deployed again, and that’s when it’s going to hit the hardest. Shayne no longer just has Chad and his family. She has mine too. They’ll make sure she’s okay while I’m gone. That alone lifts some of the weight from my shoulders. She and I are going to make this thing official before she leaves, and we’re going to make this relationship work.
It has to. I can’t see my future without her in it.
Chapter 16
Shayne
“You okay?”
I glance to my side and give Ford a smile. “Yeah, fine. Why?”
He shrugs, bringing our linked hands up to his mouth and running his lips across my knuckles. “You’ve been quiet for a while now.”
I sigh and relax farther into the lawn chair, feeling more relaxed than I have in… well, forever. “Just listening to everyone talk and enjoying this gorgeous night.”
After dinner, Ford took me on a tour of his family grounds. They live a few miles outside Cooper on a homestead that’s been in Ford’s family for three generations. He explained how his great-grandpa purchased the land for a steal and built a house. Over the years, it has been added onto and updated, but the guts still remain. There are eleven acres total, six of them timbered. At one time, there was a small cattle operation, but Ford’s parents weren’t into raising livestock when they moved into the homestead. They eventually sold the business, continuing with their own passions in life.