Desperate Times (Boys of Silver Ridge 2)

Me: It’s not that I don’t trust you. Once we get the paternity test results back, there will be no question.

Stacey responds with a thumbs up. She’s mad, and I don’t want to offend or upset her, but she has to see where I’m coming from. We weren’t exclusive, and the one time we attempted it, she couldn’t stay faithful. I put my phone back down and settle next to Chloe. She feels hot again, so I carefully move the quilt off of her shoulders. The rain has stopped, and the sun is trying to come out from behind the storm clouds.

I can hear my family talking and laughing downstairs, and it sounds like Lennon, my cousin, is here. Careful not to wake Chloe, I get out of bed and get dressed, slowly opening the door. It’s always creaked, and it was always just enough of a warning to know if Mason was getting into my shit when we were kids. I don’t know how many times I’d be sitting in the kitchen, hear the door open, and run upstairs to beat Mason’s ass.

Closing the door behind me, I go downstairs and into the kitchen. Everyone is gathered around the counter, filling plates with pizza.

“Sam!” Lennon says as soon as she sees me.

“Hey,” I say back, going over to her. “I haven’t seen you since Rory’s wedding. How are you?”

“Wow, it’s been that long? And good. Busy with teaching, but good. How are you?” She wiggles her eyebrows. “You have a girl upstairs. I know all about that.”

I chuckle. “You remember Chloe, right?”

She nods and goes back to the counter, squeezing in between Jacob and Mason to get pizza before it’s gone. “Yeah. We never talked much, but I definitely remember her. I think the whole town does.”

“That’s for sure.”

I get pizza and join the rest of my family in the formal dining room, which is getting more use today than it normally does all month.

“Hey, Nana.” I put my plate down and go around to the other side of the table to give my grandmother a hug. She’s the last remaining grandparent we have, and is still very much with it, though she’s starting to forget things much more frequently now.

“Thanks for letting me know you got pizza,” I say dryly when I sit down.

“We didn’t want to bother you,” Dad replies. “I know how little sleep you get.”

“And no one wanted to go up and risk seeing your naked ass on top of—” Mason cuts off when Nana glares at him.

“Speaking of, where is Chloe?” Mom asks.

“She’s still sleeping. I don’t want to wake her up,” I tell her and pick up my pizza.

“Is she not feeling well?”

“No,” I say. “I think she’s worn herself out from traveling back and forth from Chicago to LA.”

“Oh, she lives in LA? That’s rough.”

“She could move back to the Midwest,” Mom notes, hoping if she says it enough it’ll actually happen.

“She could,” I agree. “If she wanted to.”

“She seemed like she did want to,” Mom goes on, and Jacob gives me a look from across the table, knowing where the conversation is going. “She did mention that she likes it here.”

“Mentioning you like an area doesn’t mean she’s putting her house up for sale,” Dad says.

“Chloe is a small-town girl at heart, like her mother,” Mom says. “I’m sure she’d prefer our wonderful little town over Los Angeles. The crime rate there is high, isn’t it, Mason?”

“I don’t work in LA,” he says back, not wanting to get involved in Mom’s crazy planning and plotting.

“Well, all I’m saying is Silver Ridge is a much safer place to live and raise a family.” Mom blots the grease off her pizza with a napkin. “I’m still holding out hope for you two.” Mom looks at Mason and Jacob. “But I think Sam's the next to get married.”

“Start taking bets,” Jacob grumbles. “Profit off of our misery while you’re at it.”

Mom gives him a pointed look. “I want you all to be happy, no matter what that entails. If the only grandchildren you give me have four legs, then I’m happy if you’re happy.”

“I like being single,” Mason quips.

“I did too,” Nana agrees with a wink. “It was much more fun to be single, if you know what I mean.”

“See?” Mason motions to Nana. “Also, gross.”

“Oh, don’t act like you think I’m innocent. If I was, you wouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t like being single,” Lennon says with a frown. “I think I’m cursed to be alone forever.”

“You’re looking at it all wrong,” Mason tells her. “It’s a blessing. No one to hold you back or tie you down. And no one to disappoint you.”

“That’s depressing,” Lennon tells him. “And you want to talk about disappointment? Try online dating. Yep, pretty sure I’m going to be single forever.”