Broken Love (Broken 4)

Jennifer rolled her eyes and pushed out a frustrated breath. For someone as romantic as she was, I found it hard to believe she hadn’t been swept off her feet yet.

After everyone ate dessert and helped clean up the table, it was time to head into the family room for what Nate described as four hours of sure torment and hell. Jennifer and Ryder started pulling out games as my mouth dropped open.

“Games?”

“I told you … four hours of torment and hell.”

“I hate board games,” I whispered.

“You are spending Thanksgiving with the wrong family then, sweetheart. It’s tradition. Stuff your face full of food and then play game after game of stupid nonsense until you’re so sick of it all, you would pay to have someone kill you. When what we could be doing is sitting our ass on the couch watching football.”

With a huge grin on my face, I turned to Nate. “I have a way of getting us out of game night.”

His eyebrows rose. “Really? If you can make that happen, I will owe you big time.”

“So, what you’re really saying is you will owe me a favor. Anything I ask for you’ll have to do it.”

Nate pinched his eyebrows together as he looked at me. “I can easily accept this offer because you have no clue how powerful game night is on Thanksgiving in the Montgomery house. You cannot win at this one, my sweet newbie.”

I reached my hand out and said, “The only way to find out is to shake on it.”

Nate laughed and took my hand.

“Deal. If you can somehow make the heavens open up and swallow up all the board games and leave me in peace to watch football … I’ll owe you whatever your little heart desires.”

With a grin, I turned to Lucy, who was instructing Dani’s husband Rich on how to set up the card table.

“Lucy, did Ryder tell you I fou

nd the Montgomery family Bible today?”

Everyone stopped moving as all eyes turned to me. Lucy’s eyes widened as she stared at me with a disbelieving look on her face.

I could feel Nate’s eyes burning a hole into me as he leaned in closer to me. “You little sneaky bitch,” Nate whispered.

With a jab in his side, I smiled bigger.

“Where did you find it, Ava?” Lucy gasped.

“On the bookshelf in the stone house.”

Lucy’s head snapped over to Ryder. “Did you see it?”

He nodded and said, “Yep.”

Lifting her hands in the air, Lucy called out, “Game night is cancelled. Ava and I are going on a little history lesson.”

“Thank God!” everyone called out as Ryder started laughing while making his way over to me.

“I’m not sure what you just did, but you’ve obviously made the rest of the family very happy with game night being called off.”

“You don’t like it either?”

Ryder shook his head. “Hell no. Kate came up with game night and we all hated it. Ever since she passed away, Mom has been insistent on it and none of us have the heart to tell her no.”

My heart ached for Lucy. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for her to lose her daughter. “No one will be mad I had a part in her calling it off will they?”

Ryder flashed me his signature melt-my-panties smile. “Are you kidding? You’ve probably moved up to hero level in everyone’s eyes. Especially Nate’s.” Ryder turned to look at Nate. “The bastard already has the football game on. I’m sure we’ll see his hand slip into his pants and a cold beer in the other hand in no time.”