Holden's Resurrection (Gemini Group #6) - Riley Edwards Page 0,87
shit tries to kiss her. And I’m telling you right now, I am not down with that shit. I was a boy, I know what boys are thinking about. Third grade is way too early for that shit to be happening, but apparently, it is. Did you know this Andy punk asked her out so he could fucking kiss her?”
That “Andy punk” was a shy, quiet boy who didn’t stink. But, he did smell—from the cologne he wore because he had a sweet crush on Faith. However, at that juncture, I wasn’t going to tell any of that to Holden.
“I know Andy asked Faith to be his girlfriend. We talked about it, and even though she told him no, I still told her she wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend until she was fifteen.”
“Fifteen…fifteen?” he sputtered. “I was thinking more like twenty-five.” My jaw dropped open and I was trying to form words when he continued. “I’m sure you’ll find that to be ridiculous, but by then a boy has turned into a man and has burned out all the wild.”
“Um, yeah, it’s ridiculous to think she’s waiting until she’s twenty-five to have a boyfriend. And if you keep thinking that, her teenage years are gonna be mighty painful for you.”
There it was again. I was assuming he’d be around for those years, and God, I hoped he was.
“Fine, sixteen. No car dates before then.”
Were we really negotiating when Faith could date? We hadn’t even figured our own shit out yet. Talk about putting the cart before the horse.
“What’s happening here?”
“You know what’s happening, Leigh-Leigh.”
“It sounds like we’re talking about when Faith can date, but, Holden, there’s a deeper meaning there and that’s what I’m asking about.”
“Again, you know what’s happening.”
“But—”
“Straight up, baby, you know I would not be sitting across from you having this conversation if I didn’t intend to be that man barring the door when teenage pricks come knockin’. No way in hell would I be digging my way into Faith’s life if I didn’t intend to be the man who’s walking her down the aisle to one of those assholes. And I absolutely would never have taken you to my bed if I didn’t intend to keep you there for the entirety of our lives.”
He glanced down at the coffee mug still gripped in his hands then back up at me. “Full disclosure, I asked Weston for the name of his realtor. Her name is Jodi, she’s got a listing near Nix and Weston. She texted me the address, I’ll forward it to you so you can take a look. You don’t like it, I’ll ask her to send more. I’m gonna be honest, I’m not a development kinda guy. I like lots of space and no neighbors, but if you want a neighborhood for whatever reason, find a house and I’ll look at it. If you’re firm on living in town, I’ll leave my Airstream at Chasin and Evie’s. If I want to take Faith four-wheeling we can go there and ride. Bottom line, you find something you like—the more you can take on finding us a house would be appreciated. I have zero interest in talking to a realtor and no time to look at a million houses.”
There was so much to that, I couldn’t begin to unpack all the emotions swirling around in my mind. But what’s more, I couldn’t process the fullness I felt. I thought I was going to burst.
“You’re buying a house?”
“Yep. You’re never going back to that apartment, all of us won’t fit in my Airstream, and as Gucci as this place is, it’s a damn mausoleum, it’s not a home. At least not my kind of home.”
I agreed with him about the house. It was spectacularly beautiful, but it was cold and grandiose. The mansion screamed money and class, not warmth and family.
I took a sip of my coffee. “So, last night you were contemplating strangling an eight-year-old when you came home?”
“No, I was contemplating all the ways I’m going to fuck the Towlers. I was also reevaluating my morals and how I felt about hitting a woman. And, Leigh-Leigh, it might make me an asshole, but I had to dig really fucking deep to remember the man I am, and that I would never strike a woman. Because if there were ever two women who deserved to be on the receiving end of my anger, it is them.”