Want You Back - River Laurent Page 0,29

said. “Here, brought you a cold one.”

“Thanks.” I took the cold can of beer and opened it. I took a swig and sighed as the icy cold liquid went down my throat.

It was the perfect day for a barbecue. The sun was hot but not too hot and a soft breeze blew from the woods behind Ed and Helen’s property. The scent of roasting meat was the icing on the cake. Being here with them reminded me of how little we had socialized in the last six months.

Though I couldn’t complain. Not when I remembered the enjoyment, I’d derived from peeling the layers back and getting to know my wife more. In and out of bed.

Ed placed fresh steaks on his side of the grill. “I’ve been wanting to ask you. Are you in any way connected to the New York law firm, James Turner & Sons?”

It took a moment for me to answer. It had been so long since I had heard the mention of my family that it felt like a punch to the belly. “Yes,” I finally said. “James Turner is my father.”

“Oh, I met him once in a courtroom, he’s a beast,” Ed said, his voice brimming with admiration.

“Yes, he’s pretty awesome,” I said, dreading the inevitable question.

“So, what are you doing working in a tiny firm in Grantsville?” Ed said. “Shouldn’t you be by your father’s side, adding to the billing hours of the company?”

There was no way to explain apart from the truth. “We fell out. They wanted me to marry someone else, and I had set my mind on Charlotte.”

Ed’s jaw dropped. “People still do that?”

I laughed at his astounded expression. Living out of my family circle in college and now working had also opened my eyes to another world. A world where family members respected each other’s independence.

“Some parents do and their children agree. But there was no way I was going to marry a woman based on her family background,” I said, still furious they didn’t think Charlotte was good enough.

“Good for you,” he said, and punched my shoulder lightly. “I can’t believe they’d cut you off for such a reason, though.”

“They’ll come around,” I said. Mere words. My father was a stubborn and sometimes ruthless man.

His pride was at stake and he wasn’t going to bow down and retract his words. Neither was I for that matter. I’d spoken to my sister twice, and my brother-in-law once in the last six months.

What astounded me was that even after telling them that Charlotte and I were already married, they’d suggested I would divorce her in time. Clearly, I came from a family of mad people.

The afternoon was a success and, in the evening, we left in a flurry of hugs and promises to keep in touch.

“That was the nicest afternoon I’ve had in a long time,” she said.

I glanced at her. God, she was beautiful. Her face was glowing and she had a permanent smile. I couldn’t resist the urge to tease her. “You’re lucky that I’m not a sensitive man.”

She laughed. “I know. That’s why I can speak my thoughts honestly. I should have added, minus the time me and you spend together.”

“I know,” I said.

“What did you think of Helen?” she asked.

“I love that she looks like you,” I said. “Including her personality. Ed was awesome too. He and I talked a lot.”

“I knew you’d have a lot to talk about when I heard that he was a lawyer,” she said.

“That always helps. One thing us lawyers have in common is that we talk too much.”

Charlotte was silent for a moment. “He probably knows the family firm.”

I was saved from responding when Charlotte’s phone vibrated with a message. I didn’t want to go down that road as it always left her feeling shitty and guilty.

She typed on her phone and then sighed.

“What’s the matter?”

“Amy. She wants to see me. I told her we’ll be home in a few,” she said. “I wonder what happened now. Things with Simon were going so well.”

I tried to call Simon and didn’t get an answer. “I can’t keep up with Amy’s boyfriends.”

Charlotte laughed. “I don’t blame you. Amy is so pretty, I don’t understand why she picks losers for boyfriends.”

I glanced at my wife. “It’s not easy to find what we have. There’s a lot of trial and error.”

“I know. I just forget sometimes,” she said.

Alex

We got home and I parked the car in the garage. Amy was parked in the street parking