Hard to Fight

“Once again, I’m sorry.”

“Eggs are up,” Raide says softly from the kitchen.

Benny leaps up and flashes me a smile that tells me it’s okay, before walking in and scooping up a plate off the counter. I follow behind and stare down at the scrambled eggs and buttered toast Raide has pulled together. We all go and sit at the table, and dig in. It’s really good, surprisingly so. Not that I doubted Raide could cook. Most men can, they just choose not to.

“This is great,” I say between mouthfuls.

“Yeah, bud.” Benny nods. “Great.”

Raide nods back and scoops the fluffy eggs into his mouth. We finish up, and I’m in the middle of washing up when three other people enter the house. There’s an older man, an older woman, and a pretty young blonde. They all embrace Raide, hugging and slapping backs. I smile from my spot in the kitchen as I watch them interacting.

“It’s good to see you, son.” The older man grins.

He looks like Benny, so I’m guessing that he’s his father. His eyes are warm and blue, his hair is salt-and-pepper, and he’s got laughter lines gliding out from his eyes. He’s handsome, even in his older age. The woman beside him is obviously Benny’s mother. She’s petite and small, with a short pixie cut that’s dyed light brown with streaks of blond. Her age shows only around her eyes and mouth; otherwise, she looks radiant and lovely.

“It’s been too long, Raide,” the woman says, embracing him.

“Yeah, Benny has been yammering on about missing you for ages now.” The lovely blonde smiles.

Raide smiles at her, and it’s warm. Super warm. Familiar warm. He puts his arms out and says, “Come here, girl.”

My heart clenches, it’s irrational and completely stupid but I can’t push it back.The girl beams and throws herself into his arms. He holds her tight, pressing his nose into her neck and whispering something into her ear. She flushes and steps back with that same huge grin when he lets her go. She’s a beautiful woman, really she is. Long blond hair that’s straight as a tack, hazel eyes like Benny’s, and a body to die for.

“Come here, Grace,” Raide says, stretching his arm out.

I slowly edge around the counter and walk toward the people, who are all watching me now. I force a smile, hoping like hell it looks genuine. When I reach Raide, he pulls me into his side, and I don’t miss how the blond girl’s mouth tightens. I’m intrigued about the relationship between the two of them, because there’s clearly one there, or there was at one time.

“This is Grace,” Raide introduces. “Grace, this is Edgar, Lynn, and Mandy.”

I smile again and give a little wave. “Hi, I’m Grace.”

He already told them that. Smooth, Grace.

“Hi, dear.” Lynn smiles. “It’s wonderful to meet you. We didn’t know Raide had company.”

I flush and shrug lightly. “It was last minute.”

“It’s nice to see him with company.” Edgar laughs and I smile.

“Leave him alone, Pops.” Benny chuckles. “It’s not his fault he’s socially stunted.”

Raide launches his fist out and connects with Benny’s shoulder. Benny makes a grunting sound, but he does it with a smile.

“How did you two meet?” Mandy asks.

“Grace was stalking me.”

I gape and twist to look up at Raide. “I was not stalking you!”

He chuckles. “Lady, you were.”

“I was not.” I turn back to the crowd. “I wasn’t. He was just everywhere I was.”

Lynn laughs. “I bet he was following you. Why wouldn’t he? You’re lovely, Grace.”

I beam and turn back to Raide. He winks down at me and pulls me back into his side. “You guys want to stay for a drink?” he asks.

“I’m in,” Lynn says.

“Could use one after today,” Edgar adds.

We all migrate to the front porch, and Raide brings out a beer for everyone. I curl up on an old swing chair beside Raide and listen to them all catching up. Edgar talks about his property, and Lynn tells me about the coffee shop she owns down in Denver. Mandy is studying at college to be a doctor. Their laughter fills me, and my heart aches. I realize, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m part of something.

Don’t get me wrong—I have Kady, Dad, and Vance, and they’re amazing, but they’re individual people. I haven’t just sat with my family and laughed, joked, and talked about life. These people are good people, they’re kind and funny, and I’d do anything to be a part of something like this. My chest cramps, and I have to focus on taking a few deep breaths just to calm myself.

“Are you okay, love?” Lynn asks.

Raide’s hand is on my leg, and it tightens, causing me to jerk and lift my head. “Sorry, I’m okay.”

“You look sad.”

I force a smile. “I’m just thinking about how nice this is. My family … we don’t do things like this.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Lynn sympathizes. “That must be hard.”

I nod, but say no more.

“You okay, baby?” Raide murmurs into my ear.

“Yeah,” I say softly. “I’m good.”

We continue on with the conversation, and Raide’s hand never leaves me. It’s on my leg or around my shoulders or holding my hand. It feels nice to be important, to be special, to be wanted.

“God do you remember that time you and Raide got busted making out at Lookout Point?” Benny laughs, and my head snaps up.

Mandy is blushing and Raide is glaring.

“God, yes,” Edgar mutters. “I had to explain to the cops why my sixteen-year-old daughter was kissing an eighteen-year-old in a car at midnight.”

“You two dated?” I ask softly.

“For a few years,” Raide says in his own mutter.

“We were engaged,” Mandy says, and it feels like someone has slapped me clean across the face. “We were going to get married but then—”

“Kelly,” Benny says softly.

“Kelly?” I ask.

“My sister,” Raide says, and I realize he never told me her name, and I must have missed it in the file.

“Oh.”

“Childhood sweethearts, these two were. Raide went to the same school and was always the jock,” Edgar teases. “He was in the foster family across the road, they were a good family, and these two hit it off.”

God. Engaged. He was engaged to her. You don’t just get engaged for no reason. He must have loved her, adored her.

“He was such a jock,” Mandy laughs. “Do you remember when you carried me out of that ice cream place over your shoulder because that man was looking at me?”

My chest gets tighter.

“Yeah,” Raide mutters, and I guess everyone takes the hint he doesn’t want to talk about it, because Lynn quickly changes the subject.

“Well, we should let you two get some rest. It’s getting late.”

We all stand and say our good-byes, then they’re gone and Raide and I are alone once more. We go back into the cabin, and this time Raide locks the door. The sun has just set, and the sounds of the night fill the small space.