BLAIRE
I stepped into the kitchen to see Dean Finlay frying bacon and whistling the tune to one of Slacker Demon’s number one hits. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. He turned his head and his gaze met mine. The look on his face wasn’t one I ever expected to see on a famous rock star. He reminded me of a father.
“Good morning, sunshine. I’m making you and that grandbaby of mine some breakfast. I did have help but I’m afraid I told Rush something he didn’t know and shocked him a bit. He went outside to make a phone call. He’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said as he forked the bacon and laid each slice out on a paper towel lined plate.
I glanced past him to the windows to see Rush talking on the phone intently. “What did you tell him?” I asked, wondering if I should go check on him.
“Grant and Nan have had a thing for awhile now. Nan finally screwed things up for the last time and it’s over. Rush didn’t know about it.”
My mouth dropped open as his words sank in. Grant and Nan? Really?
“Shocked the hell outta me too. Didn’t think that boy was stupid. Guess he learned the hard way just ‘cause it’s pretty don’t mean it shines.”
I looked back outside at Rush. He was standing up and slipping his phone into his pocket. I wondered if he’d called Nan or Grant.
“Why don’t you go take a seat over at the table and let me fix you a plate? Do you like orange juice or milk or both? The baby probably needs a little of both.”
I shifted my attention back to Dean as he stood there holding a plate with bacon eggs and a waffle on it. Had he just cooked all that for me?
“Wow that looks delicious,” I replied.
“It is. I make a killer breakfast. Now go sit down and let me feed you.”
I bit my bottom lip to keep from grinning like an idiot and took a seat at the table. Rush opened the door and walked back inside just as his father placed a plate of food in front of me.
“Don’t worry about your pretty little fiancée. I got her all fixed up.”
Rush smirked at his father then headed over to me. He bent down and placed a kiss on top of my head. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.
“Are you okay?” I asked, not able to hold back my concern. I needed to know he wasn’t upset about Grant and Nan.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think Grant has wised up and it’ll all be okay.”
I frowned. Grant wised up? What did he mean?
“We’ll talk about it later. Eat,” he said with a wink and walked over to fix himself a plate.
Dean put a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk in front of me, then took the seat to my left. He was holding a large cup of coffee in his hands but that was all.
“You aren’t going to eat?” I asked as he drank from the steaming cup.
He shook his head. “Nope. I just drink my breakfast.”
Rush put his plate down on the other side of me. He had piled his plate with everything that was left over. Apparently, he was hungry. “Sorry I didn’t get to help you finish it but thanks for cooking.”
“Glad I got to. It’s been awhile since I cooked you breakfast,” Dean replied.
I liked seeing Rush with his dad. They appeared normal. I was getting to be a part of his family this way. I doubted I’d ever get this chance with his mom and sister but his dad seemed to accept me.
“Now that I know you can cook I’m going to volunteer you to help me cook our Thanksgiving dinner,” I informed Dean.
Dean grinned. “I would love to. It’s been awhile since I’ve had one of those too. I’m looking forward to spending it with the two of you.”
The pleased smile on Rush’s face warmed me. “I’m going to go to the grocery store today and buy the rest of our supplies.”
“I’ll go with you,” Rush replied.
“No you will stay here with your dad. Y’all could go play a round of golf or something. I can pick up what we need by myself. Besides, I think Bethy wants to tag along. She’s making the corn casserole and pumpkin pie for tomorrow.”
“I refuse to f*cking golf. But spending the day catching up sounds good. We could go over to Destin and catch the new Bond movie. I’ve been wanting to see it. I’ll even take you to lunch.”
I could tell by the look on Rush’s face that didn’t want to go and I knew it was only because he hated to get that far away from me. I reached over and squeezed his hand tightly. “That sounds like fun. Y’all go do that and I’ll have time to spend with Bethy.”
Rush nodded but I could tell he hadn’t wanted to give in.
I took a bite of my eggs and smiled over at Dean. “These are so good. Thank you.”
He beamed at me. I was glad he was here. This holiday we wouldn’t be completely without our parents.
“Please, Blaire. I am begging you, please.” Bethy stood in front of me bouncing on her toes with her hands folded in front of her like she praying. The pleading look in her eyes almost made me laugh.
“Didn’t you grow up here? How is it that you’ve never met Dean before now?” I asked as I took a grocery bag out of the back of the Range Rover.
“I’m the poor folks. You know that! I work for the rich; I don’t socialize with them. Come on, I know I’ll see him tomorrow but I want to meet him now. While Jace isn’t here to see me swoon.”
I made a gagging noise. “He’s too old to swoon over. Gross!”
“You are kidding me, right? Dean Finlay’s last girlfriend was like twenty-one. Someone like him never gets too old to swoon over.”
I disagreed. Dean was close to fifty years old. He had to be. Why was he dating someone younger than his son? That was disgusting. “You planning on leaving Jace to become a notch on Dean’s bed post?” I teased and headed for the front door of the beach house.
“Of course not. I just wanna,” she stopped and grabbed a bag then scrambled up the steps behind me. “I just wanna meet him. See those eyes and breathe the same air.”
This time I did laugh. I couldn’t help it. She was cracking me up. “He’s a normal guy. He’s also Rush’s dad and I doubt Rush will want you coming into the house acting like a complete and total fangirl. So you need to get it together before Thanksgiving dinner. It’s not a place for you to be swooning over my future father-in-law.”
“That is just crazy. You know that, right? Just flipping crazy! Having Dean f*cking Finlay as your father-in-law. Women around the world want to f*ck the man. You’re gonna be his family.”
I cringed and unlocked the door to the house. Sometimes Bethy could be too much. This was one of those times. “Let’s unload the groceries and talk about tomorrow’s menu. Then I can tell you all about how I’m leaving this weekend to head to LA with Rush and his father. Nan is causing problems with Kiro.”
Bethy hurried inside after me. “You’re leaving? This weekend? You can’t leave me! Not even for Dean! No!”
At least I had her mind off of humping Dean. I put my bag down on the counter and turned to look at her. “Rush needs to go and so I’m going with him. Besides, if I don’t go, I don’t think he will. His dad asked him to help deal with Nan.”
Bethy pouted and sank down on the bar stool across from me. “This sucks. I don’t want you to leave.”
The more I thought about it the more I didn’t want to leave either. But I wasn’t letting Rush go to LA without me. I would miss him like crazy. This would also be a chance for me to get to know his dad. We were about to have our own family and I wanted his dad to be a part of that. I hadn’t heard from my dad but once since he came by to tell me that he wasn’t Nan’s father. He had called me a week after he left to tell me he was heading to the Florida Keys to find a boat and live on it. He wanted to be alone. He also told me he loved me.
I tried not to think of my dad much. It only made me sad. I should have told him I wanted him in my life but I hadn’t. I’d let him go. Now, looking at the holidays without him I felt sad. I had found my home but he had lost his.
“Have you heard anything I just said?” Bethy asked breaking into my thoughts.
I glanced over at her. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about my dad,” I admitted. Then I grabbed the can of green beans and started putting it away.
“Oh. You thinking of inviting him?”
It was too late now. I wasn’t sure Rush would be okay with it if I did. We hadn’t discussed my dad that much. I shook my head and turned to get the box of powdered sugar. “No. Just thinking about him in general. Wondering what he’s doing,” I replied.