Page 17 of Finally Home
Rhodes sighs sadly and offers me a brief glance before turning back to the road. “From what Aidan’s shared with me, Crew’s mom was a one-night-stand when he was drinking his feelings away shortly after he was drafted. She showed up on his doorstep like six months later super pregnant and high out of her mind. She gave birth a few months early and just…left. Crew was four hours old and unable to breathe on his own and his mom abandoned him. Aid’s been parenting alone ever since.”
“How awful,” I whisper. “Is he okay now?”
His face brightens to a proud grin. “Crew is absolutely perfect. He’s healthy and so strong you’d never know he was born weighing less than three pounds.”
Relief fills me at the reassurance that the sweet little boy I met today is happy and healthy. I only got to spend a few hours with the kid, but he’s precious. I laugh sadly as I think back. “I guess that’s why Colton assumed I was Crew’s mom and tried to set up a playdate for the kids. With the matching blonde hair and all, it makes sense.”
Rhodes snorts incredulously and glances at me once before he makes the turn into his parents’ driveway and shuts off the SUV.
“Are you really that oblivious? Or are you just ignoring the fact that he was blatantly hitting on you?”
I scoff and hop out of the passenger seat, shutting the door a little harder than necessary. His heavy footsteps follow me, but I keep walking up the driveway. Their house is absolutely stunning: a picture-perfect white farmhouse with a pretty blue porch and huge, comfortable-looking chairs placed under the large ceiling fans. It must be nice to sit out here in the evenings with a glass of sweet tea and a book.
Rhode’s aggressive footfalls remind me that I’m irritated, and I sneer. “So what if he was Rhodes? What, am I just supposed to stay single and celibate forever because my stupid ex-husband cheated on me?”
“Damn it, Wren. That’s not what I said!” He grabs my arm to stop me just as the front door flies open, and Kaci Gray envelops me in a warm hug.
“My sweet girl. We didn’t get to see your pretty self nearly well enough in the dark last night. Let me get a good look at you!” Kaci is a force to be reckoned with on the best of days, so I let her squish my cheeks while her assessing gaze runs over my face.
Her lips turn down into a frown. “You look tired, honey. I hope you take your time here to rest and recuperate. We’re looking forward to having you around again.”
She pats my cheek and lets me go, bustling all of us into the house, and I’m accosted by the most amazing smell in the world. “Mama Gray,” I groan. “Did you make chicken pot pie?”
The only response I get is an incredulous look and Rhodes chuckles at my expense. When I turn a glare his way, he smirks. “Did you really think she wouldn’t make her honorary daughter’s favorite meal for her homecoming dinner?”
I flip him off, but my heart swells with appreciation for these incredible people as we follow her through the house. The Gray’s, especially Kaci, have become family to me in every way that counts since the first time Rhodes brought me to meet them our freshman year. Not having my own mom around was always a burden I tried to keep away from my dad while I was growing up, but I don’t think I realized what I was missing until I met Rhodes’s mom.
My dad will always be my favorite person, and I know I can talk with him about anything, but there’s nothing in the world like a strong woman to look up to, especially when you work in male-dominated fields like we do. Kaci Gray is an incredibly talented corporate lawyer.
Dad doesn’t really talk about my mom or why she left, but I always assumed it was because she didn’t want to be a mother. Otherwise, she would have taken me with her, right? Or at the very least visited her daughter at least once while I was growing up. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the Gray’s and my therapist, I think I would be a lot more bitter about it than I am.
When Kaci and Dominic moved here five years ago, they found this house and declared it their “dying house” because they want to die here. It sounds a little morbid, but sweet all the same. The stunning home sits on a large plot of land that they rent out to their neighboring farm, and the last time I asked, Dominic told me they charged the older man a dollar-fifty a month, “because renting that much space for a dollar would just be ridiculous.”
When we walk into the brightly-lit kitchen, I smile when Rhodes’s mom immediately goes to stand by her husband at the stove. Dominic moves behind Kaci, putting his arms around her and swaying to the soft sounds of Mitchell Tenpenny.
I take a seat at the large butcher-block island, leaning my head in my hand with a sigh. I’ve always been a little envious of the love they still share after so many years together, especially knowing their relationship was established after Kaci found out she was pregnant with Rhodes. Muscular tanned arms wrap around my shoulders as Rho rests his chin on the top of my head and clears his throat, catching his parents’ attention.
Dominic beams when he sees me, comes around the island, and pulls me into a fierce hug. He knocks Rhodes off of me in the process, which elicits a grumble. “I know you got here last night, but I didn’t get to squeeze you and tell you how happy I am that you’re here.” He kisses me on the top of my head. “We missed you something fierce, Wren.”
Tears spring to my eyes before I can dam them back. “I missed y’all, too. So much. I’m sorry it took me so long to come home and visit.”
Dominic and Kaci share a look over my head, and I brace myself for the question I know they’ve been dying to ask. Raising his eyebrow at me, he strokes a big hand down my hair and gives me his no-nonsense “dad look” that I’ve seen him give his son a thousand times. “You ready to tell us what prompted this sudden trip home, Wren? Aside from missing your family?”
I groan, bury my face in my hands, and use the heels of my palms to rub my eyes. I’m sure I look like a raccoon running on two hours of sleep now, but I can’t bring myself to care.
Clearing my throat, I keep my eyes trained down, not brave enough to face the pity in their expressions. “Derrick cheated on me, and I found out when somebody sent a video of it to the team email,” I whisper.
Kaci gasps as Dominic’s hand tenses up where it rests on my shoulder. “He what?”
“Wren…honey, I am so sorry you had to go through that on your own.” She rushes over and envelops me in a warm hug.
I hug her back and take a deep breath, allowing myself to soak in the comfort she’s always offered so freely. “It’s okay, Mama Gray. There were signs for a long time. I just chose to ignore them for the sake of what I thought was love. And I wasn’t alone! Four of my great friends and my boss immediately cheered me up and helped me get my stuff so I could come home. As a matter of fact, a few of them are flying in tomorrow for a visit.”
Thinking of the guys and Ella always brings a smile to my face, and a little of the hurt fades away. I have so many people who love me unconditionally; focusing on them takes away some of the sting from Derrick’s betrayal. I send off a quick text to Ella to see if she’ll be visiting with the guys.
“How exciting! I can’t wait to meet them. Do you have any idea how long you’ll be in town? You know our house is yours, and we’d love to have you stay with us as long as you’d like.” Kaci smiles at me, kissing my cheek, then moves to take dinner out of the oven.
“Well, I know I’ll be here for at least a month. I don’t have a place to live in Seattle, so I guess I’ll start looking for a rental. I could stay with one of the guys, but I don’t want to put anyone out if I don’t have to.” I hear a grunt and peek back at Rhodes. He looks angry. “And while I appreciate your offer to let me stay with you, I think I might stay with Roly-Coly-Oly for at least some of my time here.”