“Holy shit!” Every memory Austin had of the two of them involved them fighting. His Grandpa Cliff used to love the show Moonlighting and he used to joke that the two of them make Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd look like best friends.
“Yeah. You should come say hi. She’s over at the shop.”
“She still has the shop?”
“Yep.”
Patrick’s grandfather owned the rental shop at the lake. It worked out well for when the kids were growing up because they were able to take out jet skis, paddle boats, and boogie boards anytime they wanted for free.
As they made the short walk, Kade talked about how Patrick had named Ali and Kade as the legal guardians of the twins, but he’d gone to rehab right after Patrick passed instead of coming home. He’d moved to LA right after high school to pursue his career in MMA.
When he came back a year after they lost Patrick, Ali was doing her best to raise the boys that had turned into teenagers since their dad passed. But KJ had anger and rebellion issues and Ricky was withdrawn. Kade told Austin that he’d been scared he wasn’t going to be able to keep his word to his friend and make sure they were okay, but he vowed that he’d spend every day he had on this earth trying.
Kade restored some of Austin’s faith in humanity, which had taken quite a hit. Not only from the horrors he’d witnessed overseas, but also from the betrayal he’d come home to. It was nice to see there were still bona fide, good people in the world.
“Man, those boys are lucky to have you,” Austin told his friend.
“No.” Kade shook his head. “I’m the lucky one. Those boys are my life. And every day I wake up and still can’t believe how lucky I am that Ali is beside me. She owns me, and always has.”
Austin could see the genuine love shining in his friend’s eyes as he talked about his wife. Before today, Austin would’ve thought what Kade had described was impossible. He’d always believed love at first sight was a myth perpetuated by rom-coms and romance novels. Now he didn’t know what he believed. Something he sure as hell couldn’t describe had happened to him the second he’d laid eyes on Sara. He’d had a primal reaction to her. If that could happen to him, anything was possible.
When Austin had met his ex-fiancée, he’d been attracted to her. But it had been nothing like what he’d felt earlier today. In the four years he and Brielle had been together, he’d never felt anything close to what just looking into Sara’s eyes had inspired in him. Maybe that was why things had worked out the way they had.
“Hey, babe,” Kade called out when he opened the door to the shop. “Look who I found.”
As they walked in, Austin saw that Ali wasn’t alone. She was standing at the counter, deep in conversation…with Sara. This was a small town, but it felt like everywhere he turned, she was there. And he had to admit, he wasn’t mad about it.
“Austin!” Ali’s face lit up when she saw him. “I heard you were back.”
She rounded the corner and threw her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry about your grandparents.” She said softly as she hugged him.
He closed his eyes and spoke quietly, “I’m sorry about Patrick.”
They held each other for a beat, letting the weight of their losses pass between them. Apparently, it was a beat too long for Kade’s liking. “Okay, okay, you said hi.”
Kade pulled Ali out of Austin’s arms and encircled his arms around her.
Ali giggled as she wiggled away from him. “Kade, I want you to meet someone.” The woman held out her arms like a model on The Price is Right and Sara was the prize. “This is Sara.”
Sara smiled, looking uncomfortable as she lifted her hand in a small wave. “Hi.”
“Hey,” Austin nodded.
“Sara,” Ali repeated. “The beautiful, incredible, talented, amazing Sara from the What the F blog.”
Okay…beautiful, incredible, and amazing he knew. Talented he could’ve guessed. But he had no idea what the What the F blog was.
Apparently, his friend did.
“Oh.” Awareness dawned on Kade’s face. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Especially after you featured Jess and Ethan’s proposal.”
Jess and Ethan were engaged?!The only Jess Austin had known in Whisper Lake was Jessa Myers. She was Ali’s best friend and had been really sick growing up. He remembered it was something to do with her heart because every summer they had a mud run for the American Heart Association for Jess.
He didn’t get the chance to ask if it was the same Jess before Kade turned to him. “Sara, from What the F blog, this is Austin Stone from New York. His grandparents owned the B&B, and growing up, he was here every summer.”
“I kinda feel like I got gypped on my description,” Austin said to Kade, his voice flat.
“Don’t worry.” Ali snuggled up to her husband wearing a wide smile and a wink. “You should hear what people are saying behind your back. You would definitely feel vindicated.”