“Are you going to join us?” Ryan asked me.
“I’ll unpack the food and get settled first.” I wanted to give them some time together to bond. Not for the first time, I wondered if it would have been better for them to come alone.
As if he’d suspected my thoughts, he said, “I want you here, and Corey enjoys your company. He hasn’t once grumbled about you being here.”
“That’s good.”
Corey returned with a tackle box and rods. He sat on the dock, his feet dangling over the edge. “You coming or what?”
“Be right there,” Ryan said to me.
“It’s going to be a good weekend.” I felt that in my soul.
“You got that right.” He kissed me softly before pulling away and heading toward the dock. Ryan sat next to Corey, their heads bowed together over the tackle box.
Next to each other, the two of them looked like father and son. Even their hair was the same color.
It struck me how selfish Tiffany was to limit Ryan’s time with Corey over the years.
I headed inside, determined to give them the time they needed. Seeing that Corey put his bag in the second master, I picked the spare room with the bookshelves. I unpacked some of my clothes in the drawers, taking my time to enjoy the only vacation I think I’d ever been on.
Each time Mom moved, she called it an adventure. But we’d never taken what a normal family would have called a vacation. When I went to live with Nana, she was more concerned about keeping things consistent than providing us with everything our friends had.
After I unpacked, I got the food ready for the grill. The boys would be hungry soon. Setting the burgers and hotdogs on a serving platter, I took it out to the uncovered deck where the grill was located.
Seeing me, Ryan left Corey on the dock to greet me. “Is it time for dinner?”
I set the platter on the grill. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Ryan tipped his head to the side and smiled. “You know how to grill?”
I gestured helplessly at it. “I was hoping you did. Jake does all the grilling at home.”
“Let me wash up, and I’ll be happy to.” Ryan kissed me before heading into the house.
I sat on the swing facing the water, noticing the hot tub for the first time.
Ryan came back out, rubbing his hands together. “I didn’t realize there was a hot tub.”
“Will Easton mind if we use it?” I asked.
Ryan opened the grill, placing the patties and hot dogs inside before fiddling with the knobs. “He didn’t say we couldn’t.”
“Well then, I guess that means we have to try it out.”
Ryan winked at me. “Absolutely.”
Watching Corey fish on the dock, I pushed my foot off the deck to move the swing, content with the motion. The view of the water flowing by would never get old, and Ryan preparing dinner felt very domestic.
As soon as Mom got settled in one place, she’d move us to another. No matter what she called it or how fun she tried to make it, I felt unsettled and dreaded the next time we’d have to leave everything behind. I hadn’t imaginedI’dbe the thing she left behind. Sharp pain stabbed my heart.
Ryan settled on the swing next to me and flung an arm over the back of it. “What are you thinking about over here?”
I smiled at him. “Family.”
He raised a brow. “What about it?”
I turned my attention to the water, the sun warming my skin. “What it means. Is it two parents or one? Is it grandparents? A sibling?”