Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready to. I think you’ve been open enough for one night. Just remember I’m willing to trade a truth for a truth next time you’re pissed off or want to get something off your chest, okay?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I can handle that.”
“Good.” I took one last sip of my soda, then set it aside. “Let’s pay and get you home before Katherine notices you’re missing.”
Fifteen
Fifteen
Operation Sneak Isaac Back into the house went smoother than I expected.
After paying for our food and walking back to Chase’s, I found Alex and Kim making out on the patio. Interrupting them was uncomfortable—nothing says awkward like witnessing your friend shoving her tongue so far down your ex’s throat that you wonder about potential choking hazards—but ultimately worked out in our favor. Alex didn’t bat an eye at the sight of Isaac standing next to me. In fact, he enthusiastically handed over the truck keys when we mentioned wanting to leave. None of the other Walters had been invited to the party, so Alex could stay over at Kim’s if he didn’t have to drive me home.
When we got back to the ranch, I made no effort to soften the sounds of my arrival. While Isaac was busy scaling the tree outside his bedroom window, I walked straight through the front door, letting the screen door slam shut behind me, and kicked off my heels by the shoe cubby. Trick-or-treating must have been successful, because when I stepped into the kitchen, my attention was immediately drawn to the den where the youngest Walters were gathered, costumes still on, candy hauls dumped on the floor in front of them, and
Hocus Pocus playing softly in the background. A fierce negotiation was taking place between Parker and Jack, but eventually she pushed five Almond Joys over to him and he handed her a Tootsie Pop in return. It was almost ten o’clock, so I was more than a little shocked to find them still up but recognized an excessive amount of sugar was probably the culprit when Benny let out a high-pitched scream and tackled his twin to the floor.
I heard a heavy sigh, then what sounded like the page of a book turning. “Back so soon?”
How I’d missed Katherine when I first entered the kitchen was anyone’s guess, but she was sitting at the table, a paperback in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. A few pieces of fun-size chocolate bars were arranged in front of her.
“Wasn’t really up for a party,” I told her.
Katherine frowned slightly but let my comment go. “Is Alex with you?”
“No, he wanted to stay. One of my friends gave me a ride.” Isaac had parked the truck behind the shed where it wouldn’t be visible from the house, left the keys on the front seat, and texted Alex to move it back to its usual spot once Kim dropped him off in the morning. I hated lying to Katherine, but it was a necessary evil to make sure Isaac wasn’t sent away to a military academy, so I appeased my guilt by offering my help. “I’m not tired, so if you want, I can stay up with the kids and get them to bed once the movie is over.”
The speed at which Katherine downed the rest of her wine and jumped up made me grin. “You,” she said, grasping my head with both hands and pressing a kiss to my forehead, “are an angel.”
She gave me a few instructions—mainly don’t let anyone trick me into putting on another movie and make sure everyone brushed their teeth—then retreated to her room. The sugar crash happened not long after. By the time the closing credits rolled, the kids could barely keep their eyes open, and it didn’t take much effort for me to corral them upstairs. Teeth were brushed, pajamas were donned, and then I was standing in the middle of the upstairs hall, not sure what to do with myself.
Despite the late hour, I was wide awake.
I’d spent most of the movie fixated on what Isaac told me at the diner. I desperately wanted to believe him—that I was one of the Walters now. On nights like tonight, when I was treated like an older sister, it wasn’t so difficult a notion to accept. But there were other times, like dinner yesterday, when I wondered if a small part of me would always feel like an outsider. At that moment, what I wanted the most was to talk to Danny. He’d learned over the summer how to distract me from overthinking, but I didn’t want to chance waking him, because dress rehearsals for the play started tomorrow, and he needed to get a good night’s sleep.
Nathan was a good listener, and things were better between us now that he’d told me about his continued seizures, but he typically kept to a sleep schedule. I glanced out the window even though there was no way he was awake at this hour, then did a double take when I noticed the light still on in the barn.
That decided things, then.
I was almost to the stairs when I heard whispered voices. The door to Katherine and George’s room was ajar, a soft golden light pouring through the crack.
“…think we were too hard on them?” Katherine asked as I passed by.
Not wanting to invade their privacy, I kept going, but then George spoke, and it brought me to a standstill. “Not at all. They had to learn that we have expectations for their behavior, especially if they’re dating.”
Oh hell.
Nerves churned in my stomach as I realized Katherine and George were talking about me and Cole. Eavesdropping on their conversation made my skin prickle in discomfort, but at the same time, I’d been worrying nonstop since Katherine caught the two of us together. I bit my lip as I considered what to do. If this was my chance to know how she really felt…
“I’m not sure if they are dating anymore.” A surprising amount of disappointment laced Katherine’s tone.
George chuckled softly. “Well, that was quick.”
“Don’t laugh,” she hissed at him. “I’m worried it’s our fault. Jackie’s been withdrawn since our discussion, I haven’t seen them spend any time together since, and now this?”
I had no clue what she meant by “this,” but the way she emphasized the word made it seem bad, and an unsettling chill skated down my spine.
“Love, it’s going to be okay,” he replied, and I could hear the smile on his face. “They’re teenagers. Breakups happen.”
“I know, I know. But seeing them together? It put a ridiculous thought in my head that I can’t stop picturing.”
“What’s that?” George asked.
Katherine paused for so long, I thought I’d missed her response. “That she’d be our daughter one day,” she finally said. “Officially.”
“It’s a nice thought,” George replied with another soft laugh, “but Jackie will always be a part of our family regardless of her relationship with Cole. You know that, right?”
His declaration made me sway slightly on the spot.
“Yes, but…” Katherine’s voice cracked. “What if she goes off to Princeton and never comes back?”
I leaned in closer, desperate to hear George’s answer, but the floorboard creaked below me. Heart slamming against my rib cage, I scrambled away as quietly as possible and fled to the safety of my room. Once I was inside, I stood with my back pressed against the door as my chest rose and fell in quick succession. My mind was racing with everything I’d overheard.
For starters, what the hell was Katherine thinking, picturing me and Cole married? I was only sixteen, for crying out loud! Marriage wasn’t even included in my ten-year plan. And George! Was I losing it, or had he really said I’d always be a part of the Walters family? If he truly meant that, did that mean… Was Isaac right? I really was one of them now?
Pulling out my phone, I slid down the door and opened my photo gallery. Before leaving for New York, I’d taken a picture of the mural Katherine had painted on the side of the barn. I’d been so touched by her gesture to include me. At the time, I’d thought she added me because she felt bad that I didn’t have anyone else, but it still warmed my heart to know someone was thinking of me. Once I got home, however, all the pain and guilt I’d been avoiding came flooding back, and I hadn’t been able to stomach looking at it. How could I when my real family was gone?
Now, though? I couldn’t look away.
There I was, right between Cole and Alex. Danny was beside us, and I—
Oh no.
My eyes snapped back to Cole. He had his arm wrapped around my shoulders, his hair tousled just so. With the exception of his letterman jacket, which probably felt like a sore subject for him now, Katherine had captured her second oldest perfectly. She’d even gotten his smirk down right.
God, I loved that smirk. He sure knew how to use it to irritate me, but that was half the fun of things, wasn’t it? The back-and-forth, testing each other until we knew all the right buttons to push. What we had was so much more than the banter and flirting, though. It had taken Danny an entire summer to learn the ins and outs of who I was: what my tells were, what made me laugh, when to back off versus when to dig deeper, how to comfort me. Those were all things that his twin knew intrinsically. Cole had me pegged from the moment I arrived in Colorado, and he’d used that understanding to help me get by, even if I didn’t realize it at the time.