I snort because I know that day will never come. And it’s a sign of life that I’ll take. Harvey’s sense of humor is one of my favorite things about him—always has been.
And quiet as I’ve been through the years, I never can quite resist toeing that line with him. Pushing him a smidge farther to see what he’ll say.
“You got someone special on the receiving end of all that virility, Harv?”
“A few someones. Hard to pick just one, ya know? Why choose?” He smiles back at me maniacally.
“Make sure you wrap it up,” is my casual response. After the death of his wife so long ago, I’m happy he has some company.
Harvey grins. “Talk to Cade about that. Not me.”
Cade groans and tips his head back, now staring at the ceiling. “I should have stayed at my house.”
I nod, taking a long pull of the coffee in my hand. “Probably. It’s early. Wasn’t expecting to find you here.”
“Well, Harvey and I were about to do rock, paper, scissors to see who would take a road trip out to see Violet in Ruby Creek with a load of hay.”
My head quirks. “Sorry?”
Harvey jumps in. “Something about a hay shortage out that way. Hot, dry summer. So she called us, begging for a trailer full to help them get through the winter. She still complains that the hay out there sucks compared to ours.” The older man puffs up a little at that compliment from his only daughter.
Cade hits me with a serious look. “But neither of us really wants to leave.” He clears his throat. “Just in case.”
Harvey nods, eyes shrink-wrapped instantly.
Just in case. I know what they’re saying without having to ask for more. Just in case Beau is found. Just in case Beau is gone. Just in case they need to lean on their family when news about their beloved brother comes in.
“I’ll go.” I don’t even need to think twice about it.
Both their heads whip in my direction, surprise written all over their faces.
Harvey smiles at me kindly, the way he has since he took me in, even when he already had too much on his plate. I’ve never met a man with a bigger heart than what’s in Harvey Eaton’s chest. “You’re a good boy, Jasper. But you’ve got your season. You can’t leave, though it means the world to me you’d offer.”
“Yeah, about that . . . I’m actually on leave now. For at least two weeks.”
Harvey’s thick brows scrunch on his forehead. “Why?”
“Did you not see his games this week?” Cade tosses in.
I glare in his direction. He just smirks.
“Fucking dick,” I mutter with no malice as I turn back to Harvey. “Because Roman is a domineering asshole who found out I didn’t disclose what was going on to management or coaching staff and then I shit the bed on the ice and lost us a bunch of games. And I guess rather than yelling at me from the bench like he always does, he’s decided to be inspiring or some shit and coddle me like a sad toddler.”
I’m met with silence and slightly concerned looks because I don’t often get that many words out in one breath. In fact, I don’t usually get many words out, period. I retreated into myself a long time ago and got really good at listening rather than talking.
“Well . . . that’s quite the story,” Harvey provides, like he doesn’t quite know what to say.
“You do remind me a bit of a sad toddler,” Cade deadpans.
Dick.
“I’ll go. You guys stay.” I gesture between them. “You need to be here. Cade, you’ve got Willa and Luke—a baby on the way. Harvey, you’ve got several girl-friends and also your entire family.”
They both chuckle and I muster a small grin, happy to lighten the mood.
“You’re our family too, you know?” Cade is all serious now. It’s sometimes hard to differentiate with him because he’s got such a dry sense of humor, but this is him being sensitive in his own way.
“I know. But there’s no one here who needs me. Let me go. I can support the family by making this trip. You both taught me how to haul, you know I’m capable with the truck and trailer. Plus, it’d be good to see Violet. She could use some distracting as well.”
Harvey’s fingers drum on the table. “The roads could be bad through the mountains this time of year.”
He knows my anxiety about driving, vehicles, and accidents. It’s wild how one simple mistake can translate into such widespread anxiety. But for him? For my family?
I can swallow it down and overlook it.
My smile is tense. “I know. I can manage though.”
“Yeah.” We all jerk, surprised by the soft voice coming from the corner of the kitchen. Like having women in the house is just that unusual these days. “He can manage. And I’ll go with him to make sure he has company.”
Without even glancing at us, Sloane pours herself a coffee. She’s changed into a simple pair of black leggings paired with a gray sweatshirt that swallows her upper body, woolen socks stacked over her ankles.
And when she turns to smile at us, her pale blonde locks a little mussed, I can see the lines on her cheek from where her face was pressed into the sheets of my bed. She looks cozy—a tad dopey. It makes me think of how she felt pressed up against me last night.
She looks different than I’ve ever seen her. Or maybe it’s just the way I’m seeing her now.
“Good lord, Gervais. What the hell are you wearing?” she blurts.
Everyone else dissolves into a fit of giggles. Cade murmurs something about he told me so, but I barely hear him.
I’m focused on Sloane. Because I will not tell her what she can and can’t do. So I’m left wondering how I’m going to handle a road trip through the mountains with just the two of us and not go completely insane.
Or do something completely insane.
11
Sloane
Willa: Sloane, can you confirm Jasper is okay? The guys are worried about him but don’t know how to talk to him about their feelings. They’ve requested we ask instead. It’s like a game of telephone over here.
Summer: We’re all texting. It’s nothing like a game of telephone.
Sloane: He’s sad. He’ll be okay.
Willa: You should bang him.
Summer: Wils, that can’t always be your advice.
Willa: Why not? It’s solid advice. Worked out for you.
Summer: She just fled her wedding.
Willa: Yeah, but that fucking guy sucked. Jasper has that hot, tortured vibe going for him.
Sloane: He’s sad. Not horny, Willa.
Willa: He can be both. Turn that frown upside down, baby girl!
“Okay, I got everything I need.” I shoulder my way into the truck with a brand-new duffel bag full of brand-new clothes and toiletries. Harvey took me into town this morning to fill in the gaps in my temporary wardrobe while Cade and Jasper got the truck and trailer set.
Jasper eyes me speculatively. He really hasn’t said much to me. I don’t know if I scared him off with my comment about how hell would be a jolly good time with him there—talk about cringe—or if he just doesn’t want me to come with him.
Maybe forcing my way into his bed was too far.
Maybe he’s figuring out that I never really got over him.