nod in Wyatt’s direction.
“But—”
“I never saw it as disloyalty that any of you liked a Winterbourne. If I’d told you to stay away for that reason, I would have been no better than Earl and Russ. But it did stick in their craw that their girls were crazy about you.”
“Like some weird poetic justice,” Tate mused.
“For a long time I carried that weight, and your mama reminded me of what mattered in life. A man obsessed with vengeance is dangerous. I gave up letting the Winterbournes be my white whale and started enjoying my life. Your grandpa said he was proud of me, not because I bested them, but because I used something hurtful as a driving force to succeed.”
Bo Sr. took a swig of his beer. “And in the process, he made the Winterbournes eat crow a million times over.”
“You know Sam told me that Caine applied for a job at Regency,” J.J. said.
“Isn’t it amazing how our families keep colliding? We didn’t get it right, but maybe one of the generations will.” He sighed. For so long the Blakes and Winterbournes had shared an entwined past. Maybe there was some grand purpose for their families always getting into scrapes. “Now enough of the past. It’s Ty and C.J.’s last night as single men. Let’s have some fun.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The ladies were having so much fun at the bachelorette party that time slipped away, and before Teri-Lyn knew it, it was after eleven. It was good to catch up with Sydney though. They were both grandmas to the boys, but they’d also developed a genuine friendship. They’d even talked about going on a couples’ vacation together.
It was nice to see her old friend Bonnie again too. Although she and Bo were still in denial about their reconciliation, Bonnie spent a lot of time on the ranch with him. Her son Wyatt had been back to visit a few times and had decided to transfer to a college in Texas. He was a charming young man who was too handsome for his own good. She suspected his motivation for the transfer was to spend more time with his big brother Bo. And spending time with Avery didn’t hurt either. She knew he’d be getting “the talk” from the Blake men before the weekend was over.
She was proud of Bo for trying to rebuild his relationship with his brothers. Being in a relationship with Summer had opened him up emotionally, and he’d come out of his shell. The days of quiet Bo sitting on the sidelines were over. Now her “honorary” son was just as rowdy as her other boys.
Having Lila there would have made it a complete reunion. She thought about her friend a lot, and hoped she was looking down on them from heaven watching what a wonderful father Tate had become to Matt. She’d gone by the house the other day and found them on the porch eating cereal while Isabelle practiced her violin in the house. It was the sweetest thing to see Matt sitting on his lap while they snacked. Tate was telling him about the trees and how if you listened, nature was singing its own unique song. Matt was so adorable with his ears perked up, listening attentively for what his dad had just told him.
During the party, she and the girls pigged out on good food, gossiped, and talked about the men in their lives.
John Jacob, on the other hand, crawled into the bed after midnight lamenting about drinking too much with the boys at the Bright Star. All she was able to get out of him was that no fruit from his loins was going to best him at anything, let alone drinking at his favorite watering hole. She hoped the entire wedding party wouldn’t need ice packs on their heads as they marched down the aisle. He looked so pitiful that she postponed the chastising until after the ceremony. She snuggled beside him, closed her eyes, and thought about what a wonderful party it had been.
The next morning, Teri-Lyn laid some aspirin and a glass of Seth’s Morning-after Mixer on the nightstand.
“Wake up sleepy head.” Teri-Lyn ran a hand through his hair.
“But—”
“I never saw it as disloyalty that any of you liked a Winterbourne. If I’d told you to stay away for that reason, I would have been no better than Earl and Russ. But it did stick in their craw that their girls were crazy about you.”
“Like some weird poetic justice,” Tate mused.
“For a long time I carried that weight, and your mama reminded me of what mattered in life. A man obsessed with vengeance is dangerous. I gave up letting the Winterbournes be my white whale and started enjoying my life. Your grandpa said he was proud of me, not because I bested them, but because I used something hurtful as a driving force to succeed.”
Bo Sr. took a swig of his beer. “And in the process, he made the Winterbournes eat crow a million times over.”
“You know Sam told me that Caine applied for a job at Regency,” J.J. said.
“Isn’t it amazing how our families keep colliding? We didn’t get it right, but maybe one of the generations will.” He sighed. For so long the Blakes and Winterbournes had shared an entwined past. Maybe there was some grand purpose for their families always getting into scrapes. “Now enough of the past. It’s Ty and C.J.’s last night as single men. Let’s have some fun.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The ladies were having so much fun at the bachelorette party that time slipped away, and before Teri-Lyn knew it, it was after eleven. It was good to catch up with Sydney though. They were both grandmas to the boys, but they’d also developed a genuine friendship. They’d even talked about going on a couples’ vacation together.
It was nice to see her old friend Bonnie again too. Although she and Bo were still in denial about their reconciliation, Bonnie spent a lot of time on the ranch with him. Her son Wyatt had been back to visit a few times and had decided to transfer to a college in Texas. He was a charming young man who was too handsome for his own good. She suspected his motivation for the transfer was to spend more time with his big brother Bo. And spending time with Avery didn’t hurt either. She knew he’d be getting “the talk” from the Blake men before the weekend was over.
She was proud of Bo for trying to rebuild his relationship with his brothers. Being in a relationship with Summer had opened him up emotionally, and he’d come out of his shell. The days of quiet Bo sitting on the sidelines were over. Now her “honorary” son was just as rowdy as her other boys.
Having Lila there would have made it a complete reunion. She thought about her friend a lot, and hoped she was looking down on them from heaven watching what a wonderful father Tate had become to Matt. She’d gone by the house the other day and found them on the porch eating cereal while Isabelle practiced her violin in the house. It was the sweetest thing to see Matt sitting on his lap while they snacked. Tate was telling him about the trees and how if you listened, nature was singing its own unique song. Matt was so adorable with his ears perked up, listening attentively for what his dad had just told him.
During the party, she and the girls pigged out on good food, gossiped, and talked about the men in their lives.
John Jacob, on the other hand, crawled into the bed after midnight lamenting about drinking too much with the boys at the Bright Star. All she was able to get out of him was that no fruit from his loins was going to best him at anything, let alone drinking at his favorite watering hole. She hoped the entire wedding party wouldn’t need ice packs on their heads as they marched down the aisle. He looked so pitiful that she postponed the chastising until after the ceremony. She snuggled beside him, closed her eyes, and thought about what a wonderful party it had been.
The next morning, Teri-Lyn laid some aspirin and a glass of Seth’s Morning-after Mixer on the nightstand.
“Wake up sleepy head.” Teri-Lyn ran a hand through his hair.
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