Page 100 of Securing the Pucking Rebound

“Seriously?” Rett mutters while making a point of staring at the TV as if this commercial is the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen.

Unwilling to end the kiss early for her brother’s benefit, Parker flips him off.

“Fine. I’ll go and help Mom,” he mutters, stalking toward the kitchen where Alison and Bea are laughing together.

As fun as all their laughter and bickering is, I can’t deny that it brings back slightly painful memories. I remember a time when me, my sisters, and my parents were like this.

Before I ruined everything by chasing my dream. A dream that none of them shared.

I get it. I really do. The ranch has been in my family for generations. There was an expectation of me before I was even born that one day, I would take over.

I love it there, or at least, I used to, but I never saw it as my life.

I wanted bigger things. I wanted to get out of our small town and experience something new. I wanted to meet new people. I just wanted more.

And in achieving it, I’ve lost what I had there.

Sure, if I were to turn up, they’d no doubt welcome me with open arms. But it would come hand in hand with a load of criticism from them and, in turn, guilt from me.

I still love my family, of course I do. I just…I don’t like them very much for constantly trying to shove me inside a box I don’t fit in, and not understanding my need to break away.

I’d always hoped that maybe one of my sisters would do the same. It might have made life easier for me, but they never did. They both went to our local community college after high school, and they’re now both in relationships with guys they went to school with, and work on the ranch. Doing my job, as has been thrown in my face more times than I can count.

I’m sure they’re all there today, sitting around the giant table in my parents’ kitchen. Mom is probably wearing the apron she used to wear when we were kids, and I bet her hair is still styled the same as well. Dad will continue to crack the same jokes when he finally gets in from whatever job he was doing, and everyone will fake laugh to humor him.

A pang of longing hits me in the chest. It doesn’t happen very often, mostly because I try hard not to think about everything I left behind; instead, I focus on the reason I don’t feel like I have another choice.

“Hey, are you okay?” Bea says quietly as she sits beside me.

“Yeah, of course,” I force myself to say, hoping it doesn’t sound as broken as I feel.

“Please don’t be mad at her,” she pleads.

I shake my head, a smile pulling at my lips. “I’m not. I’m…grateful.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Thanks for sending the guys. This is much better than hanging out at home on my own.”

Bea holds my eyes for a beat before looking away.

“What?” I ask, sensing she’s holding something back.

“She…she really likes you,” Bea confesses, hesitantly finding my eyes again.

All the tension I was holding from thinking about my family drains away instantly.

“Yeah?” I ask, my heart picking up pace.

“She’d kill me if she knew I was saying this,” Bea mutters. “Sienna doesn’t trust guys easily. She’s a romantic at heart, but no one has proved to her that it can be a reality. But…she trusts you.”

Her words slam into me, just like Cooper Nash did that day he turned my world upside down.

I stare at her, my heart fully racing.

“Please, be gentle and patient with her. She’ll resist letting you in for as long as she can. But once she does…the wait will have been worth it.”

I swallow thickly.