Hang Tough(97)
Then his phone did buzz with a text message. He said, “Excuse me,” and strode away from the table.
Jade waited by the hostess stand. Her eyes lit up at seeing him.
Everything in him settled. This woman was his future. She was joy and sweetness and kindness. Loving and smart and understanding. She got him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Hey. You ready for the trainwreck that is the Hale family?”
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later.” He set his hand in the small of her back and directed her to the back of the restaurant.
Neither his brother nor his dad stood when Tobin and Jade reached the table.
He comforted himself with the fact that his mother would’ve been appalled by their lack of manners.
“Jade, this is my father, Dan Hale, and my oldest brother, Driscoll. This is my girlfriend, Jade Evans.”
“She ain’t white,” rolled out of his dad’s mouth.
Jade patted her face and her hair. “Omigod, I’m not?” She gaped at Tobin. “Did you know this about me?”
“Yeah, darlin’, I did.”
“And you like me anyway?”
“Very much.”
“Oh. Well then. We’re good.”
Tobin pulled out his wallet. “It was an enlightening conversation if nothin’ else.”
Driscoll’s judgmental gaze winged between Tobin and Jade. “I thought you said your girlfriend was staying for dessert? Now you’re takin’ off?”
“We have more important things to do than sit here and listen to a pair of windbags pass judgment and gas.” Tobin floated a fifty-dollar bill on the table. “That oughta cover my portion.”
His dad dropped his elbows on the table. “Now wait just a damn minute. You invited us. You said you were payin’.”
“You thought asking to meet you here meant I was paying for both of your dinners?” He snorted. “Hardly. When I said I’m paying, I meant for my own meal. I didn’t expect you to buy mine.”
“That’s a shitty trick,” Driscoll snapped. “Letting us order—”
“What you ordered went in your belly, not mine. And besides, Dris”—he hated that nickname—“I live in a rental trailer and I’m nothin’ but a lowly hired hand, right? I’ve gotta budget my money a lot tighter than two fat-cat landowners.”
He draped his arm over Jade’s shoulder and didn’t look back.
Chapter Twenty-three
Jade had to go upstairs because watching Tobin pace was driving her crazy.
His nerves didn’t surprise her; he was a bit more high-strung than most people noticed.
But she noticed everything about him.
Everything.
She loved everything about him.
Now she had what she’d always wanted: A happy life doing the things she loved without living up to anyone’s definition of success but her own. Even though she and Tobin had only been together a short time, in her heart and her soul, she believed this love would stand the test of time. They’d already become more to each other than they’d known they could be. And it made her a little giddy to think this love would continue to expand.
“Jade? Baby, they’re here.”
She reached the bottom step just as Streeter and Olivia came through the door.
The first thing she noticed was that Streeter resembled Tobin more than his dad or brother did. He looked a little gaunt—understandable given what he’d been through the last eight months.
Olivia clung to her father, her face buried in his neck so all Jade could see were two tiny brown pigtails sticking up.
Tobin rested his hand above Jade’s behind as he steered her closer. “Streeter, this is my girlfriend, Jade Evans. Jade, Streeter.”
“It’s good to meet you,” Streeter said.
“Same here.”
Olivia lifted her head and stared at Jade.
Jade said, “Hi, Olivia.”
“Can you say hi, honey?” Streeter urged Olivia.
She shook her head and burrowed back into him.
Streeter tried to set Olivia down and she shrieked. “This ain’t gonna work. She’s a little monkey today.”
“Under normal circumstances I’d say we could deal with it another time, but sorry, bro, that ain’t the case.” He squeezed Jade’s shoulder and pulled her a little closer. “Jade’s my life now. We have to make decisions about our future. So you can trust that whatever you say won’t leave this room.”
After a bit, Streeter sighed. He said, “Understood.” Then he perched on the edge of the recliner.
Olivia let her father maneuver her around—as long as there wasn’t more than a foot’s distance between their heads.