“That was yesterday,” Ellie said, leaning onto the bar. “This is what’s happening in the family today.”
Yeah, that was how things went here. Whatever needed to be done just got done. If someone needed something, the rest of them stepped up. Period.
Mitch knew he should argue. His newly married cousins didn’t need to come to Iowa with him. Especially if he had Chase with him. But it felt pretty good that they wanted to come along. And he wouldn’t have to do any thinking or planning or fixing if they were there. He could just concentrate on Paige.
That sounded nice. He didn’t do that much. Or at all. He was the one taking care of everyone else all the time. Maybe this once it would be okay to let them do the caretaking.
“Okay. Well, whoever wants to come, can,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say it like that,” Josh said.
“Why not?”
“Because Fletcher and Zeke and Zander might decide to get in on the road trip too.”
Actually, they really might.
Mitch chuckled. “I guess we could take one of the tour buses.”
“Did your broken-hearted-wallowing-in-being-too-good-of-a-guy ass just laugh?”
Mitch glanced at Chase. “I’m wallowing in being-too-good-of-a-guy?”
“That’s your problem,” Chase said.
Josh, Owen, and Ellie all nodded.
“There’s such a thing as being too good of a guy?”
“When it causes you to let the love of your life get away?” Ellie asked. “Damn right there is.”
He focused on his grandmother. “Do you think she’ll stay this time?”
That was what he wanted. It was clear to him now. He wanted Paige to see that damn otter enclosure grand opening. Because it was a little thing in the world, but it was a big thing in his world. And he wanted her to be a part of it. She didn’t have to walk down any aisles with him, and if she still wanted to go to Colorado in August, he’d encourage it. But he’d probably ask if he could come along. And then work on talking her into coming back to the bayou with him after they hung out in the mountains for a while.
“If you ask her to,” Ellie said.
“You think that’s okay?”
Ellie leaned on to the bar. “You are the most laid-back person I know. You go with the flow. You let us all do and be whatever we want.” She paused. “And it’s annoying as hell sometimes.”
Mitch frowned at her. “How can that be annoying?”
“Because going through life not caring enough about anything to fight and push and try means you’re not really letting yourself feel,” Ellie told him. “You need to have some passions. You deserve to have some passions. And to be able to really show them. And the people in your life need to know when you have passion for them.” she said. “Finally, someone came along that made you care that much. I know it will take you some practice now, letting someone take care of you a little, but Paige owes you some patience. The best first step is going after her and telling her you want her.”
Mitch swallowed. Then nodded. “I do want her.”
“Tell her that,” Ellie said.
“She might still leave anyway.”
Ellie nodded. “She might. But you will have fewer regrets about that than you will about never telling her what you want.”
Mitch took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“And Mitch?” his grandmother asked.
“Yeah?”
“You don’t have to do anything special or really, anything at all, to be loved. We love you for who you are, not what you do. You are not, nor have you ever been, a burden to any of us. And I could kick your daddy’s ass for making you think that.”
He stared at her. Ellie seemed genuinely upset. He swallowed hard. He could see the truth—and the love—in her eyes. He finally nodded. “Okay.”
“You believe me?” she asked.
Ellie had never lied to him. Hell, she never even cushioned the truth. Whether it was to tell you that you were acting like an ass, someone had died, or that she loved you and was proud of you, Ellie just said it like it was.
“I do,” he answered.
“Good. And now you need to let that girl love you too,” Ellie said. “She needs to do it as much as you need her to.”
He nodded again. “Yes, ma’am.”
Ellie smiled. “Go get her.”
“All right.” Chase clapped his hands together. “And no bitching about the cold and asking for hot sauce everywhere we stop for food,” he said, pointing at Owen.
Owen reached over and snagged a bottle of hot sauce off one of Ellie’s tables. “Got it.”
Chase looked at Mitch. “It’s a good thing she stopped in Peoria. I don’t think you want this showing up in her hometown.”
Mitch grinned, feeling lighter than he had in days. He was going to get Paige. He was going to let her—and everyone else—love him. Just… that. Damn, that sounded nice.
And he kind of did want to show them all Appleby, Iowa.
“Well, we’re not meeting her in Peoria,” he said.
“That’s where Kennedy said she stopped,” Chase said.
“But she won’t still be there twelve hours from now.”
“Kennedy told her to stay put.”
“You’re assuming she’ll listen to someone tell her to do something she doesn’t want to do.”
“Another headstrong woman who does whatever she wants.” Chase sighed. “No wonder she fits in down here.”
20
Paige, of course, couldn’t sleep.
She typed out four messages to Mitch.
And deleted them all.
She dialed his number.
But didn’t let it ring.
She wasn’t sure what to say or what to do. She wanted to yell at him for not telling her about the grand opening. She wanted to cry, thinking that he didn’t think she’d want to know about that.
Most of all, she just wanted to be there. She wanted to turn over in the hammock, take his face in her hands, and tell him that anything that was important to him was important to her. Anything that acknowledged how wonderful he was and how talented and hard-working and dedicated he was was something she wanted to be a part of.
She didn’t need to be there for every project he completed or even every “good job, Mitch” he got. But this… this was a new chapter for the family business. This was something they’d entrusted to him, and he’d delivered on. Something he’d gone above and beyond on, and everyone was really seeing that. Mitch was often in the background. She knew he liked it that way. He didn’t need the things he did called out and praised all of the time. But sometimes, he deserved that.
She was so happy his family was seeing how much he truly did for them and how much he was contributing to this new venture. She was so thrilled he was getting the recognition he deserved for his hard work.
And she absolutely wanted to be there to help heap on that praise.
She suspected he was also pleased. He was humble, for sure, but she knew it meant a lot to him to do things for his family and to give them things. This had to be so rewarding for him. To truly have taken this kernel of an idea they’d had and turn it into something actual and amazing.