All Consuming (Brotherhood by Fire #3) -Jaci Burton Page 0,3
greatest thing to ever happen to their family. And now that Jackson had finally proposed to Becks, they were getting married. Hell, both of his brothers were getting married. His brother Rafe and his fiancée, Carmen, were tying the knot next month.
They were all growing up. It was kind of surreal.
“So, you guys have a weekend off, which is rare,” Becks said. “What’s on your agenda this weekend, Kal?”
“My ten-year high school reunion is tomorrow night.”
“I thought I might. Hang out with a few of my friends, and hopefully catch up with other friends who don’t live close by that I haven’t seen in a while.”
“Totally worth it,” Jackson said. “You’ll have a good time.”
He was looking forward to it. Even though some of the people he wanted to see—or at least one particular person who he hadn’t seen in almost ten years—likely wouldn’t be there.
They’d broken up after graduation. Then she’d moved out of state. Gotten married, or so he’d heard.
Anyway, that was all in the past. She was his past. And as he knew, the past should stay where it was.
But he’d still hang out with his friends, and after today’s shift, he could use a good time.
So he’d go to his high school reunion and have some damn fun.
CHAPTER 2
HANNAH CLARK BARELY HAD ENOUGH TIME TO DASH home, take a shower and get ready for tonight’s reunion, one she’d been undecided about attending ever since she’d first read about it on social media.
“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” she said in the bathroom while she pulled the straight iron through her hair.
“Why not?” her mother asked. “You’ve been back for months and have hardly connected with any of your friends from high school.”
“You know I’ve been busy setting the shop up, hiring stylists for the chairs, getting clientele.”
“And some of your high school girlfriends are potential clientele.”
She was not wrong. “Fine. I’m going to the reunion. I’ll make connections.”
A cute brown-haired boy with the sweetest brown eyes peeked his head around the doorway. “Where you goin’, Momma?”
“I have a party tonight, honey.”
“Can I go?”
Her mother smiled at Hannah’s son, Oliver. “No, sweet boy. Tonight we’re going to Aunt Heather’s house, so you can play with Isaiah.”
Oliver’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’ll go pack up some toys.”
Hannah looked up at her mom and smiled. “Clearly hanging out with Isaiah trumps going to a party with his mom.”
“Hey, you’re not a match for a much more sophisticated nine-year-old boy.”
She laughed. “True. Thanks for taking care of Oliver tonight. And tell Aunt Heather hello for me.”
Heather was one of her mother’s coworkers and best friends who just so happened to be only five years older than Hannah. Since Hannah had lived out of state for so many years, her mom had sort of adopted Heather as one of her own.
“She says you’re welcome to come. You’re missing lasagna night at her house.”
“Damn.” She loved Heather’s lasagna. She’d make a point to stop by there with Oliver sometime next week.
Since her divorce, she’d felt so unsettled. And so damn scattered and busy. Moving back to Ft. Lauderdale had been the right decision; she knew that. She needed her family after that mess with her ex-husband, Landon. And since he’d never cared about Oliver anyway, she hadn’t forced the child support issue and he hadn’t contested the move out of state. Sure, money would be tight, but at least she was free of him, and so was Oliver.
Now she and her baby boy could both start fresh. That’s what really mattered.
After finishing her hair and makeup, she went into the small bedroom that was now hers, the same one that had been hers when she was a child. When she was little, it had seemed enormous. Now she realized how small it was. Still, it represented freedom to her, and she’d been so grateful to her mother for letting Oliver and her stay here until she could save up enough money to get her own place. The tiny bedroom was fine. And Oliver loved his room, which was larger than the one they’d had at their house in Georgia. Plus, he had her mom, who doted on him.
She pulled out the awesome dress she’d found on sale at the discount store. It was a gorgeous black party dress, still had the tags on it, and she’d only paid ten dollars for it. Such a bargain.