Rough Terrain (Vista Falls #1) (13 page)

“I think that’s cool,” Nick said, buckling up in the backseat. “I mean, that all that money hasn’t changed you.”

Sage winked at Wes. “I can assure you it hasn’t changed him a bit. I knew him when he was dirt-poor, and he’s still the same guy now he was then.”

“So you guys are still close then?” Nick asked, obviously trying to figure out the dynamic between his birth parents.

“We, uh, just reconnected when I moved back to Vista Falls,” Wes explained. “I really wanted to meet you and thought Sage might feel the same way, so I reached out to her before I called you. I hoped this was something we could do together.”

“I hope you don’t mind that we contacted you,” Sage said, shifting so she could look at Nick.

“No, it’s cool.” He pointed out the window. “Hang a left here, Wes. Follow this road a couple of miles. You’ll see it on your right.”

Wes was impressed with the kid. He seemed at ease, comfortable in his own skin, which was no easy feat for any teen. “Got it.”

“So that team you played tonight was your big rival?” Sage asked.

“Yeah, they took out one of our linemen with a cheap shot last game we played. We wanted to teach ‘em a lesson.”

Wes smiled, remembering how he would have rallied his own team after something like that. “You’ve got a hell of an arm. You hopin’ for a scholarship?”

Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m still weighing my options.”

They pulled into the parking lot. Wes hoped it wouldn’t be too hard to get a table, but there were only a few empty spots in the lot.

“The guy who owns this place is crazy about hunting and fishing,” Nick said, jumping out of the truck on Wes’s side. “You mind if I introduce you? His brother is my English teacher.”

“No, I don’t mind at all.” Wes was honored that Nick seemed proud of his professional accomplishments.

Sage was already meeting them around the front of the truck before Wes could open her door, but he was able to reach the entrance first and hold the door open for her to enter. He could tell she was relieved that Nick didn’t seem to harbor any animosity toward them, and she definitely wasn’t the only one. Wes finally felt as though he could breathe too.

“Thanks,” she murmured, smiling at him.

Once inside, Nick introduced them to the gregarious proprietor, casually adding, “Jack, Wes and his partner own Backwoods Outdoors. Maybe he can hook you up with some new gear for deer-hunting season.”

Jack’s jaw dropped as he looked Wes up and down. “Damn, I thought you looked familiar. I’ve seen you on TV and at a couple of shows. It’s an honor to meet you. What brings you to our little town?”

Not wanting to put Nick on the spot, Wes explained, “I just moved back to the area, and I had a hankering for a good steak tonight. I heard you could hook me up.”

“I sure can, my friend,” Jack said, slapping Wes on the back as he led them to a booth. “Hey, let me bring you a new beer I’m testing out. I’d love to get your take on it.”

“A cold beer sounds great.” Wes knew it would be his only one tonight since he had to drive home after their dinner. “Thanks.”

After he’d taken all of their drink orders, Jack gave them some time to peruse the menus, assuring them their waitress would be by in a few minutes.

“So,” Sage said as she reviewed her options, “what do you recommend, Nick?”

“That depends,” he said, lifting a shoulder. “You like meat and potatoes, or are you into salads and all that healthy sh—uh, stuff?” He blushed, dipping his head when Wes and Sage shared a smile.

“I’m willing to splurge tonight,” she said, thanking the waitress with a polite nod when she returned with their drinks.

“You might like the perch sandwich. It’s my mom’s favorite.” Nick looked at Sage as though he feared he’d said something wrong, and Wes knew it was time for them to lay their cards on the table about what they all expected from this meeting.

When they’d all placed their orders, Wes raised his bottle. “To new friends.”

Nick seemed to finally exhale when he touched his glass to theirs, muttering, “Cheers.”

Wes frowned when he caught Sage studying their son as though she was trying to read his mind. “Nick, I hope you don’t feel weird talking to us about your parents. We’d love to hear more about them. Wouldn’t we, Sage?”

“Huh?” She shook her head as though she realized she’d been caught daydreaming. “Oh yeah, of course.”

“There’s not much to tell,” Nick took a sip of his soft drink. “You know my dad died a while back and my mom remarried. My stepdad’s okay. He never had any kids of his own though. Never wanted them.”

That made Wes wonder how Nick’s stepfather felt about having a teenage stepson, but he knew it wasn’t the time to ask. “Your mom seems like a nice lady. You sure she’s okay with you meeting up with us tonight?”

“Yeah, she’s okay with it. Actually, I think she’s hoping you’ll take a liking to me. That’d let her off the hook. She wouldn’t feel so responsible for me anymore.”

Sage looked alarmed as her eyes met Wes’s. “Honey, I’m sure that isn’t true. Your mother loves you—”

“I didn’t say she doesn’t,” Nick snapped. “But things have been different since my old man died. My Mom and stepdad have been talking about retiring to this little cabin he has. In fact, they plan to spend the whole summer there.”

“And you’re not looking forward to that?” Wes took a pull from his beer as he watched Nick.

“I don’t wanna go at all, but they say I’m not old enough to stay here by myself. It sucks. They still treat me like a kid.”

He wasn’t even fifteen yet, but Wes knew he must feel as though he was old enough to make his own decisions. “Still, being at the cabin must give you a chance to do some of the things you enjoy. Your mom told me you’re into hunting and fishing.”

“Yeah.” He glanced at Wes before setting the white napkin in his lap. “It’s weird, huh? You and me being into the same things?”

“I guess it is.” Wes wouldn’t have thought so had he been the one to raise Nick, especially since his own father had played such an important role in helping him explore his passions as a kid.

The waitress returned with a basket of fresh bread and seasoned butter for the table, and Wes laughed when Nick dove in as though he hadn’t seen food in a week. When Wes had been that age, his parents always complained that with two teenage boys in the house, it was impossible to keep the kitchen stocked. That was why they’d had so many fruit trees and a big vegetable garden.

“Sorry,” he muttered, looking embarrassed as he extended the basket to Sage. “I didn’t get a chance to eat much before the game.”

She laughed. “No problem. I remember you had a voracious appetite at that age too,” she said to Wes. “Your mother used to make fresh bread every day. And remember those cookies, the ones with the chocolate chunks and pecans that…” She stopped talking when she realized Nick was studying her.

“You were close with his family?” Nick asked, gesturing to Wes with his butter knife.

“Yeah,” she said, taking a small piece of bread and setting it on her plate. “Vista Falls is a lot like Brock, I assume. Everyone knows everyone else.”

“Yeah, sometimes I’d rather live in a big city.” He looked at Wes. “You used to live in Houston, right? What was that like?”

“I liked it, but Vista Falls is home. Always has been, always will be.” Wes wondered whether he should tell Nick that he was a big part of the reason he’d moved back home. “Now that my dad’s passed, I wanted to be here for my mother. My sister’s going to school out of state, but my younger brother runs an inn in Vista Falls.”

“That’s cool.”

Wes smiled. That seemed to be Nick’s favorite catchphrase. “So tell us about school. You like it?”

“It’s okay, I guess. I get most As and Bs, so it’s not as bad as it could be.” He reached for another piece of bread and buttered it.

“I know it’s way too soon to ask this,” Sage said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. “I mean, you still have a lot of time to decide. But do you have any idea what you think you’d like to study in college? Um, assuming you want to go to college, that is?”

Wes knew how important getting an education had been to Sage, but he was glad she wasn’t putting any pressure on Nick to follow in her footsteps. If he’d learned one thing in life, it was that the people who were happiest were those who’d made their own way and ignored anyone who thought they knew best.

“I don’t know.” Nick glanced at Wes. “Business, maybe? That gives me lots of options.”

The waitress returned with the appetizer platter they’d agreed to share, and Nick dove right in.

“So any girlfriends?” Wes chuckled when Nick blushed. “Sorry, am I not allowed to ask you that?”

“No, it’s okay. There is this one girl I like, but we’re just hanging out, you know, with other friends too. Not really dating.”

“You have plenty of time for that,” Sage assured him, smiling at Wes.

“You guys must have hooked up when you were pretty young, huh?” Nick asked. “Or were you not really together when I was, uh, when you got…”

Wes smirked, opting to put the awkward question to an end. “No, we dated through most of high school.”

“You ever think about getting married?” Nick asked. “You know, when you found out about me?”

Wes and Sage both popped food into their mouths simultaneously as they decided how and who would answer his question.

“Sure, we thought about it,” Wes said finally, not wanting Nick to feel any question was off-limits. “But we were both really young. We were headed off to college when we found out Sage was pregnant, and we had no way of supporting ourselves or you at the time.”

Nick shook his head. “I get that.”

“It’s not that we didn’t want to keep you,” Sage said softly. “We did. Believe me. It’s just that…” She drew in a deep breath. “My parents had very strong opinions about it. They didn’t think we were ready, and honestly, they may have been right. I don’t know.”

“I read your book.”

Sage gaped at Nick. “You did? When?”

“A while back. I was curious.”

“Oh.” She took a sip of her water. “What did you think?”

“I thought you were pretty brave to put it all out there like that.”

Wes shared their son’s sentiment. He didn’t think he would have had the guts to bleed on the pages the way Sage had.

“It was kind of cathartic for me,” Sage explained. “I had all of these pent-up emotions about you and the adoption. Writing has always been my release, so my best friend talked me into writing the book. At first it was just going to be for me, a memoir of sorts. But after I let Gabby read it, she convinced me to submit it to a couple of publishers, and to my surprise, one of them picked it up.”

“I’m not surprised.” Nick popped a pita square piled with dip into his mouth. “You’re really good. I don’t even like to read that much, and I got through that book in, like, a day.”

“Thank you,” Sage said, smiling. “That means a lot, especially coming from you.”

“So have you written anything else?” Nick asked.

“I’m plugging away at something, but I don’t have a lot of time to work on it. Writing isn’t my full-time job. I’m running my family’s car dealership while my father recovers from a stroke.”

Wes couldn’t believe how easily the conversation continued to flow as they worked through appetizers and entrees. Nick told them about his hobbies, the other sports he played, some of his friends, and his favorite subjects. He also asked about their families, saying it would be “cool” to meet them sometime. Wes knew his family would be excited to meet Nick, but he wasn’t so sure about Sage’s parents.

“Maybe I could come to Vista Falls sometime,” Nick said after they ordered dessert. “If it’s okay with you guys? You could show me around, introduce me to everyone.”

“That would be great,” Sage said, clearly not thinking about how her parents might react to the news that their grandson was coming to town. “Whenever you’re free. Assuming it’s okay with your mom.”

“Like I said, she won’t mind if we all hit it off.”

Wes got the uneasy feeling that Nick might be trying to replace the family unit he’d lost with one he perceived to be better somehow. Wes wanted nothing more than to get to know his son better, but he refused to do that at the expense of the woman who’d been there for him when they couldn’t be.

“Still, I’d like to talk to her about it just the same,” Wes said. “Before we make any plans.”

“I can’t believe how well that went,” Sage said as they were heading home an hour later. “I wish we could have met his mom and stepdad when we dropped him off though. Do you think it was weird they weren’t home?”

“I wouldn’t read too much into it,” Wes said, turning down the volume on a classic rock station that played some of their favorite songs from high school. “Nick said they had a thing at the church, right? Some potluck or something. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

“Do you think they go to most of his football games? I hope they didn’t feel they had to stay away tonight just because we were there.”

“I doubt we had anything to do with it.”

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” Sage knew she was gushing, but she couldn’t believe how strong and smart and handsome he was. Not only was Nick a great athlete, but he was a solid student, and he’d had them in stitches several times as he shared some of his buddies’ antics with them. “I already feel like I’ve known him forever. You felt it too, right? That connection?”

“Yeah, I did.” Wes curled his hand around the steering wheel. “And I want more than anything to connect with him, but—”

“But what?”

“I just want to ease into it, you know? I don’t want his mom to think that we’re trying to take the place of his parents or anything. They’re the ones who raised him, who loved him. They’re the reason he’s such a great kid. We can’t forget that.”

“You’re right.” She sighed as she sank back in the leather seat. “We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. It’s a shame his dad passed so soon, isn’t it? I wish we could have met him. I would have liked to thank him for the great job he did with our…”

“Son,” Wes said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “You can say it. He is our son.”