Read Online Crushing on Love (The Bradens of Peaceful Harbor, Book Four) by Melissa Foster - Free Book Online Page B

surprised when you called,” Jade said. “I didn’t know there was anything going on with you and Steve.”
    “There isn’t,” Shannon corrected her. “I mean, there could be, but there isn’t.” She rolled her eyes and flagged down the waitress. After ordering drinks, she pointed to Jade and said, “What’s the deal with your brother?”
    “I’ve been asking myself that for years.” Jade winked. “What’d he do? He seemed like he was totally into you at my wedding. In fact, Max and I were surprised you two didn’t hook up when you were here before.”
    “Maybe that’s the problem,” Savannah said, waggling her brows.
    “ Ugh . No, we definitely didn’t hook up.” The waitress brought their drinks, and Shannon took a sip.
    “Because…?” Max asked.
    “How should I know? He makes it hard for me to think. I’m already having a hard time doing my research because when I’m out on that mountain alone, I get bored. And then my mind travels, and the next thing I know, I’m thinking about Steve. Then hours go by and I realize I’ve totally blanked on doing any research at all.”
    “Oh my God. You’re falling for him,” Max said with wide eyes.
    “You won’t be the first,” Rachel said. “He’s hot. He’s smart. And he’s badass.”
    Shannon downed her drink. “Please tell me something I don’t know.”
    “It’s just…what you see in him? So have lots of other women.” Rachel paused and raised her brows, obviously waiting for something to click for Shannon.
    “So…Is he a player?” Shannon guessed, but that didn’t feel right unless there were forest pixies filling his bed at night.
    “Hardly,” Jade said. “She’s trying to tell you that lots of women have tried to catch his attention, but as far as we know, he’s never been the type of guy to hook up. He’s not like other guys. His priority is his work. He’s supremely focused. But I think it’s more than that. I think he’s scared to trust. I think my father’s bad decisions messed him up.”
    “I don’t think he’s messed up,” Savannah said. “I’ve known him my whole life, and I think he’s just careful. It’s his nature.”
    “I think it’s both,” Rachel said. “When he got back from college, he was different—more manly, of course, because he’d grown up and filled out—but he was distant. I really noticed a difference that fall when he returned home. Remember, Jade? He got that job up on the mountain, and it seemed like everything changed after that. But like I said, I think he was different from the day he got back that fall.”
    Jade nodded. “You might be right. I wasn’t around when he came back. That was before I moved back to Weston.”
    Shannon closed her eyes for a second. “Oh my God. It figures that the one man I want has bigger issues than I do.”
    “Oh, please,” Savannah said. “Those aren’t big issues, if they’re even true. We’re all speculating. Besides, there’s nothing two people can’t overcome if they try. Jack and I are a prime example. He lost his wife when they were just hoping to start their family. It doesn’t get much worse than that. Remember when we met? He’d been hiding out in the woods for two years. No one thought he’d come back to life, and now he’s the most wonderful father and husband I could ever hope for. He’s as close to his family as I am to mine. It just takes the right kind of love to get through to people. You have to take the time to figure out what’s holding him back. If he even wants you to know. And then, of course, he has to want to let you in. That’s the hard part. Sometimes people don’t know what they want.”
    “You sure you’re an entertainment attorney and not a therapist?” Max teased.
    “I’ve met so many women in the birthing classes I took, and the baby classes,” Savannah said. “I feel like I’ve heard it all. I have yet to meet a woman who either didn’t have trust issues herself, or her husband didn’t.