Always the Best Man Read Online Free Page A

said softly, bringing her back to the present moment. “What about his dad?”
    She snatched away her hand, closed her fist tight enough that her nails dug small half-moons into her palm. “My ex-husband wanted a son who could bond with him tossing a ball or sailing. The Whitakers are a competitive family, and even the grandkids are expected to demonstrate their athletic prowess. It’s a point of pride and bragging rights for Henry and his brothers—whose kid can hit a ball off the tee the farthest or catch a long pass, even if it’s with a Nerf football.”
    Jase glanced back at her son. “Davey’s five, right? It seems a little young to be concerned whether or not he’s athletic.”
    â€œThat didn’t matter to my in-laws, and it drove Henry crazy. He couldn’t understand it. As Davey’s symptoms became more pronounced, his father pushed him harder to be the right kind of boy.”
    She pressed her mouth into a thin line to keep from screaming the next words. “He forbade me from taking him to the doctor to be tested. His solution was to punish him, take away the toys he liked and force him into activities that ended up making us all more stressed. Davey started having tantrums and fits, which only infuriated Henry. He was getting ready to run for congress.” She rolled her eyes. “The first step in the illustrious political campaign his family has planned.”
    â€œFollowing in his father’s footsteps,” Jase murmured.
    It was true. Emily had married into one of the most well-known political families in the country since the Kennedys. The Whitakers had produced at least one US senator in each of the past five generations of men, and one of Henry’s great-uncles had been vice president. “I didn’t just marry a man, I took on a legacy. The worst part was I went in with my eyes open. I practically interviewed for the job of political wife, and I was ready to be a good one.” She snapped her fingers. “I could throw a party fit for the First Lady with an hour’s notice.”
    Jase cleared his throat. “I’m sure your husband appreciated that.”
    She gave a harsh laugh. “He didn’t appreciate it. He expected it. There’s a big difference.” She shrugged. “None of it mattered once Davey was born. I knew from the time he was a baby he was different and I tried to hide...tried to protect him from Henry as long as possible. But once I couldn’t anymore, there was no doubt about my loyalty.” She plastered a falsely bright smile on her face. “So here I am back in Crimson.”
    Davey looked up from his building set. “I’m finished, Mommy.”
    She stepped around Jase and sat on the carpet to admire the intricate structure Davey had created. “Tell me about it, sweetie.”
    â€œIt’s a landing pod with a rocket launcher. It’s like the ones they have on The Clone Wars , only this one has an invisible force field around it so no one can destroy it.”
    If only she could put a force field around her son to protect him from the curiosity and potential ridicule that could come due to his differences from other kids. “I love it, Wavy-Davey.”
    One side of his mouth curved at the nickname before he glanced at Jase. “He helped. He’s good at building. Better than Uncle Noah or Grammy.”
    â€œHigh praise,” Jase said, moving toward the bookshelves. “If you make a bridge connecting it to this one, you’d have the start of an intergalactic space station.”
    Emily darted a glance at Davey as Jase moved one of the sets a few inches to make room for this new one. Her boy didn’t like anyone else making decisions about the placement of his precious building sets. To her surprise, Davey only nodded. “I’ll need to add a hospital and mechanic’s workshop ’cause if there’s a battle they’ll need