And Then Life Was Beautiful (Hanson Family Book 1) by Asia Monique

Author:Asia Monique [Monique, Asia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alayla J. Presents
Published: 2023-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

august

When Lola arrived, she came with an entourage but I’d expected it.

“Hey, cousin,” she greeted, bumping my chest with her forehead as she passed.

I greeted Leslie next, who went in for another hug like this morning, sensing I might’ve needed it.

Landon came hobbling in on a crutch and I shook my head.

“What kinda life-threatening stunt did you pull to end up with a crutch?”

He opened his mouth to respond but his sisters beat him to it, yelling from the kitchen, “He fell down a flight of stairs at work!”

I lifted an eyebrow and Landon smirked.

“Technically,” he murmured, only for us to hear. “The love of my life bumped me on purpose after I said something not so nice in a work meeting and I stumbled down a stair or two. She’s very sorry and I might be pretending like it’s more serious than it is to keep her attention. I think she hates me.”

“Yet she’s the love of your life?”

“She doesn’t know it yet…” he adjusted his crutch. “…but yes.”

It didn’t sound like a joke but you never knew with Landon.

“And you decided to keep this charade going around family, too?”

He smiled and I turned away from him.

Landon enjoyed anything that gave him an adrenaline rush. A woman hating him? Yeah, that was right up his alley.

“Hey…” Landon caught up to me, no longer pretending to be hurt. “Lola didn’t say what was going on but I’m here for moral support. Whatever you need.”

“Appreciate that.”

He stepped in front of me to stop my strides, dipping his head to force me to look at him.

We were the same height, and shared the same brown eyes Couri said reminded her of whiskey but that’s where the similarities ended.

Leslie, Lola, and Landon had their mother’s reddish-brown skin and the smattering of freckles on her nose too.

“Don’t start shutting us out. I know you.”

The Hanson cousins were raised like siblings; we got one another, and confided in each other, but sometimes like our parents, we pulled away when shit was too much.

“I’m not,” I told him, truthfully. “I’m adjusting, not shutting anybody out.”

He regarded me closely and then went in for a hug.

“Love you, Aug.”

I enclosed my arms around him.

“Love you back, Lan.”

“When you two are done with your little bromance moment, August I need to see you in the kitchen,” Lola interrupted.

It was enough to catch my attention.

“I don’t like the tone of your voice.”

She was focused on the petition, flipping pages slowly, while the frown on her face deepened by the second.

“I figured this is why I’m here. Have you read through it completely?”

I shook my head.

“I wasn’t in the right head space after seeing what it was.”

Lola sighed, her brows furrowed.

“Michigan is one of those states that believe in grandparents having rights,” she explained. “But, not to the extent that they’d take custody from a parent who isn’t a danger to the child. Especially not one with a stable career and supportive family.”

I toyed with the baby monitor on the counter, my heart upstairs with January who was sound asleep.

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