Sweet Love (NG5)

3 - Family

It was later than he expected when they sat around the table in Lana's large kitchen. Liam had talked to him nonstop all afternoon causing Charlotte to cry because she wanted a turn. They had just returned from dance class when Ryan came home.

The men hugged and Ryan said, "You look great."

"I feel good. You don't look half bad for an old man." He wore a nice suit and his tie complemented his brown eyes and hair.

Lana exclaimed, "Will! Don't tease him. He's still very young and..."

Ryan coughed, and Will laughed. "You two haven't changed one bit." Maybe Lana was right. Did he even know what real love was?

Ryan passed him a dish of roasted potatoes. How did Lana get a full meal on the table when she was at the dance studio all afternoon?

"So Uncle Will, how was dance class?" Ryan smirked.

"It was fun to see Char-Char dance."

The class looked chaotic, but the instructor had all the students dancing together."

"Recital is in May. You can come back for it." Lana winked.

Will looked at Ryan who smiled. "It's a full house with my mother and Nora."

"I might be busy. Char should enjoy her grandmothers."

"I wish I could skip it." Liam frowned.

"Charlotte goes to plenty of your football games."

"I'm gonna be a wide receiver."

"Not a QB like your dad?" Ryan was a quarterback in highschool.

"No. Like you, Uncle Will. Can I stay home to play with you?"

Ryan tried to sound stern. "You have school."

Liam pouted, but Will patted his back. "Hey dude, I loved school. Football players need to go to college."

"You went to college?"

"Yes, silly. You watched my games."

Liam thought for a minute. "When you wore red and gold?"

"Yup."

"Now you're blue and red."

"Right dude."

As the meal ended, Lana reminded the kids to take their plates to the dishwasher. Will stood with his own and Lana smiled. "Good. You're family, not company."

"Hey, Sam reminded me you're heading north."

"Just for a weekend."

"If I go, can I stay a little longer at your cottage?"

Lana and Ryan looked at each other. "Sure. We trust you." Lana smiled.

"Now." Ryan added.

Will blushed. He had broken Ryan's trust by fooling around in his cottage with Cassie. It was less the sex part and more the fact that she was Cole's girlfriend. She was the first girl he fell for. Sneaking around was exhilarating, but she was never truly his. Summer ended and rumors about her and a college guy reached him in Massachusetts. He dated a few girls from his highschool but his heart wasn't the organ involved.

Then came Paige. They dated for part of his sophomore year in Boston. He fell for her deeper than Cassie, since she wasn't someone else's girl. As spring break approached, she told him she wanted to break up.

When he asked why, she said she wanted to have fun at spring break in Fort Lauderdale. "Fun?"

"You know, pick up guys. Fun!"