Read What Might Have Been: Daniels Brother #4 (Daniels Brothers) for Free Online Page A

dispose of it. He could run it through the wood chipper in a matter of minutes.
    With the tree secured in the bed of his truck, they went inside for some much needed refreshment. He could smell his mother’s cooking as soon as he stepped through the door. It always put a smile on his face.
    Marilyn Daniels was at the stove putting the finishing touches on dinner when they walked in. “Go clean yourselves up. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
    His dad ducked into the small bathroom down the hall, so Trent headed upstairs.
    When he reentered the kitchen his mother was taking something out of the oven. Trent took a deep breath and recognized the distinct smell of his mom’s eggplant parmesan. “Smells good, Ma.”
    She didn’t miss a beat. “There’s water and lemonade in the refrigerator. Help yourselves.”
    Trent opened the cabinet and removed two glasses. He filled them both with ice and water, and then handed one to his dad before downing his and refilling it.
    His mother smiled. “Did you get everything done?”
    Mike sidled up to his wife and kissed her cheek. Trent averted his eyes. Even after all these years, his parents were still very affectionate. It never mattered if their children were around or not.
    “We did,” his dad said as he took the large pot of spaghetti his wife handed him. “Trent’s going to bring a replacement tree over tomorrow.”
    Marilyn brought a plate full of eggplant to the table and his dad followed with the pasta. Trent grabbed the warm bread his mom had removed from the oven moments before and took his seat. Even though all her children had left the nest many years ago, his mom still cooked as if she had four hungry boys to feed. Considering he’d skipped lunch, Trent’s mouth was watering with anticipation.
    He managed to get a few bites in before his father brought up the one subject he didn’t want to talk about. “Trent ran into Abby.”
    His mother set her fork down on her plate and straightened her shoulders. “Really? Where? We haven’t seen her in ages. How is she?”
    Trent opened his mouth to speak, but his father cut him off. “He’s doing some work for her boss.”
    “Does that mean you’re going to see her again?” his mom asked, her eyes full of hope. He knew she missed Abby. With all boys, having Abby around had given his mom the opportunity to share girlie things with another female.
    “Probably. It’s a big project.” Considering she was his point of contact, he’d most likely be talking to her on a weekly basis. He wasn’t sure he wanted to share that with his parents, though. For whatever reason, Trent got the feeling Abby wasn’t thrilled she had to deal with him at all.
    The look on his mom’s face should have prepared him. He should have known what was coming. Should’ve, but didn’t.
    “Oh, Trent, you have to invite her to Sunday dinner.”
     

Chapter 4
    Abby spent the weekend cleaning and unpacking the rest of her things. With the exception of her furniture, she’d brought almost everything else with her to Ohio. Max wouldn’t leave until he was satisfied things were as they should be, so she was expecting to be here for at least three months. If she was going to be here for that long, she wanted to be comfortable.
    Earlier in the week, she’d gone to the store and bought some cheap bookshelves. They weren’t anything like the ones she had at her apartment in New York, but they would keep her books and craft supplies organized. It was better than digging through boxes every time she needed something.
    As she sorted through her craft supplies, Abby admired her collection of beads. One of the other admins in the New York office got her hooked on making bracelets and necklaces. Something about threading each individual bead relaxed her.
    Sighing, she put the plastic bin containing her supplies on the shelf. So far, since she’d been in Ohio, she hadn’t had time to work on any of her projects. Hopefully, once they got