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Merit seemed to break out of the trance first. “Nonsense! You’ll stay with us for dinner. We have so much to talk about.”
Dirk stood back up and made his way over to me, holding out his hand. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Beck. I’m so sorry; it’s just that you look so much like him.”
“I’ve only seen a few pictures of him that my mother had. He was always in a uniform. One of them is a picture of the two of them together. I used to hold it when I went to bed, and it’s rather worn out. The rest were of him with other Marines. I guess I never really thought we looked that much alike. His eyes, for sure.”
Dirk shook his head. “Jesus…if I didn’t know any better, I would think I was literally looking at your father right now.”
“In a way, you are,” Avery said. “I should have given you a heads-up, but…”
Turning to his daughter, Dirk let out a soft laugh. “You love a good surprise.”
She laughed. “That I do.”
“I hope you like stuffed bell peppers, Beck,” Merit said as she pulled two trays out of the oven.
Bradly grinned. “Mom always cooks for an army.”
“I don’t think I’ve had stuffed peppers,” I replied.
The entire group turned and looked at me.
Mackenzie blinked a few times before asking, “Are you being serious? You’ve never had stuffed bell peppers?”
I shrugged. “Stuffed poblano peppers, but never green peppers.”
“You’re in for a real treat then,” Avery said as she handed me a stack of dishes. “Just follow Bradly to the formal dining room.”
It was clear Avery and her family were taking me under their wing. I had never, not even at a friend’s house, been so easily accepted and felt so quickly like part of a family.
Following Bradly into the dining room, I started to put plates down at each chair as he followed behind me with the silverware.
“No one else will ask you this, so I will.”
Stopping, I turned to face him.
“Are you looking for money from the Shaw family?”
I nearly laughed out loud. Instead, I shook my head. “I’m not. My own family…or um, my mother’s side of my family, is very well off, Bradly. Money is not something I need, nor do I desire any more of it. I’m not here looking for anything other than to meet my father’s family. And to be honest with you, had I not met Avery on that plane, I’m not sure I would have followed through and attempted to meet them.”
“Why not?” Dirk asked as he stepped into the room.
I finished putting the plates down on the table. “Nerves? Not wanting to disrupt their lives? I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to accept me in any way.”
Dirk smiled. “I can tell you this, Stella and Ty Senior are both going to take one look at you and know you’re Beck’s kid. You can tell us your story during dinner, and then we’ll talk afterward. I’m sure Avery told you the Shaws are like family to us.”
I nodded. “She did, sir, yes.”
Dirk hit me lightly on the arm. “Good. Now, I want you to relax. You’re pretty stiff, son, and there’s no reason to be nervous around us.”
With a slight nod, I replied, “Thank you, sir.”
He smiled, looked at his son, and winked.
We were soon all sitting at the dining room table. After everyone had put food on their plate, I felt five sets of eyes on me. I glanced up and smiled. “Am I missing something?”
Avery chuckled. “We all want to see you take your first bite of a stuffed green pepper.”
I looked down at the pepper, which was filled with a hamburger mixture. I used my knife to cut it, then took a bite. I raised my brows as I chewed. It was delicious. Setting my fork down, I wiped my mouth and said, “That’s amazing.”
Everyone smiled and started to eat as conversation broke out.
“So tell us, Beck, how did you find yourself on an airplane after all these years, heading to Montana to meet the Shaw family?” Merit asked.
I told them the same story I’d told Avery. At one point in the conversation, Dirk excused himself and was gone for a few short minutes. He apologized for the rudeness, but I quickly told him he wasn’t being rude at all.
Merit and Mackenzie both wiped their eyes as I retold my mother’s story. Even Avery appeared to blink back tears. I guess now that she’d heard the story already, it hit her differently.
“He never knew about you,” Dirk said as he sat back in his chair. “Damn, that really sucks.”
I nodded. “My mother talked about him, not a great deal, but enough to let me know she loved him, and he loved her. She never did tell me his last name, only that his family was from Montana. I really learned more about him through his letters to my mother. He was a romantic,” I said with a smile. “Seemed like a really great guy. He clearly wanted to bring my mother to Montana to live here. He wanted to marry her, and I’m sure if he had known she was pregnant, he would have.”
