AllFreeNovel
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“Hide the weed, the cops are here.” I’m pretty sure that fucker isn’t kidding. I watch Brody jog down the pathway. I meet him at the front of the car, and we do a quick hug. “About time you got here. Justin’s asking every five minutes when his favorite uncle is getting here.” Justin’s the youngest of the second cousins, and nobody has ever corrected him that I’m not actually his uncle.
“Brody, this is Kali. Kali, Brody—the guy with all the jokes. Cousin number one.”
“More like number one cousin.” He laughs, shaking her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you.” She glances between the two of us, noticing the resemblance. Yeah, yeah. We look alike, though Brody could benefit from hitting the gym a few times a week. He’s what I’d look like if I were a limp noodle. He rubs his thin arms. “Fuck it’s cold. Let’s get you guys inside.”
Warmth and a sweet, familiar smell greet us as we step inside the house. Kali chuckles at the two rows deep of boots and mountain of coats in the mudroom. We add ours to the piles.
“Grams, where are they staying?” Brody yells.
“No need to yell, I’m right here,” Grams jokes, rounding the corner. She immediately pulls me in for a hug, but not before I notice she’s limping.
“What happened?” I ask, pulling back, my eyes on the black brace up to her knee.
“Don’t worry about me.” She shakes her head. “Just getting old. Slipped on some ice out back a couple weeks ago. Not as nimble on my feet as I used to be.”
I stare down into the warm blue eyes that mean the world to me and sigh. It’s hard to accept that she’s getting older. “You need to be careful.”
She tsks and turns toward Kali. “Pax, stop being rude and introduce me to your lovely lady.”
I shake off the worry, excitement taking its place. The two most important women in my life are face-to-face.
I introduce them, and Kali sticks out her hand. “It’s so great to finally meet you,” she says.
Grams, instead, pulls her in for a warm hug. “Welcome to our home,” she says. “We’re so happy that you’re here.” All the nervousness in Kali’s face melts away as she embraces her. Grams has that effect on everyone.
“Woman. Thanks for telling me they got here,” Pops says, appearing in the doorway.
Grams releases Kali and slaps him on the belly. “I did. But, as usual, you didn’t listen.”
Kali’s wide eyes lift to stare at the man most of the cousins call Big Poppa. The six-foot-five grizzly bear of a man smiles wide beneath his bushy gray beard.
“Hey, Pops.” After a quick, manly hug, I introduce him to Kali. She stands a little more awkward, unsure of what to expect. Sensing her apprehension, he shakes her hand. He’s a hugger too, but from the outside, he’s a guy you don’t fuck with.
“Brody, they’re staying out in the guest house,” Grams says. “Can you take their bags out there?”
“On it,” he says, heading for the door.
Kali slips her hand into mine as we head into the house. I feel a twinge of guilt for what’s about to happen. The sheer number of people she’s about to meet would overwhelm anyone.
Grams and Pops built a great room that would hold everyone. They wanted a place where everyone could relax and be together, and the house was built around it. So, when we walk into the room, Kali pauses for a beat, taking it all in.
“That tree is gorgeous,” she whispers, staring at the twelve-foot Christmas tree in the room’s corner. All eyes turn toward us.
“Uncle Pax! You’re here.” Justin tosses his toy truck aside and rushes over to me. I throw him up in the air, immediately regretting it. He’s grown since I saw him last.
“Kylan, what are you feeding this kid?”
“I eat lots of goldfish,” he says proudly.
“I can tell,” I joke, poking his pudgy stomach. He giggles in my arms. Everyone else stares at us. Time for roll call. “Ready for this?” Kali nods with uncertainty in her eyes. “Everyone, this is Kali. Kali, this is”—I point around the room—“Sadie, Matt, Kylan, Saige, Colt, Vance, Mabel, Brody, Emma, Riley, Carson, Oakley…” I continue all the way around the room and blow out a breath after the last name. They give me a round of applause. Damn, I’m good.
Kali stares at me like I’m crazy. She probably only picked up the first and last person’s names.
“Can we wear name tags?” she asks, scanning the room. “Wait. I’ll get this.” She rolls her shoulders and shakes out her hands. If there’s anyone up for a challenge, it’s Kali. She starts at the beginning again. “Sadie, Matt, Kylan…starts with an S?” She winces.
“Saige,” my cousin chimes in.
