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“Eric,” I said carefully, with mixed emotions as to whether I should laugh or be seriously concerned.
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Two hours that’s it,” he warned me as if I was the reason we were here. And perhaps my curiosity was what led us here. I suddenly felt bad; what if he disliked being in the same room as his family like I did? A cold sweat ran over me. Oh shit, was it that bad?
Shadow barked, grabbing our attention when Lori parked beside us on her motorcycle. My eyes bulged. I’d seen her every day at work but never her means to and from the café. Eric had been “clocking off” early as Lori had put it. And I wondered if that was so we had time to buy ingredients and cook whatever new meal I’d discovered on my rapidly building Pinterest board of recipes.
I dropped my hand from Eric, forgetting sometimes how we’d become too comfortable around one another. The past few nights had been torture sleeping head to toe with him. As much as it had also been the best sleep I’d had in months. We’d spoken for hours some nights about trivial things or past vacations. Little by little he was opening up but last night had changed everything. Our dynamics were completely different. I wanted to touch him, but it felt like it should be a secret around others.
“Punctual as ever,” Lori joked as she removed her helmet, shaking out her loosely pinned hair. “Looks like the boys are already here.” She pointed at the trucks that were already parked at the front.
“Because they’re mommy boys,” Eric grumbled. She laughed and opened the door for Shadow. He bounded out, quickly running around the place and marking his territory.
Lori started walking in, looking over her shoulder with a disapproving glare. “Y’all both going to catch a cold if you stand out here all day.”
Eric pressed his hand to my lower back, encouraging me to step forward. Heat scorched in that very spot, vivid memories of last night rising to the forefront. The small hungry stares, the meddlesome promises and the brief touches, especially in the bed, had been fighting all of my chastity promises as of late. I wanted to jump the man’s bones. And it might’ve been presumptuous to assume he wanted the same, but I’d never held out for anyone this long and it was starting to give me an anxious butterfly-like tension. And I sensed he’d felt the same after last night.
I squared my shoulders, but that was then and this was now. And I had an impression to make. Quietly, I whispered, “Are you using me as a shield right now?” He pushed me forward.
Despite his ill mood, he chuckled. “No, I’m using the cookies as the shield.”
Beside the four steps onto the patio was a long ramp, a reminder that if what Ann and Patrice gossiped about was true, their mother was in a wheelchair. It wasn’t that she was in a wheelchair that disturbed me but the pain and turmoil the incident must’ve caused. And the reason why Eric was so wary of the roads and especially non-locals driving them in poor weather. But instead of doom and gloom the moment Lori opened the door there was nothing but cheer and warmth that greeted us.
A redheaded man had Thomas in a headlock. I paused at the door, trying to take in the lively scene.
“I told you, the last piece was for me, little brother,” the redhead hissed as he ruffled Thomas’s hair. They grappled around one another, acutely aware of the furnishings around them and making sure not to knock anything around them. And despite the different hair color, there was no denying that this redheaded man was their brother.
“Already Jude?” Lori asked, hand on hip. “You guys don’t waste any time.” She shuffled around them, throwing her backpack on the floor beside a messy stack of shoes. The house had an open layout, with wide doors, wooden furnishings, and floorboards.
Eric cleared his throat and the two men looked up. The moment they did, they both broke out into wide charismatic grins, pushing away from one another, and Jude bound over with his hand out.
“You must be Cassidy,” he said charismatically. Freckles littered his face with familiar green eyes. He was attractive, all of them were. Eric pointedly stared at his brother’s hand, all heat behind me icing over.
I grabbed his hand and he pulled it in to press a kiss to my knuckles. I blushed unfamiliar with the gesture. A small growl, an actual warning, crept out of Eric. His brother threw his head back laughing. I couldn’t help but smile politely because his laugh was genuinely contagious.
“I told you he’s protective,” Thomas beamed, waltzing up and giving me a bear hug. Surprised, I hugged him back awkwardly, trying my best to protect the cookies. I could sense him purposefully looking up at Eric.
“So, this her?” Another man stepped into the room, identical to Jude. This must’ve been Declan. It was hard to decipher between the two. The only differences being that Declan had grown out his hair slightly and had a more rugged beard. “She’s more beautiful than Thomas led on.”
“Maybe that’s because I’m keeping her to myself,” Thomas snickered, poking out his tongue.
“Oh, Eric, you’re here too!” Declan enthused.
Tension rolled off Eric and despite my best efforts to side with him, a small snicker crept out. Eric sliced a look my way. I wanted to say, “I swear I’m not choosing their side over yours” but his reaction was comical. As Lori had stated, he was sensitive to his brothers’ goading.
“Give the poor girl some space,” an older woman’s voice broke through the room. A beautiful dark-haired woman pushed herself into the room. The few wisps of grey in her hair might’ve been the only thing to indicate that she was somewhere in her sixties. “I’m sorry, my boys were raised on a farm. If you can’t tell.” She offered them an effective look and I charmed a smile. Now I knew where Eric got his looks from. But unlike his rigid demeanor, his mother was warmth and welcoming. Her children worked around her, parting the way so she could come at a stop in front of me.
“We don’t often get guests here so it’s quiet the pleasure to meet you. And it’s nice to see a reason that forces my eldest son to make his way over. Despite him only being a short driveable distance away.” She offered him a pointed glare. “I’m Audrey.”
In an attempt to redirect her gaze from Eric, I perked up. “I’m Cassidy and thank you for having me over. We brought cookies.”
“Ah yes.” Audrey smiled, taking the box and putting it in her lap. “I heard you two had become quite the bakers.” A mischievous glimmer twinkled in her eye.
The brothers snickered behind her. Eric said nothing but again, I could tell he didn’t enjoy being the butt of their joke and I couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“Come in, sorry they harassed you at the door.”
“I’ll give you a tour,” Thomas said in a singsong way.
Eric’s hand wrapped around my shoulder. “I’m very capable myself.”
