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Aya
Mama Grace was now a slightly older, grayer version of the woman I remembered so fondly. She took me in her arms and hugged just tight enough for me to know she meant it, but with a softness that caused me to relax against her.
“Now, let me look at you,” she said. She studied me with those same piercing eyes Cam had and nodded. “You’re okay.”
“I’m…getting there.”
Her smile was soft. “It’s very good to see you, my dear.” She turned to hug Nash with the same nurturing intensity. “I missed you,” she told him.
“I missed you, too, Mama G, but I’m not happy you’re stealing my girl away so soon.”
Mama tsked. “You need to court a lady, son. None of this fall-into-bed business Carter and Cam deemed acceptable. It’s no wonder I have so few grandbabies to spoil.”
“You got Ike in here and more on the way, Mama,” Cam called from the kitchen.
We headed down the hallway, and I noted the well-worn runner was the same.
Cam and Jenna were in the kitchen, along with Kate and a tall, rangy man with close-shorn light brown hair reminiscent of Nash’s, and a small boy with wide, bright eyes flashing behind his glasses.
“Hi,” he said, smiling a huge smile. “I’m Ike, and that’s my dad there. He’s a singer like Cam and Nash. And that’s my mama. Well, she’s my stepmom, but I prefer to call her Mama because she’s the best at mama-ing.”
I smiled down at him, charmed. “Kate is amazing,” I said. “And I’m Aya.”
“You have an accent like the baker guy on the show. Doesn’t she, Mama?”
“She sure does. But even more posh,” Kate said with a little laugh. She pulled me into the same warm hug as her mother’s.
I felt so thankful to be back with these wonderful, loving people. As much as I wanted to spend time with Nash, I knew if we set up playing house together, we might flame out even faster this time. Still, his comment about not having had sex flitted through my head, tantalizing me. Did that mean he was desperate for it? I worried my tassel.
Jenna bounced over, giving me a squeeze before Cam pulled me in for a long embrace.
“We’ve missed you, Aya girl.”
I blinked back tears even as I smiled up at him. “I’ve missed you all, too. So much.”
“You gonna tell me about it? Or at least what horses you been riding?” Cam asked.
I shook my head. “None.” I nibbled my lip. “And I have to admit, I’ve missed that.”
“Well, course you have. We’ll get you back in the saddle.”
“Let the poor girl get settled in, Camden,” Mrs. Grace chastised. “She’s still jetlagged, no doubt.”
Rye was more laidback than Cam, though he kept a sharp eye on Ike, who wanted to go outside to chase a turtle he’d named Sergeant Pepper. Ike charmed me further with the story about the name before he bolted out the back door.
“That’s my cue,” Rye said. He dropped a kiss on Kate’s lips and followed, shutting the door and its screen with a soft finality.
“I’ll go, too,” Cam said. “Nash, you coming?”
He glanced at me before moving in front of his mentor to head out the door. We all laughed when Cam let the door slam.
Kate sighed. “I do love that man’s protective streak, even though it drives me bat-shit crazy.”
“Girl, same,” Jenna said. She folded her arms on the counter and leaned her forearms there, wincing a little. “Cam’s probably going to try to hire someone to make the guitars soon. He doesn’t like my hours.”
Kate gasped. “You’ve cut back to three days a week.”
Jenna’s smile was both soft and filled with irritation. “Which is three days too many, as far as Cam’s concerned.”
