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“I do. I want to see it,” Gavin pipes up and I shake my head. Even when I don’t think he’s listening, he’s listening.
“You bet, buddy.”
We all exit his big truck and head up the three steps to the front door. He pushes it open and says, “Your favorite son is home.” That makes me laugh, considering he’s the only son. When no one answers, he says, “They must all be out back.”
“I can’t believe they weren’t all waiting at the door with balloons and a parade for their favorite son.”
“Where’s the love?” he teases. “Come on.” We walk through the house, and I slow, looking at the pictures littering the walls. “Look at this one, Gavin. Liam doesn’t have any front teeth.”
“Adorable then, adorable now. I know, I know,” he says as Gavin laughs at the picture, and as he touches his own front teeth. Warmth fills my heart, but the pictures make me miss my own family.
“Excuse me,” he says to his family as he steps out back. “Where is all my fanfare?” he spreads his arms, and his family just laughs at his antics, but his behavior is different here. He’s being himself, not showing off for the crowd or camera, and I have to say I like the real Liam. A lot.
He turns and winks at me, before taking Gavin’s hand and putting his big palm on the small of my back to push me a little bit ahead of him.
“This is Harper, and my little brother, Gavin.”
“Hi everyone,” I say with a smile and take in the big backyard, the barbecue, the adults around a table and the kids with their fathers playing a game of ring toss. My heart pinches, and a wave of emotions roll through me. Visions of my parents flash in my mind. I miss them so damn much. Miss this kind of family gathering. I take a breath, and get the sense Liam understands my headspace as he steps closer.
“Gavin, do you want to play ring toss with everyone?” Gavin nods, and Liam calls over one of the boys around Gavin’s age. “Gavin, this is Josh. Josh, why don’t you take Gavin to play with you, and I’ll be right over.”
“Okay,” he says and the two run off to play with the other kids. One of the women at the table stands and pulls a chair out for me.
“Come have a seat, Harper.”
“Thanks.” I drop down into the chair. The next thing I know, a glass of wine is in front of me, and Liam does the introductions. I say hello to his three sisters, and his folks, and wave to the guys playing with the kids, and I instantly feel comfortable with them all. I have no idea what I was worried about. They’re all so nice and inviting.
Liam touches my hand, and angles his head in question when I pull it away and tuck it into my lap. “You okay if I go play with the kids?”
“Sure, go ahead,” I say as he looks at me for a second longer before he goes off to hang with his brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews.
“Your son is adorable,” Liam’s sister, Tanya, says as I watch the kids playing. “That one is mine.” She points to the little girl around six. She’s standing over the boys with her hands on her hips, and she reminds me of Daisy and her take-no-crap nature. What was Tanya’s daughter’s name again? Robyne, right. “Robyne is such a pretty name.”
Her eyes go wide and her head goes back. “What?”
I glance around, to find all eyes at the table on me. “Did I get her name wrong?”
“No, it’s just surprising that you know my daughter’s name.” She runs her finger around the rim of her wine glass, her gaze moving over my face, and I wonder what it is she’s seeing…thinking. I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it’s putting a big smile on her face.
“Well, yeah, Liam filled me in.” I hold my hand out and start checking off the names with my fingers. “There’s Robyne, Josh, Jax, and Melody.”
“Isn’t that interesting,” Krista says and reaches for the wine glass to give everyone a refill. “I didn’t think he talked about us to his girlfriends, and he’s certainly never brought one home to meet us before.”
He’s never brought a girl home before?
“Oh, no. I’m not his girlfriend or anything. He’s Gavin’s
big brother from the organization, and I’m just Gavin’s mother.”
“Gavin’s mother who he gave an old pair of my skates to,” Krista says. “He’s never done that before.”
“Thank you for letting me borrow them,” I say. “I’m not much of a skater, though.”
“I can see why he’s been keeping you to himself, though,” Tanya says, a coy grin on her face. “I guess we can cut him some slack, now that we know why he’s not been around.”
I give a fast shake of my head. “He’s not been keeping me to himself. It’s just I sprained my ankle and he felt responsible and it wasn’t his fault, but he insisted Gavin and I stay at his place, and he’s been trying to help me out. That’s probably why he hasn’t been around.” Oh, God, why am I rambling? All eyes continue to stare, and I take a big drink of wine to stop myself from saying anything more.
“You and Gavin are staying at his place?” Bethany asks as she shifts Jax in her arms. The question is innocent enough, but there’s genuine shock in her eyes.
