“I’m sure he’ll love Auntie Aggie’s carrots!” She giggles and runs out of the house.
Taking a deep breath, I lock the cabin door behind me. The first time Tommy saw me do this he laughed and told me we’re in Balsam Cliffs, we don’t need to lock our doors here. But my fear that some rogue drug dealers masquerading as cowboys finding me, is still too high.
Following behind my daughter, I take pride in the fact that she gets to have a carefree childhood, prancing through the apple trees without a worry in the world.
I let the surprising late February sun heat my cheeks, taking advantage of the fact there is no snow on the ground making this walk slippery.
“Mommy, watch dis!” Lily tosses Mister Floppy into the air over a branch of the apple tree, catching him on the way down.
“Great job catching him, baby!” We have officially entered thewatch disphase of toddlerhood.
“Lily May!” Aggie yells from the porch. “You better hurry up and get that booty in here before your mama catches up. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
A little chuckle escapes me. Aggie is constantly buying stuff for her and I’ve told her she’s going to make my daughter spoiled, but she claims she’s got to make up for the first three years she didn’t get to see her everyday. Not that it stopped her from spoiling from afar.
Again, how Jack came from this family is baffling. No more baffling than how I stayed so long.
“Ags, we talked about this!” I shout back.
“Hurry, baby, she’s onto us!”
Lily looks back at me before sprinting into her arms. I’ve lost her to the promise of toys or candy.
Stepping into the house I’m already overwhelmed. There are at least half of the Keaton crew in the kitchen, buzzing around to get things set up.
“Oh, honey, these are the Keaton women!” She begins pointing to the women standing around the kitchen island. “Anna, the matriarch, Emma, Evelyn, Violet, and Willow. Ladies, this is my niece, Aubrey. She’s a little shy so take it easy on her.”
I wave weakly, but my daughter runs up to them. “Hi! I’m Wiwwy. I wuv bunnies.” She thrusts Mister Floppy into Emma’s face.
“Her name is Lily. We’re working on the L sound.” I offer.
“Hi Lily! It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Emma. My little girl, Olivia, is in the other room with her daddy if you want to go play with her.”
Another girl mom?Maybe this won’t be so bad. I could use another mom friend. Someone to share in the hardships with.
“You look nervous. This family can be a lot but I promise they’re the best.” Violet slides up next to me like a quiet little cat.
“I take it you married into the family then?”
“Is it that obvious?” She laughs. “Emma is the only biological Keaton. Unfortunately for her she was born into a family of brothers, but she gets really awesome sister-in-laws in return.”
“She better say that.” Evelyn laughs. Evelyn is everything I’m not. She’s tall and slender with the perfect Mediterranean skin, long silky black hair, and dark eyes to my blonde, frumpy mom, short frame. My green eyes seem dull in comparison to hers that somehow seem to glow despite their coffee color.
The door opens and my breath feels like it was stolen from my throat. A gorgeous man with shaggy dirty blonde hair walks through.
“Ah. And here is Cooper!” Aggie walks over to pull him into an embrace. “Cooper does so much to help Tommy, and he’s the one working on the photographs of the farm for our website and social media!”
“Hi, I’m Aubrey. It’s nice to meet you finally, Tommy talks about how wonderful you are nonstop.”
Ugh. What am I doing?
“Hey, Aubrey. How are you settling in?” He doesn’t reach out for a handshake but instead shoves his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants.
“We’re… settling. It’s been a change that’s for sure, but my daughter, Lily, is loving it.”Shut up, Aubrey. This man does not care, he was being polite.
“Okay, ladies, Cooper was the last to arrive. Let’s get this food on the table!” Aggie starts handing out trivets, placemats, dishes, and silverware to anyone who has two hands.
“I’ll get the guys.” Cooper hurriedly leaves the room in search of said men.
