Quinn led me down a hallway, then into a spacious kitchen. A man with salt-and-pepper hair was cooking at the stove while a younger man dug through the fridge.
“Dad, Mase, this is Sophie. I rescued her from Mom’s twenty-minute welcome tour.” Both men turned around. The older of the two stepped forward, a huge smile transforming his face as he reached for my hand.
“Sophie! So good to meet you. My name is Garrett, and the grouchy-looking fellow is our middle child, Mason.” He shook my hand with a firm grip, a warm smile on his face.
“Thank you for having us over. It’s wonderful to finally meet you,” I told him genuinely.
“Nice to meet you, Sophie. Heard a lot about you,” Mason replied. It was strange; he looked so similar to Linc, yet so different. Mason was all hard edges, precision, and clean lines. His haircut looked vaguely military, and he held himself with an almost rigid posture.
“Mommy! I held on for thirty seconds this time! I’m getting stronger!” Lou burst into the kitchen, Linc following behind her.
“No way!” I replied, happy to see her smiling and talking. Meeting strangers was hit or miss with Lou. The kitchen was large, but it felt intimate and friendly. Mason and Garrett stayed by the stove as Quinn passed me a glass of wine. Lou looked between the two men before walking over to Mason.
“How come you look like Linc, but smaller?” Lou asked, studying the two men. From behind me, Linc let out a bark of laughter as Mason shot him a stern look. Mason turned to Lou, his smile softening his face as he bent down to answer her question.
“We look alike because we’re brothers. Linc may be bigger, but I’m prettier.” Mason winked at Lou, and she ran back over to me, hiding her face in my legs. Linc made his way over to us and pulled me into his arms as soon as he was within reach.
“You didn’t even say hi to me,” he whispered, his voice grouchy as he pressed a kiss to my neck.
“Ew. There are children present. Come on, Lou. Let’s go into the living room. I brought some games over. I thought we could pick one to play after dinner,” Quinn said as she focused on Lou.
“You play games? We played Jenga the other day, and I won! I beat EthanandBecca. What’s your favorite game?” Lou’s questions trailed behind her excited form as she eagerly took Quinn’s hand to check out the living room.
“No necking in the kitchen,” Garrett demanded, waving a towel at us, shooing us out of the space. Linc took my glass of wine and led me into the living room, where Lou was looking through a pile of games as Walt and Abigail chatted in the other corner. Linc sat on the couch, pulling me down next to him, one arm around my back as he held me tightly against his side.
“Mom! They have SO many games! Quinn said we could play after dinner. Linc, will you play too?” Lou asked excitedly, and my heart hurt for a minute. She didn’t really experience this; dinners with her father’s family were cold and not intended for children. We only saw my parents once a year, and most of that time, Lou ran around outside with the animals as opposed tositting down and playing with either of my parents.
“Can I play too?” Abigail asked, and Lou’s eyes widened.
“You wanna play with me too?” she asked, looking slightly amazed.
“As long as that’s alright with you. I happen to be the reigning champion at UNO,” Abigail replied, a smile on her face.
“COOL!”
“Hey, no fair. I want in on game time too,” Mason said, walking into the room with a tray of vegetables, crackers, and various dips. Garrett followed behind him with a small plate of Goldfish and apple slices for Lou.
“Hi there, little miss. My name is Garrett. I’m Linc’s dad. I heard Goldfish are your favorite snack, so I made sure we kept some for you.”
“A special plate just for me? I don’t have to eat any of the vegetables in the goop?” she asked, pointing at the crudités.
“No way! No veggies in this house,” Garrett replied, looking offended.
“Dad!” Linc shook his head in disappointment, and Garrett stood up, hands on his hips.
“What? I made you eat your veggies, and look! You’re all grown up, so my job is done. I’m ready to be the fun house.” Grabbing some Goldfish, he popped them into his mouth before taking a seat on the floor next to the coffee table full of snacks. The environment was relaxed and welcoming. It was such a foreign experience. I watched as Lou looked around the room, her eyes darting between all the people and the games Quinn had pulled out. She walked over to Quinn before leaning over to try to whisper in her ear.
“Do you think… Maybe we could play for a little before dinner?” Lou asked shyly, looking nervous.
“Absolutely! Why are we whispering, though?” Quinn asked back, a smile on her face.
“Grandma Helen says I’m too loud at dinner.” A heavy silence fell over the room, and I was surprised to see that Mason was the first to kick into gear.
“Well, you don’t have to be quiet here. I feel like maybe we should give Lou a tour of the garage,” he suggested, eyebrows waggling.
“Brilliant!” Quinn answered, jumping up.
“What’s in the garage?” I asked, confused.
