“You came!” Jonah is clinging to her neck. “You said you couldn’t come!”
“Surprise,” she says, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
Then the whole family descends on her. Tanner pulls her into a proper bear hug. Walker and Slade follow, their giant frames swallowing up their baby sister instantly. Daryl islaughing as he kisses her cheek. Sadie throws her arms around her and the two of them immediately start excitedly talking over each other.
I hang back, not wanting to crowd, but Josie spots me and opens her arms. “Lila, get over here. I need all my sisters.”
And that’s how I get pulled into a three-way girls’ hug. Two sisters-in-law, both of whom have been kinder to me than my own flesh-and-blood sister.
It’s going to be really hard to say goodbye to them too.
The room is still buzzing around Josie when Rafe comes in from outside, shrugging off his jacket.
The second he sees Josie, he freezes. Just for a second. Then his expression goes neutral.
But those coal-black eyes are burning.
He crosses to her without hurry. His hug is brief, arms around her for about two seconds before he steps back.
It’s a proper, respectful hug. Nothing like the man I saw with his hand low on her hip in that kitchen doorway on my wedding night.
She returns it the same way. Brief, perfectly proper. As if she’d never pressed her whole body against his and stayed there.
“Josephine,” he says quietly, almost formal.
“Rafe.” Her voice is different when she says his name, just as formal. But there’s a teasing glimmer in her eyes.
He nods once and moves away to wash up at the sink, his back to the room.
I look at Josie. She’s already turned back to Jonah, laughing at something he’s saying as she scoops up Mari and Anne in her arms, but there’s color on her cheeks that wasn’t there a moment ago.
By noon Rosemont is filling up. I can hear Linda, Sadie’s mom, talking with Daryl in the kitchen. Cassidy and her parents and brother arrived and are inside helping set the table with Sadie.
Tanner appears at my side on the back porch with an armful of cold beers.
“Rhodes family Thanksgiving tradition,” he announces, handing one to me, one to Slade, one to Rafe. “We’re running a little late.”
“It’s noon,” I say.
“Practically late afternoon for a rancher. We shotgun ‘em.” He demonstrates on his own can as he keys a hole in the side, tilts his head back, and cracks the tab.
Josie doesn’t wait for further instruction. She keys the hole in the side of her can before Tanner has even lowered his. She expertly cracks the tab and drains the entire thing in one long, clean pull without spilling a single drop.
Lowering the empty can, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and looks around at all of us.
“What?” she says. “I grew up with three older brothers. This is what you get.”
Slade stares at her. “Exactly how hard did you party, living down there in Florida?”
She wags a finger at him. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”
Tanner’s eyes narrow. “Somebody being a bad influence on my baby sister? Do I need to fly to Key West and fight a guy in flip flops and a Jimmy Buffett shirt for corrupting you?”
She rolls her eyes. “We’re not in high school anymore, T. You can cut the overprotective brother bullshit.”
Rafe cracks his own beer and drinks it the regular way, silently observing her over the rim of the can.
Josie watches him right back. “No shotgun for you, Rafe?”
