Page 58 of Auctioned To Be Mine

“We’re going to Mimi’s townhome,” Cleo said when I looked out the window. “It’s huge and empty. She’s going to love the company.”

The drive took just under forty minutes. I listened and participated in the conversation when necessary. I was just happy to be a part of it. Briggs parked in front of a townhome. It was much bigger than I expected and then I remembered who I was dealing with. No basic townhome would do.

It probably looked like a clown car with all of us piling out. The men grabbed our suitcases and we started up the walk. The front door opened and a woman appeared in the doorway. She was elegant with no effort at all. She was probably in her early sixties but looked younger.

Mimi.

“There they are,” she said, opening her arms.

Cleo went first, then Mandy, then Drew, who picked Mimi up slightly when he hugged her and made her laugh. Callum was next and I watched him hold her for a moment longer than the others. I didn’t know what they were saying with that hug, but I sensed a connection. She pulled back and lovingly patted his cheek.

Then her eyes found me.

“And you must be Victoria,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am.” I stepped forward and shook her hand, and she covered it with both of hers.

“I’ve heard very good things,” she said. “Come inside. Dinner will be ready in an hour. I thought we’d eat early. I know there’s a lot to talk about.”

The inside of the house was everything the outside promised. High ceilings and warm wood floors. Family photographs covered an entire wall of the hallway, framed in mismatched frames that looked very homey. I slowed down as I passed them. Decades of a family documented in snapshots. Children and holidays and various events.

The doorbell rang before Mimi had even finished giving us the tour. She excused herself with a smile. I heard the front door open, followed immediately by the kind of noise that told me the rest of the family had arrived.

Callum led me back to the foyer just as the man I knew was Adrian walked in. Thank God Cleo had shown me pictures of everyone. Behind him was Elizabeth holding their baby boy. The baby was awake and looking around at everything.

“Sorry we’re late,” Adrian said. He kissed Mimi on the cheek and handed her a bottle of wine. “Traffic on the bridge was ridiculous”

“You’re not late,” Mimi said. “You’re exactly on time.”

We went through the introductions and the doorbell rang again.

“He’s beautiful,” I said about the baby.

“He is,” Elizabeth agreed. “He also hasn’t slept more than three hours in a row since he was born, so he’s very lucky he’s cute.”

I laughed. I liked her immediately.

Sebastian and Bernadette walked in. Bernadette was very pregnant. Sebastian had his hand in the small of her back in a protective gesture I didn’t think he even realized he was doing.

He shook my hand. Bernadette hugged me, which surprised me again. I was starting to realize this was simply how these people operated.

Dash and Krista were last, arriving slightly breathless. Krista was glowing in a way I recognized now, having just seen it on Bernadette. She caught me noticing and smiled.

We put our bags away and rejoined the family in the huge dining room. Baby Buck was being passed from person to person. Someone had opened wine. Briggs and Sebastian were debating something in the corner. I sat at the table with Callum on my right and Cleo on my left and just soaked it all in.

I had been to countless dinner parties and holiday gatherings that required seating charts and name cards. I knew how to navigate a room full of strangers. I knew how to make small talk and ask the right questions and laugh at the right moments.

But this was different.

Nobody was positioning themselves in relation to anyone else. The noise in this room was natural. A family catching up. People who loved each other talking at the same time because there was too much to say and not enough hours to say it in.

I felt an ache in my chest.

Cleo leaned over. “Overwhelming?” she asked softly.

“No, not at all. It’s beautiful.”

She looked at me and seemed to understand exactly what I meant. She clinked her glass against mine.