Page 109 of Already Callin’ You Mine

25

JACE

There’s a gif that my sister sends any time she’s excited of a little girl in a yellow raincoat, hands and face covered in semi-melted cotton candy, shaking her fists, eyes wide and teeth bared in excitement like she simply cannot contain herself.

Right now, that’s me on the inside.

“I ding the bell!” Otis declares, stopping at the foot of my parents’ front porch stairs and spinning around to face us.

I laugh, loving his energy. Even if he did wake us up at the crack of dawn. For a split second I was worried about him finding me in his mother’s bed, and if we’d have to explain ourselves somehow. It didn’t faze him one bit—he ran in, jumped on the bed, and kissed us both, before snuggling down in between us. As if it were an everyday occurrence and totally normal that I was taking up the usually empty half of the bed.

“You can go ahead and walk right in,” I tell him, encouraging him up the stairs. “Just like we did yesterday.”

He starts up toward the door, not bothering to turn around as he replies. “Mama says that rude.”

Ah, right…manners.

“Mama’s right; it usually is rude. But not at this house. This is family, so it’s okay.”

Stopping on the very top step, he looks at Presley, waiting on verification.

“If Jace says it’s okay to do that here, it is.”

She doesn’t touch my family comment, making me twinge slightly. I want her to feel comfortable here. With my family.

Because they’re my family. Me, her, and Otis—we’re a unit. The source of the sheer giddiness flowing through me right now.

I’m bringing my family to Sunday dinner.

Words I never thought I’d say…

Otis nods, skipping ahead to open the door. The big, heavy, wooden door. The handle turns easily enough, but the weight of it is too much. At least on his own. Coming up behind him, I give it a gentle push, not wanting him to know that I rescued his efforts. Something that seems to pay off, because he’s off like a flash as soon as it opens.

“There he is!”

Auggie’s pronouncement is loud, proud, and bounces off the walls in a way that makes it sound like he’s talking through a megaphone. He’s already crouching down, arms wide open, to prepare himself for a hug.

“Didn’t realize you’d be so excited to see me,” I quip, unable to help myself.

Ushering Presley inside, I close the door and then slip my arm around her waist, pulling her into me. Her muscles are tense, and I can tell she’s nervous. If only there was a way to reassure her that she has no need to be.

“Aww-wee!” Otis shouts right back, running into my father’s open arms.

Auggie scoops him up, holding on tight as he spins around, pretend biting at his cheeks. I smile, remembering these hugs from when I was a little kid, and how much I loved them. They’re the kind of hug that makes you feel not only loved, but safe and secure. Nothing can get to you when he’s hugging you.

“We might need to give me a nickname, at least until you can get your G’s right…” Auggie laughs.

I know the exact one he’s angling for too. Although, it’s not so much a nickname as an upgrade in status.

He and Miss Belle have made no secret about how they are dying for grandbabies now that some of my siblings have settled down. Not that any of them seem to be in any kind of hurry to give them what they are asking for.

“Presley!” Margeaux says, poking her head around the corner. “I’m so excited you’re here! I’m about to start the maque choux I was telling you about if you wanna come join me.”

Presley instantly relaxes, her body easing against mine as she lets out a soft, almost inaudible sigh.

“Absolutely.” She takes off, leaving me standing by myself, her focus now on the food. Well, at least it’s not about how nervous she is.

“Are you putting the sausage in it this time?” I ask, trying to weave myself into the conversation. The girls don’t hear me though, or they ignore me, heading into the kitchen without looking back.