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“You better get to Mom before she tackles your girl.”
I blink up at Coop. He’s leaning against the counter with an easy smile and two beers. He hands me one. “Huh?”
“Mom,” Adley says, walking into the kitchen. She nods toward the front door.
Sure enough, there’s Mom, bouncing on her toes by the front door with her sights set on Claire.
“She did this same thing with Mo, and you have about thirty seconds to intercept her before it’s all over,” Rhett says, joining us.
“I’ve got this.” Dad claps a hand on my shoulder as he walks by. He wraps an arm around Mom’s shoulders and pulls her farther into the room.
“What are you doing?” She nudges Dad in the side, but he just laughs.
“Let the poor woman get out of her car.”
“I just want to talk to her and welcome her into our home.”
“And you can greet her with a handshake and friendly smile like most normal people would do.”
“I’m not normal.”
“We know that, sweetie.” He kisses the side of her head, and all of us laugh. “Let’s get the table set.”
There’s a soft knock on the door. I set my beer down and stride across the floor with purpose. Mo smiles up and brushes past me as she walks into the house.
“Hi.”
I look at Claire, and the words fly right out of my mouth. She’s wearing a blue sundress that hits just above her knees. Her hair is wrapped in a loose bun at the base of her neck, with red tendrils framing her face. All I can do is stare at her and wonder how in the world I got so damn lucky.
Her smile slowly fades, and she glances nervously at her dress.
“Oh God, it’s too much, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“The dress.” She’s got a horrified look on her face. “I knew I should’ve worn jeans like Mo.” Spinning on her heel, Claire steps off the porch, but I catch her arm as she hits the grass.
“No,” I say, swinging her around. She falls awkwardly against my chest, which is really quite perfect because I like having her in my arms. I cup her jaw and kiss her. “You look perfect.”
Her shoulders relax. “Really? You’re not just saying that? Because you were looking at me funny back there and—”
“There you go thinking again.”
My lips on hers stop everything. Claire melts into me, her tongue pushing between my lips, and when we hear a catcall, she pulls back and holds her fingers to her lips. Her cheeks turn pink, and just like every other time, it turns me on.
Claire leans to the left, looking around me. Her eyes grow wide. “Your entire family just saw us making out.”
“Not my entire family. Beau isn’t here. And now’s probably a good time to mention that your mom and Phil are on the patio.”
“What?” she hisses.
“Hey, look at me.” I smooth my hands down her arms, and she follows my command. “These people are our family. They love us and support us, and there’s no reason to be nervous.”
“I just really wanted to make a good impression on your parents, and now my mom is here, and you’ve got to make a good impression on her and—”
“Claire.”
Her mouth snaps shut.
