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Emily took our hands in hers. “Can we promise each other that we will never keep secrets from each other again?”
I swallowed a lump in my throat. Grace said, “Absolutely,” while I managed a nod.
“Good,” Emily said, never taking her eyes off me. “I’m glad we had this talk. Now… let’s get out of these dresses and get something to eat. This baby is starving.”
We laughed and went our separate ways, but the guilt was beginning to eat me alive.
Chapter 10
Levi
“Thanks for coming over on such short notice,” Anna whispered to me as she greeted me at the door. She pulled me inside and plastered on a made-for-tv smile as we turned around and ran smack dab into her family.
Her entire family.
“Wow, I didn’t realize the whole gang would be here,” I muttered with a smile.
“I told you it was a family dinner,” she replied, taking my hand in hers.
Her mom was the first to greet me with a hug.
“Oh Levi, I’m so glad you could make it. I told Anna that if we are to have a family dinner, I wanted the entire family here. You’re practically family now, so it wouldn’t be right to not invite you.”
“I appreciate being included, Mrs. Berkshire,” I said, patting the woman on the back.
Next up was her father, Thomas, who greeted me with a firm handshake.
“Mr. Callaghan,” he said briskly.
“Mr. Berkshire, a pleasure to see you,” I replied.
The man didn’t smile, but he rarely smiled as far as I could tell. He always seemed so stern, as if he wanted to be intimidating. The type that might try to scare potential suitors away with a shotgun, that sort of thing. I didn’t take his lack of warmth personally; it seemed to be the norm for him.
Emily let out a squeal, and before I knew what was happening, she was hugging me. She whispered, “Levi, my soon-to-be brother-in-law, I can just feel it.”
I chuckled uncomfortably. Her fiancé, James, shook my hand. We’d known each other since high school, so no introductions were necessary.
Grace nudged her sister away and hugged me, but less intensely as Emily, just whispering, “Welcome,” before pulling away and introducing her husband, Brad.
“And these are my rugrats, Madeline and Nicholas,” she said, patting the head of two little ones by her side. I wasn’t good with ages, but they both looked to be no older than four.
“Looks like you have your hands full there,” I said. I waved at the little ones. The boy, Nicholas, waved back but the girl hid behind her mom.
“She’s shy,” Grace said, rubbing the girl’s back.
“It’s okay, I understand.”
Then it was her brothers, because of course Anna had to come from a large family not unlike my own.
“Good to see you again,” TJ said as he shook my hand. “This is my wife, Lila, and my son Finn.”
Then finally, the last brother, Noah introduced me to his wife, Candace, and his two daughters Olivia and Sophia.
Once the introductions were over, Mrs. Berkshire led us all into the dining room. Anna and I strayed to the back.
“Sorry, I know it’s a lot… My family is a lot,” she laughed.
“Trust me, I get it. Have you met mine?”
