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He greeted his other siblings who had arrived already. Not everyone had come. Two of the family lived away from Serenity Point at the moment, since they were both in college.
“Hey, Sky,” he said when his youngest sister sidled up to give him a hug. “How’s life treating you?”
“Good. I’ve worked a couple of extra shifts at the coffee shop this week.”
He’d missed a good chunk of Skylar and Cole’s growing-up years while he’d been away for med school and his residency. Since he’d been home, he tried his best to keep informed on what was going on in their lives.
As they got ready to eat, Gareth kept an eye on Aria, curious to see how she was interacting with the members of his family who were present. Because she lived with Janessa and Charli, Aria was more than just an employee.
“I hear there’s a big game tomorrow,” Gareth said as Cole joined them. “Are you both ready?”
“I am,” Cole said, his shoulders straightening.
“We’ve been working on some new cheers,” Skylar added.
When he heard the front door open, he glanced over to see another of his sisters walk in.
“Kayleigh!” Skylar skipped over to her and gave her a tight hug. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
After Kayleigh hugged Skylar, she approached Gareth. He gave her a hug as well. “How’s the hotel business?”
“Busy. So busy.” She leaned against him for a moment, then straightened, as if she couldn’t let herself reveal any weakness.
“Have you met our newest employee?” Gareth asked.
“Not yet.”
Gareth knew it was probably something of a baptism by fire introducing Aria to so many of their family at once, but it was probably better that she meet them sooner rather than later. It would also help her understand the dynamics within their family.
If she was going to be around for any length of time, it was important she got to know them.
CHAPTER SIX
Aria struggled to embrace the chaos unfolding around her. She’d had no idea what it was like to have so many siblings. Given that she was an only child, any space she’d shared with her mom had been fairly quiet. The loudest it ever got was when they’d laughed and cheered for one of the reality competition shows they’d enjoyed watching together.
Even her ex-fiancé had only had one sibling, so she hadn’t experienced any type of mayhem when visiting his family, either. But Janessa’s family… it went beyond anything she ever would have expected. The one good thing was that the boisterous conversations going on around her meant that she didn’t have to try to hold a conversation with anyone herself.
A loud whistle pierced the air, then Gareth held up his hand. “Let’s say a prayer for the food, then we can all dig in.”
Silence descended on the space, then Gareth said a prayer of thanks for the food. As soon as he was done, the conversations erupted around her once again.
Charli was talking with a man who had arrived last, but she handed Aria a plate and gestured toward the boxes of pizza. Aria assumed that was Charli’s way of saying to help herself.
As she stepped closer to the boxes, Janessa came to her side. “You’d better take a couple slices of whichever type you like before the others get within grabbing distance.”
Aria smiled at her, then put just one slice on her plate. “Where should I sit?”
“Just grab any seat and save the one next to it for me.”
Moving slowly, she made her way to the table and walked to the far end of it. She left the end seat open, as well as the one right next to it for Janessa.
“Can I sit beside you, Ria?”
Aria looked over at Layla, her heart warmed at the nickname. “Sure thing, sweetie.”
Layla slid her plate onto the table, then climbed up onto the chair. “I looooove pizza.”
“I do too,” Aria said. “But I like salad as well.” She reached for one of the bowls of salad that had been placed on each end of the table. “Do you want some, Layla?”
