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“Well, I’m not your daddy yet; I have to marry your momma first, but you know I love you like you’re my daughter already.” He tapped his finger on her nose. I was instantly head over heels with not only the little girl but Wes and Henley’s father.
“You need to go in and wash your hands,” Wes said as he set her down on the ground. She took off as soon as her feet touched.
“Come on, let’s get you inside on solid ground and get your leg up,” Lee said.
“We can collect your things,” his father replied. “Go get her comfortable in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Lee smiled over his shoulder, and my heart thudded. The love that shone in his eyes was immense. I don’t think that I had ever looked at someone with that much love before, even my parents.
I fretted a bit as we approached the house. My family had never really been lovey-dovey. I knew my parents cared about me, but we weren’t big on hugging or telling each other that we did love one another. It was just assumed. I had a feeling that this family said it often.
An older woman with dark hair stood at the back door, and she held it open as we slowly climbed the stairs. Man, I wish I wasn’t all beaten up. What did they think about Lee bringing a woman home who looked like she’d been hit by a bus?
“Hi, Mom,” Lee said as we finally got to the top step. He stepped away from me and pulled his mother into his arms. “Happy birthday, again.”
“Aw, thank you, sweetheart. Come in, come in. Don’t leave that poor girl out there in the cold.”
I tried not to wince as I stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Young, and happy birthday.” I held my hand out to her, and she took it with both of hers.
“Pat, please, and the pleasure is all mine. I’m so glad you could come. I would hug you, but I don’t want to hurt you.” She laughed kindly.
“That’s okay, it’s just my leg and my face that hurt these days. The rest feels better.”
“Well, then, I’ll hug you.” She didn’t wait for me to respond but pulled me gently into her arms. Over her shoulder, Lee smiled at me as if he enjoyed the scene in front of him. Yep, they were huggers.
Honestly, I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked it. I had always been a toucher, more so than anyone in our family, and I hugged all my friends. As we pulled back, she asked for my coat, and I heard several voices down the hall. As Lee took my jacket and the door opened behind us, Pat hooked arms with me and started walking me down the hall toward the noise.
“How was your drive? Are you in pain? Is there anything that I can get you? If you need a doctor, Wes can take care of you.”
“I’m fine, really, although I could use a glass of water.”
“Absolutely,” she said as she patted my hand. “Hey, everyone, this is Roxanne, Henley’s guest. Be gentle with her; she was in an accident earlier this week.”
The room was full of people, and a woman with brown hair approached me, holding her hand out with a wide smile. “I’m Charlotte, the bride-to-be. I can’t wait to sit down and talk to you about my wedding. You have no idea how much this is going to help me.”
“Charlotte, it’s so nice to meet you.” I had barely shaken her hand when two attractive men approached.
“Hi, I’m Bradley, the oldest of the clan. It’s great to meet you, Roxanne.”
Behind him was Huntley, and he surprised me by leaning in and kissing my cheek. Another woman was observing me as if deciding how she wanted to greet me. Finally, she burst to her feet, threw her arms around my shoulders, and declared, “You are perfect.”
I stared at her when she pulled back, not sure what she was talking about because I was far from perfect.
“Don’t freak her out, Ry,” Lee said as he joined my side, placing his palm on my lower back.
“I’m not trying to freak her out, but she is perfect for you.”
He laughed and shook it off as my brows shot into my bangs.
“Let’s get you seated,” he replied, and Riley said I should take her seat. After getting situated, everyone went back to the conversations they were having when we arrived. I was kind of glad as it gave me a chance to take a breath and watch them all.
I was somewhat overwhelmed by the greetings that I’d gotten, and for a moment, I felt tears begin to prickle the edges of my eyes. I blinked them back as a girl around nine or ten brought me a glass of water.
“Hi, I’m Tonya. Here’s your water.”
“Thank you, Tonya,” I told her as I took the glass and sipped. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I glanced up to see Lee smiling down at me.
“You alright?”
