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Zach snorted. “Right, tell yourself that.” His eyes turned calculating. “Try your best, ladies. I won’t fall for any of your tricks.”
Abby stuck out her tongue. “Stop being so cocky. It’s annoying.”
“I can’t help it if you’re just a sore loser.”
Squaring my shoulders, I said, “We’ll see how you feel later tonight. I think it’s safe to say it’ll be the pot calling the kettle black.”
Zach winked. “I won’t lose, so we won’t have to find out.”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying,” Abby muttered.
After blowing a kiss, he replied, “I love you too.”
We all sat down, and I waited for West to arrive. Maybe to some, our dinner games were silly—because of course Beck made enough food to feed us all to the point where we had to unbutton our pants—but the prize tonight was getting the best cuts of steak and watching the irritated expression of the person who got the smallest.
Because Beck always,alwaysmade them different sizes.
West entered the room with his kids, his usually grumpy expression in place. I glanced at him, and he gave an imperceptible nod.Game on.
Aunt Lori entered from the kitchen, carrying the open wine bottles, and handed them to Abby. “Your turn, dear.”
“Yes, Aunt Lori.” She took them and started to fill the wine glasses around the table. Even if Beck and Sabrina were still in the kitchen, Abby knew their preferences. So when she poured chardonnay into Beck’s glass—he viewed white wine with steak as a sacrilege—I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
Aunt Lori merely raised an eyebrow, but humor danced in her eyes. I sometimes wondered what she’d been like when she was younger and married to her “Navy SEAL stud muffin,” as she called her late husband. Probably trouble personified.
Beck entered, carrying the plate of steaks, and Sabrina followed him into the room before placing the respective potatoes and broccoli bowls on the table.
Beck raised his brows. “Remember the rule.”
We all said, “No breaking the dishes.”
He grinned—a sight that had been rare before he’d met Sabrina—and then nodded. “Okay, ready?”
Just as Beck set the plate down, the twins raced to Zach and tickled his sides. He laughed—more like squealed—and West went over, clamping his hands on Zach’s shoulders to keep him in place.
“Stop it!” Zach said while laughing.
Abby and I wasted no time grabbing the plate of steaks. I took one, she another, and then we put the biggest one on West’s plate, a decent one for Aunt Lori, and then dished out for the twins. By the time we were done, three tiny steaks remained.
Sabrina laughed. “Well done, ladies. Well done.”
Beck grumbled as he dished out for him and Sabrina, leaving the tiniest, saddest looking steak ever on the plate.
West murmured something, and his kids stopped tickling Zach.
Avery said, “We love you!” And she threw her arms around her uncle’s neck.
Zach shook his head. “How can I stay mad at that?” He hugged her and then Wyatt before giving them puppy dog eyes and clasping his hands under his chin. “Will you share with me?”
Avery crossed her arms. “Maybe if you trade your dessert.”
We all laughed at that, and Zach ruffled her hair. “We’ll see, Tater Tot. Now, let’s eat before it gets cold.”
As the kids and West sat down, I caught West’s eye. He smiled a second before dishing out potatoes and broccoli for his twins and himself. I must’ve been staring because Abby whispered, “Close your mouth.”
Aware that I was sitting in a room full of people who knew me well, I did and sipped my cabernet sauvignon and moaned a little—Aunt Lori had pulled through on giving me my favorite vintage.
I felt West’s eyes on me but refused to look at him. Instead, I met Aunt Lori’s gaze and raised my glass at her. “The best bribe ever.”
