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“I’m excited to meet your family too.”
“I’m Patty,” his mother said, rushing in. “You’ve got to be Ivy. We’ve heard so much about you.”
“I hope good things,” she said. “At least after the first time Brooks talked about me.”
She laughed when she said it, but Brooks felt his face flush just the same.
“I told my son how disappointed I was in him for saying that. Think nothing of it. We aren’t either, other than I failed as a parent.”
“No, you didn’t,” he argued.
“You did very well,” Ivy said. “You’re son is a caring man.”
There was a lot of laughter to that. “Shut up, guys,” he said to his family. “I am caring.”
“See,” she said. “Even when he snarls it. But he is.”
“As long as you see it that is all that matters,” his mother said.
“Here are brownies,” he said. “Ivy made them. And then she made us run to the store just now too because I said you liked flowers and candles.”
“You’re not supposed to say Ijustbought them,” she said, frowning. “Don’t you know anything?”
“Obviously not,” he grumbled.
“That’s the Brooks we know and love,” Raine said. “It’s nice to meet you. Brooks, why don’t you introduce everyone rather than just assuming we all know each other.”
“You two know each other,” he said.
Ivy swatted his arm. Guess he slipped there too.
“It’s fine,” Raine said. “I expected you’d tell him I stopped in to see you. It’s all working out the way we hoped.”
“I didn’t tell him everything that we talked about. Just a brief summary,” she said. “And this is for you.” She looked at the bags and handed them out to his mother and Emma while he introduced his brother and father. “I wanted to get River and Mike something, but Brooks said that you guys were too manly for the men’s line.”
“What?” Emma said. “River uses my scented body wash, but he won’t admit it.”
“I don’t need to admit it since you just told everyone,” River said, frowning. He looked at his brother with one eyebrow lifted. “What? It does smell nice.”
“I like my Irish Spring,” his father said. “But your mother likes all that fruity and flowery stuff.”
“See, Dad gets me,” Brooks said.
“Thank you so much for the gifts,” his mother said. “You didn’t need to do this, but I’m so happy you did. I’m going to light this candle right now.” His mother lifted the peach-scented candle to her nose and inhaled deeply.
“I brought Patty candles too when I first met her,” Emma said.
“You did?” Ivy said, moving over to sit next to Emma.
“I did. I just wanted her to like me.”
“Me too,” Ivy said softly. Brooks was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to hear that admission, but he did. And he chose to ignore it.
There was also this fear that by bringing Ivy around his family, she might think there was more to their relationship than there was.
Hell, he wasn’t even sure he knew what it was himself.
He walked into the kitchen and got a beer. He knew he was going to need it. His mother came in as he expected.
