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“I know.”
We headed into the kitchen, where Addy was telling Marley about Comet’s latest antics. He tended to eat crayons, markers, pencils, books, and every shoe in the house.
“That dog is a nuisance,” Knox said to me.
“You know you love him.” Everyone enjoyed the two puppies Knox and Emmett had gotten at Christmas, Dash and Comet. They were brothers from the same litter.
“I think you mean the girls love him.”
“You bought him,” I reminded him.
“It was an impulsive decision. Emmett was getting one, and he asked me to help hide the puppy until Christmas morning. When I learned there was one more puppy in the litter, I couldn’t resist. I just didn’t realize how destructive puppies were.”
I shook my head. “Comet encouraged Sarah and Addy to move in sooner than you thought they would.”
Knox nodded. “It worked out in that sense. I knew they couldn’t resist him.”
“It all worked out in the end.” I watched Marley smile and nod at whatever Addy was telling her. She was patient with her and interested in everything she had to say. Marley fit in with my family even though she wasn’t used to big families. She didn’t seem nervous or uncomfortable.
“I hope this thing with Matthews Inn does, too. I don’t want construction next door and a billion houses.”
There were so many problems with that scenario. Run-off from the development was detrimental to the farm and the growth of our trees. It also meant noise and traffic. None of which we wanted. But it wasn’t my place to influence Marley’s decision.
She felt out of control enough when she was a kid. I wouldn’t add to that. She needed to feel like this was her decision.
I tried not to think about the what-ifs and worst-case scenarios because Marley Matthews was standing in the kitchen, in the middle of my family, and she looked happy. I wanted to see that look on her face more often.
I would have thought she felt that way in California, but I didn’t know anything about her life there. I wondered if she’d answer me this time when she went back. If she’d be involved more in the planning of the renovation. I hoped so. I wanted to know more about her life there, what her hopes and dreams were, and if she was seeing anyone.
It was none of my business, and I shouldn’t be getting in deeper with her, but I couldn’t help myself. No one had intrigued me like Marley. I’d dated other women, but there had never been that spark or connection I felt with her.
“Everyone ready for dinner?” Mom asked, and we rushed to help her set the table and get the food transferred from the kitchen to the dining room. There were so many of us that we had to eat at the huge farm table Emmett gifted her a few years ago when he was just starting his furniture business.
It had quickly become his best-selling design. We all sat down in our usual spots, except for Marley, who sat next to me. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m having a great time,” she said with a smile while the talk went on around us.
“Did you expect not to?”
“I didn’t know what to anticipate. I’ve never been here like this.”
That made me feel bad that I’d kept her a secret back then. There was good reason for it, but she would have loved, and maybe even needed, my family back then. I was selfish to keep her away. She needed the love of a family, and mine would have given it to her. It was too bad I was friends with her brother. Things could have turned out differently.
I probably wouldn’t have hesitated to take things further physically, and I certainly wouldn’t have broken off our relationship. I liked her and always wondered what would have happened if she wasn’t my best friend’s younger sister.
My chest tightened. Now that we were adults, did the promise I made to Aiden still stand? Or would he be okay with me seeing his sister? I didn’t even want to broach him with the question. It felt wrong to even be thinking about it.
Nine
Marley
The Monroe family was so loud and boisterous. I’d never been around anything like them. In the past, I managed to avoid invitations from friends for Thanksgiving, saying I’d be going home to see my family when I was in college. Then later, no one asked follow-up questions.
We passed around the plates of food, and when everyone had gotten some, we dug in. There was teasing and laughing and stories about the holiday season on the farm. It was light-hearted and fun.
When my stomach was full, I leaned over to say to Heath, “Thank you for inviting me. I’ve never been to a gathering like this. Is this how the holidays are?”
“I would say it’s similar except there’s a lot more food and tons of decorations. Mom loves Christmas, even if the rest of us are a little tired of it by the end of the season. That’s Christmas Eve for us. We close early and breathe a sigh of relief that it’s done.”
