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He smiles at me and kisses my cheek. “Stop freaking out and relax, you weirdo.”
“Welax, you wea-doh,” Vivi repeats.
Avery snickers while I bite my tongue. He leads us down the side of the house and through a wooden gate, and Harper’s exasperated voice drifting across the yard.
“Mom, stop. You’re whacked, lady. Claire’s easy to please. She’s with your son, after all.”
“Happy!” Vivi shrieks when we round the corner and spot Harper. She wiggles in Avery’s arms until he lets her slide down his body and then takes off across the perfectly manicured lawn on her chubby little legs to accost Harper.
Oh, sweet, holy heavens. I mean, this house, this yard…it’s immaculate. The sprawling, two-tiered deck, the gazebo off in one corner of the lawn, the sea of towering old trees that make the yard secluded and quiet, a beautiful, bright garden, and is that a…
“It’s a stone pizza oven,” Avery whispers, lips touching my ear.
“Jesus,” I mutter on an exhale, fingers fluttering to my throat as I take it all in.
And I mean, the pool. There’s a freaking waterfall flowing into it on one side.
“Oh!” I squeal and jump when something licks my hand. There are two dogs sitting at my feet, neither of them Sully, both wagging their tails.
There’s Sully, rolling around on the grass with Vivi.
And there’s Avery’s mom, looking at Vivi like she’s never seen anything more precious in all her life. Is she—
“Aw, Christ, Mom,” Avery wails, stalking over to the petite woman as he tows me along behind him. “Are you crying?”
“She cries all the time,” a husky voice drawls. “Goin’ through the change, I think.”
“Oh, you shut up!” Avery’s mom twists, and I can only imagine the scowl she hits him with as he steps through the patio door. Turning back to me, she smiles sweetly, clasping her hands under her chin while she moves toward me like I'm some sort of foreign object she's never seen before. “I’m so sorry about my husband.”
The man in question steps down the stairs and hits me with a grin that’s, quite frankly, just as panty-melting as his son’s. They’re twins. Big and broad, muscly, that dark, wavy hair. This…this is not fair.
“And I’m sorry about my wife’s tears.”
Avery’s eyes shine with amusement at the way I’m standing here, gaping, before he sweeps me forward. “Mom, Dad, this is Claire.”
His mom doesn’t hesitate to yank me into a crushing hug. She’s small but aggressive. I think that’s where Avery got his tenacity from. “Hi honey. I’m Jess. We’re so happy to meet you. Avery’s been talking about you for weeks.”
I peek over Jess' shoulder. Avery stuffs his hands in his pockets, dropping his gaze to his feet. “Weeks?”
Jess waves a hand through the air when she finally releases me. “Oh, yeah. Came over here a couple weeks ago looking for advice. Said he found his person.”
I’ve never seen Avery look more uncomfortable than he does right now. His mocha eyes lift to mine before quickly flitting away, focusing on Vivi as she chases all three dogs through the yard.
Me? I’m focusing on the fact that Avery told his mom he found his person. I’m his person. Me. His person. My heart stutters and tumbles.
And then I’m swept into another hug. And good God, this one smells so good. Feels so good. So hard. Oh, crap. Does he work out still, at his age? I resist the urge to squeeze a bicep. Charlee would die right now.
“Hi sweetheart. I’m Austin.” He’s got the best laugh lines in his cheeks, crinkles around his eyes. Different than Avery’s, his eyes are a soft, weathered blue, just slightly less. They land on Vivi when she stops at his feet, gazing up at him with wonder. “Would you look at that head of hair! Holy cow!” Crouching, he fingers one braid. “Did Avery do your hair for you?”
Vivi’s nose scrunches before she bursts into a fit of giggles. “A’wy? No way! A’wy don’t know how to do pwincess hair! Auntie Claire do my pwincess hair for me.”
Vivi cocks her head, examining Austin. “You old like my Gamps.”
Austin presses a hand to his chest. “Old?”
“Uh huh, but you cute like A’wy. Gamps cute, too. I call you Gamps?” Her brows furrow with her question, her entire expression perplexed, one palm turned up.
He wraps her in a hug, and I can’t tell who’s enjoying it more. “Darling, you can call me whatever you like.”
