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“I wonder if they’re my nephews too.” Ava looked puzzled, and all of them laughed.
I was clearly not in on the joke.
“Between in-laws and steps and now halves, our family likes to joke about who’s actually related and how,” Sierra explained. “Hayden used to be just my bestie, but now we’re sisters-in-law. And stepsisters-in-law. We think.”
“And they’ve apparently always had a rep for causing trouble together,” Ava said.
They all laughed again, and this time I laughed with them even though I didn’t think I’d ever keep the family ties straight, even if you drew me a family tree. I wondered if I’d ever feel a part of this instead of like an outsider and merely a half-relative.
“Where’s your son?” I asked Hayden.
“In the basement with the dads,” she replied.
I tried to figure out who the dads were besides her husband, Zane. Before I could puzzle through it, she said, “Mason has Calvin and Jasper. Gabe has Wyatt. Zane has Harrison. They’re likely doing rowdy boy things down there.”
“I haven’t met any of them but your husband and son.” I looked around to see who else I knew and who I didn’t, now that the whole group wasn’t focused on me.
“I’ll introduce you to the women. They’re more fun anyway,” Hayden said.
Our group migrated toward the dining room, where four women were gathered at one end of the table, immersed in conversation.
“Eliza’s facing us,” Hayden said, gesturing. “She plays fiddle for Steele Hearts.” The dark-haired woman looked up and waved.
“Married to Mason, with two kids,” I recited.
“You’ve been thoroughly prepped,” Everly said.
“The car ride in was a crash course,” I admitted.
“Next to Eliza is Miranda, one of the North cousins,” my half-sister continued.
“Hi,” Miranda sang out, and the other two women, who had their backs to us, turned to say hello too.
“Geraldine, meet Knox Breckenridge,” Hayden introduced, indicating the oldest at the table, a smiling woman with a reddish-brown bob hairstyle.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “Are you a cousin or a North?”
“Neither,” the woman in her sixties said and let out a loud laugh. “I’m called the honorary auntie. I’m BFFs with Faye and her sister, Liz.” She pointed at both women, who were in the midst of chaos in the kitchen and not paying attention to us.
I shook her hand. “There’s a lot of aunts around here. It’s tough for an only child to get used to.”
“Good lord, an only child? Me too,” Geraldine said. “As you can see, they don’t know how to do only children around here. You and I’ll have to stick together.”
I winked at her. “Definitely.”
Hayden threw her arms around the last woman from behind. “This is my sister-in-law Lexie.”
“Married to Gabe,” I said.
“Mom of Wyatt,” Hayden added.
“Painter of murals,” Eliza said.
“None of them lie,” Lexie said in a quiet but warm voice. “Welcome to the madness, Knox. It’s not too late to run away screaming.”
I wanted to know more about the murals and the fiddle playing, but my questions would have to wait, as a boy around five or six years old burst into the room from the basement stairs. I was guessing he was Calvin.
“Mimi, all the boys downstairs want to know how long till eats?” he hollered.
