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Sam nodded in agreement. The door opened again and in came Dani and Nick. More introductions were made, more raised eyebrows at Mary drinking and more hugging. This family liked to hug. Sam felt comfortable—as much as she could—in a room full of people she had just met. Gray stayed close, making sure she was introduced to everyone. They genuinely liked to spend time with each other. Sam wasn't sure what to think when Gray said his mother demanded Sunday dinner. If people hated coming, it could be awful.
They grabbed plates of food and carried them into the dining room. As soon as all the food was on the table, they found places to sit. Gray grabbed Sam’s hand and walked her around the far side of the table from the kitchen, and they sat at the end, next to his dad. Sam sat next to Harry, who was on the end, and Gray on the other side of her. It was nice to sit at a big family table and enjoy each other's company. She didn't grow up in a family like this and never had anything even close to this growing up. So, she spent a great deal of time watching the way the siblings all acted with each other. It was nice.
Jamie sat directly across from Sam, and after they were finished eating, he looked at her with a mischievous grin on his face and leaned in.
“So, Sam, do you want to hear some stories about Gray while we were growing up?”
She smiled. “I wouldloveto hear some stories about Gray!”
She looked up at Gray only to see a grimace on his handsome face.
Jamie began telling a story about when they were younger, about nine or ten, and they snuck out of the house one night to go throw stones at a crabby neighbor's house. The story grew long, and Sam got the feeling by some of the snorts and eye rolling that the story had been embellished some. Gray chimed in every occasionally, but he seemed to be enjoying this.
After a while, he leaned down and said in Sam’s ear, “When I meet your parents, I’m going to ask for stories about you growing up. It’s only fair.”
She immediately looked down at her hands and froze. She hadn't told Gray about her parents or her family yet. It was hard to talk about. Even her best friend, Pam, didn't know everything; she just didn't talk about it.
“Is everything all right?”
Sam looked at him and nodded. “Can we talk about it later?”
He furrowed his brows, but he nodded and kissed the side of her head. Conversation resumed to normal.
She cleared her throat. “I do have a question to ask. I noticed that many of you wear similar tattoos on your left forearms. What’s the significance of that?”
Harry answered. “My grandfather started this tradition. When he met my grandmother, he knew she was the one for him. He didn’t have enough money to buy her a ring. He promised her he would one day; but, in the meantime, he wanted everyone to know she was his. I guess he was a little possessive.”
Harry smiled, and everyone giggled—apparently, hat was a Kinkaide trait as well.
“He asked her to wear his mark. He designed the tattoo with his initials and told her he wanted her to wear it on her left forearm. That way, every time she looked at it, she would remember she belonged to him. She agreed, but she had a stipulation—if everyone was going to know she was his, she wanted everyone to know he was hers, so he would need to wear her mark as well. He wasn’t theonlyone who was possessive.”
Everyone laughed again.
“My father and his siblings followed suit, I and my siblings and their children, and my children have followed the tradition. There are a few exceptions, but, for the most part, it has been a tradition in my family for five generations now.”
Harry laid his arm on the table so Sam could see. Mary laid her arm on the table as well. Sam admired the beautiful tradition. Dani and Nick laid their arms on the table as did Sarah and Cole, Sean and Leila.
“I see you all have the same font. Is that part of the tradition as well?”
“Yes. The original tattoo that my grandfather drew was taken to an artist when my father and mother got married. The artist was asked to use those few letters to draw the whole alphabet for our family. We all use it.”
“I think it’s a wonderful tradition.”
Sam hadn’t seen a tattoo on Gray’s arm, so she wondered if he’d had his removed.
Dishes were cleared, and the family moved to the living room to visit. Gray and Sam chatted about the ride yesterday and some of the sites they’d seen and the pieces she found at the old sewing mill. They talked in general terms about everything and nothing. Sam said something to cause Gray to laugh; then he said something that made her laugh. Wholly enjoyable.
As soon as Sam put her cake plate down, Lily came over and climbed in her lap. She was a beautiful little girl, long dark hair and those dark eyes like Grandpa. She faced Sam and looked at her and then at Gray.
She kept looking at them for a minute and blurted out, “Are you my new grandma?”
Sam felt a hot flush creep across her face and was certain she’d catch on fire at any moment. Thankfully, Gray spoke up before Sam had to.
“We’ve only known each other for a short while, let’s not scare Sam off, okay?”
Lily smiled and nodded and threw her arms around Sam hugging her tightly.
When she finished hugging Sam, Lily asked, “Do you want to read a book with me?”
