“Tyler.” His mother kissed his cheek and pulled him into a hug.
“Hey, Mom.” He hugged her back.
“Ella, so good to see you.” Emma’s bright eyes were sparkling with delight. “It’s so right that you’d be here for such an important family event.”
And leave it to his mother to make her feel welcome, Tyler thought gratefully.
“Hi, Emma. Thank you,” Ella murmured.
“Well, come find a seat. It could be awhile.” She gestured to the room full of Dares.
“I hope nobody else is having a baby because there’s no room for their families,” Tyler said.
“We do take up a lot of space.” Emma laughed and walked back to her fiancé, easing herself down beside him.
“Hey, you two, join us,” Dylan said.
Olivia, rubbing her back and still pacing, nodded in agreement. “Come take my mind off my own discomfort and talk to me.”
“You’re not feeling well?” Ella asked her.
Her husband placed a hand on her stomach. “It’s just the six weeks. She’s uncomfortable.” He glanced at her in concern. “That’s all it is, right? Because we are in the hospital.”
“No, no. It’s nothing urgent. Normal. Braxton Hicks contractions and all that. Can we stop talking about me?” she asked.
“Good idea,” Ian said, joining them, Riley by his side. “Let’s talk about you two. Run into each other in the parking lot?” he asked pointedly.
Tyler ignored him.
“Umm…” Ella fumbled for words.
“Leave them alone,” Riley chided. “Just sit down.” She pointed to a chair, and Ella gratefully escaped into it.
Next thing he knew, the women and Dylan were having their own private conversation, leaving Ian to eye him warily. “So did you make your move?” he asked quietly, so the women couldn’t hear.
“You and Scott been talking about me?” Tyler asked, annoyed that Scott had gone blabbing to Ian about their conversation earlier.
“Just looking out for you. That’s never going to change,” Ian said in his always commanding tone. “So … you and Ella?”
Tyler breathed out hard, knowing his brother meant well. “We’re just hooking up,” he whispered, the words churning in his gut because it felt like so much more.
Ian shook his head, as if he was disappointed in that answer. “If it counts for anything, I think you two could be good for each other.”
“Thank you, Dr. Phil,” Tyler muttered, slapping his brother on the back.
They all talked quietly together, eventually leveling off into pairs again. Ian took Riley to get food for their mother, who Michael took for air. Dylan insisted he and Olivia take a walk to ease the pain in her back.
Tyler grabbed Ella’s hand and led her to a corner of the room, needing private time with her after the grilling by his brother. She seemed dazed and he couldn’t blame her. His family was intense on a normal day.
He lifted her chin in his hand, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You good?” he asked.
She blew out a long breath. “I forget how overwhelming your big family can be,” she said on a shaky laugh.
“The girls giving you a hard time?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing I can’t handle. It’s girl talk. I’ve seen everyone on the other side at one point or another. I’m just not used to it being me.”
He nodded, studying her for any signs of panic or withdrawal. Finding none, he let out a relieved breath and brushed his lips over hers. “Good. It’ll get easier each time.”