Beautifully Broken

Gavin rolls his eyes. “He’s harmless. He’s just flirting with you to drive me crazy. It’s this thing we do.”

“Oh, really? I’d love to hear more about that.”

“Maybe later. Right now, we have some home cookin’ calling our names. If we don’t hurry up, the food will be gone with my dad and Jack in the house.”

We all convene in the dining room around a fully set table, covered in delicious smelling dishes. I recognize Gavin’s sister from when we met before but I haven’t met the man who looks exactly like a silver fox version of Jack. This must be their dad.

“There you are!” the man’s husky voice booms across the room. “Son, welcome home.”

“Hi, Dad,” Gavin replies. “Kat, this is my dad, Neil. Dad, this is my girlfriend, Kat.”

It’s so strange hearing him to refer to me as his girlfriend in front of other people. I could definitely get used to this.

Neil pulls out a chair and gestures for me to sit. “Welcome to our home, Kat. Please have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

“Kat, it’s nice to see you again,” Elle smiles from across the table. “Didn’t I tell you I’d see you around?”

“Hi,” I reply, slightly embarrassed about the first impression I must have made with her back home. “You certainly did.”

“I’m glad to see my little brother didn’t screw up and scare you off.”

“Oh, Elle, leave your brother alone,” Carolyn says. She’s making her way around the table with wine. “Kat, would you like red or white?”

“Oh…um…” Shit, how do I answer this? Do they know how old I am? I wouldn’t think so if she’s offering me alcohol. “Neither, thanks. I’ll stick to water.”

Gavin must sense my discomfort because he squeezes my thigh under the table.

“Okay, dear. The bottles will be on the table if you change your mind.”

“Thanks.”

We all pass the dishes around and fill our plates while making conversation. Gavin and his brother obviously like to rib each other, and their sister seems to get in on the action too, although I can’t tell which side she’s on. Their parents just laugh at their behavior as if it’s something they’ve seen a million times, which they probably have, now that I think about it. The food is wonderful. Gavin’s mom certainly puts that beautiful kitchen to good use. Neil has just opened another bottle of wine as the conversation comes to a screeching halt.

“So, Gav, how did you two meet?” This is from Jack who’s smirking like he already knows the answer. Does he? Fuck, why didn’t I think to ask Gavin how much they know about us? Why didn’t he think about it?

Gavin glares at his brother, confirming my suspicion that he does know exactly how we met. “We met in a bar, actually. Kat was celebrating her birthday and I offered to buy her a drink. But I’ve already told you that.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Jack taps his chin thoughtfully. “Kat, which birthday was it again?”

“Uh…”

“Jack, it’s rude to ask a lady her age!” Carolyn scolds.

Jack rolls his eyes. “Oh, please, Mom. That only applies to women over forty. And we all know Kat is nowhere near that benchmark. So, Kat, which birthday were you celebrating?”

“Jack, drop it,” Gavin growls.

Their dad sets down his fork and, frowning, turns his attention to his sons. “What am I missing?”

“Nothing, Dad,” Gavin lies.

Elle swats Jack on the arm. “Quit being an ass, Jack.”

“Ow!” Jack whines. “That hurt.”

Elle rolls her eyes and glances my way. “Kat, ignore these two. They’ve always been competitive about everything and they love to rile each other up. I think it’s some sort of twin, not really a twin thing.”