Gaige throws his head back and laughs, drawing the attention of every single person on the patio.
Chapter 27
Gaige
I knew my family would love Leighton. I just had no idea how much. The way my mother hugged her at first sight made my chest constrict. Tyler swinging her around in front of the house was a way to call my bluff when I mentioned her being just a friend, and it worked. I felt territorial the second he put his hands on her.
You smell amazing he told her.
I could’ve wrapped my hands around his neck.
The grin on Lala’s face when Mom introduced them?
That gave me literal butterflies, a million wings flapping in my stomach.
I should’ve felt sick, should’ve wanted to grab her by the hand, told everyone it was a lie, and dragged her away from the house, but I just stood to the side talking with Dad while I watched them talk.
Mentioning marriage and kids, all the things I was certain no one in my family would bring up with a complete stranger should’ve terrified me.
It didn’t.
I pictured what candlelight would look like reflecting off her dark hair. How long I’d have to innocently touch her while dancing before we could sneak away, and I could take her for the first time as my wife.
Babies?
That’s something I never considered, but stepping back and looking at her hips, her breasts when she mentioned feeding my children made my balls ache. This is all so new to me, and the prospect thrills me, which should also be alarming.
It’s not.
“No,” I tell Tyler when he pulls out the chair on the opposite side of Leighton.
He grins, but he steps away and heads to the other side of the table.
“Not you either,” I tell Jarrett, my older cousin.
Several of the men in my family laugh, but Jarrett walks away as well.
Assisted by my father, Lala shuffles closer, taking the seat on Leighton’s other side. This is possibly even worse than two very flirtatious men, but I’m not going to say a word.
Leighton shifts in her seat, but she smiles as Lala settles beside her. If she’s worried that Lala will say something to embarrass her in front of everyone, then that fear is warranted. My grandmother doesn’t hold her tongue. If it enters her mind, it comes from her mouth, and we love her for it. No one is spared. She’s equal opportunity that way. We’ve all been there.
Lunch begins, waiters carrying out platters of food and placing them in the center of the table. Large gatherings like this are the only time Mom doesn’t cook. She’d rather spend her time visiting with family than in the kitchen. Dishes get passed around, Leighton earning more Lala points as she helps fill my grandmother’s plate.
Then the chatter begins, and of course with the woman beside me being the newbie, all the focus is on us.
“Did he tell you about the time he split his pants trying to look cool at the homecoming dance?” Jarrett asks.
Leighton smiles as widely as she can with a mouthful of mashed potatoes, her head shaking.
“Or the time he tripped right in front of the head cheerleader in high school?” Tyler adds.
“He was an awkward child,” Lala says.
“Very clumsy,” Dad confirms.
“We had him tested for neurological problems,” Mom says.
I find that it doesn’t bother me at all. I want her to know all these things about me. Maybe it will help her to open up more about herself. I know the surface stuff. We chat about it often. I want to know the things she never tells anyone else.
“He’d come home and cry, but there was always one thing that made him feel better.”
“Tyler,” I warn.
My brother gives me a devious smile.
“What?”
Lala laughs, the sound that tells me if my brother doesn’t say it, she will.
“Freckles,” my brother says, the ultimate betrayal.
“What’s Freckles?” Leighton asks as she reaches for her glass of water.
“It’s this cute little stuffed rabbit,” Lala explains, furthering the treachery.
Leighton looks over at me, grinning.
“It’s still in his room upstairs. I’ll show him to you after lunch,” Mom says.
I snap my head in her direction, drawing a round of laughter from everyone at the table.
“I still have my stuffed teddy bear,” Leighton says, throwing me a bone, and I squeeze her thigh under the tablecloth.
“Did you sleep with it until you were twelve?” Tyler asks.
She scoffs.
Another round of laughter.
“You couldn’t pry that thing out of my arms until I left for college.” She squeezes my leg right back.
The conversation shifts when my family realizes that Leighton is on my side. They ask her a million questions, ones I’ve never been brave enough to ask, things I really want to know. It’s like a game, rapid fire, things that would be asked if we were on a dating game, but I discover so many things about her.