I lay my hand against Rona’s back so she knows I’m here with her. “Um, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not Uncle Jake’s girlfriend. Your grandpa and uncle were kind enough to invite me to stay with them. Are you Gaby?”
“Yes.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Gaby. I met ‘Honey Bee’ yesterday and I love that name, I also love the cereal.” Rona smiles.
With a giggle, Gaby takes hold of Rona’s hand and pulls her inside the house, leaving Jake and me standing at the door.
“I guess Rona passed inspection.” Jake grins.
“I’m surprised.”
“You’re not the only one,” Jake whispers as we follow them into the house.
I see Rona in the kitchen with Gaby, who is introducing her to her mother and father as well as Beth’s husband, Mack. I’m not sure where Beth is though.
“If you’re looking for Beth, she’s feeding Edith in the bedroom,” says Mack, coming over to shake hands with me while passing Nathan, their two-year-old son, to Jake.
I don’t know what the hell he does, but all kids, not just family members, always seem to flock to Jake. They must sense he loves children and won’t do them wrong. It’s been like this for as long as I can remember.
“Make yourselves comfortable.” Justin, Gabe’s father, brings me out of my nostalgic thoughts. “Dinner won’t be long, unless they don’t stop talking in there, then it might be midnight!” He hands me a beer.
Not long after, Beth appears and walks straight over to me, my youngest grandchild Edith in her arms. As I reach for the baby, I marvel at how Beth managed to have such an angel for a daughter, since she was more like a Devil when she was born.
Rona
My nerves have disappeared since arriving and I find myself enjoying the time spent in this house, including helping Cade’s two daughters in the kitchen. I glance up from the vegetables I’m chopping and watch the two women. They’re both slender with light brown hair and it’s like being in the middle of a whirlwind. Well, a well-organized whirlwind. They seem completely in control of the million different things they are dashing around doing.
Glancing into the front room to try and catch a glimpse of Cade, I spot him on the sofa with Edith. He looks gorgeous and I really wish we were home, just the two of us, with our own sleeping baby so I’d have the right to go and cuddle up to them. Because seeing him like that causes my heart to pound with the need to be over there with him.
Catching me looking over, Beth clearly mistakes the direction of my gaze, and thinks I’m looking at her daughter.
“C’mon, you haven’t met the newest addition to the family.” Beth leads me by the arm into the front room.
Looking up, Cade takes my breath away. I don’t think there’s anything sexier than seeing the guy you’re in love with holding a baby.
Conscious that Jake is watching from across the room, I sit down next to Cade on Beth’s urging, and take hold of Edith when Cade passes her to me.
I cuddle her close. “She’s a gorgeous little thing.” I look at Beth, who is hovering over me, while I make silly cooing noises to Edith.
“She is that. You stay put and relax while I go and help Anna with the food.”
Edith is wide-awake in my arms and making small gurgling noises while holding my little finger. The entire time, I’m conscious of Cade sitting so close. We’re touching thigh to thigh with Cade’s arm resting along the back of the chair behind me. I’m so tempted to snuggle into his arms.
Jake keeps glancing at us from across the room while having the fight of his life with his nephews, Gabe and Nathan. I think he’s supposed to be Darth Vader while Gabe and Nathan are Luke Skywalker and Han Solo!
“Dinner’s ready.” After Anna’s announcement, Beth comes over to take Edith from me, leaving my arms feeling strangely empty.
Cade offers me a hand to help me up from the sofa, but seems reluctant to let me go, stroking my fingers as we part.
At the table, Cade is sitting on my right with Gaby announcing she’s sitting next to me on the left. I hide a smile as I take a sip of the water Cade passes to me.
The dining table is a huge mahogany affair, which can easily sit up to fifteen people around comfortably—the perfect table and space for a large family.
Once our plates are full of food, I’m about to start eating when I catch Gaby watching me.
“Did Uncle Jake take you riding on Honey Bee?” she asks around a mouthful of food.
I hold back a laugh. “No, your grandpa did. It was my first time on a horse and Honey Bee was amazing, she made me feel like her friend.” After a few seconds of sensing Gaby has something else on her mind, I ask, “It was okay for me to ride her, wasn’t it?”