“My fiancée, Heather,” Ryker said, “and our daughter, Avery.”
“Nice to meet you, Heather. Avery.”
Skye immediately pulled Avery into a hug. This woman was just adorable.
Her cousin Hunter and his wife, Josie, joined us a while later. There was still a group of three to arrive, but Amelia decreed we should eat already. Surrounded by her family, she was visibly more relaxed than last night. After talking to Amelia yesterday, it was clear Skye had inherited her empathy and steely strength from her.
“Okay, I think we should familiarize Rob with the gang a bit,” Cole said.
“I know a lot already from Skye,” I assured him.
“Such as?” Cole asked.
“Such as you two always being in competition over... everything,” Skye answered.
Cole pointed at her. “That is gross misinformation. I win at everything.”
“Yeah... especially at bragging,” Ryker said seriously. Everyone at the table burst out laughing.
“Don’t overwhelm him with stories from the first lunch,” the woman named Josie said. Turning to me, she added, “First time I met the gang, I couldn’t even remember their names. So I nicknamed everyone.”
“Smart.” I understood the impulse. “What were the nicknames?”
She pointed to Tess, Cole, and Ryker. “Hurricane, Charmer, Flirt. And Skye got Dragon, though that’s Ryker’s work, not mine.”
I turned to Skye.
“Dragon, huh?” I teased.
“You haven’t seen that in action yet?” Cole asked. “Yikes, poor guy doesn’t know what’s in store for him.”
I’d gotten a glimpse of that when she thought Anne and Lindsay were my wife and kid and when that scumbag of an ex asked her for money. Skye was calm and laid-back right until she went into fight mode.
A while later, another group of three arrived. We were done with lunch and spread out across the living room.
“My siblings,” Josie told me. “Isabelle, Ian, and Dylan.”
I greeted everyone, trying to remember who was who.
“You two, behave, okay?” Josie told her brothers.
Ian shook his head. “But Cole and Ryker are being more and more well-behaved. It’s up to us to balance things out.”
Josie pressed her chin to her chest. “You two are hopeless.”
Isabelle winked at Josie. “Between the two of us, we’ll manage to keep them in check. Is there any food left?”
“Of course. Come on, you must be starving,” Skye said.
As she led them to the table, Tess approached me.
“You’re holding up well,” she commented.
“This is a fun group.”
“We can also go stir-crazy from time to time. Don’t let that overwhelm you.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”