Definitely more attractive to me.
Connie asks lots of questions, and I'm envious of her confidence and maybe the position she holds as part of this family. I don't have close family ties with anyone anymore.
Through it all, Scott is quiet, and I catch the twin I now know to be Karter, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. It's bothering him more than the others. Cary, who's sitting next to Scott, does the same.
When plates are emptied, Sawyer leans back, patting his stomach. "That was delicious, Mel. Thanks for all your hard work."
I know that I'm blushing when all eyes turn to me. "My boys will be trading me in for you," Connie says, dabbing her lips with her napkin. "It'd be an upgrade, for sure."
"We would never trade you in, babe," Karter says.
"Mel's not going anywhere," Cash says, laughing, and I'm sure I catch a slight flush to his cheeks after he says it. The rebel in me wants to tell him that there are no ties to keep me here. They don't own me, and I can leave any time I want. Except, the idea of leaving these brothers behind doesn't fill me with the satisfaction it used to.
The table is cleared, and I remain in the kitchen with Connie to gather the dessert options. I've made a huge carrot cake, covered in cream cheese frosting with whole walnuts as decoration. The baked cheesecake is vanilla, but I've surrounded it with strawberries to add color and sweetness. I've also made a layered black forest chocolate dessert that smells amazing.
"Honestly, Melanie, you need to write a cookbook. In fact, can I use you to cater our Christmas celebrations?"
"It sounds like you'll have to ask Cash," I mutter.
"Yeah, I noticed that possessive little comment. You definitely have at least one admirer."
"Ewwww," I say, but on the inside, I'm wondering if it's true and then wondering how I feel. It's true that his steely eyes set butterflies dancing in my belly and when he asks me questions with his calm, low, gravelly voice that I sometimes feel warm between my thighs. But all of that is just stupid and because I'm not used to being around men who aren't family or friends.
"In fact, I'd say there’d be a competition for your affections if they were on offer." She wiggles her eyebrows and chuckles mischievously.
"Oh yeah, Scott looks like he's desperate to jump my bones," I joke, my focus on piping cream swirls onto the chocolate. Connie is silent in response, so I turn, finding her eyes wide and Scott's huge, looming presence in the doorway.
Hell.
Did he hear what I said?
My face is hot in a flash, my underarms prickling with sweaty embarrassment. Of all of the men in this house, I had to make a joke about this one. My shoulders rise, tensing as I wait for him to make a scathing response, but instead, he stomps through to the front door and leaves, closing it quietly behind himself.
Connie's laugh is a nervous titter as I exhale a long breath that I didn't realize I was holding. "What the hell?"
"Oh my God. I need to find a new place to work," I mutter. "I am never going to live that one down."
"I'd say he's top of the list for wanting to jump your bones, sweetheart. A man like that with a ton of unresolved family trauma is just begging to be cared for by a woman like you."
"From the sounds of it, he needs a momma, not a girlfriend," I say.
Connie shakes her head. "He needs a woman who can show him that good women exist, and I reckon you'd be great at that."
"I don't know anything about men," I mumble.
Connie frowns, and then her eyes bug out. "You're a virgin?" she whispers excitedly. Oh God, this day is just getting more and more mortifying.
"Maybe it's me who needs to find a man to show me that good men really do exist," I say, watching Connie's face lose its excitement.
"The boys told me what happened to your farm. I'm so sorry about that."
Shrugging, I grab the cake. "I guess all things happen for a reason."
Connie follows with the carrot cake. "I know for sure they do, Melanie. I think you might have found your true path within these four walls."
The Banburys stay another couple of hours, and we enjoy a sugar overload, a pot of coffee, and some afternoon sunshine together. Before they get ready to leave, Connie asks if she can use the bathroom to change baby Brett. I offer her my bedroom instead, and we trudge up the stairs together.
"Thank you for making this a really great day," she says, wiping Brett's little bottom as he gurgles, happily, playing with his own pink feet.
"Thank you for coming. It's really brought some joy into this house," I say.