Shelter (Heroes of Big Sky 2)

Well, I can make it awkward and just stand here, or I can make it fun.

“How can I help?” I ask and set my wine aside. “I’m a good cook, and I know my way around a kitchen. This one is beautiful, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Jillian says. “We did some work on it about five years ago. You can get into that cabinet there and pull down some bowls for all of this stuff.”

For the next thirty minutes, we bustle about the kitchen, and I watch as they all fall into a rhythm that they’ve clearly perfected over the course of many years together as a family.

“How is Lauren related?” I ask when there’s a break in the conversation. “I know that Cara is married to Josh.”

“I’m married to Ty, Jillian’s brother,” Lauren says with a smile. “Our daughter is Layla. She was likely with Miles and the others last week.”

“She was,” Miles confirms and stirs the fresh salsa that he just made entirely from scratch. “We were all together.”

“So, Ty’s the only one I haven’t met then,” I reply, then look around in surprise when they all giggle. “What?”

“Ty went in that day, too,” Lauren confesses.

“Have you never met one of Seth’s girlfriends before or something?” I take a sip of my now-warm wine.

“No,” Jillian replies. “He’s never really talked with us about women. I know he’s dated, don’t get me wrong. But until you, he’s kept that part of his life relatively private. At least from us. He might talk to Zack and Josh about it more.”

I blink at her, then finish the glass of wine in two gulps.

“I suppose we’re not doing a very good job of putting you at ease,” Nancy says and pats me on the shoulder. “I told you, we’re all a nosy bunch, especially when it comes to our kids. But I like you, and I can see why Seth does, too.”

“Why?” I ask before I can stop myself, then cover my mouth with my hand and feel my eyes widen in horror. “Sorry. That’s the wine talking.”

“You’re smart,” Nancy says without blinking. “And kind. And when you smile, you light up the room. It’s no wonder that my grandson can’t take his eyes off you.”

I clear my throat and smile gratefully at Cara when she pours me just a smidge more wine.

“I’m cut off after this,” I inform her. “I’m a lightweight.”

“Me, too,” she says with a wink.

Chapter 13

~Remi~

“So, where do you see yourself in five years?”

I choke on the chip I just bit into and then blink away the tears that formed from it and into the eyes of a very serious middle-schooler.

“Is this a job interview?” I ask him.

“Maybe.” Troy shrugs but doesn’t look away and doesn’t laugh.

“Five years is a long time.”

“Okay, where do you see yourself in one year?” he persists.

“Hmm. Probably still traveling in my van, exploring the country.”

“Not in Cunningham Falls? What will you do for work?”

I grin at him. “Maybe I’ll still be here. I like working at the deli.”

“Can you score free cookies?”

I laugh and reach for another chip. “Probably. What kind is your favorite?”

“Peanut butter,” he says. “The oatmeal is good, too.”

“What about kids?” This comes from Layla, who’s sitting to my right. Somehow, Miles talked me into coming into the living room with all of the kids after we ate dinner, and now it’s like I’m at the Spanish Inquisition.

“I like kids.”

“Do you want some?” Kimberly asks.

I’m shocked that I can remember all of their names.

“I…uh…Maybe. If I met the right guy and we decided to have kids together, I would be up for it. But I don’t know if I’d be a very good mom.”

“Why?” Miles frowns at me. “You’re nice enough.”

I laugh and shrug a shoulder. “Well, thanks. I don’t know, I think kids are a big decision, and I’m not really in a position to think about it.”

“Because you’re not married?” Sarah asks.

“Well, yeah. I live in my van. It’s not really the right place to raise a kid or two, you know?”

“Yeah, you’ll definitely have to move out of the van if you have kids,” Troy says.

“Let’s change this subject,” I suggest and look over to the dining room, where Seth is watching me with a wide grin on his impossibly handsome face. “Why aren’t you in here answering questions?”

“Because I already did that last weekend,” he informs me.

“I feel like I should have brought my resume with me tonight.”

“Oh, do you have one you can email us?” Kim asks.

“No.” I shake my head. “I won’t email you my resume.”

“It’s okay,” Kim continues, “my dad is an attorney. We can do a background check.”

“What did you do?” I hear Seth ask his dad.

Zack leans back in his chair and smiles proudly. “My dirty work.”

This family is just…hilarious. And welcoming. Warm. Kind. They laugh together, and they genuinely like being together. They clearly protect one another.