Page 18 of Heart & Hope

Surveying the trees outside as he leans on the counter, he groans and drops his head on my shoulder. “Fine, you want Tarzan, little lady? I’ll be your monkey.”

When his head pops back up and his green eyes find mine, I cant my head, giving him thego onlook.

“Lucky you’re cute, little miss.”

I pull a face at him, and he chuckles and wanders to the boxes, hauling two onto his shoulders. His biceps bulge under his shirt and his forearms flex, and I snap my attention back to the boxes in front of me. Wine, beer, and whiskey.

I stack the alcohol into the oversized wine fridge Harry bought for Louisa three years ago, making sure each bottle is stacked with its own category of wine. I close the door after one last count. The catering arrives in an hour, so I reshuffle the double refrigerator to make room for the platter and trays of food for the menu Louisa painstakingly created.

She’s a stickler for her food. The size of this kitchen should have given that away, but she is a foodie and cook of decades, and this woman knows her way around a menu. Addy’s mom and Louisa would get on like a house on fire. Right now, she is chopping away in a frenzy of speed that would put Martha Stewart to shame.

The entire house smells divine with the entrées Louisa insisted on making herself.

“Ruby, sweetheart, can you taste this for me?” She holds out a wooden spoon with something steaming in it. I wander over, and she nods to the sauce she has ladled up. I dip a finger into it and pop it into my mouth.

Oh. My. God.

I swallow the hot, delicious liquid. “Lou, this is incredible.”

Shit, that just slipped out. But, in my defense, I’m so comfortable with Reed’s mom. And the smile that beams on her face warms my heart. It’s a somewhat foreign feeling, being with family that talks, interacts, and includes you, but it’s growing on me. Real fast.

“Try some more,” she says. Her gaze shifts behind me for a second. I don’t hesitate, plunging another finger into the liquid. More this time. And when the flavor hits my tongue, I moan and close my eyes, sucking my finger clean.

A throat clears behind me. Snapping my eyes open, I spin back to find a flustered Reed looking anywhere but my face as he starts to say something but shoots a hand up and hightails it out the door.

When I turn back to Louisa, the shit-eating grin plastered on her face is too much. I burst out laughing. She totally set me up. Now I know where her son gets his sense of humor.

I slap her arm. “Lou!”

She doubles over in a fit of laughter, and I try and fail to tamper my own chuckle.

I’m certain Reed Rawlins has never been flustered around a woman in his life. And the revelation on his gorgeous face was priceless. But when Louisa stills and her mouth gapes, I turn back to see what or who she is gaping at.

A guy with similar features to Hudson stands in the doorway. But he’s different from the cowboys, dressed in Levi’s and a Tommy Hilfiger polo and loafers. A leather overnight bag swings in his hand.

“Oh, my lord!” Louisa springs around the counter as he drops the bag and opens his arms.

“Hey, Mama.”

She lets him fold her in tight as he drops his head into her wavy dark blonde hair. All I can do is stand and watch, gawkingat the love that is shared between them. The way he holds her, as if she is the most precious person on the planet.

This scenario isn’t something I’ve ever had with either of my parents. Or sisters, for that matter. The air leaves my lungs, stolen by emotion. I spin back, refusing to stare or be seen choking on my own inner childhood grief.

“Ruby, this is my second eldest. Lawson.”

I plaster a smile on my strained face as I turn around and move closer. He steps forward, hand held out. I take it, and he shakes it, his firm grip all warmth.

“Hi, good to meet you. Reed has told me a little about you,” I say, a little breathless.

“Where is that little brother of mine? Or any of them, come to think of it...”

“Ruby has them all off working on the party.” Lou opens her arms, as if to saycheck out what we’ve done.

“Wow, anyone who can get Reed to toe the line has my instant respect.” Lawson chuckles. “Do I have a job, too, ma’am?”

“Go hunt down Tarzan.” I nod to the yard outside. “He’s going to need backup and the rest of those boxes.” I wave at the boxes of fairy lights still sitting in the center of the living room floor.

“Sure thing, let me change into my old clothes before I start scaling trees.”

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