Page 62 of The Moment He Saw Her

“You okay?” he asked her as Uncle Asher told another one of his terrible jokes.

“Yes, and thank you for bringing me here. You’re very lucky to have a family like this, Ryder.”

“I know I am. Everyone should experience at least one family meal among this carnage.”

“He’s not wrong,” Dan said, reaching for the last bread roll as his uncle did the same thing.

“I’m pulling rank, Deputy,” Asher Dans said. “Hand that over.”

“Best joke wins,” Sawyer said. He sat eating with one hand while the other was around Birdie’s shoulders. She had a hand on her belly and was gently rubbing it.

“After that, I want to say something,” Robyn Duke said.

“Hell,” Ryder said softly.

“What?” Libby asked.

“When she speaks in that tone, it spells trouble for all of us,” he whispered.

“Nana is not happy about something,” Ally added.

“Uncle Asher goes first seeing as he’s older,” Zoe said, running a piece of her bread roll through the gravy on her plate.

“Just pick it up and lick it, baby, so you don’t miss any,” JD drawled. “As always, the meal was amazing, Robyn.”

“Suck-up,” Sawyer said.

“Okay, and you all have to laugh,” Asher said. “What do you call a fake noodle?”

Ally giggled and then said, “I don’t know, Uncle Asher, what do you call a fake noodle?”

“An im-pasta.”

“That was terrible,” Robyn said, swatting her brother with her dish towel.

“How do you make an artichoke?” Dan said next.

“You strangle it!” Ally cried. “Sorry, Uncle Dan, but Uncle Asher wins.”

“I thought I was your favorite uncle?” Dan said.

“Oh, please, we all know that’s me,” Ryder scoffed.

“And now I have something to say,” Robyn Duke said, and they all fell silent.

“I’ve been told there will be three weddings, but no dates have been set. So let’s get to that.” She looked at each of her kids.

“Mom, everyone is busy,” Zoe said.

“And I understand that. If you don’t want to marry, that’s all right, too, but you all said you do. So why aren’t any of you picking dates? Sawyer and Birdie have been planning theirs for months, and then suddenly they’re not.”

“And we want weddings, right, Nana?” Ally said.

“Right.” Robyn nodded. “We want weddings, baby.”

“Hear, hear!” Uncle Asher said, slapping the table.

“So how are things with you and the vet?” Brody asked him.

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