Page 64 of Until the End

While I believed her, there still seemed to be something on her mind that she wasn’t sharing with me. She will when she’s ready, I suppose, but the thought doesn’t stop me from being concerned.

The smell of garlic and pasta makes my stomach growl. The bags of takeout we picked up from La Mensa are sitting on the floorboard at Ginny’s feet. Mom invited us over for dinner, and we offered to get food for everyone. Noah, his wife, Lilly, and their two girls are coming, too. I didn’t want Mom to have to make a shit ton of food for all of us. I’d rather buy it than have her spend the whole day cooking in order to feed us.

Ginny giggles at the ungodly sounds coming from my stomach, and I pinch her thigh in retaliation. “Don’t make fun of a starving man. You never know what he’ll eat to satiate his needs.” I glance her way and relish in the blush creeping up Ginny’s face.

“That threat isn’t the deterrent you want it to be.”

“I hope it’s not a deterrent at all, gorgeous. Trust that I’d eat you every day for the rest of my life and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Carson.” Ginny presses her palms to her cheeks as she giggles. “You can’t say stuff like that when we’re about to have dinner with your parents.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’d rather not go in there with red cheeks.”

“I could make your other cheeks red instead.”

“My other…? Carson!” Ginny’s hand snaps out to smack my arm while I laugh.

She tries to keep an indignant expression on her face, but her grin keeps peeking through. “You’re incorrigible.”

“That’s well established.” I squeeze her bare thigh, reveling in how soft her skin is.

Her smile stays for the rest of the drive to my mom and dad’s, making me feel about ten feet tall. Being able to cheer her up when her thoughts are threatening to take over will never get old.

We pull into Mom and Dad’s driveway a minute later. Noah and the girls are already here. I can’t wait to talk to Nellie about how her classes are going. Despite only being about an hour from Sonoma, she hasn’t had much time to come home. Noah told me she’s joined a bunch of clubs and is busier than ever.

I grab the large bag of food and hold Ginny’s hand as we walk into my childhood home. My parents have lived in thesame house since I was born, and while the inside has gone through a few different upgrades, it always brings a sense of comfort that’s hard to describe.

“It’s about time you showed up. We’re starving.” Dad’s voice booms through the living room. He grins, softening his dark eyes that have always held an overabundance of love for us. He can sometimes come across as a bit harsh, with his sharp features and dark hair, when in fact, he’s actually a giant teddy bear on the inside.

In his arms is Noah’s six-year-old daughter, Mirabelle. She looks just like her mom, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She has one arm wrapped around Dad’s shoulders, and her other hand is perched on her hip. “Yeah, I’m wasting away over here.”

Dad cracks up at that and places Mira on her feet. She runs over to me, and I scoop her up with my free arm. “We better get this growing girl some sustenance.”

“That’s right. Look at my muscles!” Mira flexes her tiny arms, and we all coo over her nonexistent biceps.

Dad helps me with the food bags while Ginny and Mirabelle chat about what she’s been up to lately. School seems to be her biggest activity, with gymnastics being a close second.

Mom, Noah, Lilly, and Nellie are sitting at the table, and their conversation comes to a halt as we enter the room.

Mom stands to give Ginny a hug first before turning to me. “Thank you for bringing dinner over.”

“Of course. It was mostly selfish because Ginny and I have been craving breadsticks all week.” I set Mira down so she can fill a plate.

“I hope you got extra. I’ve been craving them, too. It’s the only negative thing I’ve found about Greensboro so far,” Nellie says as she comes to give me a hug. She’s got her blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and her blue eyes aresparkling with happiness. I’m still taken aback at how much she looks like Noah.

“While that’s a crappy negative, I’m glad it’s the only one.”

We dish up the food in the kitchen and then sit around the table. Our conversation is mostly focused on Nellie and how school is going. Based on her enthusiasm alone, I’d say she’s thriving there. I can only imagine the relief Noah and Lilly must be feeling. We were all worried Nellie wouldn’t be interested in socializing, but it sounds like she’s fallen into a group of students with similar interests as hers and has been loving it.

“Carson, are you still helping with Teddy’s renovation?” Lilly asks.

“Yeah. We’re finishing the punch list now.”

“Punching isn’t nice, Uncle Carson,” Mira says with a grave voice.

I try hard not to laugh. “You’re right, kiddo, punching isn’t nice. In construction, we call the final list of things to do before the renovation is complete a punch list. We’re not hitting or hurting anyone.”

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