Page 41 of If This is Love

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Jax had heelingdown pat by the time we arrived at Scott and Ophelia’s house, and Gunner and I waited on the porch for him and Gabe.

“I sure hope your hands aren’t scorched now,” I said with a little smirk as they climbed the steps.

Gabe shifted the dish to one hand and held up his free palm. His light skin was now a deep pinkish red. “It’s pretty toasty, but nothing I can’t handle.” He knocked on the door and then shifted the dish again.

“Your hands are a lot tougher than mine.” I laughed under my breath. “I should get you to scrub out my oven.”

He shrugged, his gaze drifting forward. “Anytime, Ruth.”

Before I could tell him I was teasing, the door swung open and a lovely, older brunette woman smiled brightly at us. “Hey, Ruth!” she chirped, throwing her arms around my neck like we were already old friends. “It’s so great to meet you.”

She quickly released me, nudging me inside while Gabe and the dogs followed, him snapping under his breath, “Jax, heel. Heel. Leave it. Jax, watch. Jax, leave it. Jax, heel.”

“Skye and Liza have been talking about you so much I feel like I already know you.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m Ophelia McCarthy-Latimer, and this is my home, although it sort of functions as a halfway house for all these adult children running around. Even though…” She sighed as she turned to cast a long glance at Gabe, smirking, and I suddenly noticed a significant scar that stretched from one corner of her forehead all the way to the base of her opposite cheek. “It seems like we’re pairing ‘em up left and right lately, huh, Gabe?”

The twinkle in Ophelia’s hazel eyes could put the Christmas star to shame, and her bright, cheery expression all but screamed that theDword was bouncing around her head, too.

Gabe simply made a grumbling noise in the back of his throat. “’cept Luke still hasn’t popped the friggin’ question yet.”

“Gabe,” Ophelia hissed. “Shhhhh…”

“Shhhmy ass,” he grumbled, stalking toward a doorway that led to the kitchen. “Literallyeverybodyknows he’s got a ring burning a hole in his pocket and he’s just too chicken shit to pull the damn trigger already.” He shifted the casserole dish so he could snap his fingers at Jax. “Jax,heel.”

Jax trotted along after him, and they both disappeared into the kitchen.

They were so adorable together that a giggle spilled out of my throat just as I looked at Ophelia again. Her face was all mischief. I wiped my giddy expression away and cleared my throat. “It’s so great to meet you, too, and thank you so much for having me. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to make it before now.”

She closed the door and nudged me toward the kitchen. “No worries about that. It’s always the same old stuff.”

Just before we entered the kitchen, Sabrina Deneau—who we all called Brina—stomped out, huffing loudly, “I amtwenty-nine years old, Connor! Literally shutupand stop trying to parent me.”

“Yeah, you’retwenty-nine,” Connor hollered back. “Act like a fucking grown-up already.”

“Ugh!” Sabrina growled, stomping past Ophelia and me, and pausing at the last second to cast me a quick, flustered smile. “Oh, hey, Ruth. I didn’t know you were coming.” She looked down at Gunner, who was still faithfully at my side like Gabe told him to be, and then squinted in the direction of the kitchen, and then she looked at me again. “Did you and Gabe cometogether?”

Oh jeez.

“Yeah, he’s been helping me with my new dog,” I said, ignoring the unspoken question I knew was hanging just on the tip of her tongue,are y’all on a date? Or at least, that’s what it really felt like she was asking. “He said it would be good to bring him to help him learn to be calm around groups of people.” I gave her a sympathetic smile. “Is your brother giving you a hard time, friend?”

“Ugh,” she growled again. “Yes, so I’m getting out of here.”

“Brina…” Ophelia said with a small, but exasperated sigh. “Don’t leave. Just ignore him. Come help me peel shrimp.”

“I don’twantto peel shrimp,” Sabrina said with another huff. “I’m not in the mood for hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law and watching their wildly problematic relationship with their best friends whilehegets on my case about myfar lessproblematic relationship withmybest friend.” She stomped past us. “I’ll see you this week, Ruth. I’m going to lunch with Chloe and Frankie on Wednesday, and you should come. I’ll text you.”

“Okay,” I said with a wave. “Feel better, friend.” The door shut loudly behind her, and I looked at Ophelia. “Well, that’s not good.”

Ophelia exhaled a puff of air that blew a few stray strands of her warm brunette hair away from her face. “It’s just a little sibling rivalry, and Connor being too overprotective, and Brina pouting a little because she’s feeling left out after being gone so long. A lot has changed, and she’s still settling in. She was staying with them for a couple of weeks after she moved back, and I think they were just in too-close quarters for too long after being separated for too many years. He's treating her like she’s still seventeen, and Brennan just rubs her the wrong way.”

I squinted as we continued toward the kitchen. “Does he?” I wasn’t going to ask for gossip because it seemed like this group of friends was the type to just say the gossip right in front of you simply because you were a person with ears. “He doesn’t seem like he could rub anyonewrong. He’s too nice. And so…accommodating.”

“Well, he isa lot.” She snickered, nudging me into the kitchen where Connor was sitting at a large, round table with Brennan, Skye, and Liza, who was holding Savannah in her lap while the little toddler was nursing and gently patting Liza’s chest and gazing up at her. “But we love him.”

Ophelia stepped away from my side toward the counter where Gabe had set down my casserole dish and was inaudibly talking to Jax with quick, efficient hand gestures while he made him sit, lie down, stand, sit again, and shake.

“Who do we love?” Connor piped up.

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