Page 42 of If This is Love

“Oh y’know,” Ophelia said, moving to stand behind Brennan and comb his hair back with her fingers, but not in a gentle, sweet way. More like Mama brushing your hair when you’re late for church. With every firm stroke of her hands, his head tugged backward slightly, and he raised his eyebrows, sliding his eyes upward like he was trying to look at her while he smiled kindly. “Just this handsome pushover.” She clasped her hands on the sides of his head, tilting his face all the way back so she could look at him. “You area lot,but you are alsoloveda lot. So don’t let any of that get to you.” She bent down and smooched his forehead before releasing his head and returning to the counter to wash her hands, dry them, and then pull a bowl from a cabinet. “There’s obviously something going on with her that has nothing to do with any of this.”

“I know.” Brennan turned his head to look back at her. “She’s fine. I get it. It’s all fine.”

Skye threw both of her hands in the air the second she saw me. “Ruth! You came!”

“I did!” I chirped, clasping my hands together at my chest, eyeing all the ladies. Just as I anticipated, I was the only one in a Sunday dress, but no matter. It was better to be with people who didn’t notice such things at all. “I’ve been meaning to come for a few weeks now, but first it was my ankle, and then I was trying out a couple of churches.” I stepped around the table as she stood up so I could give her a quick hug hello. “And then I decided sometimes the best Sunday fellowship happens around the kitchen table.”

Truthfully, I realized that the uneasy feeling I associated with my old church followed me around to every new church, and I just couldn’t bring myself to go anymore, despite still trying to find a place for years. But sharing that little tidbit might be a bit much for my first Sunday lunch with these warm and welcoming people.

“Ohyes!” Skye all but crowed, clutching her hands into fists before throwing her arms around my neck again. “Oh my gosh, this is why I love you. You justget it.” She slipped her arms away from me and then started shifting the chairs around the table. “Y’all, get up and slide over so we can make room for Ruth and Gabe.”

Gabe cleared his throat. “I’m good over here.”

My cheeks decided his four-word statement was mortifying and instantly flamed. My ears were suddenly hot, too.

It’snota date! Stop thinking about dates! You are not on one!

“Oh yeah, and I was just going to offer to peel some shrimp,” I hastily added, moving to stand next to Ophelia at the counter, and then I forced a laugh to mask my embarrassment. “Since Brina isn’t here to help. And I just love cooking anyway, so shove that bowl this way.”

“Ooooohhh…” Ophelia practically moaned as she dragged the bowl to sit between us. “You’re speaking my love language.”

I smiled and grabbed a shrimp. “Head on or nah?”

“Oui, cher!” she hooted.

I snickered under my breath and glanced at Gabe in a pure reflex.

He was already looking at me. When our eyes collided, he cocked one eyebrow and echoed, “Oui, cher.” And then hewinked, and I had to cross one ankle over the other and squeeze my thighs together.

Girl, get yourself together! Focus on the shrimp! Mentally recite the Beatitudes! Do something!

The only thing I could do was stare back at him. And boy did we stare. Even the icy shrimp in my hand was no match for how muchheatwas in this kitchen.

“Fam!” Luke’s voice suddenly pierced the air in a much-needed distraction. “Where y’at!”

Connor squinted and looked over his shoulder toward the front room. “Where the fuck do you think we are, Corporal?”

Luke burst through the doorway, carrying a foil-covered dish, and he made a beeline for the counter to set it down. “Hey, Ophelia.”

“Hey, hon. Where’s Chloe and Jackson?”

“They’re on their way in. I was just bringing that in for her.” He rubbed his palms together, turning to look at me with a bright, wide grin. “Hey, Ruth.”

His smile was so mischievous that I nearly snorted. “Hey, Luke. You look chipper.”

He managed to grin even wider, lifting his brows as he gave me a single, assertive nod. “Oh, I’m chipper.” He cast a downrightgiddyglance at Gabe and then pivoted and jogged to the side of the kitchen where he was still working with Jax. Luke stood in front of him and grasped his shoulders. “Bruh,” he grunted, low and quiet. “I friggin’ did it.”

Gabe lifted his attention from Jax to look at Luke. “When?”

“Last night. I took ‘em out for dinner and did this whole big speech for Jackson.” Luke nibbled his bottom lip and then said even more quietly with a little crack in his voice, “He started calling me Dad.”

I really shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on them like this, but it was so sweet that it was impossible to stop.

Gabe dipped his chin like he was nodding or briefly averting his gaze and then turned his face back up to Luke, giving him a look I hadn’t seen yet. It was like he was trying to smirk to hide a beaming smile, but his clear, silver eyes told the whole story. He was so proud, and my heart simultaneously warmed and ached. “Well, you did more for him in two weeks than his sperm donor did his whole life, so it’s about fuckin’ time.”

Luke chuckled, lifting one hand off Gabe’s shoulder just to smack it back down and squeeze him again. “Yeah you fuckin’ right.”

“Well done, jarhead,” Gabe mumbled, palming the top of Luke’s head and scrubbing it firmly for a second before shoving him away. He held out his palm, Luke slapped it, and they pulled into one of those quick, back pat hugs that men did, then separated again.

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