Page 150 of Desperate Pucker
Shannon shakes her head. “Just make yourself at home.”
She gives me a warm look that makes me feel like I’m standing in the middle of sunshine after a rainy day. So kind and welcoming.
Scott holds up a bottle of wine in each hand. “Red or white?”
“White, please.”
He pours me a glass of wine, then hands it to me.
“Oh, I don’t want to drink if no one else is,” I say. “I can wait until dinner.”
Scott waves a hand. “No, you go ahead. You’re our guest of honor.”
That feeling burrows deeper in my chest. His parents are so kind and welcoming. They’ve known me for ten minutes, and they’re treating me like a member of their own family.
A tiny burst of pain hits when I think about how my own siblings aren’t this nice to me.
Ryker’s mouth slants up as he looks at me while he finishes setting the table. “Come sit.”
I sit down on one of the dining chairs and drink my wine. A minute later, Ryker and his parents join me. Scott and Shannon are drinking wine while Ryker sticks to water.
“The cabbage rolls are just finishing up. Nick just texted me and said that he and Anna are on their way,” Shannon says. Her bright gaze flits between Ryker and me. “So tell me. How did you two meet?”
“Maddy is my skating coach. She works for the team. She’s been training me since January to help me play after my injury.”
“An office romance. How romantic!” Shannon says.
“We weren’t together right off the bat,” I say. “We were strictly professionals for a while.”
“Oh, of course,” Shannon says before sipping her wine. She winks at me, and I can’t help but laugh.
“She’s telling the truth, Mom. Dating wasn’t on either of our minds. Maddy didn’t even like me when she first met me.”
I tilt my head at him. “You didn’t like me either.”
Shannon giggles. “An enemies-to-lovers romance. I love it even more.”
Scott chuckles and looks at me. “Shannon’s very into romance books and romcom movies.”
She shrugs and sips more wine. She gives her husband a cheeky look over the rim of her glass.
“Don’t act like you don’t like them too.” She turns to me. “He was giving me a hard time a while back when I was reading this very salacious mafia romance series. But then I caught him reading them too late at night.”
She elbows Scott, and he shrugs. “You were right, honey. They’re a lot of fun.”
His parents are ridiculously cute.
“We’re here!”
The sound of Nick’s voice carries from the other side of the house. He walks into the kitchen with his twin sister, Anna. She smiles the second she sees me.
I stand up to greet them, letting the siblings and parents hug each other first.
“Madeline! Hey! ” Nick says with a wide smile. He pulls me into a hug.
When we break apart, his smile turns sly. “So I hear you and my brother are together.”
I fight a smile. “We are.”
