Page 151 of Desperate Pucker
He nods at his brother. “Congrats, dude. She’s way out of your league.”
Shannon gives him a scolding look.
“What? It’s true,” Nick says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Nick, your brother is very handsome,” Shannon says.
Nick makes a grossed-out face. Ryker just rolls his eyes. I try not to laugh.
Shannon turns to me. “Nick is right. You are quite beautiful, Madeline,” she says, her tone sweet and sincere. “I meant to say that when we first met yesterday, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you. My son is a very lucky man to have such a gorgeous girlfriend.”
She pats my hand, and I feel warm all over.
Anna walks over to me and pulls me into a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you!”
I laugh at how tight she hugs, just like Shannon. When we break apart, she holds me by my shoulders, just like her mom did.
She looks more like her mom than her brothers, with her light brown hair and eyes that are a shade lighter than Ryker’s. She has Shannon’s petite build too. She’s a few inches taller though, almost as tall as me.
“You should have heard her on the phone with me when she found out about you,” Anna says. “She was all like, ‘Ryker has this beautiful girlfriend who’s so sweet. Just wait till you meet her!’”
I smile so hard my cheeks ache.
“I’m just so thrilled to have another woman at family dinner,” Anna says. “So tired of all the hockey talk.”
“I work with hockey players, so I know how you feel,” I say.
Anna looks at the wine on the table. “Oh, are we having wine with dinner?”
Ryker aims a stern look at his little sister.
“The adults over twenty-one are,” Shannon says.
Anna rolls her eyes, but her mom gives her a look. “Only water and soda for you and Nick.”
Both Anna and Nick grumble, but they head to the kitchen to grab glasses of water. Shannon plates up a serving dish with cabbage rolls while Scott scoops a mountain of mashed potatoes into a shallow dish. Ryker grabs a big salad bowl out of the fridge.
When we all sit down at the table, my eyes go wide at the huge amount of food.
“It’s a lot, right?” Anna chuckles. I nod.
I slice into the cabbage roll and take a bite. My eyes roll back at the burst of flavors on my tongue. Bright and savory and comforting. The cabbage is tender, stuffed with beef and pork, covered in a rich tomato sauce.
“Shannon, this is incredible.”
“Oh, thank you, Madeline. It’s my great-grandmother’s recipe. She made it every time we had a family gathering. She said it reminded her of growing up in Ukraine.”
Before I even finish my first cabbage roll, Shannon scoops a second helping onto my plate.
“I could eat a million of these,” I say.
Shannon looks like she’s about to burst, she’s so happy.
Ryker glances at my plate, then looks at me, amused. “We’ll see how close you get.”
I rest my hand on my stomach. “I have to tap out. I’m stuffed.”
“Eleven cabbage rolls is impressive,” Ryker says.
