Page 60 of Welcome Home for Christmas
A crowd was gathered inside the enormous house. The only person he recognized was Dr. Pierce, Allison’s mother. Allison had told him that her mother remarried when she was a child, but Allison kept her father’s name. Thus, the reason mother and daughter didn’t share a last name. They shared the same emerald eyes, though, and the same engaging smile. Everything about Dr. Pierce made him want to relax and be himself around her. Allison had warned him, though. Being himself could only lead to disaster. Not that there was anything wrong with him. Her mother was apparently super critical when it came to the guys Allison dated, and according to Allison, she was always right.
Troy cleared his throat. “Nice to see you again, Dr. Pierce. Thank you for having me.”
Dr. Pierce leaned in toward his ear, so that only he could hear her. “And thank you for wearing clothes this time.”
Right. He’d been bare chested and wearing nothing but boxers when she’d caught him at Allison’s place earlier in the week. A lot had happened in the span of a week. He’d been at Allison’s only for protection that morning. Tonight he was here doing the same, but his feelings for her were different. He liked her. A lot.
He offered his most charming smile to the good doctor. “Something smells wonderful. Allison didn’t tell me you were a great cook, too.”
“Oh.” Dr. Pierce laughed and waved a hand. “I try. Come on in. Take off your coats.” She collected his leather jacket and Allison’s soft wool one, then hurried off to go hang them in a room down the hall. That left them open to talk to Allison’s aunts, uncles, and cousins. Troy’s head was spinning by the time they made it into the living room and sat down.
“Hi, there.” An older man with dark hair came over and offered his hand to Troy. “I’m Allison’s stepfather, Jerry Pierce.”
“Dad, you don’t have to introduce yourself as my stepfather. You’re my dad,” Allison said, standing from the couch and hugging him. She sprinkled a kiss on the man’s cheek and turned to Troy. “He raised me from the time I was six years old.”
“Sounds like a dad to me.” Troy shook his hand and smiled.
Jerry sat in a recliner across from them. “I was getting a bit overwhelmed in the dining room. A million different conversations and I couldn’t figure out which one I was supposed to be listening to.”
Allison laughed. “We’ll brave that in a few.”
“Your lawn looked great, sir,” Troy said.
“Think I’ll win best lawn decorations?” Jerry asked.
Troy nodded. “Your lawn was the best by a landslide.”
This made Jerry laugh. “I’ve won for the last couple years running. When a man retires, he finds strange things are suddenly important to him.”
They sat and talked to Allison’s stepdad for another ten minutes before they were pulled inside the dining room where a large wooden table decorated with a gold tablecloth and festive candles filled the room. There were dishes with holly leaves on them at every place setting.
Troy pulled Allison’s chair out for her to sit, very aware that all of her relatives were watching him. By the sound of it, he didn’t have a whole lot to live up to in comparison to her past boyfriends. They said a prayer and then Dr. Pierce invited everyone to dig in. The dishes were passed around as everyone made conversation. The mood was upbeat and cheery, reminding Troy of the dinners at his own parents’ house. That was before his father had died. Before the rift between him and his brother David, a rift that he couldn’t fix on his own. He was proud to be a Marine and wouldn’t apologize for it.
“So,” someone said on the other side of the table, addressing Troy.
He looked up from his plate.
“What do you do for a living?” the man asked.
Troy thought he remembered being introduced to the guy as Allison’s uncle Matt. “I’m a military K-9 officer,” he said, as a surge of pride moved through him.
“Wow, that sounds like an interesting job,” Uncle Matt said.
“Most days,” he agreed. “Then there are the days where nothing happens. Which is a good thing, I guess. If nothing is happening on my end, it means all is well on Camp Leon.”
“You must like danger,” someone else said.
Troy shrugged a shoulder as he cut the ham on his plate. “I love a good adrenaline rush. Always have.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Allison shifting, her body movement growing rigid.
“I used to like rock climbing,” Uncle Matt said. “Nothing cured me faster than a broken ankle the first time I fell off a mountain.”
Troy laughed along with him and the rest of the people at the table. He didn’t know what Allison was so worried about. Her family was wonderful. They were the perfect picture of hospitality.
“That’s why this job fits me so well. Every day is different. Can’t get bored when there’s a constant adrenaline rush right around the corner.”
Allison stiffened even more. She mumbled something from the corner of her mouth and shoved an elbow into his ribs.
