Page 90 of Love and Lingerie (Rockland Falls 2)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Harper

I’m pulling into the drive for my family’s bed and breakfast, the sun shining high in the late morning sky. Latham had to run home and change, since he didn’t bring fresh clothes with him to my place last night. Not that he wore those clothes for long, mind you, but he also had to stop by his sister’s house and set up a dollhouse for his niece. If I didn’t already promise Mom I’d come help her get ready for the family gathering today, I would have gone with him.

But our early Sunday schedules weren’t on our side.

No worries, though. Latham should be arriving at the B&B by eleven thirty.

Am I worried he’s meeting my entire family? Maybe just a little. I mean, he’s already met and hung out with my brothers and sister, but it’s the first time he’s meeting the extended family – and we all know how crazy they can be.

Plus, this makes us a little more official, and considering I don’t really know the title, I don’t know how to react to that. I mean, I guess we’re dating, though we’ve never actual used the term or set any parameters. I guess I’m going to have to just ask him outright. Maybe later today, after the cookout.

I park my car next to my sister’s and head inside. I swear I can still smell the fresh paint as I step through the open doorway. The screen door shuts easily and I’m instantly wrapped in familiarity and warmth. I spent a big chunk of my childhood here, right up until I left for New York City. When I moved home, I had felt so…dirty. I needed my own space to lick my wounds and deal with the anger. I went from a small apartment to renting my house for a few years, and worked odd jobs, saving up as much money as I could to be able to afford something better – something for me.

When the house I was renting was put on the market, I snatched it up. It’s small, but cozy, and was just right for me. Plus, my stuff was already there, which was a huge advantage. I couldn’t imagine packing up and moving after I spent so much time scouring resell shops and garage sales to turn the house into a place of my very own.

Then the next big phase of my life began. Over beers one night with Free and Mara, I realized my dream of owning my own business. I was complaining about the lack of options for intimate items in town, and Mara mentioned the vacant building. Before the end of the night, we had come up with a plan. Sure, I honestly thought it was a pipe dream, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it.

It wasn’t easy to secure a loan at such a young age, especially after signing papers on my house the year prior. I had to put my house up as collateral, plus have a co-signer. Mom was more than willing to volunteer. After all, she understood going after dreams more than anyone I knew.

That’s why I love coming home. Yes, it’s the place where I grew up, but it’s more than that. It was Mom’s dream. She worked hard, started from the bottom, and clawed her way up. Sometimes we went without because the money was needed elsewhere, but do you know what? Looking back now, I know just how much she truly sacrificed. We might not have had the top-of-the-line clothes, but we always had clothes nonetheless. She went without so we didn’t have to.

And I’m forever grateful for her sacrifice.

“Hey!” Mom says from the front counter as she helps customers. Their bags are sitting beside them and there’s no missing the looks of love they send back and forth. If I had to guess, I’d say anniversary. Early. Probably second or third.

Before I can offer to help them with their bags, Rhenn appears, coming into the main hallway from the kitchen. He’s wearing a smile on his face and his hair is a little messy. Something tells me my sister had something to do with that. My sister’s boyfriend grabs the bags and heads upstairs, while Mom fills the young couple in on the details of the bed and breakfast and their stay.

I head into the kitchen, where I find my little sister, Marissa. “Hey,” I greet before heading to the fridge for a bottle of water.

“Hi!” she answers with a huge smile. There’s also no missing the I-was-just-kissed-within-an-inch-of-my-life lips, or the way her ponytail is off center and hanging funny behind her head.

I can’t help the smirk that takes over my face. “Have a good morning?”

She blushes instantly. “It was…good,” she answers, averting her eyes. Yet the smile still remains.

“Okay, Aunt Emma, but don’t come crying to me when Mom busts you making out like teenagers in the kitchen. Or worse…Samuel.”

Marissa snorts. “He’s seen worse. Did you know he came over last weekend and just walked right into my cottage? Didn’t even knock.”

“And?”

She blushes deeper red. “Well, let’s just say he’ll never do that again. I think he’s scarred for life.”

I bust up laughing. “Kitchen sex?”

Marissa gives me a small nod. “The things Rhenn was doing to me on the counter probably sent our big brother straight to the church.” As soon as the words are out of her mouth, we both crack up. Samuel is as straightlaced, and dare I say completely anally retentive, as they come.

“Does he know we’re throwing in a little birthday celebration for him today?” I ask. Big brother hates anything that draws attention to him, including celebrating the day he was born.

“Nope, I didn’t say a word, and I’m pretty sure Mom didn’t either.”

“Didn’t what?” she asks as she joins us in the kitchen.

“Tell Samuel we’re celebrating his birthday,” I state, reaching across the counter for one of the fresh cookies Marissa is placing on a platter.

“Of course not. It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” Mom adds, quoting something my dad used to say. Except, for him, his request for forgiveness fell on deaf ears. His appeal came in the form of mercy for an affair. As soon as Mom found out though, she kicked his cheating ass to the curb. Of course, he wasn’t really asking for forgiveness. If he were, he would have fought for his marriage instead of running out, shacking up, and marrying the first bimbo who came his way.

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