Page 113 of The Charmer

She suddenly straightened up on the chair, pushing her shoulders back. "Wow. Sure, why not? I'd love to see your grandmothers again and meet everyone."

"It's a pretty big group, but it helps that you already know some of them."

"And you can just bring someone on such short notice?"

"This is my family. Everything is short notice. And yes, I can. If I told them that I was showing up with an entire party, they wouldn't even bat an eye."

Georgie started to laugh. "Sounds like a lot of fun. But I don’t think I’ll be able to eat much."

I figured that would be the case, but I liked that she was like me. Fun, spontaneous. Why hadn't I realized before that we were so much alike?

"When do we have to leave?" she asked.

"About five minutes."

She looked down at herself. "Good thing I'm wearing casual clothes. Except, wait..." She glanced at me and bit the inside of her cheek. "Is this like an event? Am I supposed to dress up?"

"No, it's just brunch. Don't worry about anything."

She laughed, but it sounded more nervous than usual.

I rounded the table and went up to her. "What is it, Georgie? We don't have to go if you don't want to. We can spend the day here or venture out in the city."

"The store—”

“Zelda’s got it covered.”

“I know, she texted me that things are fine. But...”

"I'm still keeping an eye on you. That's part of the reason I want to take you with me." I used it as my excuse and stepped closer, brushing my lips on her forehead.

"What's the other part?" she whispered.

"I just want you there," I confessed and looked down at her. Her breasts were pressing against me. I could feel her heartbeat accelerating. "Let's go."

***

The Sunday brunches at the LeBlanc-Broussard mansion were always a bit erratic. My grandmothers prepared food, and everyone could show up at the time they wanted. There wasn't an official sit-down.

The food was laid out on the dining table, but everyone was gathered on the couches in the living room, just going back and forth to fill their plates. There were already quite a few LeBlancs present. My grandmothers were nowhere in sight, but my grandfathers, Felix and David, were sitting on the couches with their plates. Mom and Dad were chatting with Bella. Chad, Xander, and Zachary were here too. Anthony and Beckett were the only ones missing, but they were typically even later than me. I could always count on my youngest brothers to make me look good.

Georgie hadn't said a word since we came in. She kept looking around, surprise etched on her face.

Maybe I should've eased her into this and told her how to tackle each of us. Then again, sometimes the best way to tackle the LeBlancs was to just go with the flow. That was what I did. But I did have thirty-eight years of experience.

"Hello, everyone. This is Georgie."

The room's reaction was almost comical. Mom and Dad practically jumped to their feet. My grandfathers were a bit slower, but they stood as well. They truly were Southern gentlemen through and through.

Bella clapped her hands. "Nana, you were right. Uncle Julian does have a girlfriend."

That essentially broke the ice, as the entire room burst out laughing.

I immediately looked at Georgie. She seemed stunned. Her face had gotten a bit pink.

I tilted toward her, whispering in her ear, "Sorry about that. My family can be a bit much."

Georgie made a small sound at the back of her throat but didn't utter a word. That was understandable. If this had been someone's reaction the first time they saw me, I'd probably be too stunned to speak too.

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