Page 138 of Unexpected

“Yeah, I know,” I said casually. I wasn’t going to pretend like he wasn’t something to look at because most of the time, that’s all it took for me to be in the mood.

“Oh, I know that look.” Delilah waggled her eyebrows suggestively, which made me giggle, especially after the mimosas and several ciders in my system.

“D, stop.”

“Okay, but tell me, it’s serious, isn’t it?”

I peeked over at Luke again as he grabbed something out of the top cabinet for my mom, who was directing him all over the place. Even on the step stool I had in the kitchen, she wasn’t tall enough to reach the top of the upper cabinets, and I watched Luke go to assist her without hesitation. So far, he was fitting in well, and I smiled at the smile on my mom’s face when he handed her the dish and helped her off the stool.

“Yeah, it is.” I couldn’t lie to my sister because she’d see right through it, so I opted for the truth.

“God, and I’m sure the sex is amazing.” I whipped my head around to her in surprise.

She gave me a“what?”expression, and I shook my head at her. “Are you sure that’s your first one?” I pointed to her cider, and she rolled her eyes at me.

“Sometimes you can just tell if a man is good in bed. It’s not my fault I’m intuitive about these things. I’m sure he likes dirty talk, too.”

I choked on my cider at the accuracy of her statement.

“I’m taking that as a yes. Good for you, sis. I still need to talk to him and gather more intel, but as of right now, I like him. He’s a serious upgrade at the very least.”

“It’s ready!” My mom beckoned us to the table which was pristinely set thanks to Luke with Mom’s guidance. The food covered every inch of counter space I did and did not have, and we had to take turns individually loading our plates because there wasn’t enough room for more than one person in the tiny kitchen.

“Hazel, can I open this champagne?” my sister asked from the kitchen.

“No!” I all but yelled at her. I recognized the label and the note I had written on it even from across the room. It was the bottle Michael had gifted me after our engagement to be opened on our wedding day.

I didn’t have a definitive reason why she couldn’t open it, but I wanted to dispose of it in my own way, I guessed.

“Sorry, there should be some in the fridge,” I said before I took my seat, not missing the curious look Luke directed toward me.

We each took our seats, and after Mom said grace, we all dug in. It was delicious, as always, and no one spoke for a long while as we shoveled food into our mouths. The football game still on the TV was the only background noise.

It felt good to have them here.

Although we were missing a few people, and the apartment was a little too warm from the oven and stove, and the space was also a little tiny for even four grown people, it was nice.

Much to my surprise, the conversation started out pleasant enough, even after the champagne incident. Everyone kept the topics light for the most part. Luke asked about Delilah’s marketing business and about Mom’s hobbies. He seemed interested when Delilah began prattling on about Amber and Miles and even asked questions when she scrolled through her entire camera roll.

Then Mom started in. “Luke, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a small animal veterinarian specializing mostly in dogs and cats.”

“Very nice. And you enjoy it?”

“Yes, very much so.”

“I’m sure that makes you a good living as well.”

“Mom,” I warned through gritted teeth, but Luke gripped my thigh under the table, telling me it was okay.

“Yes, I’m very fortunate that I have a job I enjoy with a decent salary.”

Mom hummed in approval and took another bite of green beans. “And you live alone?”

I groaned internally and prepared for twenty questions. “No, I own a home next door to Hazel’s old house, and my brother lives with me.”

“So, was that for any particular reason, or…?” She let her question trail off as she glanced up at Luke from her plate.

---