Page 90 of In a Pinch

She grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “I love you, so they have to love you. Plus, your smart-ass attitude will fit right in with the rest of the gang. Don’t worry.” Taking her word for it, I relax into my seat as we land.

We get off the plane and make our way through Denver’s airport. As we make our way to baggage claim, I feel Addie’s hand tighten around mine the same time I hear a squeal come out of her mouth. Half a second later, she is darting toward a crowd of people.

Her parents stand with wide, bright smiles. Her mom’s smile lights up just like hers. It’s not hard to see the family resemblance. Her mom’s red hair is in a chin-length bob and her dad’s gray hair is styled nicely. When I look closely at him, I see where Addie gets her eyes.

Addie finds her mom’s arms and stays there until I catch up. The airport is swarming with people, and the heat from outside is leaking in from the sliding glass doors that lead outside.

Her dad meets my eyes and sticks out a hand. “I’m Todd. Nice to meet the man who put a good smile on our girl’s face.” His salt and pepper mustache pulls up as he smiles at me.

I was expecting a stern warning about breaking his girl’s heart. My surprise at his warm welcome has me stuttering over my words. “G–Glad to meet you, sir. Addie talks highly of you all.”

“Even dipshit over here.” One of Addie’s sisters—I’m guessing Callie, since there’s no baby—gets on her tip toes to roughen up Addie’s brother’s hair.

Addie steps out of her mom’s arms and puts her arm around my waist.

“Well, meet Sam. This dumbass is my little brother, Dylan.” Little is a loosely used word, since he is barely shorter than me and towering over the rest of his family. “This is Callie.” Addie points to her sister, who seems to resemble more of her dad with brown hair and green eyes. She nods her head at me and Addie turns to face her mom. “This is my momma, Katherine.”

“You can call me Katie or Mom. Or whatever else you pick.” She interrupts the introduction and pulls me into a hug. Since she’s a foot shorter than me, it’s impressive that she could get me down to her level.

Letting me go from the hug, she grabs me by the forearms and cranes her neck to look up at me. “Addie talks so highly of you. I am so excited to finally meet you. Now, let me get a good look at ya.” She drops her hands and takes a step back. “Very cute. Good picking, Addie.”

My cheeks immediately flood with warmth. This whole experience is going differently than I thought. And Addie was right, they seem to love anyone who their crew deems worthy. It makes my chest feel a little light. It’s nice to just be accepted for who you are without having to prove you deserve it.

“Ooookay. That’s enough with introductions. Let’s get our bags and get out of here before you embarrass the daylights out of me.”

“Nah, I think we should stick around if that’s gonna happen.” Her brother laughs at my joke as I wrap my arm around Addie. She reaches around to jab me in my ribs, which just makes me laugh harder.

Shockingly, the car ride wasn’t awkward at all. By the time we pull up to Addie’s parents’ home an hour later, most of my nerves have evaporated.

Her parents live in a nice cul-de-sac. Their trilevel home is part brick and part siding, and even just from looking on the outside, it looks happy. Bright flowers line the front, even in this hot August heat, their blooms are still fresh.

In the few minutes we have been outside unloading our bags, I’ve broken out in a sweat. The dry heat is a sweltering 98 degrees and makes my lungs feel hot as I huff out a breath.

Addie’s dad takes one for the team and grabs her bag which, speaking from experience, weighs like one-hundred pounds. We’re only here for four days, but she packs for every emergency that could happen. Ever.

“Alrighty, guys. Come on in,” Katie says, leading us into the living room.

The outside wall is lined with windows that flood the space with natural light. There are pictures everywhere on the walls. This house feels like a home. You can see little pieces of each of their children everywhere.

“Come on,” Addie says, leading me up the stairs to our right. “This used to be my room when I was a kid. My bed is still here, but pretty much everything else is gone. Dad went through a gym phase, and that got priority over my stuff.”

“So long as the bed can be slept in, I won’t be complaining.” Though it’s only two in the afternoon now, I could sleep untiltomorrow. Sleep did not find me last night, and add in traveling? A nap sounds like a million-dollar idea.

“Would I be the worst daughter ever if I just wanted a nap?”

“No, but that’s just because I’m so fucking tired, my eyes hurt.”

“Okay. I’ll text my mom and we can power nap before dinner. Then, we can unpack.”

Damn, I thought that the whole unpacking thing was only for extended stays. I want to ask if we’re planning on hanging our clothes off the treadmill because, from the looks of the open closet door, the closet it full. But I hold my tongue because I’m too tired to try to reason with Addie.

My eyes pop open from the streaming light and my need to piss. I had a beer with Addie’s dad before bed last night and now I’m being punished.

Knowing good and well I am not going to be able to go back to sleep, this whole time change is a bitch. It might be 5:30 a.m. here, but it’s 7:30 a.m. in Maine and I’m wide awake. Might as well make breakfast.

Coasting down the stairs, I find Addie’s mom has already beat me to being the first one up. My footsteps cause her to turn from the stove.

“Good morning, honey. Do you want some coffee?” A smile immediately tugs at my lips. Mrs. Hunter’s mothering doesn’t just stop at her children. If her kids love someone, then they’re automatically part of the pack.

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