Page 109 of Burn With Me

I fight to breathe becauseyes, please.

My eyes go wide when his parents walk around the corner, and I try to pull away from him to greet them, but he pulls me back toward him.

“Oh, there you guys are. Do you want the food anywhere in particular?” his mom asks while his dad looks at us and smiles.

“Just on the table. We’re going to eat family style,” he tells her, then he bends down and kisses behind my ear. “Love you.”

He walks over to his dad and helps set up while I stare at him.

“I told you guys she got dicked down. She was desperate enough to ask the doctor yesterday,” Pam says, walking up with Luna and Abby.

I flip her off over my shoulder and laugh. “Let’s go help set up before his parents think I’m a lazy bitch.”

Pam snorts. “They have the bitch part right.”

“Yeah, but they don’t know that!” I whisper.

Luna and Abby laugh at us, and we all walk over to help set up.

I moan around my bite of Mrs. Grant’s lasagna. “This is the best lasagna I’ve ever had.” I open my eyes as Luke squeezes my thigh under the table.

“Luke knows the recipe. You make sure he makes it for you, but I made extra for you to take home.”

Luke smirks at Sam like they’re sharing an inside joke, but Sam says, “Mom made me a whole tray for myself, and it’s at the bed-and-breakfast.”

I bubble with laughter at the look on Luke’s face as he turns to his mom, who just shrugs at him.

“I gotta feed all my kids,” she says casually, and my heart expands.

This woman, who just met most of us, didn’t even think twice about claiming us, and I’m pretty sure she’d adopt everyone in our little group if she could.

“When did you guys say you would be back again?” I ask because they announced two days ago that they’ll be moving to Griffin’s Den.

I was shocked, but Luke said he was expecting it. I’m not mad, though, because from the moment I was released from the hospital, his parents have been there.

I also learned that his mom loves gardening and was fascinated with how everything worked. So, when it came time to set up the repaired section, she worked right along with me.

I feel silly thinking about how nervous I was to meet both of them, but they’re so welcoming and caring. It was like I’d known them forever instead of having just met them for the first time the day I came home from the hospital.

“Probably about a month. We have to pack up the condo and schedule an official date with the movers. It’ll be nice to be closer to you guys. I’m excited to help with the farm and farmers’ market.”

“You don’t have to stay at the hotel by the airport. We can take you in the morning,” I offer.

“Am, it’ll be such an early flight out that this is easier. Thank you for the offer though. Don’t worry because we’ll be back soon enough, and then you’ll wish we were out of your hair.”

“I can’t wait,” I say with a genuine smile.

I don’t know how I got so lucky with the people I have around me, but I’ll never take it for granted.

“Are you guys sure you don’t want us to help clean up?” Mr. Grant asks as he goes to stand. “We have some time.”

“No, we got it,” Luke tells him.

“Well, we’ll be off then. We’re going to see if we can swing by the new place to get some measurements to see which of our furniture can come or will need to be donated,” he says, grabbing his wife’s hand.

After a million hugs and see you laters, they head out, and the rest of us start to clean up.

Pam leans between Abby and me and says, “With the worst of this whole situation behind us, we need to start planning Luna’s holiday parties.”

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