Page 33 of Inked Devotion

“Perfect.” Teresa leaned down, kissed her daughter on the cheek, and then narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to shower, though, because that hair, Brenna, honey. And you don’t even have your contacts in.”

Brenna just rolled her eyes and gave me a look that I didn’t share, mostly because I did not want to get put on Teresa’s bad list.

“I’m going to shower as soon as I’m done with this. I have flour in my hair from this morning alone, so I figured showering after might be good.”

“You’re right, you’re right, but we still need to look like a respectable family.”

“I know, we can’t let the cousins outshine us,” Brenna said, teasing.

“You think I’m joking, but it’s the truth.” Teresa met my gaze. “My sisters-in-law are wonderful people, but they’re very competitive when it comes to their children. I need my grandkids and my house to look spic and span. By the end, once we’re done with the field games and cakes, we’re going to be a little disheveled, and that’s fine.”

I froze, my hands covered in dough. “Games?”

Brenna met her mother’s gaze before both of them laughed. “Oh, didn’t I mention that?”

I shuddered. “You certainly did not.”

“Oh, just you wait, Montgomery,” Brenna said with a laugh. “If you thought Montgomery reunions were wild, just wait until you meet the Garretts.”

Frankly, that was what I was afraid of.

I grabbed a cinnamon roll and a slice of bacon before I headed back up to my room to get ready. Brenna had done the same, and her parents and siblings and the rest of her immediate family gathered in the house to eat the other goodies.

I didn’t find it weird that I wasn’t eating with them, considering I wasn’t family, and I did need to get ready. I figured Brenna would show up a bit later after getting ready, but I wasn’t sure. I needed space to think, and I couldn’t do that with Brenna or her family around.

By the time I came back down, things were in full swing. The family was milling about, and I was introduced to the spouses, the kids, and I knew I would never remember everybody’s name. As it was, I could barely remember my cousins’ and their children’s names. Brenna, however, knew everyone and constantly reminded me as she ran around, helping everybody with everything.

She was a force. Bright and bubbly and sarcastic, just like the rest of her family, and they all seemed to get along. Yes, they sometimes dug in a bit about wanting Brenna to settle down, but her immediate family was friendly. They cared about her.

Her cousins, though? Her cousins made me want to gouge out my own eyes.

“I still can’t believe you aren’t married and pregnant yet,” one of the cousins said, point-blank. While everyone else had been alluding to it, I tightened my jaw and didn’t miss the way that Joseph, the eldest Garrett brother, glared at his cousin.

“You know me, work before family. I mean, what is a relationship? It’s like I’m going to die a virgin,” Brenna joked, rolling her eyes.

Her cousin just glared before she stomped off, her husband and three kids in tow.

“I’m going to punch Carol one day. Just out of the blue, one day, I’m going to hit my cousin, and I’ve never hit a woman in my life,” Joseph grumbled.

Brenna shook her head. “You hit me when we were kids.”

“Because you hit me first.”

“No, I hit you back first,” she said on a laugh, and I just shook my head, wondering how they could joke and laugh so quickly after people were just passive aggressive and downright rude to her.

About an hour into the festivities, when the games started up, Brenna looked at me, and I held up my hands. “I’m not playing the three-legged race. You’re one of my best friends, Brenna, but I’m not.”

“Need to get you a man who cares,” another cousin said as he wrapped his leg with a tie to his wife. His wife just beamed and kissed the top of his head. “You see, it’s all about love and compromise. It’s a little ridiculous that we’re playing this game as adults, but we need to win.”

“They’re just egging us on,” Brenna said.

I growled. “They’re about to get what they want and have me kick their ass.”

Brenna snorted. “No, don’t even think about it. I’m not playing. I have to deal with the cake. They can go see who’s the best at a game for children on their own, but I want nothing to do with it.”

I followed her, shaking my head. “I love my family. We are nosy and always think we want what’s best for one another, but hell, Brenna. I don’t know how you’re doing it.”

“Very carefully. And next time we do a reunion like this, which is every year, by the way, I’ll be able to have a baby of my own, hopefully. Maybe they’ll stop growling at me.”

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