Page 64 of A Taste of Chardonnay

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi.” I held up the plate of food wrapped in foil. “Thought you’d want a little taste of Grasso Thanksgiving.”

“You didn’t have to do that. You should be with your family.”

“I’m with my family all the time. They’re fine without me.” I stepped onto the porch. “Besides, I wanted to see you.”

He dropped his arm, wrapping his hand around my waist and pulling me close. He bent his head, capturing my lips in one fell swoop.

“Come inside,” he said, taking the plate from my hand and pushing the front door open.

Jack ran up the stairs and darted into the house before making a sliding turn and taking a leaping jump off the porch.

“Let him burn some energy.” Brady closed the door and walked to the kitchen, placing the plate down. Jack’s snout poked through the door, but then he changed his mind and took off again.

“It’s still warm,” Brady said as he retrieved a fork and took a bite.

“Have you not eaten?” I asked.

“Not yet. I usually grill up a steak.”

“No turkey on Thanksgiving? It’s tradition.”

“I’ve never been much of a traditionalist. Though Franc and Gio usually stop by with some on their way home from dinner.”

“Why do you never come for Thanksgiving? Even when we were kids.”

“It’s a day for family.” He had been a part of our family for so long, but he still kept his distance on holidays as if he didn’t belong. Funny, because he belonged more than most.

“Brady, you are family. I think sometimes my family likes you more than they like me. Mom even told me to tell you that.”

“That she likes me more than you?”

A soft laugh slipped from my lips. “No, that you’re family.”

“It just never felt right.” He forked some homemade stuffing in his mouth before moving onto the sweet potato souffle.

“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren’t welcome.”

His eyebrow shot up, his fork pausing at his lips. “You didn’t.”

“Are you sure? It wasn’t that long ago I gave you shit for coming to Mom and Dad’s going away barbeque.”

“You were just being you. I didn’t take it seriously.”

“Maybe you should have.” I glanced at the ground before raising my gaze to his. “I was out of line. You’ve done so much for my family… for me. I guess I just didn’t know how to handle it.”

He placed his fork down and pushed the plate onto the counter. “Handle what?”

The words caught in my throat. Talking about my feelings had never been something I’d been comfortable with, but his patient gaze eased my unease. “You. Us. The way you have always been there, even when I was being such a bitch.”

He studied me with those green eyes that always seemed to see right through me. “I didn’t need or want anything in return. Your family welcomed me into their home when I didn’t have one to call my own anymore. That has always been enough.”

“It doesn’t feel like enough. Not when I was so cruel to you.”

“It was a two-way street, baby. I was cruel to you, too. We both had our reasons. But we’re here now, so maybe it’s time we let the past be the past.”

“What if I don’t want to?” The words slipped out of their own accord, and his eyes narrowed slightly, his expression flickering with something I couldn’t pinpoint. “What if I want to make it up to you?”

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