Page 96 of Love Is Brewing

He turned to look at her. “Huh?”

She laughed. “I know that sounds obnoxious. But when I’m focused on one thing it’s hard to open my brain to much more. I can and do. I have to and then prioritize. I’m not trying to diminish knowing your family.”

He got it. He did the same thing at work too.

Or used to.

Maybe that was why shit was happening under his nose because he couldn’t master the separation like her.

Or was it that she didn’t feel as deeply as him?

“So it’s not that you didn’t care one way or another?” he asked

“God, no,” she said. “I knew it was better to hear it all when I could give you my full attention. It’s not like there are only a few people. You told me your mother’s brother has nine kids and your father’s brother has four. That’s a lot of people. Then the eight of you.” She shivered. “There is no way you all got together for the holidays, did you?”

He smiled. “We can talk and I’ll tell you in the car. But the sad truth is, the only time all of us ever got together before West’s wedding was my father’s funeral.”

“That is sad,” she said. “But now wedding number three for your family, so maybe it’s turning into a thing.”

He laughed. “Could be. Not a bad thing either. Let me give you a crash course on the way.”

Guess he could have saved himself the heartache and confusion over things if he’d just talked to Phoebe about it before.

30

WEIGHED HIS WORDS

“Hit me with the family tree,” she said, rubbing her hands together. “I’ve got a good memory and it will stick in my head more. I hope. I don’t know. I’m more concerned about your siblings.”

Most of whom she’d be meeting for the first time today when they landed and had dinner after the rehearsal.

“They can’t wait to meet you,” he said. “My mother has been talking about you a lot.”

She found that funny, but she had seen Elias’s mother one more time. They’d gone there for Sunday dinner with Talia.

It was a nice and relaxed environment, reminding her what she was missing from home.

But she wasn’t missing Charlotte nearly as much as she thought she might.

Dare she say she was finally fitting in around here?

She didn’t know about that as much as she wasn’t as bothered when she walked into a public place and someone brought up Elias’s name to her.

Sometimes they even asked for her card because they knew she was the new attorney in town and had approached her to talk about that.

“I’m sure she has,” she said. “All good, I hope.”

“Always,” he said. “If my mother loves you, you’re golden.”

Elias grabbed their bags and she got his suit and her dress and they went to the garage, loaded everything in, and then took off.

“I’m glad your mother likes me.”

“It’s more than like,” he said, smirking.

Which was all fine and dandy, but she’d prefer the man driving to the airport was the one that said he loved her.

She supposed she could say it first.

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