Page 78 of Call it Reckless

Friends.Jealousy wasn’t a trait I liked, but the little green-eyed bugger that had poked his head up settled back down.

The woman lifted her eyes to me, her blue eyes sparkling. “Hi. I’m Jennifer Cranston, Tyler’s wife. And this thirty-five-pound bundle of energy,” she grunted as she picked up the toddler, “is our daughter, Faith.”

I introduced myself, shaking hands with them before returning to Bristol’s side. Jen stared at us with shrewd eyes.

“So, Ty and I reserved a room at The Dogtrot. We’ve planned a celebration with your family.” She held up her hands when Bristol started to protest. “You know I’m not going to take no for an answer.” I got the feeling she could be a force to be reckoned with. No wonder she was friends with Bristol. She offered me a warm smile. “You should join us, Reid.”

“I don’t want to impose. I’m sure you have some catching up to do.”

“Yes, I can see that we do,” Jen said in a teasing voice as she looked between us. “But the more the merrier, I always say.”

“I have a daughter and—”

“How old is your daughter?”

“She’s nearly ten, going on twenty.” I grimaced.

Tyler laughed. “I sympathize. Same with our oldest daughter, Beth. You should bring her along. She’s over there in line for some cotton candy.” He waved her hand in the general direction of a line mostly made of kids, where I also found Lexi. “Beth would love to have someone her age to talk to.”

I looked at Bristol.

“You both should come.” When I hesitated another second, she said, “Please. I want you both there.”

A warmth filled me. “Then we’ll be there.”

Her expression softened. “Perfect. I need to talk to everyone else. Will you wait for me so we can go together?”

I kissed her again, beyond pleased by her request. “Of course.”

* * *

Dinner turnedout to be at The Dogtrot. Emalee had closed off her dining room for the evening. To my surprise, most of the food was catered from Ruth’s.

“We insisted she take the day off. She needed to just enjoy the day along with everyone else,” Jen explained as we stepped into the dining area of The Dogtrot where everyone else was already gathered. Before I could say anything, Lex grabbed her new friend, Beth’s, hand and took off toward the back as if she lived there.

“Lex,” I called after her, dismayed at her manners, but Emalee waved me off. “You know she’s like family. They’ll be fine.” She hugged Jen like they were old friends. I’d known Em for years, but with Tyler and Jen and the rest of Bristol’s family, I suddenly felt more like an outsider waiting to be recognized and accepted.

“I appreciate the break,” Emalee said, overhearing the comment as she moved toward us. “As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t have the energy right now for anything extra.” Surprised brown eyes looked at me. “Reid. It’s always so good to see you.” She stood on her toes to press a kiss to my cheek.

Her voice was warm and welcoming, but I didn’t miss the question in her tone. Her eyes dropped to mine and Bristol’s hands linked together.

She started to speak, but Cam stepped up beside her, pointing her finger back and forth between us. “Are you two a couple?” Her voice sounded incredulous.

When I’d accepted the invitation, it hadn’t occurred to me that we’d be making an announcement to her family that we were together, that she might not have told her family. Hell, I hadn’t told my former in-laws I was dating.

Former? What did you call your in-laws if your spouse died, and you finally started dating again? Anddating? It hit me that I hadn’t even officially taken this woman out. Shit, I was really doing things wrong with her.

Fortunately, Bristol didn’t have any such hesitation. “We are.”

“Wow. When did this happen? Why didn’t you say anything?” Cam asked.

Bristol shrugged. “We’ve been figuring things out for ourselves. We didn’t need any outside interference. And we still don’t,” she added in a louder voice as Chase approached.

He gave me a hard look. “What the hell? You’re together? You practically just met.”

Bristol narrowed her eyes, and I knew something snarky was about to pass from her lips. I rested my hand on her waist and squeezed lightly. She paused, settling into my side without a comment.

Chase noticed it and looked between us with incredulous eyes.

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