Page 50 of Raspberry Cake
“Probably in between getting those two ready.” Eveline bent over and kissed his cheek. “You’re sweet for noticing.”
He captured her chin and pressed his lips more firmly to hers, his heart exploding with joy he could barely place. He was with her. Not justwithher but hewashers, truly and utterly hers. So much so she wanted him to be part of her family.
Uncle Renley. He could get used to that.
They kissed until they were both breathless, and only then did Renley pull away. “Do you want coffee?”
With flushed cheeks, Eveline nodded, and Renley set to work, not stopping until the kitchen was clean and breakfast was nothing but a vague memory. Joining Eveline on the back porch, he overlooked a large vegetable garden, chicken coop, and an old barn that seemed to have been converted into a workshop.
“It’s beautiful out here,” he hummed, taking her hand in his.
“It’s my peaceful escape, even with Mathew and Drew tumbling around.”
They enjoyed the quiet until an engine nearing let them know Laira had returned, instantly scolding them for the clean kitchen.
“It was all Renley,” Eveline defended.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus,” he mumbled, Laira joining them with a coffee and a rolled-up pancake.
“You two are supposed to be relaxing.”
“I find cleaning rather relaxing.”
“Ah, so you’re just a weirdo.” Laira rolled her eyes and sat down with them. “I know you already told the boys you’ll take them tomorrow, but you don’t have to.”
Renley leaned close to Eveline and fake-whispered, “Is that your sister’s way of letting me know she doesn’t want me around her kids?”
“I think that’s her way of experiencing mom guilt for shoving her kids on us so she can have sex with her husband.”
Laira blushed furiously, smacking her sister’s arm. “He doesn’t have to know that!”
“Why not? He’s an adult. I’m pretty sure he already had a hunch.”
He chuckled to himself, loving how they bickered with each other. “That way you don’t have to sneak around anyone’s back or fear tiny humans finding you naked in bed.”
“Oh my God, I’m talking about my sex life with a total stranger.”
He crooked a brow at her. “It’s only fair. You know about ours.”
The two sisters shared a guilty look. “We do talk quite openly,” Laira admitted.
“We don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable,” Eveline told her sister. “But you and Tod deserve some alone time, and I have to test Renley’s ability to deal with children.”
That made his fingertips and toes tingle. “I better make sure I get an A plus-plus if I don’t want to be kicked to the curb.”
“You’ve made a good start.”
“I don’t needgood,” he protested playfully. “I need to be excellent. How else will I convince you to keep me around?”
“You could keep wearing those sexy cowboy outfits.”
That made him blush, and he leaned in to kiss her temple. “And here I thought you were dating me for my dazzling personality.”
Laira broke out in laughter and with that one conversation, the ice was broken. Not that there seemed to be much, but Laira quickly overcame the embarrassment of the sex talk. They chatted all morning, seeming to forget the time until Laira jumped up like a bee had stung her.
When the boys arrived, they sprinted round the house and threw themselves at Eveline before dragging Renley to the chicken coop. He was introduced to all the chickens and was allowed to collect the eggs—which they informed him was one of their daily chores, alongside feeding them. He spent the afternoon out in the sun, Eveline bringing him drinks occasionally while the boys fed him berries and other fruit they’d found in their mother’s garden.
Tod insisted on grilling out that evening, so Renley and the boys pulled some fresh salad and potatoes from the garden and helped prep the sides while Tod watched the grill.
