Page 35 of Sweet Escape
“I guess I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow,” I say.
“Actually, I was hoping you might come out to the ranch sometime before that.”
“What for?”
“I’d like to tell my family. We normally have our weekly dinners tomorrow night, but I’ll have to skip out this week. It wouldn’t feel right to tell your family and not mine. If that’s alright with you.”
My fingers twist in the hem of my apron, and I ask, “Do you think they’re going to freak out?”
“No. I’m thirty-eight years old, Liv. Grown by anyone’s standards. My parents will be thrilled to have another grandbaby running around the ranch with Emmy.”
“Even if it has Bennett-Sullivan DNA?”
“Even then. You’re not defined by who your family is any more than I am. Mama already loves you, Emmy thinks you’re an angel, and Pops might seem intimidating, but he has a way with people. Besides, with that sharp tongue of yours, I have no doubt you’ll fit right in with my brothers.” His fingers glide over my forehead as he sweeps a stray lock of hair away from my face. “I’ll pick you up in the morning.”
“I can drive.”
“Get some sleep.” He cups my cheek and speaks more forcefully. “I’ll pick you up in the morning.”
Chapter 10
The Birds and the Bees
?Man of the Year - Sam Barber
10 weeks: Baby is the size of a prune
Wilder
“Hey Mama,”I whisper, smiling as I take in Emmy’s sleeping form. We upgraded her from the crib when we moved back to Oak Ridge, and it’s bittersweet to see her tiny body swallowed up by her new ‘big girl bed.’
“No problems?”
“None. She’s an angel.”
Closing the door quietly, I motion for my mama to follow me to the living room. “I won't be able to make it to family dinner tomorrow. Could we do brunch? It’s…kind of important.”
“What could possibly be so important that you’d be missing family dinner?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow. At brunch.”
She gives me one of her lopsided smiles. “Alright, but only becauseyou asked so nicely. Text your brothers and let them know to be at the big house at eleven o’clock.”
“Thanks, Mama.” I pull her in for a quick hug, her small frame engulfed by my much larger stature. Mama’s always been beautiful, an outward reflection of her kind heart, and a perfect contrast to my dad’s gruff exterior. Emmy reminds me a lot of my mama, with her blonde hair and freckled cheeks, except for her sapphire blue eyes—those are all Jess. I still see glimpses of her in Emmy, even when I feel like I’m starting to forget.
“Have I told you lately how happy I am that you’re home?”
“Only every day.”
“Well, it’s true. I’ll see y’all tomorrow.” The screen door creaks, closing gently against the frame, and I flick off the interior lights, locking up behind me before snagging my phone from the kitchen counter.
Wilder: Family dinner is cancelled. Brunch at 11am.
Jaxon: What? Why?
Wilder: I have something important to tell y’all and it can’t wait.
Griffin: Is everything okay? Do you need an alibi? A kidney?
