Page 60 of When It Reins
“Smells good in here.” I make my way into my mom’s house, the smell of lasagna floating through the air. Chatter greets me, and I have half a mind to ask if these family dinners we’re suddenly having are for my benefit.
Since that would likely draw attention to me, I don’t dare.
Entering the main part of the house, I pause when I see my mom in the kitchen, laughing at something the pretty brunette standing beside her just said.
Little Starling.
She looks up, having heard my voice, and gives me a shy smile with a little shrug of her shoulders. Bonnie swings by me, a pitcher of tea in hand, and throws me a wink on her way to the dining room table.
But my attention is quickly diverted back to the person who’s now tethering me to the room. Juniper approaches me, a basket of bread in hand, and smiles again.
“Hey,” she whispers, and I’m very aware that the room quiets at our greeting. Not in atheworld stops moving whenever we’re around each otherway, but in amy nosy family wants to hear everythingkind of way.
“Hey,” I reply, sliding my hand around her waist and pulling her into me. She steps freely and relaxes when she’s in my arms, her free arm going up and around my shoulders and giving the back of my neck a scratch.
I could ask her how she was here, but one look at my mother would likely answer that question. I don’t care why she’s here, I’m just glad she is.
Her gaze meets mine, and there’s a smile in her eyes that I can’t deny looks a little hesitant. “I’m happy to see you,” I say.
That does it. The words seem to melt the worry from her, and she slides her arm back down mine until her fingers interlace with my own. She pulls me behind her, leading the way to the dining room like she’s done this a thousand times, and like the man who’s obsessed with his girlfriend, I follow willingly.
Someone made enough room at the table for all the couples to sit together, and I glance around, looking for the missing person. “Where’s Lue?”
Juniper sets the basket of rolls on the table as my mom brings in the first dish of lasagna. There was likely another one sitting in the kitchen that we’d dig into in a minute. “She’s at Bottle Grounds.”
I glance at my mom, who smiles at Juniper’s answer, and she catches my eye. “I was dropping her off at work when I saw Juniper there, and I exchanged the girls.”
“Mom, did you kidnap Juniper?” Stetson asks the question, humor in his eyes, and Mom shrugs unashamedly.
“So what if I did?”
Juniper giggles, and Jax slaps his thigh. “Dammit. What’s with these women getting snatched up?”
“We need a better handle on them,” Stetson replies, using his fake serious voice.
“Maybe a dungeon,” Logan adds helpfully, giving in to the teasing.
“I’ve got one of those.” My comment lands hard around the table, and Juniper looks at me in surprise. My brothers already know what I’m talking about: the part of my cabin that’s understrict lock and key and houses weapons and gear in case of emergency.
However, Juniper’s never seen it. Not that I mind if she does, but she probably does not think my dungeon is a place where I store weapons.
“Damn, Juniper. You go, girl,” Bonnie comments, and I feel a blush rising to my cheeks.
“Not that kind of dungeon.”
Juniper’s face seems to redden, and she smiles gratefully at my mom, who pours her a glass of iced tea. “Thank you.”
“Mitchell, no dungeons for our sweet girl here,” Mom adds, making the situation way worse. Jax is laughing so hard there’s no sound coming out, and Stetson looks like he’s trying to hold it in.
“Mom…” I shake my head, unsure where to go from here and thankful when Felicity pushes Jax back up and looks to Bonnie.
“So how was rodeo school?”
The conversation from there ebbs and flows. The food gets eaten, even the second pan of lasagna. The babies get covered in red sauce that their parents unsuccessfully contain.
And Juniper’s hand finds its way into mine under the table.
Normally, family dinners are something that I tolerate. I come and converse as minimally as possible, smile when my brothers end up with food on their clothes courtesy of one of the toddlers, and make my mom happy because I’m not hiding away from the world.
