Page 67 of Pretty Please Me
“I hope you’re hungry. I know it’s late, and you’ve probably already eaten dinner, but I had to make a little something.” Charlotte walks back to the kitchen and pulls a dish out of the oven. “Fresh crab dip with homemade sourdough bread, Sam’s favorite.”
The moment the oven opens, the most delicious fragrances waft into the room. “Wow, that smells amazing,” I say.
On cue, Denver bursts back into the room, knocking into the back of everyone’s legs as he heads straight to the kitchen, his tail knocking down anything in its path.
“Denver, I’m sorry, but I’m under strict orders not to feed you table food anymore.” Charlotte holds up her hands. “How about a carrot?” She opens the fridge, pulls out a bag of carrots, feeding him a few, and then calls, “I’m feeding Denver a carrot!”
Simon appears again. His arms are crossed over his chest as he shakes his head. “Ok, buddy, that’s enough snacks for you. Let’s get out of this kitchen.” He drags him to the living room once more, and I laugh, enjoying how everyone walks around chatting with each other with such ease.
Charlotte takes my hand and leads me toward the living room. “Maggie, this is Wren, Simon’s wife.” I find a gorgeous petite woman with pink and purple hair and a beachball-sized pregnant belly propped up on the sofa.
“Hi, Maggie! Sorry, I can’t get up to hug you. Mr. Cranky Pants over there has given me strict orders to keep my feet up.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, with arms circled around her large belly. “Just because I’m three centimeters dilated doesn’t mean I can’t move freely around the cabin!” she calls to her husband.
“You still have three weeks until your due date! You’re not missing anything on the damn sofa. Dad even let you have full control of the remote,” Simon yells back. He’s grouped into conversation with Sam and his dad as Denver weaves between his legs, sniffing for any morsel of food.
“Hey there, bro!”
“What’s up, Samsonite!” Two other men call as they enter the room and pull Sam into a hug. Sam smiles so wide I can practically see his molars as he playfully gives each of them a noogie.
“Hey. Ouch. Fuck, you’re strong,” one of the brothers yells as he tries to escape Sam’s grip. “Okay, shit, I give up.”
Sam releases him, and his brother doesn’t miss a beat. In one swift motion, he twists Sam’s nipple and takes off in a sprint, jumping over an excited Denver and landing on the couch next to Wren, her body nearly catching air from the force.
“Jesus Christ, Jamie, you almost crushed my wife and unborn child! Knock it off, or I’ll give you a purple nurple that never goes away!” Simon yells.
“What does that even mean? Like a tattoo?” Jamie lifts his shirt to examine his normal-colored nipple.
Wren doesn’t seem at all bothered by the energy. She just rubs her belly and scoots away from him, nestling deeper in the corner. “I wish I could say they don’t normally act like this, but that would be a lie. You get used to it after a while, though.”
Jamie rubs the stubble on his chin as he looks me up and down and nods in approval once his eyes land on my face. “I’m Jamie. Clearly, I’m the good-looking brother. I hope you’re not disappointed with Sam now that you’ve seen me. It happens all the time.” He rubs his palms together maniacally. “I’d be willing to look the other way about our meeting if you are…”
Just then, Sam appears behind his brother and snatches him up by the neck of his shirt. “Enough with the creepy shit. I just got here, and you’re already ready for an ass beating?” Sam pulls Jamie’s shirt a little tighter, and Jamie coughs with an exaggerated choke. “Apologize, now,” Sam demands.
Cough. Cough. “Sorry. Maggie,” he croaks. Then Sam releases him, shoving him to the side.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Jamie. Sam’s told me all about you–”
Jamie lifts his hands above his head, then folds over, propping his hands on his knees, a pained expression on his face. “Excuse me. I just lost all my breath. I just need a moment, maybe some fresh air... ”
“Son, if you don’t stop with the theatrics, I’m going to give your bed to Denver, and you can sleep on the porch with all the fresh air you want,” James retorts as he grabs a beer from the fridge. “Maggie, can I get you something to drink? Wine? Beer? Soda? Lemonade?”
I look to Sam, curious to see what he’ll do, considering he’s already bent his own rules for me once.
“Can you grab Maggie an IPA and me a milk stout?” Sam answers. His dad passes me a beer, and Sam grabs it from him and opens it before handing it back to me. I feel like a princess the way he takes care of me, and knowing he loves it as much as I do makes it even hotter.
“Who’s up for a game of Mexican Train?” James says as he shakes a tin of dominoes in his hands.
I clench my beer bottle tightly, my nerves fluttering back at the suggestion of playing a family game. This is all I ever wanted growing up, and it’s a lot to take in. I’ve been here less than ten minutes, and I’ve already been offered food and a drink, and now, we’re going to sit around a table and play a game. I didn’t know families like this still existed because I’ve certainly never seen one.
We all move to the expansive dining room table, and I pause as everyone seems to find their designated seats.
“Come on, Maggie. You can sit right here. It’s the best seat in the house,” James says as he pats the chair beside him.
“Thank you.” As I sit, Sam moves to the chair across from me.
“Relax,” he mouths, giving me a sexy wink.
“Eat up now. I know how everyone gets cranky when they're hungry, and we don’t want to scare Maggie away on her first night.” Charlotte places the hot, bubbling dip in the center of the table with a stack of appetizer plates and two platters of freshly cut bread.
