Page 131 of Can't Get Over You
“Okay, cave man,” Jude said. “What’re you going to do with that?”
Holding the bone aloft, Boone’s other arm whipped low, and he snatched the last Yorkshire pudding popover out of the basket and sent it flying out.
“Credit for deflection,” Wyatt said. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“Can we have a nice meal for once?” his dad called. “It’s Christmas.”
Ava clapped her hands and stood. “Game time.” The guys froze. “Bring me five things that begin with the letter R. You have five minutes. Winner gets five home-cooked dinners.”
All three brothers took off. Gunnar watched, shaking his head while fighting a grin.
“Hey, you don’t need food,” Finlay called to Jude. “Imake you a home-cooked meal most nights.”
“Yeah, exactly.” Jude held Cody tightly. “We’d better win, buddy. Am I right?”
“Excuse me?” But she was laughing. He wasn’t wrong.
Cody’s legs were kicking as if he were riding a horse, urging Jude to hurry up. “Come on. Hurry.” His grin stretched wide across his face, eyes lit up with happiness.
It was the best thing she’d ever seen. Jude and Cody were so right together.
His brothers were calling out each item they found: “Ribbon, Rope, Rice…”
Ava shouted, “You went right past the reindeer,” but Jude had a clear target. He grabbed the little basket of rocks Cody had collected as a gift to Wyatt and brought it back to the table.
“Done in two minutes.” He lifted Cody’s arm, and they celebrated their easy win.
His brothers came over with their arms full. Boone stared at the basket. “Why do you always do that?”
“Why don’t you learn to do the same thing already?” Jude asked.
The doorbell rang, and everyone quieted down.
“Who’s that?” Gunnar asked.
She checked her phone.
Dad: Here.
“It’s my dad.” She practically jumped out of her chair and ran for the door. When she threw it open, her heart flipped over.He came. He’s here.
He stood there, tall, burly, his cheeks red, lips chapped from the cold. “Hey, kiddo.”
“Hey, Dad. Come on in.”It worked. I can’t believe he’s here.“You’re just in time for dessert.”
“Yeah, I don’t have a lot of time. I have to get back. We’ve got a couple of movie stars in town, and they’re talking about having me set up a pro tournament here next summer. But I wanted to talk to you.” He stepped inside and cupped her elbows. “Can we go somewhere private?”
“Sure. Let me introduce you to everyone.” She led him to the dining room table that was now strewn with rocks, a radio, raspberries, running shoes, ribbon, and rope. “Dad, this is the McKenna family.” She took hold of his arm. “This is my dad, Buck O’Neill.”
The men stood and shook her dad’s hand.
“You wouldn’t believe why I’m late. A big ole bison decided to hang out right there on 191, holding up traffic. Brought his buddies out, too.” He grabbed a popover from the basket and took a big bite. “Hope you don’t mind if I steal my little girl away for a minute.”
“Not at all,” Ava said, and instead of sitting back down, everyone got busy clearing the table for dessert.
The garage would be too cold, so she led him into the mudroom. “Is everything all right?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. Your mom and I talked about that text you sent. I figured I’d talk to you after the holidays, but I don’t think I can wait that long. Had to come over and say my piece.”
