Page 109 of Rebel Bride
“Maybe less of the business talk at the table,” Elle said.
I caught Hatch’s eye and asked him silently if he was okay. I had hoped he would have talked to his father already about feeling overshadowed on the team and how the comparisons weighed on him. He returned a glance of gratitude, and yet again, something passed between us. Another thread, strengthening our bond.
After dinner, I offered to do dishes, but Elle had put the twins on clean-up duty. Relaxing in the living room, Aurora and I had a nice chat about poison ivy (both the plant life and the Batman villain character), strange KitKat flavors, and which of the US presidents could “get it.” She hadn’t disagreed when I said Franklin Pearce gave off romantic poet vibes, though she was pretty thirsty for Teddy Roosevelt because a bullet had lodged in his chest during an assassination attempt and he continued a campaign speech. We agreed that having a chest so muscled it repelled bullets was indeed the definition of hot.
Addy played a new song she had written about pasta and the different shapes, which Tilly adored, and because Mabel adored Tilly, she spent her time giggling and flirting. I had a soft spot for both little girls, but Mabel was my first love. She climbed into my lap while Addy sang, her chubby fist clumping my hair.
“Mabel, let Summer be,” Lars said.
“No!”
I laughed. “She’s fine where she is.”
Lars smiled indulgently then returned his focus to his girlfriend, all the love he had for her shining in his eyes. Over the years I had watched various Rebels couples together, a touch envious of their vibes. Ones I never felt with Dash. I had assumed that we were just one of those couples who made sense on paper, so what could possibly be wrong?
Only everything.
As much as I tried not to look at Hatch, I couldn’t help myself. Tilly was kneeling beside him on the sofa, putting Hello Kitty clips in his hair, which he bore stoically. But after a while, he pulled her close to bring the Ticklemonster.
“Tilly-Billy, what’s so funny?”
Tilly screamed, and just the sight of Hatch in his pretty hair clips, being so at ease with his family, filled me with peace and joy. I wanted to feel this happy all the time.
Elle picked up the cheese board from the coffee table. “I’ll return this to the fridge.”
A chorus of nos went up, and Mabel joined in because it was her favorite word. “That’s right, Mabel,” I whispered into her fine red-gold curls. “Remember no is a complete sentence.” If only I’d learned that sooner, I wouldn’t be in this mess with Dash.
Elle stood with arms akimbo. “But you all just had dinner. And you still want cheese?”
Leaning forward, Hatch sliced off some cheddar and Brie and added a couple of crackers. “Mom, we came into this world eating cheese. We will leave it the same way.” He set the small plate on the coffee table in front of me, before making up another. It was done so smoothly that I was sure no one had noticed. It would be weird if I didn’t say “thanks,” though. Weirder if I just accepted it as completely expected behavior from the guy who supposedly despised me.
“Thanks. How did you know?”
He looked up and blinked, realizing what he’d done.
“Just being a good host.” Then he turned back to make up mini-cheese plates for Addy and his great-grandmother, which reminded me of the Friends episode where Chandler mistakenly kissed Monica, then had to kiss Phoebe and Rachel to cover.
“Wow, it’s like we’re in Europe,” Aurora said after a sip of her wine. “Cheese after dinner.”
“Nothing but class here,” Addy said.
When I caught her glance, she had a curious expression on her face. Hatch’s cheese-serving gaffe had not gone unnoticed.
It didn’t take long. I exited the upstairs bathroom to find Addy waiting outside.
“What’s going on with you and my brother?”
“Conor’s a little young for me and Landon is batting for the other team.”
“He’s bi, actually, but you know who I mean. He attended to your cheese needs!”
It was one thing not to share, quite another to outright lie.
“We’ve become … friends.”
She opened her mouth. “Friends? He’s making you cheese plates. In front of people!”
“So damning.”
