Page 97 of One Little Kiss
“Shit,” Colton curses. “I have to call Preston. We need to get ahead of this before your dad does something stupid. Lexi? Can you help Winnie?”
Lexi already has my hand in her grasp. “Yeah, yeah. Go do what you do. Oh. My. Lord. Are these your birthstones?”
I’m holding Weston awkwardly, but she isn’t letting go of my hand. “Uh, yeah. Mine, Weston’s, and Colton’s. He said he wanted Wes involved so we would be ah, uh family.”
“Stupid asshole.” She sniffs. “Why do all these men have to think of everything?” She drops my hand and uses hers to wipe her tears. “Sorry. Since I started therapy, my freaking eye holes leak over the dumbest things. But this is, this is pretty great, so I guess it’s okay.” Lexi moves around me to grab Weston’s bags out of the car. “The guys can get the rest,” she tells me, slamming the door shut with her foot. “Come on. You’ve got maybe fifteen minutes before the chaos takes over.”
“The what?”
“The Westbrooks are like a pack. They travel in groups. They celebrate in groups. It was kind of annoying at first, but you get used to it. Oh, and before I forget, you’re coming to girls’ night at Ari’s tonight. We planned it while you were away, but you don’t want to miss this.”
“Oh. Lexi, I’m not really a girls’ night kind of girl.” Actually, remembering all the girlfriends I’ve ever had, I’d rather bleach my asshole than go to a girls’ night.
“You and me both, but it’s all family. They grow on you. You can’t say no. Everyone is here and my cousin, Lanie, is impossible to say no to.”
“But Wes has had a long few days—”
“And Colton will be happy to snuggle him all night if he has to.”
Not taking no for an answer, Lexi marches up the porch steps and swings the front door wide open. I’m still standing near the car when she turns and sees me. Making a sweeping motion with her hands, she snaps me from my version of hell, and I follow in her wake.
“It’ll be fun. I promise. It’s like a rite of passage for all the Westbrook women. As soon as we found out Colton had a ring made, your fate was sealed.”
“Shit.”
She pats me on the back. “Winnie? We’re all down-to-earth, and I promise you’ll have a good time,” she says, with a gentleness in her voice, like she’s speaking to a wounded animal. “I know you don’t know much about us yet, but we’ve all taken different paths to get to where we are now, and none of them were easy. This is the first time in my life I can honestly say I have a group of girlfriends that would have my back in a heartbeat. And now we’re your friends, too.”
I try another angle, “I’ll have to talk to Colton.”
“Already done. Or will be by the time he comes out of his office, I guess. Rules for tonight: No makeup. Stretchy pants. And no bras because they were invented by the devil.”
My gaze immediately drops to my chest. “Ah, Lexi, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m a big girl. There’s no way I can leave the house without a bra unless I’m trying to scare off the neighbors.”
“Girl, all your neighbors are family now.” She winks. “There’s no scaring us off, no matter how hard you try. We’ll have you shimmying your tatas before the night’s over.”
I can’t tell if she’s joking or not, and as I stare, slack jawed, I realize Lexi is a younger, slightly tamer version of GG. We’re going to be GG’d for the rest of our lives.
“All right. I’m out of here before the cavalry arrives. I’ll be back at seven p.m. with the golf cart to pick you up.”
“But—”
“Just bring yourself, but remember the rules. Julia is a stickler for rules.”
“Julia?” I mumble to myself. “Do I know who Julia is?”
“We’ll draw you a family tree,” Lexi yells from the foyer. “Julia is Trevor’s wife. Trevor is one of the Westbrook adoptees. See you at seven!”
I plop down on the floor next to Wes, completely overwhelmed by a plethora of emotions. Panic. Dread. Excitement. Fear. Happiness. They’re all swirling around my brain like a carnival ride that makes the strongest men puke. “Oh, Wes. What have we gotten ourselves into?”
I haven’t even finished my sentence before there’s a knock on the front door, followed immediately by a handful of voices.The cavalry has arrived, I suppose. Steeling myself and placing Weston’s headphones on his smiling face, I turn to see the first round of Westbrooks. This is what it’s like to be part of a large family.
As people pile in, dropping flowers, snacks, and champagne on every available surface, I feel my tiny bubble expanding. These people are genuinely happy to welcome Weston and me into their lives. I can see it on their faces, in their hushed voices around Wes, in every tight embrace that brings me closer to tears. This is what my life can be. I’m in awe of it, but I can’t help the niggling sensation that someone, somewhere, will take it all away from me.
* * *
I’m sprawled on my back on the sofa, physically and emotionally drained. The Westbrooks, true to Lexi’s word, traveled in three groups to spread love, offer well wishes, and welcome us to the family.
“You okay over there?” Colton asks with a smirk.
