Page 12 of Moonlit Kisses

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Stepping onto the familiar porch,I head inside without knocking—there’s no need to. The familiar smells of Mom’s Sunday roast waft out of the kitchen to greet me, making my stomach grumble in response. This is possibly the best meal I get all week—not possibly, itisthe best meal I get all week.

Austin and Kenny notice me first and sprint down the hallway, throwing themselves at my body with every faith that I’ll catch them. And I will catch them. Every single time they need me.

I quickly drop Em’s gift on the entry table to free both arms.

“Uncle Max! You’re here!” cheers Austin.

“Uncle Max!” Kenny squeals at the same time.

I catch them both and lift them into my arms, landing a kiss on each of their cheeks and then place them back on their feet. There was a time, not too long ago, that I could throw Austin above my head, but he’s getting too big for that. I mess his hair and relish in his little boy giggles before tickling Kenny under her chin, causing her to giggle too. One of the best sounds in the world is the laughter of little kids.

“I’m here. We can get this party started now!”

“Is that for Mommy?” Austin points to the gift I dropped onto the table.

“Yup, where’s the birthday girl?”

“In the kitchen with Nana.” The kids run to the kitchen, Austin calling out to Emma, “Uncle Max is here.”

My long strides have me approaching the kitchen doorway quickly. Even though it’s Em’s birthday, I head straight to Mom; if I don’t hug her first, she gets all offended for some reason. Placing the gift for Emma on the counter, I wrap both arms around Mom and lift her off her feet.

She chuckles, playfully swatting my shoulder. “Oh, Max. Put me down.”

“Hey, Mom.” I kiss her cheek.

She brings her hand up to my bristly cheek, looking up at me with pure love in her eyes. That’s the one thing I’ve never had to question. The depth of my family’s love for me. “How has your week been, Love?”

“It’s been great. Busy. Really busy,” I respond as I steal a piece of cucumber from the chopping board.

I move over to Emma, who’s busy taking the roast out of the oven for Mom. Once she’s placed it down, I wrap my arms around her in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. “Happy birthday, Em!” I rub my bristles across her cheek before landing a sloppy birthday kiss, causing her to giggle.

Her hands press against my shoulders. “Thanks, Max.”

“How’s your day been so far?”

She looks across to the kitchen table where Lachlan sits with Theo, a smile touching her lips. “It’s been perfect.” Contentment and happiness radiate from her, and I’m thrilled she’s found that. The muscle in my chest tightens; I want that too. I’m not getting any younger and I want a family of my own.

I hand her the gift I brought. “Here you go. It’s not huge, but I thought you’d like it.”

She pulls the t-shirt out of the bag, holding it up so she can read it and a full-on belly laugh escapes.

“What’s funny?” Sarah asks as she steps into the room, wrapping her arms around my waist in greeting. Wrapping my arm around her, I kiss the top of her head.

Emma turns the t-shirt around to show her the front. Sarah reads the text out for everyone, “I’m a proud sister of a freaking awesome brother (and yes, he brought me this shirt).” She promptly bursts out laughing, too.

“It’s perfect, right?” I ask the room as Emma twists the shirt around for everyone to see.

Dad claps me on the shoulder and chuckles. “Only you, Max.”

Sarah spins around, removing herself from me, pointing her finger. “Don’t even think about getting me one of those.” The grin on her face tells me it wouldn’t bother her if I got her one, which I already did. I bought them at the same time, so I didn’t have to think up another gift. I’m organized like that.

Everyone settles down, and we set the table ready for lunch. Theo serves Kenny and helps Emma with the boys, careful to ensure Lachlan’s food isn’t touching. I never thought I’d see Lachlan eating our roast dinner, but Theo’s gradually been introducing him to new foods. Theo dishes Em’s plate before serving himself and I nod my approval internally. It’s fantastic to see Em and the boys being looked after so well. The first few moments are silent as we serve ourselves and take our first few bites of food.

The lamb is incredibly tender; falling apart in my mouth. I can’t contain the moan that escapes me, and I refuse to try. “This is delicious, Mom.”

She smiles at the praise. Mom loves feeding her family and we love to be fed by her. Being on my own and working the long hours that I do, I only ever make myself the basics for dinner and grab whatever I can from the deli over the road from the workshop for lunch. Which means I really look forward to our weekly family dinner. Maybe having Molly working in the office will afford me some more time and I can actually attempt to feed myself proper meals that take more than five minutes to put together.

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