Page 35 of The Trouble With Her (The Forbidden Love 4)

“You just have to look for the signs. They’re everywhere.”

The only sign is this trip to London, but in some ways, it wasn’t a sign. It was Noah and Lex conveniently needing me to work for them.

“With you and Mom, were there signs?”

Dad smiles fondly. “There was, but we had so much trauma we needed to work through on ourselves. We had to learn to live life on our own before we could love someone else. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, it does.”

When it came to the past, my parents were an open book. Mom would tell Dad and me stories about my father, how when she met him in high school, she knew right away it was love. Dad never made her feel uncomfortable with her stories, allowing her to remember the past without the usual jealousy a man would have for past relationships. It’s rather comical, though, that Lex is the exact opposite. Once Rocky brought up Dad and Charlie being engaged, Lex saw red.

“And as for these dreams, I really wish you would get some help. Maybe it’s something you and Mom can do together?”

“I’ll think about it.”

* * *

Charlie is hands down the best cook in our family. Even Mom will say it, having little to no patience for cooking. If anything, Dad spends more time in the kitchen than she does.

The table is full of all my favorites, and once again, Charlie has gone all out.

Lex is seated at the head of the table with Ashton beside him and Emmy on his lap. His two grandkids fight for his attention, but he doesn’t seem to mind, making it look so easy.

Will is on the other side of Ashton with their second son, Archer, who’s already fussing in his highchair. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen all the kids, each one of them growing at a rapid rate.

Of course, Millie and Ava are beside each other, arguing about something which is none of their business. Austin is beside Dad and Mom, then on my side is Charlie. Addy and Alexa are on campus studying for finals.

“How long are you back for?” Charlie asks.

“Two days left, then off to London.”

Charlie smiles, then without even realizing it, her gaze darts to Lex with a hard stare.

“You’ll love London,” Will adds. “I mean, the weather is awful, but there’s a great vibe if you’re in the mood to get out.”

Millie clears her throat, staring at her husband with a pressed smile. “Did you have fun in London? Because according to your stories, you were miserable.”

“Heartbroken,” Ava points out with a mouthful of food.

Millie crosses her arms, waiting for a response.

“Your dear old father made my life hell.” Will passes the blame onto Lex.

Lex is unimpressed, though distracted by Emmy begging him to pay attention to her. She places her hand on his cheek, calling his name.

I chuckle. “Nice, blame the patriarch so you can stay out of the doghouse.”

“I’ll take Lex over the wrath of a pregnant woman,” Will grumbles.

Mom whistles. “Mr. Romano, you’re landing yourself in hot water.”

“Burn, Romano,” Ava teases. “How about you try pushing a baby out of your vagina and see if you can handle that, huh?”

I shake my head. “Ava, I just want to eat.”

“Why is Austin the only one who can handle me?”

“Because I’m a doctor, and I’ve seen far worse,” he reminds her.

---