Page 92 of Stay for Forever

Ashlyn peeks around the door. “About who? And please give us a physical description.”

Lilac frowns at her sister. “Beckett is six-foot-tall and weighs a hundred and eighty-four pounds.”

“Strangely specific.”

“What did you expect? She probably made him weigh himself for accuracy,” Juniper says and they high-five.

“Don’t be daft. His weight is in his employee package.”

“Lunch is ready,” Mrs. West announces, and everyone makes their way to the table.

“Everything looks wonderful, Mrs. West.” I’m not lying. The casserole looks and smells delicious. My mom never cooked like this for a family meal. She wasn’t the best of cooks to begin with and when I started to earn a decent amount of money, she decided she never needed to cook again.

“It’s nothing. And I already told you to call me Ruby. Unless you prefer mom.”

“Mom,” Juniper whines, “he has a mother.”

She sniffs. “It doesn’t sound as if his egg donor has earned the privilege to call herself mom.”

“You don’t know anything about her,” Juniper insists.

“I know he flinched when I asked him about his family. I don’t need to know anything more.”

At her announcement, a hole in my heart I didn’t realize existed starts mending itself.

“Thank you, Ruby. I’d be honored to call you mom, but I think my June Bug would have a heart attack if I did.” I wink at her, and she giggles and blushes.

“My daughters. I must have done something right with them considering how handsome and smart all their boyfriends are.”

“Husband!” Ashlyn corrects.

Aspen can’t let her baby sister have the last word. “Fiancé!”

“Mine’s a fiancé, too,” Ellery adds as she joins us. “I put Willow down in the nursery.”

“You can leave her there. I’ll bring her to you tomorrow,” Ruby states.

“No, Mom, you can’t steal my daughter.”

Ruby shrugs. “She’s my granddaughter.”

Juniper squeezes my thigh. “You okay?” She speaks low so no one else can hear her.

“I’m more than okay.” I kiss her forehead. “I’m perfect.”

And I am. I wasn’t exactly worried about the West family accepting me. Except for the first family dinner I crashed, they’ve been nothing but welcoming since I showed up at Ellery and Cole’s surprise engagement party. But hearing Juniper’s mom act like a mama bear on my behalf is more than accepting. It’s not lip service for them to say I’m part of the family.

I haven’t felt part of a family in a long time. My own parents treat me more like a bank than their son. I glance around the table at everyone teasing and play fighting with each other. If Juniper will let me, I’ll give her several children so they can grow up this way.

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