Page 84 of Tempt Me Forever

“No. Knowing the family, everyone's in the back. The grilling season is on.”

“I thought you said you grill year-round."

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, but it's hard to stay outdoors in the winter. Though we do try our best on sunny days. Let's see. Who's here already? Oh, almost everyone." I stopped, my eyes widening. "Holy shit!”

“What?”

“Gran is here with her boyfriend, John.”

Drake nodded, seemingly impressed. “Good for her. How long have they been going out?”

“A few years ago, she shocked everyone by informing us that she was dating. This past Christmas, she finally introduced him to us. I didn’t realize he was coming today.”

Everyone seemed a bit on edge.

Tate and Declan were manning the grill. Luke and Tyler were with them too. Sam and Travis weren't here yet.

“I forgot to ask Travis if he's bringing Rose. Sometimes they call the babysitter to stay with her when we gather because the crowd is too overwhelming.”

Drake chuckled. "I can't imagine why.”

"Hey, it’s my family."

"I know. You're just adorable, fretting if you get to see your niece or not.”

The truth was, I did see Rose often, but in my book, I couldn't see her enough. At least Sophie, Lexi and Tate’s daughter, would be here.

"Hey, everyone," I said, raising my voice a bit, and the guys immediately looked up.

Oh crap.They had identical frowns. Had Travis spoken to them?

Why didn’t I think about warning them beforehand not to be asses to Drake?

My uncle and aunt came to us first. "Drake, I'm Lena."

“And I’m Emmett.”

"Nice to meet you. I've heard so many things about you, both of you." Drake shook my uncle's hand.

"We’re happy we finally get to meet you. We'll let Kimberly introduce you to everyone, and we can catch up later. Your cousins are looking forward to that."

My testosterone-overflowing cousins would be annoying for sure. I weighed my chances of getting a few words alone with them to warn them off—they were nonexistent.

Paisley, Tate's oldest, came to us as we headed to the grill. "You’re Drake," she said.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you, Paisley. You're all grown up. Your aunt told me a lot about you. You’re a teenager now."

She nodded eagerly. “That’s right. I keep telling Dad, but he insists I’m still his baby.”

Ha! Drake had a way with kids, that was for sure—well, in this case, with teenagers.

"By the way, I think Dad and my uncles are planning to give you a hard time," she continued.

"You think so? How would you know that?"

Paisley shrugged. “Look at their expressions. You’re lucky John is here. Their attention will be split between the two of you.”

I loved Paisley to pieces.

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