Atlas didn’t even look up as he smothered his roll with the last remnants of lemon blueberry basil. “Fuck yeah, I ate it all. Have you tried this shit? It’s delicious.”
“Two dollars, Uncle Atlas!” Emma chimed in, munching on her own roll.
Chloe threw her hands up. “I know it’s delicious! But you weren’t supposed to use the whole thing!”
Atlas shrugged, eating half the roll in one bite. “Then why’d you put it out here?”
“Because I thought you’d have anormalamount like anormalhuman!”
“Well, that was your first mistake,” Sutton said dryly, tipping her wineglass in Chloe’s direction.
Chloe huffed out a sound that was half groan, half whine. “But I was saving the rest for waffles tomorrow.”
Atlas popped the other half of the roll into his mouth. “Fine. Tell me where to buy it, and I’ll stock up with a whole fucking case. Two, actually.”
Emma opened her mouth, but Atlas held up a hand. “Another buck. I got it, little bean. How about I just give you a twenty at the end of the night and call it good?”
“Deal!” Emma beamed at him with a toothless grin.
Which was quite different from the fiery stare Chloe was pinning him with. “You can’t stock up, you big oaf! It’s handmade by Willa.” She threw an arm in my direction. “And it’sspecial. She only gives them to her favorite people a couple times a year. And you just downed my only jar like it was keg beer at one of your sportsball parties!”
Atlas turned his attention to Lincoln, eyes narrowing. “How come you’ve never shared her jam with us?”
Lincoln smirked, leaning back in his chair. “You think I’d waste this on you? It’s fucking delicious, and you’re an animal.”
Declan raised a brow. “Or maybe it’s because she only shares it with her favorite people, and you’re not one of them.”
Lincoln held up his left hand, his black wedding band stark against his finger, and my stomach swooped just like it alwaysdid when I caught sight of it. “This ring says otherwise. Besides, I’m the certified taste tester at home.” He turned to me, his eyes dipping deliberately to my mouth. “Isn’t that right, wife?”
Lincoln’s voice had dropped low, and I prayed I was the only one who’d noticed. Prayed, too, that no one was paying close enough attention to me to catalogue my flushed cheeks or my glare that was actually hiding my persistent arousal when it came to this man.
But that hope fled the second Laurel said, “Don’t make it weird, you horny perverts.”
Emma cocked her head to the side, her gaze curious on her cousin. “What’s a horny peevert?”
Laurel cringed and glanced at Xander. “Shit. That’s on me.”
Emma gasped and bounced in her seat, delighted. “That’s a dollar in the swear jar, Lolo!”
“You’re gonna have more money at the end of the night than I made all week,” Xander said.
“I know, Daddy!” Emma grinned. “IloveSundays!”
Laughter erupted around the table. Even Lincoln’s broody, grumpy brothers cracked some grins.
“Will I get money out of you, Aunt Willa?” she asked, those wide eyes staring up at me, and I nearly lost my breath.
“Um…” I cleared my suddenly dry throat. “I?—”
“You’ll have more luck getting paid from me, little bean. The only time Aunt Willa really swears is when she’s yelling at me.”
That earned another round of chuckles, and I forced a smile, pretending my world hadn’t tipped on its side thanks to one word from a little girl.
I’d thought it would be easy to come here and stay on the fringes. Hold myself back. But the Steeles didn’t half-ass anything. And they had no intention of leaving me out in the figurative cold.
After the plates had been cleared, the kitchen had been cleaned, and we’d played four rounds of charades with Emma leading the game, everyone headed out for the evening.
Lincoln was just ahead of me, laughing and joking with his brothers, and an ache settled in my chest as I watched the four of them. I missedmybrother. Missed laughing with him and teasing him and yelling at him. I missed movie marathons and ATV races on the farm. I missed the everyday moments I hadn’t had with him since he’d left.
