Three kids swarmed around them, two girls who looked to be between the ages of five and seven and a boy who couldn’t have been older than three.
“This is Jamie and Mary-Jo,” Loretta said and then lifted the boy into her arms. “And this little guy is Connor. Say hi, kids.”
“Hi,” the girls chorused but Connor buried his face in his mother’s neck.
“He gets shy around new faces,” Loretta explained as she led them into a large dining room. “Wade, honey, they’re here.”
The aroma in the room made her mouth water. Corn on the cob, dripping with melted butter, mashed potatoes and cream spinach. It all looked so tempting. She wanted to devour everything in sight.
Wade entered the dining room, a burly man with a thick auburn beard and friendly brown eyes.
He kissed Loretta on the cheek, then took Connor from her hands.
“Have a seat,” Loretta told them. “I’m just going to get the pot roast…Oh, sweetie, don’t put that in your mouth.”
Mary-Jo spat out a Lego before taking a seat next to Jasmin at the long oval table. “I like your hair,” she whispered, twirling a lock around her finger.
Jasmin took note that her hand was covered in spit, but smiled anyway. “I like yours too.”
“You guys must be tired of traveling,” Wade sat down at the head of the table and reached for the meatloaf. “Kevin says you’ve been on the road for almost a month.”
Jasmin was still confused by this arrangement and how Kevin had even met them to begin with, but her questions could wait for later. “Yeah. It hasn’t been too bad, but there’s only so much takeout one can stomach. Thank you so much for having us.”
Loretta came in and placed the steaming pot roast in the middle of the table. “What are you waiting for?” She took Connor again and sat down, keeping him on her lap. “Dig in.”
They didn’t need a second invitation. She and Kevin both took a little of everything and Wade said a prayer before they began eating.
“This is delicious,” Jasmin said. “All of it. You’re an amazing cook, Loretta.”
“Thank you.” She looked over at Wade with a teasing grin. “At least someone around here appreciates it.”
“I never said you weren’t a great cook. I said you need to feed me smaller portions before I start looking like a walrus.” He slapped his bulging belly with both hands. “I need to stay sexy for you, woman.”
Loretta’s smile turned into something more flirtatious. “You’re always sexy to me.”
Jasmin giggled as she watched the two of them. This kind of loving banter was something she hadn’t witnessed at home. Her dad had never even dated and now she understood why Kevin believed all the hogwash. He’d seen this growing up and she could see why it was so easy to get sucked into that kind of love. Maybe one day she could have that too.
Dinner was amazing. It wasn’t just the food that was great, it was the company. They held a conversation whilst scolding the children in between. Jasmin found it fascinating how they could be hosts and parents at the same time. Wade told them about how he was supposed to play pro-baseball, but gave it up when Loretta became pregnant with Jamie. He was a man who made his family his number one priority and Loretta was an equally devoted mother. It was both a torment and a delight to watch them as a family and every now and then, when it got too much, Kevin rubbed his hand down her thigh under the table.
After dinner Wade and Loretta disappeared into the kitchen to wash up, leaving them alone with the kids. Mary-Jo braided her hair, embellishing it with colorful ribbons, while Connor and Jamie climbed onto the couch beside Kevin and coerced him into reading them a story. He didn’t even protest. It might have been the influence of his nieces, but being around kids came naturally to him. She could see that he would make a great dad someday.
“Time to decorate the Christmas tree,” Loretta announced from the entrance of the living room.
“Oh.” Jasmin immediately stood up. “We’d better get going.”
Loretta exchanged looks with Kevin and after a slight nod, he turned back to Jasmin. “We’ll stay for a bit, Jazz.”
This was a personal, family thing and she felt like they were intruding, but Loretta intervened before she could object. “We’dreally love for you guys to stay. Now…what do you prefer? Lights? Tinsel? Bells?”
Jasmin had to swallow the lump that instantly formed in her throat. “It…it doesn’t really matter.” She pretended to cough to hide the unsteadiness in her voice. “I’ve gotten used to doing this by myself.”
Loretta smiled like she didn’t pick up on the undertone of sadness (she did), and gave Jasmin’s shoulders a quick squeeze. Maybe that was supposed to be some sort of comfort, but an ever-tightening throat was the only effect it had.
Wade came in carrying a box of Christmas decorations and placed it on the table a few feet away from the bare tree. Jasmin watched silently as they strung up the lights andSilent Nightplaying in the background only made it worse.
“C’mon,” Loretta urged, looking back at her over her shoulder.
Kevin took her hand and walked with her to the box, but before she could reach for anything, Jamie piped up.
