“I know so.”
Through the window, I caught a glimpse of her outside with the other women, laughing in a way that wasn’t fake or put on at all. Her whole face was lit up with it, and I grinned at the sight. The barbecue was in full swing, and if she could be that happy with her present company, she wasn’t just going to survive here in Texas. She was going to thrive if she just let herself.
I stood up to go join her, but it turned out that my mother wasn’t done with me yet. Not by a long shot.
Just when I thought she might let me escape, she turned toward the built-in cabinets against the far wall, humming under her breath like a woman up to no good. Her bangles clinked as she bent down, dragging out a plastic storage bin covered in a thin film of glitter. Everything in this room had glitter on it.
“Mom,” I warned. “Whatever that?—”
“Oh, hush,” she said, swatting the air as she popped open the lid. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you for ages.”
She turned the box toward me, and inside, it was filled to the brim with baby clothes. “These were yours. It’s only right you have them back.”
There were onesies the color of old buttercream, a tiny denim jacket with my name embroidered on the chest, and baby-sized cowboy boots that were honestly offensive to look at. I groaned so loud I was surprised the foundations of the dang house didn’t shake. “You can’t be serious.”
Mom clucked her tongue. “Sadie keeps having girls. Apparently the Lord has a sense of humor, because she’s absolutely determined to carry on the family name, but unless she starts naming her daughtersShepard, that responsibility falls to you.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We just got married.”
“Yes.”
“In Vegas.”
“Yes.”
“While absolutely wasted.”
Mom’s smile curled like she was about two seconds from cackling. “It’s funny you should say that, because it’s almost exactly how your father and I ended up together.”
I jerked my head up. “No.”
“Oh yes.” She winked, sliding the box toward me with both hands. “History repeats itself, sweetheart. Take it. You’ll be needing these one day. Sooner is better.”
I muttered something that definitely would’ve gotten me more than just a one-word admonishment about my language, and hauled the box into my arms. At least Mom seemed to be done this time, opening the door and motioning for me to precede her back downstairs.
The hum of chatter rose with every step. When we emerged into the chaos of the main floor, I found Charlotte in the exact opposite of safety. She was surrounded by a swarm of retired pageant queens, their hair lacquered to architectural heights, their pearls gleaming, and they had her cornered by the window.
Every single one of them ran a foundation or a charity, hosting galas and luncheons like the world depended solely on them. They’d scented fresh blood, but my mom had been right earlier. My wife was holding her own like she’d trained for this. I had half a mind to wade into the fray anyway and pull her out fireman style, but then she laughed and something in my chest expanded.
Too much. Too fast. Maybe. Or maybe this is just what it feels like when something starts fitting into place on its own.
Before I could unpack any of that, gravel crunched outside with another car rolling up the drive. Relief swept through me when Jameson stepped out, Sadie on his arm, baby carrier in one hand and diaper bag in the other.
I headed straight for them, barely giving Jameson time to blink before I took the carrier from him. “Here, let me take at least one of them.”
I peeked inside to find little Reagan blinking up at me with her father’s unimpressed expression on her tiny face. “Hey, baby girl. Hi. I’m your uncle Trent. Remember me? I haven’t seen you for a little while.”
“Sorry we’re late.” Sadie sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. “Traffic was awful getting through the city.”
I hugged her with my free arm and she grinned. “Congrats, big brother.”
Jameson stepped closer. “Congratulations. You’re officially part of the Westwood chaos now. I would’ve bought a condolences card if we’d had time to stop.”
Although he’d seemed fine at first glance, the skin around his eyes was tight. Something about the way he said it had been off, too. He was distracted and tense. I knew this guy almost as well as I knew myself and I knew damn well when something was wrong.
Mom appeared by our sides, flinging her arms around my sister and then helping her to get the other three kids out of the car. Sadie grabbed the baby carrier from me, but Jameson didn’t move, pulling me a little further aside once they disappeared into the house.
I narrowed my eyes at him as soon as we were alone. “Thanks, but I don’t need condolences. I went into this with over twenty years of experience with your family’s chaos. Which brings me to my next question. What’s going on withyou?”
