Lily turned to look out the window, wondering why she still felt so cold.
Annette’sbig yellow Victorian glowed brighter than Rush’s Christmas tree when they pulled up. Laughter and shrieking children spilled out of the house, along with the scent of garlic bread and the ever-present aroma of tomato sauce. Mmm—lasagna—it was always lasagna and Italian sausages with peppers and onions on hard rolls on Christmas. Lily’s stomach growled at the familiar mix of basil and simmering tomatoes.
Rush stopped at the bottom of the porch steps, the bottle of wine and bouquet in one hand. He raked his other handthrough his hair, scanning the line of cars jammed into the driveway and spilling over into the street. “I didn’t expect so many people.”
“It’s just my family,” she said lightly. “You’ve already met most of them.”
True, there were a lot of cars parked outside. Sisters, spouses, kids, aunts, and cousins… the entire Hart crowd. After Canalside and the quiet in Pop’s room, she understood Rush’s hesitation.
Oh well. Too late now.
She looped her arm through his and tugged him straight into the noise. Small children and dogs tore through the hallway in a blur of sound and motion. Savvie zoomed past in her purple dress, only to be scooped up by Davis before she could collide with the banister. “Careful, kiddo,” he said, giving Lily a quick grin before disappearing again with his daughter squirming under his arm.
Someone claimed every chair, every armrest, and even the floor. From the kitchen came the bang and crash of pans—and then her aunts came barreling out, Aunt Rosa armed with a wooden spatula, Aunt Giulia holding a fork with a meatball skewered on it, and Aunt Sophia with her glass of wine.
Lily sighed. Of course they would line up like generals in floral-print aprons.
“Lily!” Aunt Rosa swooped in first. Her sparkly sweater matched her eyes, which went straight to Rush. “And the sheriff. So nice of you to join us.”
“Thank you for having me,” Rush said somewhat stiffly. Lily gave his arm a reassuring,you’re doing greatpat. This was the easy part.
When there was a pause, Theo appeared in the doorway. “Sheriff,” he said warmly, offering a hand. “Good to have you. Any friend of Lily’s is welcome here.”
“Indeed. Welcome, Sheriff.” Aunt Sophia lifted her glass, giving him a slow once-over. “No uniform tonight?”
A faint flush crept up Rush’s neck, but he merely smiled. “Not on duty tonight.”
“Shame.” Sophia shrugged. “Next time.”
Before Lily could die of mortification, Annette stepped forward, calm and composed as always. “Thank you for joining us for Christmas, Sheriff.” She offered her hand, which Rush took easily.
“Call me Rush, please. Here,” he added, handing her the wine and flowers. “These are for you.”
“Lovely. Thank you,” Annette’s voice was polite, although cool.
Lily’s stomach tightened. He was holding his own, but the tension still buzzed around him. She wanted him to feel what she felt here—to see how warm and welcoming her family was—but the distance between them didn’t give her much hope.
Two little blond heads pushed through the room, heading straight for Rush.
“He’s my Ken,” Savvie shouted, skidding to a stop and making a grab for Rush’s hand. She glared at Tessa, who was hot on her heels.
“You got to play with him last time.” Tessa stomped her foot then made a grab for Rush’s other hand. “It’s my turn.”
They tugged back and forth, glaring at each other, with Rush caught between them.
To Lily’s astonishment, a grin—the first one she’d seen all day—broke across his face. He let the girls pull him into the living room, where Annette’s old dollhouse stood waiting. Within seconds, he was planted on the rug, patiently listening as the girls explained his duties as Ken.
In the kitchen, Lily poured herself a glass of red and satdown on a stool at the island. The aunts were already back to bickering about the right amount of sugar in the sauce.
“Ya did good, Lily,” Aunt Sophia said, tilting her glass to drain it. “This one looks like he knows what to do with a woman, unlike that other pansy ass you almost married.”
Lily groaned. “Aunt Sophia, you can’t say things like that.”
“What?” The woman sniffed. “If we’d spoken up earlier, maybe you wouldn’t have wasted your time with that pig.” She peered into the living room at Rush, who seemed to have enlisted the help of Claire, Sammy, and Ben, Allie and Davis’s older kids, to play with them. “He’s good with kids too? He might be the one.”
“He has younger sisters,” Lily murmured, ignoring the pang in her chest. No, he wasn’t sticking around, but if he was…
“Subtle as ever,” Amber’s bone-dry voice cut in. She lowered herself heavily into a chair with her hand pressed to her belly and winced. “What fresh hell is it that you can have pre-contractions before the main event?”
