Chills race through my entire body at his closeness, and I work to regain control over my hormones as he calls out, “Mom! Are you home?”
A pretty woman with dark brown hair up in a bun comes hurrying through the swing door that looks like it leads to a dining room.
“Brayden, I can’t believe I didn’t hear you come in!”
“Happy anniversary, Mom.” He hands her the photograph as he kisses her cheek.
She looks at the picture of their whole family, and in the lighted room, I’m able to see too.
Like Brayden, his siblings are all attractive—there’s Luke, his handsome twin brothers, and his sister who has long dark hair. To me, of course, Brayden stands out. From his larger-than-life smile to his incredibly bright blue eyes, he’s completely gorgeous.
“Thank you, honey. I just love it. Dad will too.” She gives him a hug and kiss, and then turns to me. “Pardon my manners. Hello, I’m Edna Wild.”
“This is Leleila,” Brayden says. “June’s sister.”
I wish her happy anniversary, and then William, Brayden’s father, comes out, and another round of greetings begins. William Wild is gray-haired but very fit, and he smiles a lot. He loves the framed photo, and Edna immediately says they’ll hang it up in the living room.
“I think it’s great that your sister started a natural grocery store,” Brayden’s dad says to me as we walk through the swing door and take seats at the dining room table, which is filled with plates of food. There’s chicken, salad, and sweet potatoes, and it all looks delicious.
Brayden excuses himself to find Luke, and Edna insists I take a plate of food.
“We’ve just sat down to dinner,” she explains. “Luke and Brayden will be sure to grab a plate themselves when they return.”
William takes the chair across from me. “You can never have too many health food stores.”
“Yes, that’s true,” I say. “Brayden mentioned you’re interested in healthy eating.”
“I love it,” he says. “Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my desserts and my nightly glass of wine, though. Nothing can stop me from that!”
Edna brings in a bottle of wine in that moment, and she laughs at the timing. “You can tell we’ve been married forty years, can’t you?” She smiles as she takes a seat next to her husband.
She hands me the plate of chicken first, and I take a piece. It’s breaded and moist and so good I could have three helpings worth. Everything is delicious. That’s what I tell her, and she beams at me as Luke and Brayden stroll into the room. A large wolfhound trails them.
“Mom, I have to take Leleila home,” Brayden says when he sees me seated at the table.
“Nonsense,” his mother says. “Leleila has to eat first. So do you. Sit down, boys.”
“It’s okay,” I say to Brayden when he continues to stare at me. “I’m not in a rush. Your mom went to all this trouble, and the food is delicious.”
Brayden’s jaw relaxes, and he comes over and takes the seat beside me.
“Roxy was stuck in the shed,” Luke says as he sits next to his father. “Never barked once until Bray started calling for her.” Luke tilts his chin at me. “How’s it going?”
I tell him fine, and he slides his gaze between Brayden and me. Just once, but it’s enough to know that Luke Wild definitely hasn’t changed his mind about Brayden and me sharing something private.
When we finish our meal, Edna brings out the plate of chocolate chip cookies and offers them to me first.
I dig right in. I eat three without coming up for air, and then I tell her they’re the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. Her face flushes with pride, and she insists I have another.
“Did you grow up in Mountainview, Leleila?” William asks me.
I tell him I did, and we all chat for a bit about the small towns in the area.
“Wilcox’s football program was always the best in the area,” William says. “We lined up in that way with my sons and nephews falling in love with the sport like they did.”
I push my glasses up on my nose. “Mountainview’s had some decent seasons, but it never fielded a team like Wilcox.”
William snaps his fingers. “There were a couple good players like you say. There was a great defensive end—Jones something or other.”
