But part of the reason people liked to tell him things was because he didn’t pass them on.Because they thought he was a vault.Only tonight did he consider the fact that this line of thinking wasn’t necessarily because they thought he was so circumspect and honorable.
It was probably because they didn’t think he had anybody to talk to, because he generally didn’t let anyone near enough to know if he was close to people or not.
And it didn’t take any acrobatics to consider the possibility that the woman he was sleeping with might not realize that he felt close toher.Because he hadn’t told her that he did, had he?
He’d actually gone out of his way not to say anything that could be construed astoo clingy, because this was Matilda.And one thing that had always seemed to be true about her was that she was blown by the wind this way and that.
Who was he to try to trap her in one place?
And now she was running from him because she thought he didn’t love her.
But this wasn’t the time to do anything about that.Not here, in public.Certainly not on Wednesdays.So with the strange drumbeat of something like anxiety that kicked in whenever he considered that she might really have the completely wrong impression of his intentions, he went and sat down at the table with his brothers and sisters.
He figured it would be a reprieve at the very least.
“So when exactly did you and Matilda Stark get so tight?”Cat asked, before his butt even hit the chair.He scowled at her and she lifted her shoulder.“Wilder says that Rosie got them all down to that barn to help out the other day.Moving animals down from her cottage.And there was a lot of talk about how much help you were giving the project.”She turned her gaze to Dallas, who made no attempt whatsoever to muzzle his laugh.“Because Tennessee is known for his deep concern about the welfare of animals.That’s really been one of the foremost preoccupations of his life so far.”
“He’s basically a cat lady,” Dallas murmured.
The Patricks couldn’t join in with the same relish—yet, anyway—but they were all watching with avid interest.
Tennessee smiled blandly at his sister.“As a matter of fact, I’m thinking I might adopt one of Matilda’s rescue dogs.He looks like a wolf.I hope he’ll bite you.”
Cat put a hand over her heart and fluttered her eyelashes.“Tennessee Lisle.Is thatlevity?Are you turning into a human being?What on earth could have made you a real boy after all this time?”
“I don’t know if I’m a real boy,” he drawled, “but I sure am real hungry.I think it’s your turn to put the order in, Catalina.If that’s not too much trouble.”
She rolled her eyes, but she stood up.And Tennessee could feel Dallas’s eyes on him when Cat went off to the counter.But the conversation moved on.
Mercifully.
“Think I’m going to stay a while,” Finn was saying, sitting back in his chair and already looking like he fit in here, to Tennessee’s mind.“I like it here, and I’m reliably informed that if I like a winter in a place this far up in the mountains, I owe it to myself to see the summer.”
“The summer here is outstanding,” Helena assured him.
“But if I decide to do that,” Finn said, and he raised an eyebrow at his siblings.“And that’s a bigif, I’m not sleeping on your couch, Helena.So we’ll have to see if there are any rentals around.”
“That’s the beauty of having a trailer,” Raleigh drawled.“I never have to worry about outstaying my welcome.”
“You literally ate everything in my refrigerator.”Helena glared at him.“Twice this week alone.”
“And you’ve made Mom cook you dinner almost every night,” Finn chimed in.“Like you’re twelve years old.”
Raleigh, who in no way whatsoever resembled an innocent twelve-year-old boy, sat there in his chair, boneless and unbothered.With a grin.“It’s all about nostalgia.”
“You don’t have a nostalgic bone in your body,” Helena argued.
Raleigh grinned across the table at Dallas and Tennessee.“That’s true.But my mother sure does.”He looked back at Helena and Finn.“Maybe you two are too busy with your heads up your asses to notice, but Mom likes being here.She likes us all together.She likes the idea of this big happy family.So if she wants to cook me food?I’m going to eat it.”
“What a martyr,” Helena murmured, with the roll of her eyes.
But it was all good-natured, Tennessee thought.He could tell because they were all grinning at each other—a marked difference from his childhood.And very likely theirs, too.
Cat came back and dispensed the usual drinks, then announced that their weekly order was going in the oven.Then she flopped back down in her chair, and Tennessee looked around at this full set of siblings.Brothers.Sisters.
A real family.
It had been six full weeks now since their first pizza night here.They’d spent the first few meetings dancing around each other a little bit and referencing their childhoods a whole lot more—though always in a way that kept it light.Easy.None of the darkness that Tennessee was sure they could all roll out if they wanted.
