"Er, Pop. Where's mine?" Max asks his dad.
"You know where the fridge is, get your own," his dad tells him, taking a seat at the table.
I hold back a smirk and take one of the spare seats, next to his dad. "Thank you for letting us stay here, Mr, erm..."
"Rock, sweetheart, just Rock. And you don't need to thank me. You're welcome here anytime you want." He reaches out and pats the top of my hand. It's an awkward gesture, but I don't say anything.
Max takes the seat next to me, placing his arm around my shoulders. "Do you have plenty of food in, Pop, or do I need to head to the supermarket?"
"Nah, we have plenty, son. I went this morning when I knew you were coming up. I didn’t know what Nova and Mason would like so I got plenty of fish, meat and veg," he casually states.
I bite the inside of my cheek. "Oh, thank you."
"What is it?" Max asks me.
"Nothing."
"Baby?"
"I just feel bad that your dad spent so much money on food for us," I tell them.
"Are you kidding? Pop is a feeder, he knew we were coming with two of Arthur’s men, as well as Tongue and Prospect, so he's probably bought enough to feed the entire town twice over," he tells me, trying to make me feel better.
His dad tuts and rolls his eyes. "Nova." I turn to look at him. "He's right, I am a bit of a feeder, but I love to cook and it's not often I get to cook for so many people. You being here just gives me a reason to. I'm actually excited. So, how about you tell me what you guys like and don't like and I can get started."
I lean back in my seat, feeling a little more relaxed. "Why don't you tell me what you have and I can tell you if we like it or not?"
He gives me a smile. Georgia arrives back downstairs, and as we talk about food and cooking, I'm filled with a warm sensation. I can't believe how at ease I feel around them. I can't believe how safe they make me feel.
As I watch Max, Georgia and their dad work away in the kitchen, I'm reminded that this is what family is. This is what I've missed. This right here is what Mason and I so desperately crave.
Chapter Sixty-One
I love being at home, and I love it when we cook together. It's been too long since we last did this. Cooking as a family was something that we used to do when Mum was alive. I'm not home often enough for us to do this, and Dad rarely comes to the clubhouse now. It's not like he isn’t happy there, but as a family we used to spend so much time at the clubhouse, and I think that sometimes Dad struggles with the memories.
When Nova said her and Mason's favourite meal was lasagne, Dad's face lit up. It was Mum’s too, and something he's not made for a long time. I was surprised when he said that is what he wanted to make for dinner tonight, I thought he would shy away from it. But here we are, making a homemade lasagne with a homemade sauce.
Dad gives me a quick dig to the ribs, and I think he's messing, but as I glance at him, he tips his head toward the table. I turn to look at my woman and my heart sinks when I see how sad she looks. Dad takes the knife from me and I quickly wash my hands and make my way over to her. Her gaze is fixed on a spot on the table, and she's so lost in her thoughts that she doesn't hear me coming.
She jumps, looking up at me as I place my hand on her shoulder. I take the seat next to her and grab her chair leg, spinning it to face me. "Dragonfly, talk to me," I tell her, worried by the look I see in her eyes.
She swallows then licks her lips. She takes a quick glance at my dad and sister, satisfied that they are occupied. "It's nothing. It's just me in my head." She tries to brush it off.
I grab her face, holding it in place so she can't turn away from me. "Don't do that, don't dismiss how you feel. Please tell me."
She closes her eyes for just a second, then looks at me. "I used to cook with Mum and Dad. Seeing you guys having fun cooking together reminded me of that. And then I remembered that Mason is never going to experience that. I'm sorry I told you I was in my own head."
"Pop, you okay if we head out for a while? Can you keep an eye on Mason?" I call over to him.
"Of course. We'll take care of him. Be back in an hour for dinner," he tells me, and then turns back to whatever he was doing.
"Come on." I stand, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.
"But—"
"Nope, they've got it, come on." I'm not sure what she was about to say but I don't let her get it out. I grab the leather jacket Candy loaned her, making sure she puts it on before we leave. I make a mental note, telling myself I need to buy her one. I know she'll probably be mad at me for it, but I want to. I just intend on making sure it has my name on it.
As we step out of the front door, she wraps her arms around herself and shivers. "You want to go back inside?" I ask her, but she just shakes her head and waits for me to guide her away. Grabbing hold of her hand, I walk her down the drive and along the country lane, and as we reach the end, I open a gate to a footpath and let her through before following her and closing the gate behind us.
