Kimmie snorts, genuine amusement flickering in her eyes. “I can’t picture that. Atall.”
“Ah, no,” he says on a laugh. “I was never vegan. Not even close.” He sits back against his chair, looking up thoughtfully. “We must have been, what? Eighteen? Susie had been vegetarian for almost a year and was just starting the vegan thing. And this dish ...” He runs a hand through his hair. “This was her first vegan meal. She absolutely hated it.”
My eyes widen. “Seriously?” I shake my head.What else hasn’t Mom told me?
“Pretty sure she said it was an insult to Mexican food and that she’d have to rethink her values. Don’t worry, she was kidding ...” He winks at me. “Mostly. So I went on the hunt for a better recipe, and, lo and behold, I found your secret sauce.”
“What’d you do?” Kimmie taunts. “Interrogate a coven of vegans for their secrets?”
“Hmm,” Rebecca says, “if I know our Tim, my guess is he scoured the library.”
Dad clicks his tongue, muttering, “Bingo,” and wraps an arm around Rebecca’s shoulders, pulling her close.
I can’t help but stare at the pair of them. They really are good together, and watching them makes me miss Joshua even more.
As usual for a Saturday, he’s been gone all day. I rub my arms, a burst of coldness washing over me. He’s shared so many facets of himself with me, but what he does on Saturdays isn’t one of them. I suspected before that he might be fighting, but unless it’s late at night, he never comes home with marks afterward. He does come back quiet though. Thoughtful and alone in his head, and later, he always tosses and turns in his sleep.
“Okay, nope.” Grabbing a napkin, Kimmie spits a mouthful of chewed-up food into it. “Nope, nope, nope.” The room falls quiet, and she looks up, her face contorted with disgust. When her gaze lands on Rebecca’s disapproving expression, she shrugs. “What?”
I cut in before her mom can reply. “You mean, I didn’t convert you?”
“I’m brave, but notthatbrave.” She flashes me a small smile, and I return it.
A knock sounds at the back door, then it’s pushed slowly open, revealing Joshua in the doorway. My heartbeat hammers the moment we lock eyes. His dark hair’s windblown, grey shirt straining against broad shoulders, and worn jeans hanging off narrow hips perfectly. But mostly, it’s the way he looks at me that tightens my ribs. Blazing and heavy, making every sensitive part of my body pulse. Like after a long, rough day, he finally found the only thing he needs.
Tendrils of warmth sweep over me, settling low in my stomach.
“Hey there, Hunt,” my dad says, nodding toward the empty seat beside me. “We were just enjoying some vegan enchiladas.”
“Enchiladas, huh?” Joshua cocks a brow at me, and his lips slowly quirk. “You make them yourself?”
A blush creeps up my neck. “Yes.”
“Would you like to join us? I can grab an extra plate,” Rebecca offers, standing.
“Thank you, ma’am, but I know it’s late. I wouldn’t wanna keep you.”
“Nonsense. We’ve got all night.”
“Um,” Kimmie says while texting, “speak for yourself. It’s Saturday night.”
“All right. I’ll clarify. We”—she gestures between herself and my dad—“have all night.” She smiles warmly. “And we’d be happy to have you.”
My dad nods. “Sure would.”
Taking everything in, Joshua scans the table, then shoves his hands in his pockets, and I realize how this must look to him. One big, happy family. I wring my fingers, hoping he doesn’t feel too out of place. My dad treats him like family, but I noticed Joshua rarely accepts dinner invitations. He actually seems to go out of his way to avoid them.
My gut churns at the thought of him leaving already, and when he catches my gaze, I’m sure he can read the pleading in my eyes.Please stay.
He rubs the back of his neck, inspecting my face for a heart-pounding moment.Finally, he tips his chin at Rebecca.
“I’d love a plate, ma’am.”
He moves in my direction, and with every step, my heart skips a beat. When he sits beside me, scooting his chair close, the heat radiating off his body touches my skin, and I squirm. I want so badly to climb onto his lap and kiss him.
Under the table, his large, warm hand curls around my bare thigh just below where my shorts end. Goose bumps race up my arms, heat rising to my cheeks.
Kimmie pushes her chair back, snapping me out of my Joshua-induced haze, as she clears her space.
