“Mom. Dad. This is Kenzie.” He rested his hand at the center of Kenzie’s back.
This was nice. The two of them. His parents.
He shook his head.
This was not real.
“Mr. and Mrs. McKay.” Kenzie shook his father’s hand and then, holy shit, she leaned forward and hugged his mother. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
His mother stood unmoving.
Kenzie, unfazed by his mother’s inability to form words continued, “Tucker’s told me so much about you both.”
That was lie number one. He’d told her literally nothing about them—other than his mother wanting him to bring Kenzie home for Christmas.
“I mean, okay, so he hasn’t actually told me that much. He’s very protective of your family and likes to keep his personal life private. As someone with a mother who doesn’t keep anything private—at all—I can appreciate his insistence on protecting all of you from the craziness of what we do for a living.”
She paused. Smiling as though she was chatting with Jackson Hayes on the red carpet, giving sound bites, playing the part. Not chatting up his very small-town parents. “Tucker said my visit was a surprise for you. I take it someone spilled the tea?”
“Cord let it slip.” Clint pursed his lips. “Ruined the whole thing.”
Tucker would have words with his brother.
“I like your movies.” Tucker’s mother finally spoke to Kenzie. Her gaze flicked to Tucker, as if searching out how much she could safely say. “And I really like your teeth. They’re so white. And your hair. It’s very red.”
Okay, well, he hadn’t expectedthat.
Kenzie raised a hand to her red hair. “You are so sweet. Do you want to sit with me while Tucker gets the bag situation figured out? He didn’t mention you’d hurt your foot.”
His mother’s face gentled. His father grinned like Santa the day after Christmas, when he had a whole year to chill before go-time again.
Yes, Tucker’s family was falling for Kenzie, just like he was.
* * *
Holy crap it was freezing.Kenzie’s California genes did not love the frigid Colorado blizzard temperatures.
She shivered in her down coat while Tucker guided her to his parents’ truck—one of those double-cab things with a set of two doors on each side—parked in the front row of the airport parking lot. Tucker wore no coat, just a sweatshirt. His father didn’t have a coat on either, and his mother only wore a light jacket.
Meanwhile, Kenzie’s teeth were clacking together even though she was inside a down parka.
His father had tossed the luggage in the bed of the truck and worked to cover it with a tarp. Tucker hopped up into the bed to help tie it down.
“Would you like to sit up front?” His mother led the way to the front passenger door.
Kenzie glanced to the woman’s wrapped ankle. “No, you should sit there, Mrs. McKay. More room to stretch. I’ll sit in the back with Tucker.”
“Call me Lori. Mrs. McKay was my mother-in-law.” Lori took a deep breath and stared a few beats too long at Kenzie.
She was used to it. Eventually, the novelty of what she did for work would wear off. It always did.
Tucker slid between the two of them and opened the front door for his mother. He gripped her arm to help her in, keeping the weight off of her ankle.
Kenzie climbed into the backseat. Tucker settled in beside her, and his father took the wheel.
“The family is excited to see you. They’re all popping by in the morning to say hello,” Lori chattered, her nerves showing.
Tucker frowned at his mother. “They’re popping by because it’s Christmas.”
