“Where is she?”
“Puttin’ makeup on or somethin’. She said she wants to make a good impression on my new partner.”
I swallowed. “You haven’t told her?”
He chuckled. “Nope.”
I believed him, especially once we moved to sit in the living room to wait for Ginny, and apparently Matthew, to finish with dinner
“Fuck,” she swore, freezing in the doorway.
Rachel looked at me, then at Benny and his arm around my shoulders on the sofa, and I fought myself not to pull away from him.
“Is this… am I…” She pinched her hand and cursed again. “Not dreamin’.”
I swallowed. She screamed.
“Holy shit!You’rewho this idiot has been keepin’ a secret from us?” She ran a hand through her perfectly styled hair, making a few strands shoot out at odd angles. “I didnotsee this comin’.”
Rachel was even louder than her children, and I genuinely couldn’t tell if she was excited or outraged.
“Jesus. Well.” She marched over to me until she was standing in front with her arms extended.
I looked at Benny—who offered me no assistance—before slowly standing. The moment I was close to upright, her arms snapped around me in a spine cracking hug. “Welcome to the family, boss.”
My fingers twitched by my side before I hesitantly returned it.
Then she let me go and reached over to flick Benny in the forehead. “Thanks for the heads up, shithead.”
“Don’t sayshit,” Lachlan yelled as a foam bullet hit Rachel in the back.
“I’m a grown-up, and grown-ups are allowed to say it,” she yelled back as another bullet flew past her. “I’ll be right back. I have kids to shoot,” she told me before all three of them were screaming louder as she chased them through the house.
I slowly turned to look at Benny, who seemed very amused.
While I hadn’t known exactly what to expect tonight, it hadn’t beenthat.
The noise continued as we sat at the dining table while Ginny and Matthew brought themanyfood dishes over.
“Guess this means I shouldn’t talk crap about work anymore.” Rachel smiled as she spoke around a mouthful of bread.
I cleared my throat. “You can. I’ll join you.”
She smiled wider.
Ginny slapped her hand. “Don’t eat until Rikky gets here.”
Rachel grunted. “Where the f-heck is he anyway?”
“He said he’d be runnin’ a little late. I’ll text him,” Benny offered, pulling his phone from his pocket.
“Just a text and then it’s phones off at the dinner table, Benjamin,” Ginny scolded, then pointed between me and Matthew with the silver handle of a butter knife. “That applies to both of youse as well.”
Matthew smiled, and I nodded quickly.
Despite the chaos, things were going remarkably well. Rachel hadn’t beencalmabout learning of our relationship, but she’d been immediately accepting. Like it was no big deal. And I supposed, to Benny and his family, that maybe it wasn’t.
Food was dished out. Rachel and Ginny bickered with each other. The boys kept whispering and looking at Benny in a way that made me suspect they were plotting something, and Matthew and Benny took turns giving me long looks as I sat quietly absorbing it all.
