“It is big. There are lots of cousins. But just so you know, my family is different.”
He crosses his arms and leans casually against the doorframe. “They’ve got three eyes? Tentacles? Don’t worry, unless they’ve got two heads, these people have nothing on me.”
I can’t help but laugh and fall back onto the bed. When I glance up, his eyes shine with mischief. “Physically, they’re normal. It’s just, they have this one tiny hobby—well, not a hobby. My parents have made a business from it.”
“And that is? It’s bowling, isn’t it? We’ll show up and everyone in your family will be wearing matching bowling shirts.”
“Stop it! I only have one pillow left to throw at you, and I need it for the back of my head.”
“And I was hoping to catch another one. Here. Take this one.” He tosses the other pillow onto the bed, where it lands at my feet. “Better?”
“Better.” I sigh. “If you help me make potato salad, you’re invited to come.”
“And here I thought I’d be spending a Saturday at the park, just me and Hercules.”
“After today, you might wish you had made that choice.”
He rolls his eyes. “My eggs are getting cold. You coming or not?”
“Yeah. Let me get dressed.”
I make a motion for him to shoo, and he grabs the doorknob and begins to close it. Before he completely disappears, Stone pops his head back through the crack.
“But seriously, your family can’t be that bad.”
I quirk a brow. “Just wait and see.”
Chapter 19
Coco
“I was not expecting this,” Stone says when we arrive at my parents’ house.
“I told you,” I reply, adjusting the huge tub of potato salad on my lap.
Stone watches my family through the windshield. “Are they military?”
“Worse. They’re preppers.”
“Oh, that explains all the camo.”
“Does it?”
“No, not at all.”
I laugh. “That’s what I thought. Come on. Let me introduce you, then the men can drag you away and test your manhood by making you shoot targets.”
His entire face brightens. “They’ll let me shoot a gun?”
“If youdon’tshoot, they’ll think less of you. It’s a rite of passage at these things.”
Stone watches the scene. There are a lot of people roaming around: kids, men, women—my cousins, aunts, and uncles.
“Sometimes I get feelings about people. Like right now, I feel like Natalie would love this,” he murmurs.
“Natalie?”
“My sister.” He frowns, thinking. Then his eyes pop wide with excitement. “She’s an excellent poker player and has whipped my ass so many times it’s embarrassing. So let’s keep that between us. She also loves my brother, Pane, more than me, but that’s okay. It’s not a competition.”
