“It’s been a minute,” he admitted. His trips to town generally didn’t involve visiting anyone but his parents. And his brothers and sisters if they were around. He would see everyone else on holidays, mainly those who popped by his parents’ house for something.
“Your family’s close, though,” Stevie acknowledged. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to catch up.”
Stone nodded, peering over at her. “How’re your folks?”
Her expression shuttered. “They … uh … divorced. My mom’s in New York with her new rich husband. My dad’s taken up internet dating.”
“Oh, shit.” He twisted to face her more fully. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Her eyebrow quirked, and to his surprise, she didn’t blast him with a remark meant to make him feel like shit. He would’ve deserved it, obviously.
Stevie waved a hand. “It’s no big. I’m sure my dad won’t get swept up in some catfishing scam where he gives what little money he has to some burly dude pretending to be Sally McBigBoobs.”
Stone glanced at Nico to see what his reaction was. His response was a shrug.
Knowing he was only digging a deeper hole, Stone directed his next question at Nico. “And your mom?”
“Dead,” he said without an ounce of emotion.
Way to go, Jameson. Sure know how to ruin the mood.
Fuck.
Stone sat up, planting his elbows on his knees. “I—”
Before he could make an excuse to go home, Stevie slipped out from under the blanket, carefully crawling over Jäger, who was far too comfortable to notice Stone was mastering the art of putting his foot in his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she said, urging him back so she could straddle his legs.
Stone relaxed, staring up at her as she planted her hands on his shoulders.
“I said I’d give this a chance, and I meant it. But I should warn you. Parents—mainly mine—are a sore topic in this house. But now you know.”
His body warmed as she settled on his lap, her fingers trailing along the neck of his shirt.
Stone couldn’t explain the sense of calm that settled over him when he was around Stevie. It had always been the case. She had a way about her that made people comfortable. Even when she was ratcheting up the temperature on his internal thermometer.
Her eyes trailed the path of her fingers. “Let me see if I can get you caught up.”
He smiled. This was the Stevie he remembered. She’d always been quick to defuse a situation.
“After you left, we all graduated high school. Me, Nico. Your sister.”—she lifted her hands, balling them into fists, and cheered—“Class of 2009. Yay!”
Stone laughed, content to listen and watch.
“Then, Nico went off to college.” She flashed a grin. “Landscape architect, which, if I recall correctly, was an idea he came up with after he learned that Donovan and Brady had gone the traditional architect route.”
Stone glanced at Nico. He laughed when Nico both shrugged and rolled his eyes.
“Don’t deny it,” Stevie told him. “I started community college and lived at home. I worked in the diner for about a week. Hated it. Luckily, my dad told me I should focus all my efforts on school and not try to do more than I could handle. I didn’t argue, filling my class schedule. I got my associate degree in business management. My dad was proud of me, so he urged me to apply to a big university because he knew business was not where I wanted to focus my life. Since Niyah was going to UT, I figured it was worth a shot. I got in. Plant biology is my jam. It was awesome. Meanwhile, Nico was still learning to rake dirt and make it look pretty.”
Nico snorted.
Stone huffed a laugh. The tension had faded completely, and it was all due to Stevie’s efforts. But he wanted to know more.
“Keep goin’,” he urged.
“Okay.” She sat back on his thighs, forehead creased in thought. “I finished my bachelor’s degree, but unlike the overachievers I associate with, I stopped there. Niyah and Nico, not so much. They like to shine. Nico got his master’s degree. Niyah, therealoverachiever, went for her doctorate. That’s how she met Adam. He’s cool. A nerd like her. They make a good pair.”
