Page 58 of Wilde Flame

“If you actually manage to eat all of that, I’ll be impressed.”

We started back toward the dining room. “You’ll be impressed if I eat a plateful of food?”

“Hell yeah, I will. Especially since you weigh…what, a buck-five?”

I snorted. “Add fifteen pounds to that.”

We sat down, and conversation easily flowed between the four of us. Gatlin was right, it was much more fun to be at the kids’ table. I loved how the siblings teased one another, but you could clearly see their love and adoration. It made me wish I weren’t an only child.

Leaning back, I let out a long sigh. “I’m stuffed.”

Caden stood and took my plate. “I’m surprised you ate it all—but it’s time for dessert.”

Ensley jumped up. “There’d better be brownies left. You ate all the ones from last night.”

“Last night?” I asked.

It was Gatlin who answered. “Every Christmas Eve, we have dinner with our neighbors and my parents’ best friends. Mom made a batch of brownies, and Caden ate them all.”

“It wasn’t just me. I saved some room for hot chocolate.”

Memories of my childhood came rushing back. “Every Christmas Eve, my parents always let me open one gift. My mother always made hot chocolate, and we’d read Christmas stories and watch Die Hard.”

Ensley moaned. “That is not a Christmas movie!”

“Yes, it is!” Caden and Gatlin replied at the same time.

Laughing, I focused on Ensley. “I agree, and I’d complain every year. So after that movie, we either watched It’s a Wonderful Life or The Sound of Music. Which neither are Christmas movies either, but they are my absolute favorites.”

“Oh no,” Gatlin mumbled.

Ensley reached for my hand. “You like The Sound of Music?”

“It’s my favorite movie of all time. Well, next to Steel Magnolias.”

Gatlin snapped his head around to gape at Caden. “That’s it. Dude, Mom’s gonna make you marry her.”

Caden rolled his eyes as he picked up his brother’s plate. He turned swiftly and headed off toward the kitchen.

“What was that all about?” I asked.

Ensley beamed at me, while Gatlin wore a Cheshire cat smile. “Our mother loves two movies—The Sound of Music and Steel Magnolias. When she finds out you love those movies, too, she’s going to either, one, want to adopt you…”

Ensley laughed.

“Or two, marry you off to Caden.”

Raising my brows, I asked, “Why not marry me off to you?”

A cocky grin appeared on his handsome face. He resembled his father and Caden, but I saw a bit more of Vivianne in Gatlin. Either way, he was good-looking—and he clearly knew it. “Hey, I’m willing to make the sacrifice to marry you if it makes my mother happy.”

“I think Caden would have something to say about that,” Ensley muttered.

Gatlin and Ensley shared a look, clearly communicating silently.

Before I could ask what they were thinking, Caden was back. “What’s going on?”

“What makes you think something’s going on?” Gatlin countered.