Page 70

After landing back home in Kansas, I can tell Molly is tired. The past few weeks have been an emotional whirlwind for her. As much as I want to continue spending time with her, I know she needs some rest.

Parking in her driveway, I grab her suitcase and carry it for her. She rushes ahead of me to unlock the door, holding it open for me. I kiss her cheek as I shuffle past her. She giggles and closes the door behind us.

I roll the suitcase to a stop in the entryway and turn toward her. “I’m going to head out and let you have some peace and quiet,” I say, taking a step toward her front door.

A brief look of disappointment passes her features before she forces a smile. “Oh, okay.”

Taking a step toward her, I pull her into my arms. “You know I’d rather hang out with you than anything else in the world.” I lean back so I can look at her. “But you’re about to faint with exhaustion. You need sleep.”

She groans and snuggles against me. “You’re right. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. It’s actually going to be a little weird not sleeping next to you.” Her body tenses and she pulls away. “I’m sorry. That was too clingy, wasn’t it?”

I chuckle before I can stop myself. “You’re not the clingy one. I’m the one who was secretly sending you spoons and love notes for six years, remember?”

Laughing, her body relaxes. “Okay, true.”

“Don’t ever hide what you’re thinking or feeling from me, okay? I can handle it all.” I hug her once more and drop a kiss on top of her head. “Goodnight, Molly. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait.”

The next day, I stride inside my parents’ house as planned. David is the first one I see, and I run up behind him and wrap my arms around him. “Big brother! I’ve missed you!”

David shoves me away, but there’s a subtle smirk on his face. “Hey. It’s nice to be back in the States for a bit.”

It’s still weird to me that my serious, always-has-a-plan brother changed his whole life around when he fell in love with his wife, Isa. He would’ve been the last person I’d have thought would elope and move out of the country. A testament to how much he loves his wife.

“You look good. Marriage suits you,” I say honestly, then stick my hand in my pockets awkwardly since we aren’t usually this complimentary with each other. But hell, I really have missed him.

“Thanks, man.” He smiles and Isa appears from the kitchen.

She comes to stand next to him and loops an arm around his waist. “Hey, Brooks! So, how’s the dating ban going?” Her eyes twinkle mischievously like she knows something I don’t.

“Great. It’s been a nice break, actually,” I answer with all the confidence I can muster. Trying not to think about Molly or I’ll give myself away.

“Oh, good. Glad to hear it.” She winks and kisses David’s cheek before running off to the kitchen again.

David stares at me with a smirk.

“What?”

He raises his eyebrows and shakes his head innocently. “Nothing. Let’s go help Mom with dinner.”

I follow him inside the bustling kitchen, where the rest of the family is doing my mother’s bidding. Drew and Sophie are on mashed potato duty, Madden and Odette are getting the pies ready to bake in the oven, and David begins helping Isa form dough into rolls. My father is likely in the backyard smoking the turkey, and Mom is frantically fussing over everything, and nothing in particular.

“Oh, Brooks! Thank goodness. I need someone to set the table.” She grabs a stack of plates and thrusts them into my hands.

I lean over and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Nice to see you too, Mom.”

She stops what she’s doing and palms my cheek affectionately, before patting it a bit too aggressively. I wince. “Okay, now get to work.”

I turn toward the dining room before remembering my plan. “Oh, hey.”

Mom turns toward me again, wiping her hands on her apron. “Yes?”

“Molly had originally planned to stay in Vermont for Christmas, but her sister’s wedding really wore her out. She flew home early, and now she’ll be home alone all day.” My mother looks at me impatiently, waiting for me to make my point. “I didn’t know if we could save her a plate of food, and I'll take it to her on my way home?”

The kitchen quiets down abruptly, and all of my siblings and their spouses turn to stare at me. Madden shakes his head in dismay and Odette pinches his arm in warning. Drew and Sophie look at each other, grinning. And David and Isa have the same mischievous smirks on their faces that I saw earlier.

What the heck is going on?