He put on a button-up shirt. Honestly, anything he wore did all kinds of things for me.
I handed him a pair of athletic shoes. We gathered all the random stuff collected over the last few days and put it by the door. We put the harnesses on Daisy and Charlie. The only thing we kept with us was their sleeping box. On the way out the door, I stopped by the concierge desk to arrange to have our belongings sent to River’s apartment. I shook the man’s hand and gave him a tip.
I realized I had to go home to my empty house and my empty bed. A tight feeling hit me in the gut. I didn’t want to be alone in bed anymore. I wanted River wrapped around me. I wasn’t going to let these thoughts ruin my evening. I was nervous about meeting the rest of his family. River taking someone to the restaurant was a big deal. I wondered what the family would think about him bringing someone home.
“Have you ever brought someone over for your family dinner before?”
“Nope.” I started to panic. It hit me how important this was, much bigger than going to the restaurant. I would be around only his family, without customers and staff around.
“Never? Ever? Not even friends?” I thought I might pass out. I knew he never dated. I didn’t know why I assumed he would have brought someone here.
“Nah, my brothers would always bring girlfriends and friends from school. I just never felt that close to someone. I feel protective of my family and don’t want to share them with anybody if that makes sense. My best friends were family members.”
It made sense. I kept Sarah and Rodney close to me. I protected them fiercely, and I didn’t want to subject them to anybody that isn’t worthy of them. I realized I never thought twice about River meeting Rodney. He was already part of our little family. I looked forward to our lunch with Sarah and taking him to the vineyard, which was my sanctuary. I realized only people I consider family have ever been there. I wanted him to be part of my world.
“Were?” He looked down at his shoes.
“I feel like I have a new best friend.”
“Yeah, Charlie is pretty cool.” I reached up and rubbed his head. “It’s good we are bringing them. Charlie must learn to travel; having Daisy with him will keep him calm. It will also take the focus off you.” I bumped his shoulder, which has become my thing for saying we are in this together.
“He is cool. Looks like I have two new best friends.”
Thinking about it, dragons were family, too. I felt warm all over, and it wasn’t just desire. His family welcomed me to be part of them. I’ve always wanted to have people around me that I could trust. Being with River meant I got them, and nothing sounded better.
We pulled up to a sizeable ranch-style house. It sat back on a few acres with a manicured lawn and flower beds. The neighborhood had the houses spread apart, but you could know your neighbors if you wanted. The driveway and most of the block had parked cars.
“How many people are here?” I looked at all the vehicles as we got out. There was a small bench on the walkway where we sat down.
“Average is probably thirty. We’ve had some weekends where fifty people showed up. Family dinner has always been a thing. If you are related, you are welcome, and that includes boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, and roommates. If you couldn’t tell, you are now part of the family. There are rules about who you can invite, though. If there weren’t, it would get out of control.”
“Forty people doesn’t seem out of control?” I looked at him.
“Oh no. That’s probably just immediate family. The family members are allowed to bring one guest. So, for instance, if you want to invite Sarah, I can invite Rodney. We need to give Aunt Cecelia a heads-up. Typically, she doesn’t do any work for me on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday unless it’s urgent. Looking at the cars today, I would say around thirty people are here. Word probably got out that Little River –don’t say it– might be bringing someone to a family dinner. There is good and bad with a family this size.” He leaned over and gave me a gentle kiss.
“Be careful what you wish for?”
“Something like that. I wouldn’t trade a single person in my family, though. Are you ready for this?” He laced my fingers with his and squeezed.
I took a deep breath. “Yeah.” I felt terrified and excited all at the same time. Hand in hand, I could hear talking and laughing through the door. As soon as we walked in, I could smell tomatoes and garlic. As I looked around, the decor was like my own home. I immediately felt comfortable. I thought about my garden and how I needed to bring fresh produce to these gatherings. I’ll also invite them to help themselves any time. Anybody who cooked would love it.
We went in, and I at once noticed that there was a chef’s kitchen with a vast dining room attached. It felt like people were everywhere with glasses of wine and empty bottles with the familiar Sun Harvestlogo littering the counter. I smiled to myself. River kept his little secret on Thursday. I will reveal mine. Daisy was looking around. She loved people, and I was sure she wanted to get head pets from them all.
Someone designed this house to accommodate large groups, and the kitchen was the gathering place. The living room had a few people sitting around, but they still participated with those in the kitchen. River hoped to blend into the corner, and he squeezed my hand again as we left the entryway towards the common area. Storm turned around.
“Hey, River!” He hugged him, and River let go of my hand. I thought about when I was suddenly single again. My anxiety had been managed with the help of Daisy. River had the same effect on me. I reached up for Daisy, cupping my hand. She put her head in it and chirped, making me feel calmer.
I could see Storm looking around, and it appeared he remembered that River might not be alone, and his eyes darted until they landed on me. The rest of the room must have noticed River’s arrival because, suddenly, the room went silent.
Every eye in the room looked at me. All of them were welcoming and kind, making me relax. Storm came over and pulled me into a similar hug, and then it was controlled chaos.
River grabbed my hand again. Someone handed me a glass of red wine, and then I was introduced to the two other brothers, Franco Forest Barallo and Benedict Blaze Barallo. I understood why the brothers preferred to use their middle names. I met cousins, spouses, and uncles, all open and friendly. There was always wine in my glass, and I enjoyed all the conversations.
Blaze wandered over to me. “That Gentry?” He said it out of curiosity, not with any kind of venom.
“I suppose it depends on how you mean it, but I assume you mean the guy that runs Gentry Construction. Then yes, I amthat Gentry.”
“That is impressive. I’ve seen some of the articles written about you. River took a while, but he found a good man.” I blushed.
