Taking a deep breath, I sighed. “No, just needed a moment to mentally prepare myself.”
“I can personally assure you that I’ve inspected the house, and there don’t appear to be any booby traps set up for you.”
That would be a first.
“I’m trying. I just can’t seem to force myself to get up off this couch.”
A devilish gleam entered Liam’s striking blue eyes as he deadpanned, “Amy and I have had sex on that couch.”
That was enough to light a fire under my ass, and I jumped up, brushing off the back of my suit pants. “Not cool, man.”
Not the least bit remorseful, his gaze scanned me from head to toe. “You’re not seriously wearing a suit to Thanksgiving, are you?”
Looking down at my navy-blue suit, I thought I looked respectable, so I was confused. “Isn’t this the Americans’ mini-Christmas?”
Liam’s chest vibrated as he held in his laughter. “No. This is way more casual. You have to change. I can’t vouch for you if you show up like this.”
Noting Liam’s choice of clothing for the day of jeans and a sweater, I nodded before heading to the guest room to change. You’d think packing for a month away would mean I had various clothing options at my disposal, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. When Lucy dropped the bomb that we were leaving, with only a few hours’ notice, I panicked, grabbing what I could and throwing it into a single suitcase. Milan was one of the fashion capitals of the world, so I figured I could just buy anything I forgot.
That wasn’t helpful now as I surveyed my inventory of clothing. I had a lone pair of dark wash jeans but no sweaters, so I opted for a navy-blue button-down instead. It was still less formal than the suit, so it would have to do.
Trudging back down the stairs, Liam was still waiting in their open-concept living room.
Annoyed, I grumbled, “I’m not a flight risk.”
Unconvinced, he shrugged. “Just saving myself the trouble of coming back here to retrieve you a second time.”
Resigned, I followed him out the door and across the stone pathway between the two houses. When Liam let himself in aside door, it hit me why I’d been so apprehensive about joining the festivities. I felt like an intruder. I wasn’t part of this family.
There wasn’t long to ponder that reality as I crossed the threshold and was hit with a wall of sound—adult and child voices alike—creating a cacophony the likes of which I’d never heard before. It was evident that the side door we entered through wasn’t the main entry, given the mudroom to our right and the narrow hallway to our left. Liam turned left down the hallway, and I followed him further into the house. The noises got louder with every step we took.
Finally, we were spit out into a kitchen that could rival that of any estate back home. It was massive, easily larger than some of the more modest dwellings in Belleston, and featuring gray threaded marble and stainless-steel appliances. Most shocking of all was that it was filled with people. Some cooking, some chatting, and some of the smaller ones running around—a majority of them were strangers to me.
To say that this kind of scene was foreign to me would be an understatement. Growing up, our kitchen was in the basement, and the staff handled the cooking. Sure, as a child, I occasionally snuck down for a snack, but it was never like this.
Drawn from my thoughts, a petite woman with honey-blonde hair approached where I stood staring, a smile on her face. “You must be Preston! If we have met before, please forgive me for not remembering. The faces started to blur together after a while.”
Blinking at the woman, it took a moment to place her. Stunned, it hit me. “Natalie?”
Flashing me with a brilliant smile, she blushed. “That’s me. Welcome to our home.”
She looked nothing like the girl I remembered. The Natalie I knew was frighteningly thin, fragile, and kept her eyes down. Her submission was not given freely—it had been practically beaten into her. The woman who stood before me lookedhealthy, vibrant, and happy. It was incredible to see her transformation.
Astonished, I breathed out, “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Reaching a hand up, she touched her head, almost laughing. “It’s the way I do my hair now, isn’t it?”
Damn, and she was funny too. Smiling, I nodded. “That must be it.”
Taking my hand like we were old friends, she pulled me further into the kitchen past an older couple I couldn’t place, stopping once we stood before a dark-haired man about my height, holding a raven-haired toddler on his hip. Dressed even more casually than Liam in jeans and a black t-shirt, his prominent arm muscles bunched as he juggled the squirming little girl. I could have sworn I heard mention of Natalie ending up with a professional athlete, but I couldn’t recall which sport he played.
Natalie’s chocolate brown eyes sparkled as she looked at this man before introducing him. “This is my husband, Jaxon.”
Shifting the toddler to his opposite hip, he reached his right hand out to shake mine. “Nice to meet you. Make yourself at home.”
Returning his firm grip, I shook his hand. “Thank you for making room for me. I know I wasn’t on the original guest list.”
Glazing over that comment, Natalie tickled the belly of the toddler in Jaxon’s arms, causing her to giggle. “And this is Charlie.”
