He wants me with him.
“Hey, Bella,” Allie said from her other side. “Glad I get to be next to you. How are things at the library?”
They caught up as everyone passed around their plates. Mr. Lawrence placed chicken andvegetables on them, while the basket of biscuits and a crock of honey butter made a circuit of the table.
When everyone had been served, they all bowed their heads for a moment of silence. There was something so sweet about the old-fashioned tradition, and Bella was proud to see Cody do the same as everyone else, as if it felt like home for him too.
Dinner was a happy,noisy affair. And when Allie slipped away from the table and came back with a massive tray of s’mores brownies, everyone literally cheered.
Once they were finished eating, all the kids bundled up again and headed outside to play. Bella smiled at the sight of the teens, Cody included, helping the littler ones with their zippers and gloves.
While the kids had their fun, Maggie put on a pot of coffee, and the adults all sat around the table laughing and joking as they talked about holiday plans that mostly involved who would make which delicious treat.
“I’m going to do sugar cookies and rum balls,” Allie said.
“And I’ll do the gingerbread,” Maggie said with a smile that implied that she always did. “I’ll borrow the kids next weekend to help out, if any of you want a night out.”
“Hey, do you remember the Christmas when all the sugar cookies disappeared?” West asked suddenly, his eyes dancing.
“Disappeared?” Dulcie echoed.
“Oh, West didn’t tell you that story, yet?” Tag asked, chuckling.
“Let’s just say that somebody around here is a big eater,” West said with a smile. “And he had a terrible sweet tooth when he was little.”
Everyone laughed and looked to Tripp.
If it had been Bella, she would have died. But he just grinned like he was almost proud of his exploits.
“They were so good,” Tripp said, closing his eyes. “I can still taste them.”
“Why don’t I remember this?” Allie asked.
“You were too little,” West told her kindly.
“Remember the New Year’s Eve when we brought the goats in the house?” Tripp asked, laughing.
“We thought it was too cold out for them,” Tag said.
“I don’t remember that either,” Allie said.
“You were too little,” Zane told her.
“I missed everything,” Allie moaned.
“They tore the house apart,” Mr. Lawrence said, laughing and waving his arms around as he described the mayhem that he and Maggie had found when they heard the noises coming from the kitchen.
“Mom was so mad,” Cash mused with a smile.
“Not as mad as she was when you came home with that girl’s name tattooed on your chest, brother,” Tripp said, laughing like a hyena.
Cash’s face went blank as the others all laughed and exclaimed.
But Bella felt her heart crack open.
You should know better,a little voice whispered in her mind. Cash Law isn’t a person to have a seriousrelationship with. He’s the type of guy who runs around impulsively getting girls’ names tattooed on his chest.
“I’m just going to check on the kids,” she murmured, slipping out from behind the table. “I’ll be right back.”
