“It was bound to happen one day.” He kept his tone light, but his jaw tensed. He viewed people’s ongoing concern as one more reminder that he wasn’t what he should be, and that ate at him.
“Nobody’s invincible,” I said.
Ty met my eyes, and I bobbed my eyebrows, an unspokenNot even you. He subdued a smile in return. Happiness circled through me and threatened to splash itself across my face in a moony grin.
Nope. No sense doing that in front of my family. Tonight would be full of enough awkward displays.
“Should we round up the boys?” Pop asked, pushing through our little group. “Jed, why don't you plate up the meat?”
In the hustle and bustle of getting all the food on the table and the chairs situated around it, the tight knot of nerves in my stomach uncurled. This was just a normal family dinner. A normal family dinner with my father’s new girlfriend, and my new...something. No label I tried on Ty fit quite right.
“I hope we don’t have any disasters of the Dylan or Beau nature like we did last time.” Pop aimed a steely gaze at each of his grandsons. His attempt to intimidate them completely fell apart when he tousled their hair as he walked past.
“Do you happen to have a tarp I could lay down under their chairs?” Wade asked.
“Anything they throw, you’ll be picking up.”
“You heard Grandpop, boys,” Wade said to his sons. “Be on your best behavior.”
The messy, mischievous grins the boys beamed up at him didn’t have anyone convinced they would.
We took our seats, and Pop said a brief word of grace. Then it was a free for all, as platters were passed and food dished up. The spicy scent of the barbecue had my mouth watering before the plate ever reached me, and I tucked in with the appetite I’d stored up all week with every shovel and scoop on Ty’s ranch.
The table buzzed with light conversation mostly related to the delicious food, praise for those who’d prepared it, and gentle reminders that Dylan had a fork he should use. Strange that a gathering topped with an ample helping of awkward tension could feel so like home. My sad little dinners for one in Austin couldn’t compare.
For a while, nobody said anything more pressing than “pass the corn”, but from the way my brothers and I snuck glances at each other, we were all searching for something nice and neutral to say. They’d forgotten their delight in my awkward situation, and we were all on the same team again, rallying to support each other in this unknown territory.
Strike that. Jed hadn’t forgotten about my awkward situation. His sly looks across the table at Ty and me didn’t give me much hope he wouldn’t embarrass me tonight. Before he could grill Ty over who knew what, I took matters into my own hands.
“How is your store doing, Marilyn?” I phrased the question as though asking after a sick pet, but at least it was something.
“We’re doing very well, thank you, June. You should drop by, I’ll show you the latest inventory.”
She shared a quick glance with Pop. He winked at her, and I had the feeling they were in on something.
Well, obviously they were.
“I’ll do that.” I usually stopped by when in town, but it would be hard to browse throw pillows and wood-burned cutting boards now, with my pop and Marilyn on my mind.
“What was that award the store won?” Pop asked between bites. “Best Home Doodads, or something like that?”
“It isn’t really an award,” Marilyn said with a modest laugh. “We were voted Favorite Stop for Home Decor by the local paper. There wasn’t much competition.”
“Paper doesn’t lie. Magnolia Ridge loves Fine & Dandy.”
The wordsMagnolia Ridge loves Fine & Dandysounded so bizarre coming from my father’s mouth, I almost laughed. Apparently, he had become something of an expert on home decor stores in the last few months. The affectionate look Marilyn gave him said his praise, however strange for me to hear, was well-received.
Watching my father make eyes with a woman who wasn’t my mother turned my stomach a little. As much as I wanted to be happy for him, a furious ache overtook me. Mom had only been gone a little over two years. Wasn’t it too early for this…whatever this was? Dating? I wasn’t in charge of his life, but he had never even hinted at being ready to date again, let alone that he had a woman in mind. The fact that he hadn’t told me because he thought I wouldn’t handle it well only intensified the twist in my gut. I fixed my eyes on my plate, forking the same clump of coleslaw again and again on the tines.
Ty nudged me with his elbow. I shifted away and shot a sideways glare at him, but it faded in the utter tenderness of his look. It was like he read all the turmoil raging in my heart, and wanted to pull me out of that funk. Once again, knowing I had him in my corner shored me up against the waves of longing I’d let drag me down. Maybe I didn’t feel any better about my father dating, but I wouldn’t mope about it in front of everyone, either.
“Wade,” Marilyn said slowly, as if testing the waters. “You must be excited to add to your little brood shortly.”
“We are.” Wade looked at Annie with enough affection in his eyes to get her pregnant all over again.
“Show off,” I said under my breath. He shot me a wicked grin, the bliss of the happily entangled.
“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Marilyn asked.
