Fight Me(66)

“Oh, sure. You could just put me wherever, though. Don’t create room for me at the head table. I’d be fine some other place.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, dear. There is plenty of room for you at that table with Avery and Maddox, Holly, Aiden, and Jessica. Jake’s the only one that RSVP’d for two.”

“He did?” I ask curiously. Didn’t he have to RSVP like weeks ago?

“Of course he did. Why? Didn’t he ask you?”

“Actually, no he hasn’t. He always just assumes stuff. Drives me crazy,” I mumble under my breath, but of course his mom hears me.

“Oh my God! I didn’t give you an official invite because he told me he was going to ask you and to not worry about it! I’m going to kill him!” Avery exclaims with a huge exhale of frustrated breath.

“That’s our Jake. He’s always been a take-charge kind of guy. Even as a kid, he was the bossy one. It probably comes with being the oldest. You’re just going to have to put your foot down and put him in his place when you need to, dear. I’m sure it won’t take you too long to learn how to run the show without him realizing you, in fact, are running it and not him,” Mrs. Stevens says with a sly grin.

Avery and I both laugh as we clean up our mess left on the dining room table as Mrs. Stevens heads off into the kitchen to get everything ready for supper. Once our clean up is complete, we join her to get dinner ready for the family.

The Stevens kitchen is large and inviting, much like the rest of the home. There’s a small kitchen table in the corner of the room under a big wall of windows. I can picture Mr. and Mrs. Stevens sitting at the table with their morning coffee and watching the wildlife frolic in their backyard. A large island sits in the middle of the room with plenty of counter space for cooking. I can see Brooklyn, and maybe even small Stevens boys sitting on the counter and helping Elizabeth cook.

Dinner smells absolutely delicious. Mrs. Stevens pulls a big pan of chicken enchiladas out of the oven while Avery and I go about getting all the taco ingredients out of the fridge and plates and utensils ready for the masses. I can definitely picture myself helping these women set up for family dinners every Sunday.

“Avery, go rally the troops. Dinner’s ready,” Mrs. Stevens says as she removes the taco meat from the stovetop.

As soon as Avery is out of the room, Mrs. Stevens turns and looks at me with a smile. “Erin, dear, I hope you know that we are so glad you are here tonight. We think Jake is very special and I’m just so glad that he finally found a woman who sees it too. That boy has given me more sleepless nights than I can count over the past thirty-two years, but I knew that eventually, he would stop running and playing around with catty, shallow women and settle down with a good, down-to-earth woman. I knew that when he was ready to fall in love, he would fall hard.”

“Oh, Jake isn’t in love with me, Mrs. Stevens,” I counter though probably trying to convince myself more than her.

“Elizabeth. And I know you don’t believe that for a second. It’s written all over his face every time he’s near you. He loves you, even if he hasn’t told you yet. And that makes me the happiest mom in the world.”

I swallow hard over the lump that has formed in my throat. A moment later, the kitchen is inundated with Stevens men all grabbing plates and diving into the food. Jake comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me, cocooning me in his warmth and protection.

Once Jake and I make plates,–and I mean, I made a plate. I have no idea where I’m putting all this food, but it all looks so dang good–we head into the dining room to join the family. Conversation mostly centers on Avery and Maddox’s wedding, but eventually everyone gets to the latest on their jobs and personal life.

“So, Erin, how is everything going at the library?” Michael asks from the head of the table.

“Really good. I’ve started a few after school programs for teens, and I am revamping the children’s programs that go on during the mornings. I’m focusing on programs to try to get more youth involved in the library.”

“Well, good for you.”

“Yes, I heard about a few of the new things going on there when I was getting my hair done Friday afternoon. Word on the street is that you’ve really taken the bull by the horns and are making solid improvements to the library,” Elizabeth adds.

“I’m glad people are seeing the positive. It’s been hard work, but well worth it,” I reply.

“There are tons of positives. I’ve already been to the library more times recently than I was the entire time I was growing up here,” Jake adds as he reaches over and squeezes my leg.