"Lia, where are you from, my dear?" Mrs. Stevens asks.
"Oh, here and there," I mumble without making eye contact. I hate talking about it. I don't want to talk about it. I feel like I'm evasive and everything is a lie by omission.
"Well, no matter where you are from, we are just so glad that you ended up in Rivers Edge," she adds with another warm smile. It's the smile I imagine my mother would have. If my mother was a part of my life.
"Did you meet William?" Mrs. Stevens asks as she glances over her shoulder towards the grill. "That's my husband, Michael, and our middle child, Will."
"Yes, he let me in the house a bit ago," I tell her.
"So, tell us: Will or Nate?" Josselyn asks Mrs. Stevens with both eyebrows raised to the sky.
"Oh, hush, my girl. I didn't bring Lia here to set her up," she smiles back at all the faces staring at her. My face, mind you, is still flaming red. I probably need to hop in the pool with Ryder in an attempt to cool off. Or drown myself. That might work too.
"You didn't?" Avery, Josselyn, and Erin all say. At the same time. Their faces are stunned, yet their eyes are filled with mischief.
My God, kill me now.
Mrs. Stevens laughs again. "No, I did not. I brought her here to introduce her to you ladies since she doesn't really know anyone in town yet."
The ladies all glance around the table at each other, looks of disappointment evident on their faces.
Hello! Sitting right here.
"Of course, if Lia and one of my two remaining single boys happen to hit it off, who am I to stop it?" she adds with a serious look on her face.
All eyes fall on me as laughter breaks out from around the table.
"And I'm shooting for Nate," Mrs. Stevens adds under her breath.
"I think it's the perfect time to use the restroom," I say as I stand up, ready to make a run for the next state.
"It's just past the kitchen in the hallway," Avery says between fits of laughter.
Dinner proves to be a wonderful reprieve from my normal routine. Mrs. Stevens places me next to Will, but I have a feeling there is more to that. Will is very friendly, in a shy and reserved kind of way. He's polite and generous with his smile. He's very good looking and has a stable job. He's everything a girl could possibly want in a man. If a woman was looking for a man, that is. He's, also, not Nate.
I can almost guarantee that Will doesn't have any tattoos snaking up his bicep and around his back. Will doesn't have a lone dimple in his right cheek that makes you want to stroke it with your thumb and maybe stick your tongue in the little divot. Will definitely doesn't have those intense, all-knowing, all-consuming eyes that stare straight into your soul. No, those panty-dropping qualities belong solely to his older brother, Nate.
I quietly watch the dynamics of this family around the dinner table. They are loud and caring and entertaining even though they are missing three key family members. But most of all, they are supportive and loving. They are the true definition of family. Hell, if you look up family in the dictionary, you'll probably see their group picture.
"Lia, so I know we just met, but I'd love it if you would join us at the wedding," Erin says from across the table.
"Oh, thank you so much for the invite. I'm not sure of my plans, but I will definitely try to make it," I reply uncomfortably as I shift in my seat.
"Well, if you have nothing else to do, just know you are welcome to come. I would love to have you there," she replies with a friendly smile.
"Thank you," I say, choking out the words in a quiet whispering sound.
It's been so long since I've had friends. I had friends in college. Not many, but a few. That was years ago. Before Garrett. Before Garrett ran them all off.
"How do you like working at the bakery?" Will asks, breaking me out of my sad little stroll down memory lane.
"I love it. I actually worked in a bakery for a few years, back in college," I tell him.
"It's one of the reasons I hired her," Avery chimes in. "With Sandra taking a step back to care for her mother, I needed someone with experience and who wasn't afraid to jump in with both feet. I could tell Lia was my girl about thirty seconds into the initial conversation that turned into a job interview."
I blush at the compliment, concentrating hard on the peas I'm moving around on my plate. I'm not used to being paid so many compliments. Between Nate, Avery, and Mrs. Stevens, it's almost too much for me to take.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Brooklyn scoop peas from her plate and place them quickly and quietly on Travis's plate next to her. I try hard to not smile - really, I do - but I couldn't help the full-watt smile that breaks out. Just when I'm about to let loose the giggle I'm struggling to contain, the front door bursts open in a rush. Two of the biggest men I've ever seen rush inside. Cops. My breath quickens in my chest as I gasp for air, dropping my fork onto my plate with a clank. No one seems to notice, though, as all of the attention is drawn towards the doorway. The way the entire room lights up, I realize quickly that this must be Avery's husband and brother.
As the two men stroll aggressively into the dining room like they are on a mission, Brooklyn jumps up and takes off running. "Daddy!"
The dark haired one that I assume to be Avery's husband, Maddox, dips down and scoops the little girl up. "Hi, princess. Are you being a good girl?" he asks before placing a big kiss on her cheek.
"Yep! I'm almost done eating my peas," she tells him innocently.
"Good girl," he replies, placing another kiss on her forehead, before depositing her back into her chair.
The tall blond walks over to Erin, bends down and places a passionate kiss on her lips. She seems stunned at first, but eases into the kiss affectionately. It doesn't take but a few seconds and I find myself looking away with red cheeks.
"Get a room," Will states from beside me.
"If I had time, I would," he replies with the barest of breaks in the kiss.
"Lia, this is my husband, Maddox," Avery says, just before Maddox places an equally passionate kiss on her lips.
"Knock it off," the blond growls as he rises to his full six foot, three inch height.
"I've been married to her for a year and a half, dude. We have a son. It's time to acknowledge that we kiss," Maddox says earning another menacing growl from the other.
"Ignore the testosterone in the room, Lia. That's my oldest brother, Jake," Avery says as Maddox tries to keep Ryder from smashing more peas in his nose.
"Hey. Nice to meet you, Lia. Are you here with Will?" Jake asks with a raised eyebrow, earning a slap to the stomach from Erin.
"No," I reply.
"She's here as my guest," Mrs. Stevens chimes in. "She works at the bakery and I wanted her to meet the ladies," she adds before standing and grabbing a stack of containers from the kitchen counter.
"Oh," Jake says as his phone rings. "Nate," he tells the room as he puts the phone up to his ear. "What's up, dickhead?" he says in way of greeting.
"Jake," Mrs. Stevens scolds while masking a smile.
"Sorry, Mom. I mean, what's up, Nate?" Jake asks with heavy emphasis on Nate.
I'm one hundred percent sure that my cheeks flame at the knowledge that Nate is on the other end of that phone call. I look up just in time to see Avery smirking at me. I don't think I've ever blushed so much in my entire life.
"Just stopped by Mom and Dad's to grab some food," Jake says into the phone against his ear.
I try to busy myself with eating my food, but honestly, I can't eat a bite. I'm dying to know what Nate is saying on the other end of that phone.
"Yeah, he's here," Jake says, looking at Will. "Yeah. The new girl. She's here, too." There's a pause as Jake listens. I start to get a little lightheaded, and that's when I quickly realize I'm holding my breath. "Next to Will. Why?" Jake raises his eyebrow and his blue eyes clash with mine. It's like a light switch is flipped. He gives me the most charming, ornery grin I've ever seen.
"Oh, they're all chummy. Will has his hand on her thigh right now, dude," Jake says straight-faced, and my face is anything but. The entire room turns to look at Jake. Erin jumps up and reaches for the phone but since Jake has a good foot on her, she can't quite reach it.
"I think I heard ‘em making plans for next weekend," Jake adds like salt to the wound.
Avery jumps up and slaps him on the back of the head. "Knock it off," she scolds him sternly.