Chapter Fourteen
Chris sat behind the wheel of his Dodge Ram, driving the three of them to Junction, Texas, on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh yeah?” Gwen replied, sitting beside him in the passenger seat. Julián sat directly behind her. She was dressed to distract but probably didn’t realize it. When she’d asked, he’d told her the get-together was strictly casual. Casual looked damned sexy on her.
She wore a pair of fashionably faded Western jeans that had sparkling stones decorating the pockets, with a slinky figure-hugging turquoise top that made his mouth water. The bodice of the top crisscrossed over her breasts and fitted snugly beneath them, giving a teasing view of her cleavage.
Turquoise adorned her ears, her wrist, and her throat. Her feet were shod in flashy, pointed turquoise cowgirl boots. Head to toe, she was a freaking fashion plate and he could not wait to show her off—unless he thought of the grilling she was in store for. Then he wanted to exit the interstate and hightail it back to Divine, keeping her all to themselves.
Julián leaned forward and he caught his gaze in the rearview mirror. “You still worried about your folks?” Chris appreciated that Julián didn’t poke fun. He must’ve understood that Chris’s concerns were legitimate.
“We’ll arrive around four. That allows a little while to visit before supper and then we can leave. They know we can’t stay until midnight. We leave after we eat, head back to Wilbur’s for a few minutes to handle your evening chores, and then stop in at The Dancing Pony to decompress afterward.”
“Grace told me they’re having a big New Year’s Bash tonight. That sounds like a lot of fun but you don’t have to rush away from your family gathering on my account, Chris. I’ll be fine.”
Chris shook his head. “Don’t be hasty, Gwen. You may thank me later for giving this some thought. If you begin to feel like you need to get the hell out of there, just ask me if my mom has any ginger ale in the house. If you become desperate ask if I have any Tums and I’ll know it’s an emergency.”
Sounding amused, Julián quipped, “I’ll just ask for ear plugs.”
“At least you know what they’re like. Gwen thinks I’m pulling her leg.”
“Guys, it does me no good to imagine the worst because then I’ll start worrying. Everyone has assholes and idiots in their family.”
The rest of the trip was passed quietly until he turned onto his parents’ long, white gravel driveway. As they pulled up to the house, he heard her gasp when she saw the multitude of cars lining the driveway on both sides. He glanced at her and smiled as she surveyed the scene stoically. Then people began pouring from the house and the backyard.
She softly asked, “These are all family?”
“Yeah, some are from out of town. They’re here from back east for the holiday.”
“You didn’t exaggerate much when you said two hundred.”
“No, not much.” He smiled when an elderly lady was helped along into the front yard by his mother. “Aw, there’s Grannie.” Turning to Gwen, he grasped her hand and squeezed. “You ready, Elmer Fudd?”
She grinned at him and then laughed. “I should be pissed, but thanks for that. Yeah, I’m ready.”
He parked next to his sister’s minivan and cut the engine off. “Stay put and I’ll come around to you.”
They’d agreed that morning, as an afterthought, that it was probably best for them to keep to the appearance that had already been set. The family thought he and Gwen were a couple. There was no sense in shocking the crap out of everyone including his aging Grannie by letting it be known that they were actually a ménage. That visit would be hard enough without “those” questions. His family would want details he wasn’t willing to share. Deep inside was also the fear that his brothers would ridicule him for not being able to make a woman happy on his own. He knew that wasn’t what was happening in their relationship. He was holding his own, no problem.
“Wow. I can hear them even with the doors closed.” She bit her lip. “I’ll wait for you.”
“You okay? I can put this truck in gear and drive back down the driveway right now.”
Gwen laughed. “Let’s do this. If it gets dicey, I’ll remember my safe words. We still have The Dancing Pony to look forward to afterward.”
“Good. Brave girl.”
By this point kids were climbing on the truck and the grown-ups were peering inside curiously. He opened his door and waded through a sea of nieces, nephews, and first and second cousins.