Unable to resist, he rubbed his palm across her derriere. When he heard a tapping sound behind him, he looked back and had to laugh as four of his young nieces and nephews squatted down in the grass under the window, pointing at what he was doing and snickering into their hands. They were obviously hiding from their mother who was currently scanning the room looking for them.
Chris gestured with a thumb at their mother and they all made motions locking their lips and hunkered down to hide. The oldest nephew, ten-year-old Eduardo, gave him a thumbs-up and waggled his eyebrows before disappearing into the bushes.
Gwen turned to look at what he was doing and he kissed her while he had the chance, and wolf whistles rose up around the room. Rosy color filled her cheeks.
Chris whispered, “Eat what you can now. I’m not sure you’ll get much chance in a few minutes.” He could already see his sisters grouping together whispering among themselves, and several of the brothers looked like they were just dying to get some ribbing in. Gwen had handled herself well so he didn’t worry quite as much but they still made him nervous, circling like sharks.
His Grannie came tootling up along their side of the table and nudged him on the shoulder. “I came to join you,” she said conversationally and then whispered, “and to protect you.”
Chris smiled up at his Grannie, loving her to death. He could always count on her. He moved over and helped her into the spot between him and Gwen, gladly giving it up for her. “They made you come and sit down, didn’t they?”
Grannie grinned. “My ankle keeps swelling when I stand on it.” She pointed to his mother and father. “They’re worried. I have a doctor’s appointment later this week.”
All the spots at the table filled quickly and soon the room rang with the sound of laughter and conversation. Everyone asked questions of Gwen but with Grannie sitting right there with them no one got in any cheap shots.
After the meal was over, Chris, Gwen, and Julián were standing in the living room talking to his brothers Mario and Salvatore when his sisters made their approach.
“Gwen, I’d like to introduce you to my sadists—I mean my sisters, Alessia, Caterina, and Simone. Girls, this is Gwen Henderson.”
Alessia grinned at Chris and said, “Ma is looking for you.” All three gave him big toothy grins. Yup. Sharks.
Chris nodded at Julián who stayed right by Gwen’s side as the girls greeted her and started pelting her with questions. He strained to hear as he walked away, but they were all talking at once and so loudly.
Like Blitzkrieg. Hit her all at once. He caught Gwen’s eye and she winked at him. He stopped to watch her, risking his mother’s wrath for keeping her waiting. Standing there in a pool of light, she glowed with a beauty that made his eyes hurt. From her snazzy turquoise blue cowboy boots, to those curvy legs and hips, to her drool-worthy upper half, she was the total package. An angel in denim. And she was handling his crazy family like a pro. But he didn’t doubt that the challenges were yet to come.
He entered the kitchen and helped take out the trash, and then break down the tables, and then take out more trash. When he went in search of Gwen, he found her in the living room surrounded by his brothers and one of his sisters, looking at a wireless tablet. Gwen said something as she pointed at the tablet and then everyone grimaced all at once. Julián was having a conversation with his father close by and Chris got his attention. Julián offered to get his dad another beer and he excused himself.
“I think you should stay with Gwen,” he said when Julián drew close.
“She’s doing great and if I stick too close to her they’ll wonder what’s up. You should’ve seen her, Chris. She’s holding her own with those assholes. She plays their own game right back at them, flirting while speaking her mind. She cut Roberto off once already when he tried to flirt and got Pietro and Salvatore pissed off at him. I think she’s okay but I’m staying close enough to keep an eye on her.”
“What are they looking at?”
“Lorenzo got his tablet from his truck and they’re watching some of her races and even found a few videos of you from your bull riding days. You really were pretty good,” he added as he clapped his hand on Chris’s back and went to the kitchen for more beers.
Just then, he felt a tugging on his pant leg and looked down at one of his youngest nieces, named Angelina after her grandmother. Her mother was busy in the kitchen and her father, his brother, Carlo, was busy watching a video with the others. He smiled down at the toddler who was just like her namesake, a little angel, as she reached up to him to be held.