Unforgiven(86)

She pulls a small teaspoon from the drawer. “Taste it,” she says as I scoop a small amount onto the spoon. “Does it need more salt?”
“I think it tastes really good.”
She scoops a small amount on a spoon for herself and tastes it, nodding in agreement. “It does. Those avocados were perfect,” she says, setting the spoon in the sink. She transfers the guacamole to a smaller bowl and hands it to me. “Will you set this on the table and gather the men? We’ll be ready to eat in just a minute.”
I hadn’t noticed that Jess has pulled a huge pan of enchiladas from the oven that are already resting on the dining room table and she’s now stirring a huge bowl of Spanish rice. I set the bowl of guacamole in the center of the table and walk to the living room to get the guys. Gabe is lying on a loveseat with his feet propped up on the arm and Luke sits on the couch, his legs stretched out and resting on the coffee table. John sits in his recliner, nodding off while Gabe and Luke talk about the football game.
“Dinner’s ready,” I announce. Gabe sits up quickly and grabs his beer from the coffee table. Luke swings his leg over to the recliner and nudges John awake. All three men rise and quickly take their places at the dining room table as Angelica places a steaming pot of beans on the table. Jess sits next to Gabe and I sit next to her. There are still two open seats at the table. “Ava and Heather usually take those two seats,” John says, pointing to the two open seats. “You’re in Adrian’s seat.”
“Adrian is Ava’s ex,” Jess says quietly, filling me in. “And Heather is Luke’s girlfriend.” Angelica takes a seat next to John and reaches out to take his hand. “A blessing,” she says quietly and everyone bows their head.
“Thank you, Lord, for the food on our table, our health, our family, and please bless our guest, Lindsay. In Jesus’ name.”
“Amen,” everyone says in unison. The men all dive for different dishes and start plating beans, enchiladas, and rice. I laugh quietly at the chaos that ensues when three grown men are clearly hungry. Plates are passed and, before long, I’ve been served a plate of shredded beef enchiladas with some rice and beans, along with some fresh guacamole. The sauce that covers the enchiladas is divine, and Angelica informs me that she made it from scratch. Of course she did.
We fall into easy conversation, spending the better portion of the next hour laughing and sharing stories. Everyone laughs as Gabe and Luke tell stories that they’ve encountered on the job as firemen, and I smile when I think about how much it reminds me of Landon and Matt and the stories they’d relive and tell. I’ve never felt so immediately accepted and welcome before, and I understand how Jess loves this family so much.
 

 
Gabe, Jess, and I walk down the dark street back to their house. I shower and hang up a few things in the closet before finding Gabe and Jess on the couch, watching a movie. Jess is curled up in the fetal position, sound asleep, her head resting on Gabe’s lap. His hand rests protectively on her back and he’s watching the movie.
“Hey,” he says, turning down the volume as I take a seat on the sectional.
“Whatcha watching?” I ask quietly, pulling a throw pillow into my lap and resting my hands on top of it.
“Captain America.”
“I can see why she fell asleep.” I laugh quietly. Gabe shifts carefully to look at me.
“I’m really glad you came to talk to Jess.”
“I am too. Thank you for helping me arrange it.” He nods and offers me a small smile. “Gabe, I never got the chance to thank you for helping Jess take care of me when I fell apart in Phoenix. I mean, if you weren’t there, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Lindsay, we all fall apart. We’re human. I’m just glad we were there to help you when it happened.”
I take a deep, cleansing breath. “I won’t see you before I leave,” I whisper. “Take care of her.”
“I always will. Travel safe and come visit us soon.”
“I will. I really like it here. Your family is amazing. You’re really lucky.”
“They are,” he says. “Goodnight, Lindsay.”
I settle into bed and spend the next hour reading before finally falling asleep with another huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.
 

 
I scratch the tip of my nose and grumble at the light that’s filtering in the large window in the bedroom. I pull the covers up closer to my chin just as I hear Jess start laughing. My eyes fly open and there Jess sits on the bed next to me.
“What are you doing?”