Chapter 13 #2
Henry, the youngest brother, slips in beside the girls and claps Wells on the back before giving him a hug, then pulling back to look at both of us, his gaze bouncing between us. “Can’t believe you managed to find someone to put up with your shit.”
“Henry,” Wells warns, his lips tightened into a scowl.
Henry lifts his hands in surrender, quietly laughing. “You know we’ve all been saying the same thing. It’s about time you settled down… you’re the only one of us left that’s been hopelessly single.”
I giggle when Wells reaches out and shoves Henry in the chest.
Of course, at that point, everyone joins the conversation, teasing and poking fun at Wells, but they’re all so incredibly friendly and welcoming that it makes me feel slightly less overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.
But I am having trouble keeping up with everyone’s names, mostly due to the rapid-fire introduction from Wells and the fact that they all look so similar it’s like his parents hit copy and paste.
The McCoy genes are strong.
I learn that he has three sisters and two brothers. All of them together make six.
And he was absolutely right, there are a ton of kids. At least seven here, a range of ages from newborn to teenagers, and I end up giving up about halfway through on trying to keep everyone’s names straight.
He wasn’t lying when he said I’d need a notebook. More like a spreadsheet organized by colored tabs, but then again, this… it’s just temporary.
I probably won’t meet them again, and for some reason, the thought makes me a little sad. I haven’t had the chance to get to know everyone, but I genuinely love Ally, and I hope that we can still hang out after, you know…
Wells drops my hand momentarily and swoops in, picking up a toddler who looks to be all of three.
I think his name is Conner? If I’m remembering correctly.
He’s adorable, with rosy red cherub cheeks and a mop of curly brown hair that bounces as his uncle tosses him into the air, a flurry of giggles tumbling out of him.
God, it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
He sets him back down and moves to the tiny little newborn baby that his sister Isla is holding. She transfers her gently into his arms, and I swear, my heart is beating out of sync in my chest.
Seeing Wells clutching a baby in his massive arms, pressing her bundled little body tightly against his chest as he coos to her… yeah, well, that did something really weird to me. There’s something so damn attractive about a man holding a baby.
Ally sidles up next to me, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “Isn’t it so hot seeing them with babies?”
I hesitate for only a second before I snap out of it, laughing with my admission. “Honestly, yes.”
We watch Wells interacting with his nieces and nephews, somehow ending up on the floor at the bottom of a dog pile, and I lift my hand to cover my giggle.
He’s pretending to flail under the weight of them all, his groans and movements ridiculous and dramatic, but they’re screaming and giggling in delight.
Yeah, this man is as soft as a teddy bear. There’s no way this is the man who stole the last muffin at Frosty’s or my parking spot at the Mistletoe Mercantile.
Not a chance.
Except, it is, and seeing this side of him sheds a whole new light on him.
“I’m so glad you came this weekend. I’m going to head back to the cabin and change out of this.” Ally gestures to the black dress she’s wearing. “We came straight from sightseeing in Mistletoe Falls earlier, and I need better shoes for tonight because I’m not making the same mistake as last year.”
Before I can even ask her what she means by that, Katherine appears in front of me, and Ally excuses herself, walking back over to where Zander’s sitting on the couch.
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you feeling okay? I know there are so many of us,” she says, her gaze warm as it washes over me. The shade of her eyes reminds me so much of her sons’. “I can’t imagine meeting everyone for the first time together.”
“It’s been lovely. Thank you so much for having me this weekend,” I say as we both look across the living room to where Wells is now sitting crisscross, with his nieces surrounding him, making popcorn string.
I cover my mouth to stop the laugh at how badly he’s struggling with it.
His hands are so big that he keeps dropping the popcorn, the pieces on the string slipping off each time he does. His sharp, strong jaw is tense as he focuses intently despite his nieces dissolving into giggles beside him.
Katherine laughs, shaking her head. “He might be grown now, but he’ll always be the little boy who loved doing crafts with me as a kid.”
I’m sure if Wells could hear her now, he’d be having a fit, but honestly, I like hearing about who he was before now.
“He used to make these adorable little snowmen out of pipe cleaners and cotton when he was young for my Christmas village. He’d sit there for hours and hours making them, perfectly content to be alone doing it.
I think as much as he loved being around his siblings, he loved having the quiet time to himself. ”
Realization rushes through me when I remember her gift that I tucked into my bag.
“Oh, hold on one second,” I say, rushing over to the spot by the door where Wells placed our stuff and rifling through my bag that I absolutely overpacked to find the neatly wrapped present.
I walk back over to Katherine, casting a quick glance at Wells, who’s still making Christmas crafts with the girls, and hand her the small box. “Uh, I picked this up for you the other day at Mistletoe Magic. It’s just something small, but Wells said you’d enjoy it.”
She eyes me for a moment, a mixture of curiosity and emotion swirling in her eyes, softening as she looks down at the box in her hands. “You didn’t have to get me anything, sweetheart. Thank you, that’s so incredibly kind of you.”
I bite my lip, nerves swirling in the pit of my stomach as she tears off the paper and peers inside the box.
Her breath hitches before she whispers, “Oh, Rosalie, this is the most precious gift.” She pulls out the small replica of Sweet Sullivan’s and spins it around in her fingers to fully look at it. “So thoughtful and sweet. I love it. Thank you so much.”
When she looks up at me, her eyes are glistening with unshed tears.
She curves her hand in mine, squeezing gently.
“I’m so glad that Wells found you. I can see the way he looks at you.
I know that you’re special—it’s just a mother’s intuition.
You know, he was lost for a long time, and something tells me that all of his searching led him right here to you, sweetheart. Thank you.”
I can only manage a nod, emotion thrumming heavily in my veins as I try to find the right thing to say.
I never make it that far because Wells steps into view, an easygoing smile pulling at his lips.
“What did I miss?”
Katherine laughs, reaching up to swipe away a tear. “Oh, nothing, darling. Rosalie was showing me this beautiful gift that she got me.”
His warm brown gaze bounces between his mom and me.
“Told you she’d cry, Sugar.” He steps into me, slipping an arm around my waist, pulling me against his hard body, and pressing his lips to the top of my head before looking back at his mom.
“Glad you like it, Mom. I think it’ll go well with your village. ”
She nods, watching the two of us with a smile.
“Ready to check out the cabin?” he asks me.
“Yeah, of course.”
With my hand tightly clasped in his, we call for Penny and Frankie and say a quick goodbye to his family, and then he grabs our bags that he left by the front door and leads me outside.
Thankfully, it’s only a short walk from the main cabin to the others because it is freezing outside.
The cabin that Wells brings us to is obviously much smaller than the main house, but it’s even more cute and so cozy. When we walk through the front door, there’s already a steady fire crackling in the fireplace, illuminating the space. It’s decorated warmly in neutral browns, creams, and blacks.
Of course, Penny and Frankie head straight for the plush rug in front of the fireplace and roll around on it like they’re making themselves right at home.
I drag my gaze around the large room, over the adorable Christmas decorations, until I halt, realizing that in the middle of the room, there’s an extremely large bed.
One singular bed.
Of course there is, Rosalie, my God.
Did you expect them to put you in bunk beds?
Why am I suddenly nervous at the prospect of sharing a bed with Wells? Imagining his broad body tucked in next to me makes my heart race.
Would he wear pajamas, or is he the sleep-in-underwear-only kind of guy? Or maybe… he sleeps in nothing at all.
I was so busy getting ready to leave Sweet Sullivan’s for three days, prepping things for Gramps and Grams to keep the cases stocked, that I didn’t even really have the chance to think of something like sleeping arrangements.
“You okay with sharing, Sugar?” he murmurs, setting our bags on the small table near the fireplace, an entirely too pleased grin on his face.
Stupid racing heart, at it again. I play it off with a joke instead of admitting that the thought of sharing a bed with him is making my head swim. “Guess this is probably a good time to tell you that I snore? And I have horrible morning breath. Sorry in advance.”
He smirks, lifting his shoulder in a shrug as he closes the distance between us. “Good thing you brought a toothbrush, and I sleep like the dead.”
This man. He’s got an answer for everything.
“Whatever, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you,” I retort cheekily.
Keeping my eyes on his, I walk over to the bed and lift myself onto the edge of the mattress, my feet dangling.
“Ally just told me that she was going to get ready for tonight and that she couldn’t wear a dress… so wanna tell me what’s up next?”
His eyes shine with amusement, and he laughs, raking a hand through his tousled hair. “Tonight, we’re going to do something… fun. You trust me?”
Even as I say it, something tells me that I’m going to regret it.
“Yes, but do not make me regret it, Wells. Or you’re going to be on the floor tonight, and I’ll be the one in this big, fluffy bed.”