Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Mia
As soon as we pulled up to the house, the front door opened, and my family came flooding out. First Caleb and Liam. Then my Dad and Liam’s wife, Dina, who was holding my little niece, Emma. They stood there and waved excitedly as we approached.
“It’s like the fricking Waltons.” Brax definitely sounded a little panicked.
I lifted a brow. “Like the old TV show?”
“Yeah, you know. They were a family with like, six kids from Depression-era Virginia who all, like, loved each other.” He shook his head incredulously.
“Seven kids,” I corrected. Before I could tease him that I knew all about the show my mom had watched as a child, much less grew up watching nearly every episode myself, he said, “But they sure didn’t have brothers who looked like that .”
I bit down on my lower lip to not laugh and then patted him on the shoulder in sympathy. “You should be more scared of my mom. She’s a real hugger. My dad’s a bit calmer, but if you start him talking about fishing, you’re going to be hanging with him for quite a while.”
My attempt at humor didn’t work. “So, who are the linebackers?” he asked as he stopped the car at the top of the driveway.
“Caleb’s the taller one, and Liam’s the one with the big beard.” I stuck my arm out the window and waved back.
“I should’ve brought my shoulder pads.” A shadow of worry clouded his face. Unflappable Brax suddenly looked very…flappable. And I was loving every minute.
“Don’t worry,” I said, opening my door. “They’ll only tackle you if you fumble.” And then I got out.
My brothers whooped. Our little dachshund Cooper bolted straight down the porch stairs and ran all the way across the driveway to greet me.
“Cooper!” I bent down, my arms open wide.
Beside me, Brax emitted a low whistle. I think I understood why. Our house was picture-postcard perfect, complete with pine boughs draped around a picket fence that surrounded the large yard, and around that, fields, stretching for acres in three directions. The backyard, with its red barn, faced a little lake and some woods. And the front was…well, magical. With the snow and the lights, it took my breath away too.
I received an amazing welcome from the dog. What did it matter if all men sucked? Cooper was literally licking my face all over with doggie kisses, almost as thrilled to see me as I was him. I couldn’t stop laughing. “Cooper! Coopy baby! I missed you so much. Yes, I did.”
After a minute of intense mutual affection, I dusted myself off and stood up.
“I never heard you do that before.” Brax gave me an amazed look.
“Do what?” I asked. “Baby talk to my dog?”
“Giggle.”
I made a dismissive gesture, but to be honest, his comment startled me. Did I giggle at work? Or anywhere? I hadn’t exactly been feeling carefree these past few months.
I kept riling up the dog, and he was jumping, sniffing, and running in circles around me. As I lovingly bent to ruffle the fur on his neck, I said, “Cooper, meet Brax.”
His big brown doggie eyes were full of love for me. Me, me, me . Not Brax, to whom he gave the complete cold shoulder.
I’m not going to lie. It felt great to be somebody’s favorite, loved unconditionally. I wondered if Brax knew what that was like? I mean, not just from a dog. From people.
“Hey, buddy,” Brax said, bending low and extending his hand a little. Copper barely sniffed it, returning to lick my face instead.
I have to say, Brax looked a bit put off. How many of our coworkers didn’t like Brax? He was one of those charismatic people who never lacked for the right words, and when he smiled—oh, Lordy, when he smiled, half the female population of Milwaukee swooned. I bit back a laugh as I straightened up. “Don’t take it personally,” I said. “He just misses me.”
I felt Brax’s hand on my shoulder. “If your dog’s this excited, I can’t wait to see how the rest of your family acts.”
“Ha.” I looked up and grinned. “Just you wait.”
Just then, the front door opened again. My mom ran out, wearing a blue checked flannel shirt and a Christmas apron that said We Whisk You a Merry Christmas . Her hair was very short, cut in a pixie, and it was gray and curly—I was used to it being dark brown, straight, and layered. The last time I’d been home, in early fall, it had barely started growing back. I shouldn’t have been shocked because we talked on FaceTime a lot but seeing her in person made tears sting behind my eyes. I ran to meet her, and before I knew it, I was wrapped in her familiar, vanilla-scented embrace as the rest of my family gathered around.
She kissed me and drew back to look at me, smiling widely, just as always. “Sweetheart,” she said, and that one word, coupled with her beaming love, made me grateful beyond words to be standing here, in this snowy gravel driveway, surrounded by everyone I loved.
There is nothing in the whole world like an embrace from your mother. And mine had just made it through hell and back. She was thin and a little pale, but she was here, and as full of life as ever.
She soon moved on to Brax. “Braxton,” she said, looking him over at arm’s length and then clasping both his hands in hers. “We are so thrilled to finally meet you. Mia’s told us so much about you.”
A pang of guilt needled me in the gut. To Brax’s credit, he didn’t so much as steal a questioning glance in my direction. Or blink at the sound of his name on my mom’s lips. While he got caught up in a giant hug, my mom said something low to him that I couldn’t quite hear. I could only see his cheeks color, and he nodded and smiled.
That was interesting. What did she tell him?
“Call me Beth,” she said warmly. Then to me she whispered, “I like him.” Threading her arm through mine, she added, “He’s so handsome.”
“Yes, he is.” I smiled at him in a way that said, And he knows it too.
He must’ve heard, because he looked pleased, grinning so that one of his dimples showed.
Yes, he had dimples. The man had zero unattractive features, okay?
Brax smiled at me and gave an easy, nonchalant shrug that seemed to say, Can I help that I’m so hot?
Before I could parry him, my brothers bear-hugged me, and then my dad gathered me in. I squeezed him hard, wordlessly acknowledging all he’d gone through with my mom.
“I’m so happy to see you!” Dina said. She wore a beige cowl-neck sweater—cashmere—and black leggings, looking as put-together as always. Dina was in fashion merchandising, and her sense of color and style extended to, well…just about everything. Emma, in her arms, had her light brown hair in pigtails with one red and one green scrunchie. She wore a bright pink sweater, Barbie leggings, a pink tutu, and red and green fuzzy socks. And lest I forget, a little pink rhinestone crown hanging at a lopsided tilt on her head.
“Auntie Me-Me,” my very bright and intelligent and beautiful niece said, “are you going to color with me?”
That was our special activity that we always did together even though she was more creative than I was with crayons. “As soon as possible, my precious. I can’t wait.” I hugged Dina, then kissed Emma on the cheek and gave her foot a little shake. “Nice socks.”
“Great to see you, sis.” Liam smiled and gave me another giant hug, then gave his daughter’s right pigtail a playful tug. When he was single, he wore brown cords and sneakers every day, an ode to his job, as Mr. Smarty Pants was a brainiac software engineer for Epic in Madison. But thanks to Dina, he wore a smart-looking sweater and tapered tan pants, looking shockingly stylish.
Liam was four years older than I was, and he’d dated Dina in high school, so I’d known her for a long time. She’d always been like an older sister to me and was a born nurturer. If it hadn’t been for her, I’m not sure how I would have made it through the Charlie-and-Erin thing.
My dad, less exuberant than my mom and clearly the calming influence in our family, shook Brax’s hand solidly. Caleb, who was two years younger than Liam and two years older than me, clapped Brax sturdily on the back. “So, Brax, my man, what are your intentions?” Great. He’d wasted zero time putting Brax on the spot. “Toward our baby sister, that is.” His gaze drifted over to me.
Like a true baby sister, I punched him in the arm. He had so much muscle, he didn’t even flinch, just grinned and made a face like Did a fly just land on me? I thought I felt something.
It was jerky of Caleb to try to make Brax flinch. But that was how Caleb showed love. He was as protective and brash as Liam was quiet and thoughtful. Brothers. I loved both of them to death.
There was a sudden hush as everyone seemed to hold their breath for Brax’s answer. Even the dog stopped barking.
Brax stood his ground. As the two men stood toe to toe, they seemed to be sizing each other up. Then Brax looked me straight in the eye. “I love Mia,” he said smoothly, with feeling. “I’ll do anything to make her happy.”
My poor, lonely heart quivered. Like a droopy flower hungry for water, I soaked all that sap right up. For just a few seconds, I felt those words. Felt what it must be like to have someone really, truly love you. Someday , I promised myself. Someday, I wanted to hear them for real.
Then the guilt set in. I was lying to my family. I’d never done that before, and it didn’t feel great.
It got even worse. “That’s the most precious thing I’ve ever heard!” My mom clapped her hands in glee. “Steven, isn’t that the best?”
My dad gave a slight nod to be polite, but I knew he was reserving judgment for when he really got to know Brax.
Oh, except he wouldn’t really get to know him, would he? I’d just caught myself getting swept up in my own fantasy.
“Well, all righty, then,” Liam said. “Welcome to Casa D’Angelo.”
Just then, Dina met my gaze. She smiled and gave me a tiny flicker of a look that I took to mean We need to talk later.
Emma held out her arms to me, so I took her from Dina. She slid off her crown and put it on my head. I twirled her around until we were both dizzy. Then she took my cheeks in her little chubby hands. “Is that your boyfriend?” she asked—loudly, I might add.
“This is Brax,” I said, replacing her crown. “Brax, meet my super-smart, super-kind, super-pretty niece, Emma.”
“I’m this many fingers,” she said, suddenly ducking her head shyly into my shoulder.
“Wait a minute,” I said, realizing she was holding up five fingers. “You’re this many fingers.” I held up four. Apparently, she thought that was the funniest joke ever.
Brax bent his head to say hi. “Nice to meet you. I’m Brax.”
“Mia’s my favorite aunt,” Emma said, unducking her head. “You could be my favorite uncle. May be.”
Thank you, girlfriend.
“I sure hope so,” Brax said, his gaze sliding over to mine, his full lips tilted up into the slightest smile. Like we shared a secret. Like he was up to the challenge of being her favorite uncle. Or was he just hamming it up in front of my family? I was completely caught off guard. How would I ever know which of his reactions were real and which were fake?
I told you, he could captivate ’em. He was a natural-born charmer. Which made me shake my head and force myself back to reality. “Hey, can someone help us unload the car?” I called out. “I’ve got cookies.”
I busied myself with the task, reminding myself that falling under Brax’s spell could only bring disaster.