CHAPTER 10
Summer
It’s been three days since we came to the ranch, and Mia is in love with this place.
The Hawthornes have been so good to us. She loves the horse rides with Grace, the Disney movie nights with Lily and Josh, and the dinners with the entire Hawthorne clan almost every night.
And when Ethan comes over, I always end up finding one of his notes with a wildflower on my pillow.
I still don’t know how to feel about him… part of me wants to tell him to stop, to back off, while another small part of me likes the way his words make me feel. No one has ever made me feel so… seen.
We wash up and make our way downstairs for dinner. Cas, Penny, and Jude are already here.
“Summer!” Penny exclaims, looping her arms around us. “How are you?”
I smile. “We’re okay. Mia was just telling me about the Christmas pageant, she’s going to be an angel.” I look down at a beaming Mia.
“You’re going to be the best angel ever!” Cas adds, grinning. He ruffles Mia’s hair, making her giggle.
Jude just nods, then looks down at Mia. A small smile appears on his face, the only times I’ve ever seen him smile are when he sees Mia or when she says something that makes everyone laugh.
“Hi, Jude,” Mia chirps.
“Hey, pumpkin,” he murmurs, his smile widening just a little.
I walk into the kitchen while Grace scoops Mia up. “Come on, let’s make some dough monsters!” she teases, holding the rolling pin like a sword.
The air smells like roasted herbs and warm bread, cozy and grounding, wrapping around me like a blanket.
“Careful, it’s hot!” Lily calls, giving me a quick smile.
“Need a hand with anything?” I ask.
“Just carry the bread, darling,” Lily says, handing me a basket still warm from the oven. “Everything else is almost ready.”
I nod and step out of the kitchen.
The front door opens, and Dex walks in, followed by Ethan, still in his fireman uniform. Do they design those to make women fall at their feet? Then again, Ethan could walk in dressed as a clown and still look… edible.
Summer, head out of the gutter. NOW!
“Evenin’, Summer.” Dex hugs me, then slips into the kitchen to hug his mom.
“I like you in blue,” Ethan smiles, his laugh lines making an appearance.
“Oh.” I look down at the blue sweater dress I’m wearing, another thing Penny convinced me to buy at the mall. “Thanks,” I whisper, and turn to walk over to the table to set the bread down.
“That dress looks good on you, Summer.” I turn to find Dex’s eyes on me. Suddenly, a couch pillow flies, hitting him square in the face.
“What?” Dex shrugs at a glaring Ethan. “Just telling the truth.” He winks at me.
I fidget with the hem of my dress.
“Ow! That hurt, you asshole!” Dex yells. I look up and see Ethan pull his elbow out of Dex’s side. Cas snickers, Josh smiles. I shake my head, trying not to laugh.
When dinner is ready, I help Lily carry it all to the table, platters of roasted vegetables, steaming bread, and chicken, fragrant with rosemary and butter.
There’s only one place left, right between Mia and Ethan. I take a deep breath and slide in.
“Mommy, I saved you a pace!” Mia beams, patting the chair beside her. I sit down and kiss her soft cheek.
“Place, pumpkin. And thank you.”
Mia beams proudly. Ethan’s sandalwood-and-spice scent surrounds me as I lean back in my chair.
“Ethan, why don’t you say grace tonight?” Josh asks.
“Uh, sure,” Ethan nods.
We all bow our heads. It was strange at first, my parents weren’t the praying kind, but it has grown on me. Mia even asks me to pray with her every night before I sing her lullaby.
As soon as Ethan finishes, we dig in.
“Mommy, look!” Mia points at her napkin. It’s pink, with a princess on it. “Efan bought it for me.” She beams at him.
“You didn’t have to do that. You’re spoiling her.” I try not to stare at Ethan’s forest-green eyes.
“Every princess needs a princess napkin.” He winks at Mia, then back at me. My heartbeat picks up.
“I saw them while I was Christmas shopping and I couldn’t not buy them for her.”
Kevin never bought her anything, he just threw his black card at me.
“Thank you,” I whisper, forcing myself to look away.
“No problem. I love making her happy.”
I don’t respond.
“Hey, I heard there’s a meteor shower tonight,” Grace says.
“What’s a meteo shower, Mommy?”
“A meteor shower, and it’s lots of falling stars, pumpkin,” I smile. Mia’s eyes grow wide. “Can we see them, Mommy? Please?”
“Oh wow, I’d love that! I could get some great shots!” Penny beams.
“We can all go out on the porch for dessert and hot chocolate,” Josh adds. “Mia would love that.”
“We can even turn the outside fireplace on for s’mores,” Lily says.
“I love that you do all these things together as a family,” I tell her.
Lily’s smile grows. “Thank you, Summer.”
“Have you ever been snow scootering, Summer?” Dex asks.
“Uh, no.”
“We go every year on New Year’s Day. Ethan always comes in last. This year, you’ll see me win,” Dex smirks.
Ethan throws a napkin at him. “I may lose the Hawthorne Snow Dash, but I beat you at pool every single time.”
“You play pool, Summer?”
“I do,” I say, downplaying it. I’m actually really good.
“You only beat me because you cheat you bas…” Dex glances at Mia, then smirks. “-tion!” He throws a piece of bread at Ethan, who catches it like a baseball and grins.
“Dex, knock it off, or the swearing jar comes back,” Lily warns, smacking him lightly with a folded napkin.
“Pffft, swearing jar?” Dex groans. “You mean the jar of doom?”
“Exactly,” Grace says, nodding sagely. Cas and Ethan snicker, Josh laughs, and Lily sighs fondly.
“Mommy, what is a ‘bas-tion’?” Mia asks innocently.
I groan, covering my face. “It’s a bad word, pumpkin,” I explain.
“Are you going to take away Dex’s toys now?” she asks.
“Don’t worry. My toys are all hidden at home. No one’s taking them.” Dex grins.
Cas, Ethan, Jude, and Grace groan dramatically as Lily wields her wooden spoon at Dex’s arm.
“Aww, sorry, Mama.” Dex pouts theatrically.
“I think I’ll put the swearing jar back,” Josh laughs, and the siblings all groan again.
Mia giggles, and for a moment, I let myself relax completely in the warmth of this crazy, loving family.
.