“That’s… that’s incredible,” Lilly said, eyes watering and looking at the front door like it had magical powers.
I was pretty sure it did. Or it was the people inside that brought the magic.
“They hadn’t known about Mom but were in town visiting family.” I cleared my throat. That day. It wasn’t so uncommon but it stuck with me. They were wrecked when they learned about Mom. “Anyway, they’re successful now. Happy. They live in Chicago. Will owns his own carpentry business and Matt works for the Chicago Storm as one of the team’s sports therapists. I know they stay in touch with Dad now.”
The Chicago Storm was Chicago’s NHL team. I didn’t elaborate. She grew up there.
“Every time you talk about all the good your parents have done, it makes my heart hurt with envy.”
Fuck. There was so much more to say. So much more to tell her. This… hearing this from her was everything.
I reached over and took her hand in mine. It trembled and was cold and clammy but she squeezed my hand back with a fierce grip.
“Even if Dad hadn’t looked into your past, there is nothing you could have done, nothing that could have happened to you that would surprise him or disgust him. Trust me, he’s seen it all, Lilly.”
She blinked away tears filling her eyes. “I think I’m beginning to believe that.”
Thank God.
I gave her another moment to gather herself and when her grip on mine loosened, I let go. “Ready?”
She turned to me and smiled, with watery but happy eyes for maybe the first time I’d ever seen. “For the first real home-cooked meal I’ve had since who knows when? Yes.”
I climbed out of the truck and hurried around the hood so I could meet her as she opened her door and climbed down.
“What’s your favorite?”
“Favorite what?”
“Food.”
She shrugged. “It’s been so long since I’ve had good food, last week’s dinner an exception of course.”
“Of course.”
“I don’t know… I used to love simple food. Spaghetti. Tacos. Burgers. We had a live-in cook who made these crazy extravagant meals where we dined with china and flair. It never… I don’t know. The fancy stuff never tasted as good.”
We were at the door and I reached for the knob. Since Dad knew she was coming, I trusted he’d put away all the pictures of Melissa. I prepared myself for the moment when I wouldn’t see it next to my mom’s in the entrance like I always did.
“Then you’ll love tonight.” I grinned down at Lilly.
“Why?”
“Because Dad’s lasagna is out of this world.”
Her grin was blindingly beautiful, not broken, but genuine.
I opened the door to my childhood home, feeling ten feet tall and like a god among men.
24
Lilly
“Wow.”
The view was gorgeous. A wall of windows overlooking a large deck leading to bright green, rolling hills of grass. The golf course. I saw the country club sign when we pulled in but I hadn’t considered David would live right up against it.
Between the entryway and the view, was cream carpet and dark wood, walnut-colored wood floors with bulky, country or farmhouse type furniture with brandish black knobs. Suede-looking chocolate brown couches filled the massive living room with a vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace. In the very center, above the heavy wood mantle, was a massive television, currently set to a football game.
Next to me, Hudson shut the door and toed off his shoes. I did the same, inhaling the scent of Italian food, heavy on the garlic and spices.
“Do you want me to take your sweater?”
“Sure. It’s warm in here.”
And it wasn’t the temperature. It was the entire ambiance of everything that sparked more tears in my eyes. This was a home. A gorgeous house that had obviously not only been well-maintained over the years, but updated as well, and yet none of it looked like a showpiece. David must have set his thermostat to “Welcome home. Kick up your feet and stay awhile.”
Movement to my right grabbed my attention and I watched as Hudson placed two fingers to his lips and pressed them to the glass.
“Your mom?” I asked, although it was obvious. It was a black and white photo of a beautiful woman, hair tied in a knot at the nape of her neck and off to the side so it sat behind her ear. Pearl stud earrings, wearing what had to be a light-colored satiny colored shirt with a feminine collar. She was smiling toward something in the distance, with a soft look of endearment.
“Yeah.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“She was. Inside and out.”
I choked down the emotion coming from him, probably wafting off me.
This was family. True family not solely by blood but bonded by love.
I said a quick prayer to whoever was listening I would make it through the night without making a fool out of myself and followed Hudson into the home. He took my hand, held it tight as if he knew I needed that tether to something or I’d run.
As we passed the stairs, voices from the kitchen filtered out, growing louder because we were closing the distance and also because the woman who was speaking kept raising her voice.
She laughed then, loud and boisterous. Jenna. It had to be.
“It’s called garlic bread for a reason, Brandon!”
In the midst of the loud voices was David, his quiet, gentle rumble unintelligible to my ears, but the deep, warm tenor of it couldn’t be missed.
In two weeks, I’d go to work for these men and the more time I spent around Hudson, the fewer reasons I could find to be concerned with how or why I was given the job or gained their attention.
I was beginning to like them all too much.
“Hello!” Hudson called, and immediately the sounds from the kitchen silenced like a whip through the air.
“Finally!” Jenna appeared from the corner of the kitchen first, arms already open and a smile so wide it risked breaking her face in two. “Another woman! It’s about time you got here.” She yanked me to her in a hug, and I lost Hudson’s grip on my hand from the force of her strength. “I’m Jenna. And you’re Lilly. David told me you were coming and it’s fantastic. I need another female opinion.”
She pulled back, curled her hands around my biceps.
“I’m not sure I’m much help when it comes to anything kitchen-related.”
“But you have to like garlic bread. Come on.” She pulled me with her and I shot Hudson a glance over my shoulder.
“Jenna. You’re scaring her,” he said, grinning at me and shaking his head.
“No, I’m not.”
“Kinda,” I admitted.
Jenna’s face scrunched. “You’ll get used to it,” she said with a shrug, not the least bit concerned about my reaction.
Geez. Hudson wasn’t kidding. She was a lot. A force of nature.
“Okay, Lilly. Help me out.” She let go of my arm once we reached the kitchen. David was by the stove, gloves on his hands like he’d just checked dinner in the oven and Brandon was off to the side, at the kitchen island with two loaves of bread in front of him, sliced in half and the openings face up. “Tell Brandon here that there is no such rule as too much garlic on garlic bread. I mean, it’s a travesty to limit it, right?”