“She told you about moving to Mobile?” he asked with a wince. “She didn’t tell me, but I overheard her talking to Brian Sunday night before he hightailed it out of town.”
“And you didn’t knock the shit out of him?”
“I wanted to, but then Ella would hate me,” Jesse said. “She’s pissed at all of us.”
“Well, we gotta fix this. I just need some time to handle a work matter first. But before their wedding—”
“She’s gonna marry him,” Jesse said, his tone defeated. “The more we try and stop her, the more stubborn that woman becomes.”
“Hawkins women,” they both said at the same time.
“Uncle A.J.! Mr. Jesse! Lunch!” McKenna called from the back porch, hands on each side of her mouth.
“I guess it’s time I go meet the girl that’s got you all googly eyed.” Jesse grinned, and A.J. quickly placed his shades back on.
“Shut up,” he mumbled as they started up the hill to get to the house.
“I absolutely insist you stay for dinner!” Ella said the second he opened the sliding glass door to go inside. “I just won’t take no for an answer. I’m cooking tonight, and it’d be inhospitable of you to turn down a Southern meal.” Ella was laying it on thick. Revenge for Brian.
“Please, please, please, Ms. Ana,” he heard McKenna beg next as he and Jesse entered the kitchen.
Ana’s gaze cut straight to A.J. for a clue as to how to handle the situation. The woman could take down Russian spies, but throw some sassy and stubborn Southerners her way, and she was waving a white flag of surrender.
“Ohhh, you must be the one I’ve heard so much about.” Jesse left A.J.’s side to introduce himself to Ana, offering her a momentary reprieve from answering the dinner question.
“So, it’s agreed.” A.J.’s mom slapped her hands together while Jesse pulled out a chair for Ana to sit at their big white kitchen table. “After lunch, we’ll give you a tour of the ranch—not too many of them in Alabama, so our place is all the more special—then after, you’ll clean up and have dinner.”
What just happened? And he saw the same look in Ana’s eyes once she sat at the table.
“You just have to stay,” Ella insisted as she helped set out the barbecue sandwiches and sides.
“I’m, um, sorry, but we probably won’t be able to stay for too long.” An A for effort from Ana, but the woman was toast with three Hawkins women in her presence. She really had no idea what she’d gotten herself into. Russian espionage would be a cake walk after a day with his family.
Maybe he could fake a call from his team, and they’d be able to escape that way?
He sat opposite Ana at the table between Caleb and Jesse and placed a sandwich on his plate alongside some homemade pasta salad.
When McKenna reached for Ana’s hand to say grace, A.J.’s throat thickened at the sight.
Ana took Ella’s hand on the other side, and she caught A.J.’s eyes before bowing her head.
Ana wasn’t an FBI agent on the run right now.
And he wasn’t a clandestine operator crossing a whole bunch of lines to help her.
He didn’t know exactly how to define the two of them, or the moment, but he wasn’t so sure he needed to. Instead, he took Jesse’s and Caleb’s hands and said grace, then sent a silent thank-you up to Marcus for helping to get him there.
Chapter Twenty-Five
There was full, and then according to A.J., there was “Alabama home-cooked meal” full. Ana set a hand to her abdomen, wondering if the buttons on the dress Ella had insisted she wear were in danger of popping off. She did a discreet check. Nope, she was good.
After their tour of the ranch, Ella had promptly led Ana to her old bedroom to wash up for dinner and refused to take no for an answer when she gifted Ana with a cute dress she’d designed. In the small en suite, Ana had tried to wrangle her windblown hair after taking a quick shower but gave up, deciding it looked pretty good with her sun-kissed skin and her new outfit. The sleeveless V-neck dress fell to mid-thigh and was made of soft denim with turquoise buttons down the front and a butterfly on the back fashioned out of turquoise stones. It was actually quite impressive.
Wait until after dinner to wear the hat. A.J. will lose his mind, Ella had said, while she held a tan women’s cowboy hat in hand and took in the sight of Ana in the ensemble. Ella had also insisted Ana wear her hair down. Apparently, every Hawkins felt Ana was in need of relaxing, and “hair down” was pivotal to that happening.
And after the hours spent touring the ranch, during which A.J. stole private moments to tease her as payback for earlier—stealing kisses, nuzzling his face in her neck, whispering sexy words in her ear—Ana felt as though she’d had a two-hour massage. So, she was, in fact, relaxed.
She and A.J. hadn’t talked to his team since that morning, but A.J. continually reassured her that his people had everything covered whenever signs of worry crossed her face.
We’re used to missions like these, he’d said. Walk in the park, he’d added before sweeping his tongue between her lips and cupping her ass with that strong, rough hand of his—just as his niece, McKenna, caught them and clapped with excitement, which drew a blush from Ana and a “skedaddle” from A.J.
“The meal and dessert were incredible.” Ana smiled at A.J.’s mom, who was sitting next to A.J. across from Ana at the outdoor dining table on the deck overlooking the stunning property. Varied shades of gold, pink, and blue spread across the sky and were a reminder of her sunset kiss with A.J. in the pond yesterday. It’d been a picture-perfect moment last night, and spending time with his family today had also been amazing. “Thank you,” she said to both his mom and Ella for cooking.
A.J.’s other two brothers, Beckett and Shep, hadn’t been able to make it for dinner. Beckett, the sheriff of their small town, was dealing with an urgent matter, and Shep was on call at the firehouse. Basically, if Ana were stuck inside a Hallmark movie about a small town, this would be it. And she was loving Alabama more and more with every passing moment.
“You’re very welcome, dear,” A.J.’s mom answered, and Ella responded with a smile and a nod, but her gaze was focused on their friend Jesse at the table.
“We’re more than happy to have you here,” A.J.’s dad, Rick, commented.
“Thank you.” Ana watched with wide eyes as A.J.’s mom slid another huge slice of pecan pie onto her son’s plate. When he let out a mournful groan, she simply said, “You need to eat up, Son.”
He grumbled and cursed, then snatched his fork and dug in, his eyes lifting to meet Ana’s.
She hid a laugh at the comical expression on his face, then panicked at the sight of another piece of pie heading her way. “Oh, I honestly think I may not be able to walk if I eat more.” Between the Bushwacker, which was basically a creamy chocolate piña colada, the pie, and the three servings of homemade cornbread served with the duck, she didn’t have room. “But thank you.” A.J.’s mom tilted her head and squinted, obviously suspicious of anyone who turned down her pie, so Ana reluctantly gave in. “Um, okay. Maybe a sliver.”