Authors: Tymber Dalton
Tags: #Romance
Nevvie opened the side door and set him down on the ground. “There. Go.” Adam went flying across the yard and up the porch steps, where he threw his arms around Peggy’s legs and nearly knocked her off-balance.
Tyler climbed from behind the steering wheel and stretched. He’d left the engine running until they got the rig plugged into the house’s electrical system so the refrigerator and air-conditioner would keep running. “Well, here we are, loves.”
“Yeah, here we are,” Nevvie said from where she was getting Mikey out of his car seat.
“Dad,” Tyler said, “let’s go introduce you to Peggy.” He led Andrew out of the RV.
Nevvie looked at Tom. “Holy. Crap,” she said, keeping her voice low. “That was freaking scary.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
“You were the one who let him drive,” Nevvie scolded. “I was all for him not driving, if you’ll recall.”
“Yeah. I won’t forget
that
again.”
“Thank god we’re here for several days. I’ll need that long to recover from his driving.” She checked Mikey’s diaper, found he was okay, and slung him on her hip. “Well, let’s go.” They made their way up the steps.
“There’s Grandma’s other big boy!” Peggy said, smiling and reaching for him.
Nevvie kissed her before handing Mikey over. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sugar. How you doing?”
“Tired,” she truthfully said. “But the past few months have been nice and quiet.”
“That thing sure is…big.”
“You know how Tyler is, Mom.”
“Overkill.”
“Yep.”
Tom leaned in to hug and kiss Peggy, too. “Hi, Momma.”
“Hello, son. You behaving yourself?”
He grinned. “Yes, Momma.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Nevvie caught a glimpse of Andrew looking back at Peggy as Tyler led him into the house. She noticed he wore an odd smile.
Tom followed Tyler and Andrew. Nevvie hung back with Peggy, who was trying to get Adam to let go of her legs so she could walk. “Andrew certainly seems like a very nice man,” Peggy said.
Nevvie fought to keep the grin off her face. “I think you and Dad will get along great,” Nevvie said. “He’s a sweetheart.”
Duh!
Why hadn’t she ever thought about that before, of introducing the two of them? Of course, this was the first time the two of them had met.
“I can’t believe how much he and Tyler look alike. I mean, you showed me the pictures and all, but I still can’t believe it.”
Nevvie nodded. “The first time I saw him it almost freaked me out.”
Peggy let Nevvie open the door for her. “I hope he enjoys himself while he’s here.”
“As long as Emily won’t be here, we’ll all enjoy ourselves.”
Peggy shook her head. “Not on your life. She won’t have anything to do with me, and her sisters have disowned her. She won’t set foot on my property. She might be my daughter, and I still love her, but I’m not ashamed to admit I still hate her guts right now.”
“How’s Clay?”
Peggy looked sad. “He’s working through things. The divorce, all that. He and the twins are getting along all right, of course. But he did love her. Lord knows how he put up with that daughter of mine as long as he did.” She set Mikey in the high chair she’d put at the kitchen table for him. Peggy lowered her voice. “I hope y’all don’t mind I invited Clay to dinner tonight.”
“No, not at all. Our problem is with Emily, not Clay.” Emily had caused them a lot of trouble over her opposition to their triad. Including calling the Florida Department of Children and Families on them and filing a false report in a misguided attempt to get the state of Florida to remove Adam from their home after he was born and place him with her or Peggy so she could attempt to get her brother away from Nevvie and Tyler.
The door flew open and Karen raced in. “Nevvie!” she squealed as she threw her arms around her in a bear hug.
Nevvie couldn’t help but laugh. “Hi, Karen. How are you?” Nevvie liked her remaining sisters-in-law, but she had the closest relationship with Karen.
“I’m doing great.” She let go of Nevvie and scooped Adam up. “And how’s my big guy?”
Adam threw his arms around Karen’s neck. “Hi, Aunt Karen!”
She leaned in and kissed Mikey on the head. “There’s the little guy. Geez, he’s getting huge!”
“Well, he’s thirteen months old now,” Nevvie said. “He’s already trying to walk.”
Karen sat down at the table with Adam in her lap. “Where’s Bill?” Peggy asked.
“He’s still at work. I took off early.”
“Is he going to make it for dinner tonight?”
“Absolutely.”
“So,” Nevvie said with a smile and mindful of the little pitcher with the ginormous ears sitting in Karen’s lap, “how are things with you and Bill?”
Karen smiled. “Going really good.” She was about to say more when Tyler led Andrew into the kitchen, with Tom bringing up the rear.
“There you are,” Tom said. He walked over for a kiss from his sister. Of all the sisters, Tom was closest to Karen.
“Hey, bro.” Nevvie didn’t miss how Karen’s eyes widened when she got a good look at Andrew. “Um, hello, Blue Eyes, Senior.”
Nevvie laughed. “Karen, remember, you have a boyfriend now.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I do. But his eyes are brown.”
“Karen,” Tyler said, “I’d like to introduce you to my father, Andrew Paulson. Dad, this is Tom’s sister, Karen.”
“Hello,” Andrew said. He walked over to shake hands with her.
Nevvie laughed again. “Dad, I guess I should explain that before she got a boyfriend of her own, she had a running joke with Tyler.”
“Ah.” He smiled. “Far be it from me to stand in the way of true love.”
Karen sighed again. “And he has that dreamy British voice. Nevvie, you get all the luck.”
“Well, I call him ‘Dad,’” Tom said. “Feel free to call him that, too.”
Karen’s face squicked up. “Aaaaand you just ruined my fantasy, bro. Now I’ll never be able to think like that about him or Tyler again.” She playfully swatted his arm.
Nevvie cleared her throat and glanced at Adam.
Karen’s face reddened. “Whoops.” She hugged Adam tightly. “You didn’t hear me say that, kiddo.”
The boy looked confused. “Hear what, Aunt Karen?”
The adults laughed. “Exactly,” Karen said.
* * * *
Andrew insisted on helping out in the kitchen with dinner. In fact, Peggy and Andrew evicted everyone from the kitchen.
Nevvie leaned in to Karen and whispered, “What do you think about that?” She tipped her head toward the kitchen.
Karen grinned. “I think I’m thinking what you’re thinking.”
“You think?”
“How long you guys staying here again before you move on to Seattle?”
“Not long enough.” She glanced at Tyler, who was engaged in conversation with Tom and Adam, showing an old photo album to Adam. “I might just leave Tyler out there and let him fly home.”
Karen snickered. “Yeah, I was wondering why the hell he was allowed behind the wheel of that thing.”
“Not my choice, believe me.”
Other siblings and their spouses arrived. Clay, now divorced from eldest sister, Emily, and their twin son and daughter also arrived.
No one asked if Emily was going to come or not, because none of the others wanted her there. Nevvie could forgive a lot of things, but in the back of her mind she still blamed the stress Emily put them through as part of the reason Tyler had his heart attack, which in turn led to Tom having his motorcycle accident on the way to the hospital.
Peggy announced dinner was ready just as Karen’s boyfriend, Bill, arrived. When everyone was settled around the large formal dining room table, extended by a folding table and extra chairs, Karen cleared her throat.
“Before we dig in,” she said, “Bill and I would like to say something.” She held his hand and looked at him.
Nevvie instinctively knew what was coming as he stood, but managed to hold back her
squee
of joy. “Mrs. Kinsey—”
“Mom,” Peggy corrected.
He smiled. “Mom.” He looked next at Tom and then the other sisters. “Tom, everyone. I’ve asked Karen to marry me. And we’d like to know if we have your blessings.”
Nevvie felt the
squee
building inside her, ready to explode.
“Only if she said yes,” Peggy drawled, smiling.
“Oh, you bet I said yes, Momma,” Karen said.
“Then of course you have our blessings.”
Karen jumped up and ran to hug her mother. Nevvie, unable to stand it anymore, jumped up, unleashing her happy
squee
. As soon as Karen straightened, she gave Karen a bouncy bear hug.
“You fink!” Nevvie scolded. “You didn’t tell me!” She considered Karen her best friend.
Karen laughed. “I know, I wanted to, but I wanted to make sure Momma knew first.”
Bill also stood and got a hug from Peggy, then from Nevvie. By this time, everyone had stood to congratulate the lovebirds. After several minutes of hugs and happy tears, Peggy grabbed her tea spoon and clinked it against her glass.
“All right, kiddos. We’ve got a happy occasion to celebrate, so let’s sit down and eat before the food gets cold. And don’t forget, we’ve got red velvet cake and ice cream for dessert.”
Karen gave one last hug to Tom before they sat. “Will you give me away, bro?”
Nevvie didn’t miss the misty look in his eyes. “Of course I will,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding hoarse. “You’d better believe it.”
* * * *
Nevvie had looked forward to staying up late to talk with Karen and the others, but she caught herself yawning after helping wash and dry the dishes.
Tyler noticed. “Love, you’re knackered. Why don’t you go to bed.”
Peggy nodded. “You do look worn out, sweetie.”
“I think I will. Ty, can you guys take care of the boys?”
“Absolutely, love. Go to bed.”
After saying good-night to everyone, she headed to the bedroom they always used when staying there, Tom’s old bedroom that had its own bathroom. Tyler had originally suggested sleeping in the RV, but she nixed that idea.
At least a few more nights in a good bed.
It wasn’t that the RV wasn’t comfortable, but they’d be spending enough time in it as it was.
She thought she might wake up when her men came to bed, but the next she knew, it was morning, and sunlight crept in through the blinds over the window. She found herself snuggled tightly against a sleeping Tom, but Tyler wasn’t in bed.
Being careful not to wake Tom, she used the bathroom and pulled on a robe. From all her years as a nurse, Peggy Kinsey was a habitually early riser. Nevvie smelled coffee brewing and the delicious aroma of something baking.
When Nevvie made it out to the kitchen, she found Tyler, Andrew, and Peggy gathered around the table there.
“Ah, good morning, love,” Tyler said. He stood to fix her a mug of coffee and handed it to her.
“Thanks. What time is it?”
“Nearly six thirty,” Peggy said.
Nevvie sat at the table with them. “What’s in the oven?”
“Andrew helped me make cinnamon rolls,” Peggy said.
Nevvie eyed the two of them over her mug, hoping her smile didn’t show through. “Smells delicious.”
“I told Peggy I’d be honored if she’d let me cook dinner for us tonight,” Andrew said. Tonight the crowd would be far smaller, with only Karen and Bill joining them for dinner.
“I’ll take you to the store,” Nevvie offered.
“I’ll do it, love,” Tyler said.
“Nope.” She reached over and poked him in the shoulder. “You are going to get some work done today,” she said. “I can take him shopping.”
After a few more back and forths, it was agreed Nevvie would drive Peggy and Andrew to the store.
“Please let that be coffee and cinnamon rolls I smell,” Tom said from the doorway.
Nevvie turned to look at him. “You okay?”
Tyler went to get him a mug of coffee while Tom sat at the table. “Just need to work the kinks out,” Tom said. “A little achy.”
“You look more than a little achy, son,” Peggy noted.
He shrugged and sipped at the mug Tyler brought him. “Not my best day.”
“Then I’ll stay here,” Peggy said. “I’ll take care of the boys while you get some rest and Tyler works.”
That finally settled, it was nearly two hours later by the time the boys were up and dressed, everyone had eaten breakfast, and both Nevvie and Andrew had showers and were ready to go.
Peggy handed the keys to her car to Nevvie. “Just take mine so you don’t have to unload yours,” she said.
“Thanks, Mom.” A few minutes later, she and Andrew were on the road heading toward the store.
He watched the unfamiliar Georgia landscape roll by. “Peggy is very nice,” he said.