Michael cleared his throat from the other end of the couch. I jumped and looked over to him wide-eyed, mouthing “sorry.” He rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer, his youngest baby girl asleep on his chest.
“Mom says I have to try some ham today,” Derek announced.
“Ham is good for you,” his father said, smiling at him. “It has protein.”
“Yeah, I have to eat more protein,” the boy informed me. “But I just want to eat mac n cheese.”
“Dude,” I drawled, grinning at him. “I love mac n cheese, but ham is delicious. I think it would be cool if you tried some.”
“Mom says it's good,” his sister, Daisy, chimed in as she skipped into the living room, licking mashed potatoes off a spoon. She was the spitting image of Sarah, her light and beauty like a beacon.
“Darling, you cannot just take the spoon!” Rossy called from the kitchen, Sarah’s laughter echoing behind.
The room erupted in a peaceful chuckle.
“You said I could have a bite, Rossy,” Daisy called back, spoon now clean.
“Later,” he corrected, coming into view, wiping his hands with a towel. “I said you could have a bite later.”
Daisy shrugged. “Oh, I didn’t hear that part.”
I brought my hand up to my mouth, stifling a chuckle. Rossy shot me a look and muttered something about Americans before turning back into the kitchen.
“Was that funny?” Derek asked, completely innocent. “Am I supposed to laugh?”
I looked up at him and brushed some of his hair from his forehead. “You can laugh whenever you want, sweet boy.” I snagged Daisy by the waist and hauled her to the couch, planting her beside me. I twirled the ends of her hair with a finger, and she smiled at me in a way that made me wish I wanted children. “Both of you can laugh whenever and wherever you want. Laughter is the best medicine and can cure bad moods.”
“Bad moods?” Derek parroted softly, his brain processing my words as my eyes lifted to Hayes’. A muscle jumped in his cheek, his eyes flashing with guilt, his lips thinning. Glass shards welcomed themselves back into my throat, ready to dive straight down to my heart and slice it into a million pieces.
How could something so perfect, so wonderful, be shattered in an instant?
Tell me you love me, Margo.
I opened my mouth to answer Derek’s question, but the front door opened.
Dominic and Jake stepped through, carrying more food and some chairs. Jake winked at me. “You good, reading buddy?” he asked with a smile. I nodded, another lie leaving my lips. “All good.”
He didn’t have his glasses on today, giving the world a clear view of his warm brown eyes. He set down his things as Dominic gave me a smile. He shook hands with Michael and said hello to the kids on his way into the kitchen as Jake headed back outside. Out of the corner of my eye, Hayes shook Dominic’s hand, flashing a smile. Even though I knew it was fake, it still felt like a sucker punch to the shoulder.
Carrie popped her head out of the kitchen, wiggling her eyebrows at me. “You want some wine?”
I suppressed a smile and shook my head.
Sarah appeared then, dressed in light-washed skintight jeans that made her legs look thirty miles long and a simple loose sage green turtleneck. She shimmied her shoulders, her curled hair shifting to the front. “Oh, come on! It’s technically Wine Wednesday.”
“It’s Thursday, my love,” Michael objected, smirking at her.
She rolled her eyes at him. “When Wine Wednesdays have to be canceled because the women were busy prepping the holiday meal, it gets moved to the next day, ’kay?”
“Oh yeah?” he said, laughing.
“We didn’t come up with the rules,” Carrie added, smiling. “Valerie Langston did, and what she says goes.”
“I’m never taking you to the damn ranch again,” Grayson muttered as he brushed by them to set a basket of rolls on the table. The comforting smell of them hit my nose and Derek’s. We both watched the steam rise from them in silence as the rest of the group discussed the beauty of Hallow Ranch.
“I do what I want,” Carried retorted with a giggle. “Hallow Ranch is my second favorite place on earth.”
I had yet to visit.