I grin at her.“My favorites.”
“Absolutely,” she replies.“Come on in; have a seat.”Linda affectionately ushers me in and gently pushes me into the kitchen where Ryker is currently topping an apple pie with brown sugar crumbles and Weston is stirring something on the stove.
Both men glance over and offer me nods.
“What can I do?”Sawyer asks, clapping his hands together.
As Linda puts him to work, I glance around the small home.It’s one half of a duplex that Linda bought after selling the home Anastasia and Zane grew up in.Since their father passed away when they were young, she’d said the house felt too empty once her kids were grown.
Still, this home has all the love Linda raised both her children with.It’s no wonder her son is the best man I’ve ever known, and her daughter is one of the kindest souls to walk this earth.Genuine, happy people who do everything they can to show the love of Jesus to everyone they meet.
Honestly, she reminds me so much of the aunt who raised me that sometimes the all-too-familiar grief surfaces whenever I think of her.She’d been my lifeline in a time when I was ready to lie down and never get up.
There’s a soft knock at the door, and before Linda can pull away from what she’s showing Sawyer, I’m on my feet.
“I’ve got it.”
“No, honey, you sit.”Linda starts toward me, but I wave her off with a smile.
“I’ve got it, Momma Knox.Promise.”With one more smile, I start down the small hall from the kitchen into the living room, then pull the door open.
When I see the petite woman on the other side, surprise and delight rush through me like a tidal wave.“Katelyn, what are you doing here?”I ask, looking between her and a smiling Thomas.
She seems just as shocked to find me here as I am to see her.That is if her wide eyes and flushed cheeks are any indication.“Oh, uh—Anastasia invited me,” she stammers.“How are you feeling?”
“Who is it?”Linda comes up on my side before I get the chance to respond.“Oh!You must be Katelyn.Anastasia told me you were coming.Come in, come in!”
I step aside as Linda ushers them in.
“This is my son, Thomas.”Katelyn gestures to Thomas.
“Thank you for having us, Mrs.Knox,” Thomas says, offering her his hand.
“You both can call me Momma Knox,” she replies with a grin.“Everyone else does.Come on in and have a seat.Do you want some sweet tea?”As she ushers Thomas off into the house, I shove both hands into my pockets.
“I seem to keep surprising you,” Katelyn tells me with a smile.
Isn’t that the truth?“I like surprises.Most of the time,” I add quickly, then fall into step beside her as she follows the same route as Linda and Thomas.
We emerge in the kitchen, and Sawyer glances up and offers Katelyn a smile.“Hey, Pepper, it’s good to see you.”
Linda slaps him on the arm.“You donotcall her that.”
To my absolute delight, Katelyn laughs softly.“It’s okay.Less than what I deserve after the damage I caused.”
“Oh hush, it was an accident,” Linda brushes it off.
Weston’s expression tightens, but he finishes drying his hands and offers one to Katelyn.“Weston Hayes,” he says.
“Katelyn Ellis.This is my son Thomas.”
“We met,” Weston replies with a partial smile.“Basketball last week.”
“Ryker Granger,” Ryker introduces himself.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Katelyn says softly.
“These are the other guys I was telling you about, Mom,” Thomas says, his smile wide as he practically bounces from foot to foot.