thirties … that was where responsibility set in. Thirty was too old to not know better and too young to blame stuff on age. The forties were basically a redo of the twenties, but with more respect and more money.
“I’m an only child. They couldn’t risk a sibling not living up to me.”
“Sure, Son, keep telling yourself that.” Dan shook his head. “We wanted more kids, but God didn’t bless us with any more. I was good with it. My wife … not so much. She hated my apparent lack of emotion. I lived in the gray, answering all questions with ‘whatever, maybe, and doesn’t matter.’ She said I never uttered the words ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Something about commitment issues. I fear I’ve passed that gene to my son.”
Kael shook his head and smirked.
Dan continued, “Are you an only child, Bella?”
“Pfft … I wish.”
“Nice, Bella,” I said before opening the bottom oven and sliding the turkey into it. “I have three boys. Twins, Chase and Linc, then two years later I had Finn, and just over a year after I had Finn, Bella decided to join us.”
After I shut the oven door, the chandelier above the kitchen table started to sway a bit as a thumping sounded above it. Everyone glanced up at the light and then around the room. Earthquakes in the Midwest weren’t impossible, but they also didn’t involve a high-pitched “yes!”
The thumping sped up.
The chandelier swayed even more.
And I died of complete embarrassment when Kael and Dan tried to hide their amusement behind their coffee mugs. Bella covered her mouth, eyes wide and aimed at me.
“This is the first time my boys have invited girlfriends for a holiday. And clearly the last.” I offered everyone a tight grin for lack of knowing what else to say. But I couldn’t ignore it.
“I’m uh …” Bella stood. “Just going to run upstairs and tell my brothers it’s time to help make the meal.”
Maintaining my tight grin, I gave her a sharp nod.
“We should get going.” Kael stood as well when Bella ran up the stairs.
“Mind if I use your restroom before we head out?” Dan asked.
“Not at all. It’s just down the hall on the right.” I pointed in that direction.
When the door clicked shut, I eyed Kael as he moseyed toward me. “Stop.”
He halted, eyebrows lifted in question. “Something wrong?”
“You slept with my daughter’s friend last night. That’s crossing my comfort zone.”
Kael’s head tilted to the side, eyes narrowing. “I did? Huh … wonder when she snuck into my house. And I’m surprised she didn’t wake my dad. He’s a light sleeper. Did we have sex? Was it good? She must have slipped out before breakfast, which would have been hard to do since I was up at four this morning to start plowing snow.”
“Bella said that Amber said—”
“Oh … my favorite Epperly rumor mill. Wow! It doesn’t even take a break for Thanksgiving? Bella said that Amber said that Kimberly said that Mandy said that Tom told Dick and Harry that he overheard Mo and Curly talking about what’s his name, who dated what’s her name last year before you know who showed up and spoiled the whole thing with a grudge over you know what.”
My lips quivered to disguise my reaction to what he said because it was funny and accurate.
Kael glanced right, looking for signs of anyone coming downstairs or out of the bathroom before leaning closer to me. My backside hit the counter, and he rested his hands on the granite, caging me with his body. My heart sounded the alarm, pounding out of control—frantic that we were going to get caught.
“Elsie … if the whole town thinks I’m fucking every other woman but you, then our little secret is safe. Right?”
I couldn’t ask the question I wasn’t supposed to care about—was he fucking other women besides me? But I wanted to ask the question that I couldn’t stop thinking about—WAS HE FUCKING OTHER WOMEN BESIDES ME?
“I just don’t want you leading other women on. I’ve known Amber and her family since she was born.”
After a few slow blinks, a tiny smile bent his lips. “Am I leading you on?”
“No.” My head jerked backward. “It’s just sex.”
“But these other women, who you’re so concerned about, can’t have meaningless sex with the new, hot guy in town?”
“You are so not the new hot guy in town.”
He was.
Kael left a trail of scorched panties in his wake just from his smile. I didn’t have to engage