Wild Embrace (Wilder Irish #11) - Mari Carr Page 0,40

to as well, before he moved in with Layla and Miguel. The other two rooms are where we store all the…well, for lack of a better word…crap.”

“I can see that,” Ryder said, glancing around the room at more “crap” than he’d ever seen in his life. Though he had to admit, the Collins clan was very good at keeping their shit organized and accessible. There were several large shelves lining the walls with labeled boxes that contained everything from dishes to Christmas decorations to tools. Stacked and leaning against one wall were five long plastic, foldable banquet tables.

When he gave her a questioning glance at why they needed that many, Darcy had her response ready. “My family is fifty people strong when we all show up.”

Ryder winced. “Jesus. Growing up, my family consisted of me, my mom, and my dad. And that was two people too many.”

Darcy tilted her head and realized she didn’t know much about Ryder’s upbringing or his family. “You aren’t close to your parents?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t seen them in over a decade.”

Darcy’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. That’s terrible. I talk to my mom and dad pretty much every day.”

Ryder shrugged, and it was clear he didn’t consider the lack of communication with his parents any big loss. “That’s because your parents are cool, whereas mine are chilly. Totally different temperatures.”

“Yeah, but—”

Ryder reached out and cupped her cheek. “Hey. This isn’t a bad thing, honest. My family sucked, so I made my own. Got pretty lucky with Leo and Yvonne, the boys, and now Reba. I traded up, okay?”

She grinned. “You have an awesome family. I’m glad to hear you say that.”

Ryder’s hand was still on her face, and he used it to pull her closer. “Yeah. I’ve been walking around with blinders on. I appreciate you pointing that out because I didn’t realize how much I’ve been missing at home. Got Reba all to myself for a whole hour yesterday while Leo and Vonnie went grocery shopping.”

Okay. Well, that did it for her. The fact that Ryder was grinning from ear to ear over getting to spend an hour with the baby pretty much ensured her heart was lost to him forever.

“That’s awesome.”

“So how many of these tables do we need?”

“Only a couple. This is a smaller party. Just my cousins, brother, sister, and friends. I think you’ll know almost everyone. Emmy is coming with Paddy.”

Ryder nodded. “She’s the romance writer, right?”

“Yep. She’s super sweet. I love her. My bestie, Brooklyn, is going to be here with her fellas, and Ollie’s got a new girl, Erin. And a few other friends.” She paused. “And I should warn you, before we eat, we all go around and name one person in the room we’re thankful for and why. It’s sort of a twist on Thanksgiving—where we list everything and everyone we’re thankful for.”

“You seriously do that every year at Thanksgiving? All fifty of you? How long does that take?”

Darcy laughed at his astonished tone. “It doesn’t take that long, and we pass the bottle of Jameson as we go around, so by the end, believe me, no one has noticed the time.”

Ryder rubbed his forehead as if he couldn’t imagine anything worse.

“What do you do for Thanksgiving?” she asked.

“Clint and I go out to dinner. Try a different restaurant every year. Then we come home and watch football.”

Darcy crinkled her nose. “You eat out? Please tell me you at least have turkey.”

Ryder shrugged casually. “Sometimes but not always. Last year, we had Chinese.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a holiday.”

Ryder tapped her nose playfully. “Traditions are what you make them, Buttercup.”

“I guess that’s true. But…well…if you guys wanted, you could come to Thanksgiving here this year. Leo, Vonnie, Vince, and Reba are all coming.”

Ryder smiled, but she could almost imagine the wheels spinning in his brain as he tried to think of an excuse. “Let’s see how tonight goes before I commit to that.”

She rolled her eyes. “You and your aversion to people.”

“I don’t think it’s the people that bother me as much as big crowds and noise.”

Darcy blew out a long sigh. “Well, then you’re probably not going to like tonight. We’re sort of a loud family.”

“I’m aware.”

“We all talk at the same time.”

Ryder chuckled. “I’ve noticed that. Don’t worry, Darc. I’m going into this with an open mind.”

“Thanks.”

Ryder gave her a quick kiss, and then they each grabbed the end of one of the tables. Ryder could have carried it himself,