Haley Raynor. Haley, this is my father, Branson Kelly.”
Haley stands tall, a smile on her face. Anyone watching would see it as a sign of confidence. They would be wrong.
A breath whispers through the air with a hesitancy I notice. Her jaw is tense, her lips not parted in the arch that means she’s amused or relaxed. I lay my hand on the small of her back, not sure if it’s her or me who needs the support.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kelly,” she says.
My father is intrigued. He looks at me for a long moment before shifting his weight and gaze back to Haley. “Please, call me Branson.”
“Of course,” she says. “Congratulations on your career.”
He nods, taking in my arm behind her. “I’m delighted Trevor brought you this evening. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”
I balk. The man is lying through his teeth. I’ve never said a word about her to him. He didn’t even know she existed until this moment.
“That’s very sweet of you to say,” Haley says. “And I appreciate you saying that to make your son look good. Nice touch.” She winks at my dad.
“Hey,” I object. “Maybe I did say nice things about you.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” she says, teasing me.
Jake chokes on his drink and excuses himself, knocking me in the back as he goes. “You’ve finally met your match. I cannot wait to see this play out.”
My dad’s chest rumbles, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “You must meet my wife.” He looks around the room. “Meredith, sweetheart. Come here, please.”
Meredith looks beautiful, as usual, and just as devoted to my dad as she joins us. Her hand slips under his elbow as she takes in Haley and me.
I hold my breath, my fingers flexing against Haley. “Meredith, this is Haley Raynor. Haley, this is my father’s wife, Meredith.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Meredith says. Her attention focuses solely on Haley. “Have you been here long? Did anyone offer you a drink?”
“I’m fine. Thank you,” Haley says. “Your home is so beautiful. Both of them, actually.”
Meredith’s face lights up. “Have you seen our home in Dogwood Lane?”
“Yes. I live there. My cousins, Dane and Matt, are building it, actually.”
Meredith releases my father and stands next to Haley. “They are so wonderful. I talk to Dane quite a bit with little tweaks to things. He’s so sweet.”
“He is,” Haley agrees.
“He thinks I’m a little weird with the requests for my dogs, but they’re my babies,” Meredith says. “He’s a darling for just going with the flow, though.”
“If he says anything to you, ask him about his cat when he was a little boy. He’ll shut right up,” Haley says.
Everyone laughs.
I scan the little circle around us and stand a little taller. I’ve brought women to gatherings with my family before. Lots of times, actually. But standing here in my dad’s house and watching Haley fit right in makes me relax.
There’s no worry about what she’ll say or that she’ll complain about something later. She just laughs at my dad’s stupid jokes and humors Meredith’s questions and does it with a smile.
Dear sweet Jesus.
“Tell me about you, Haley,” Meredith inquires. “You live in Dogwood Lane, so what do I need to know about the town? My grandfather had a home there, and I used to visit it as a child and just fell in love with the town.”
“Me too. I’ve lived there almost eight years now, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
My dad’s eyes snap to mine. There are so many questions lingering between us, questions I don’t have answers for, that I look away.
“You’ll have to come see me when you’re in town,” Haley tells her. “I’ll be starting at Buds and Branches this week.”
“A flower shop? Is that what that is?” Meredith asks as Haley nods. “I love flowers. I could sit in a flower shop all day and just play.”
Haley grins. “Really? Because that’s how I feel. Flowers make me so, so happy.”
“My dad was a landscape architect,” Meredith says. “The last project he designed was a botanical garden. Plants, flowers, shrubs, trees—he loved it all and passed that down to me.”
I look at my dad. I have no idea what’s happening right now. How is Meredith, the extra of all extras, best-friending Haley, the simplest, most un-extra girl I know?
Dad shrugs. “Let’s get a drink and find your brother.” He leans down toward Meredith, and they share a tiny, intimate moment that surprises me. He kisses her briefly on