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Dad gestured toward the couch where everyone was now standing up. “This is my daughter, Tess the Mess, my soon-to-be son-in-law, Derek, and”—he wrapped his arm around my mom—“the love of my life.”
Mom smiled, her scarred skin creasing. “You can call me Mariah.”
“Nice to meet you,” Mara said, shaking her hand, then smiling at Tess and Derek.
Paws scrabbled over the floor in another room, and we all swung our gazes around to see our scruffy, ugly dog running toward us, only seconds from jumping up on Mara and ruining her pretty dress. I extended my hand in the sign we’d learned to calm Oaklynn down.
Oaklynn danced on her feet, her claws clacking on the hardwood, and I chuckled, bending to scratch her ears. “Mara, this is Oaklynn. We call her Oak for short.”
She smiled at the speckled brown dog, bending to pet her scruffy, wiry hair. Oaklyn snorted, her teeth sticking out of her mouth at odd angles. “Hi, sweet girl,” Mara cooed.
“She has agreatpersonality,” Derek said, to which Tess responded by smacking him in the stomach.
“She’s abeautifulgirl,” Tess said.
Behind her, Derek spun his finger around his ear.
I chuckled. No one could tell Tess, but Oak was the ugliest damn dog I’d ever seen. Mara immediately sided with Tess. “You are beautiful, aren’t you, Oaklynn?”
“Exactly,” Tess said. “You both need to have your eyes checked.” She glared at Derek and me. Tess would die on this hill a million times over.
Mara grinned at Tess and said, “So do you prefer Tess the Mess or should I just call you Tess?”
I snorted, earning a glare from Tess.
“So what if I’m a little clumsy?” she said.
Derek sniggered. “A little?”
She hit his waist.
With an amused smile, Mom clapped her hands together. “Now that everyone’s been introduced, who feels like roast?”
“You made roast?” Mara asked. “That’s myfavorite.”
Mom smiled happily. “You can’t go wrong with a good pot roast. Meat, potatoes, vegetables, broth, something for everyone.”
“Exactly,” Mara said, following her through the living room toward our eat-in kitchen with stacks of books in all the corners. The same table I’d grown up with sat in the middle, already set with dishes and silverware.
“Can I help?” Mara asked.
Mom grinned at me. “I like her.” Then she said to Mara, “Do you want to pour the lemonade? It’s in the refrigerator.”
“Absolutely,” Mara said, walking toward the white fridge in the corner of the room.
Tess and I exchanged a surprised look. Mom hardly ever got on this well with anyone. It made me give Mara a second look to see what my mother saw.
And from here, I got a great view of Mara’s ass. Even though the dress wasn’t tight, I could see the way her bottom curved under the fabric, and damn if I wasn’t having completely inappropriate thoughts in front of my entire family. I sat at the table, thankful to have a shield for the movement happening in my pants.
What the fuck was wrong with me? I wasn’t a teenager anymore. It had been a while though.... This would be a long celibate six months if we went through with this.
Mara came back with a pitcher of lemonade and bent over the table to pour my dad’s glass.
Good fucking Christ, her cleavage.
I looked away, focusing on Derek. “How’s closing on the new house going? Looking like it’ll come through?”
He nodded. “Oh yeah. Should be able to get all our stuff moved in when we come back from the honeymoon. Although we might not have anything left if Tess helps carry it in.”