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Help, he mouthed, lips twitching.
Adam pretended to give him a stern look.“Hug your mother, Runt. You’re over a year late.”
Mrs. Larssen finally released him. She took his hand, beaming as she led him to the table, and Eve saw her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“Look what I found!” she told her husband.
“I see.” He smiled and gave his son a man-hug.“Happy you made it this year, son.”
“Hey, Dad.” Erik slapped him on the shoulder.“You’re looking good.”
He turned to Ian, who hugged him and whispered something, making Erik flash both dimples.
Eve imagined he had slain his share of hearts with those. Although, in her opinion, none of them could match Adam in looks, the sight of all these people with similar features in one place was something.
Erik’s sapphire gaze landed on Eve.“Hello,” he said in a voicenearly identical to Adam’s. He held out his hand.“Eve, right? I’m Erik. Related to this bunch.”
His hand felt rough, very different from Adam’s smooth fingers. Eve immediately liked him too.
The waitress brought two extra chairs, one for Erik and one for his bag, which he carefully placed on the seat.
Soon, the Larssens were catching up, plying Erik with questions about his latest trip, which happened to be to Norway. Erik answered them as best he could while trying to eat everything still on the table, which was a lot.
“I guess that’s everyone, then,” Eve said, smiling at Adam.
Adam shook his head.“If you think this is a lot, you should see Thanksgiving.”
“Runt hates Norway,” Ian declared.“Why would he go there of his own free will?”
Erik looked to Jannie, who shrugged.“Can’t help you, Runt. I want to know too. And don’t tell me it’s polar bears.”
Erik took a huge bite of pizza.
Ian studied him through narrowed eyes.“Yeah, there could be only one reason for you going there and freezing. What’s her name?”
Erik took his time chewing, then swallowed and took up his glass of iced tea, lashes lowered. His mannerisms were so close to Adam’s when he didn’t want to talk about something that Eve almost laughed out loud.
“Let him eat, Buck,” Adam said.“Can’t you see he’s skin and bones? Turn him sideways, and he disappears.”
Eve pressed her lips together to suppress laughter. It was obvious that Erik didn’t work out like Adam and Ian did. Although the same height as his brothers, Erik had the slightest build.
“The whole family, together,” Mrs. Larssen said, looking from one of her children to the other.“Thank you, Erik. You’ve made your mom happy.”
A waitress came up behind Jannie, leaning close to ask a question. Jannie nodded, then started twisting the napkin in her lap. Eve thought that Adam’s sister suddenly looked a little stressed.
Several servers appeared, beginning to clear the dishes. Erik had piled most of the leftovers on his plate and was working diligently to demolish them.
“How long are you staying?” Mr. Larssen asked.
“The weekend,” Erik replied.“I’ve got a red-eye booked for Sunday night.”
His mother looked disappointed but said nothing.
Two waiters approached, wheeling a wooden cart. On it was a tall, giant white box.
“Oh, yeah, dessert cart,” Ian said.“Bring it on.”
“I’ve never seen that at this restaurant,” Adam muttered.