Page 65 of Catch

“Miles,” he said, nodding coolly, then turned to Loxley. “And you must be the reason dinner is fancier than usual.”

“West,” I groaned. “Please don’t be weird.”

“Weird?Me?” He grinned. “Grams has us in the main dining room for the first time in years.That’sweird.” He pulled off his sunglasses with dramatic flair and winked at Loxley. “Westley Brooks. Pleasure’s all mine.”

“Loxley.” She smiled and placed her hand in his, and for a moment, I seriously considered chopping off West’s arm at the elbow.

“Ahh.Loxley Adams.” Shit. He connected the dots. “Blink twice if you’ve been kidnapped.”

Loxley laughed, and I instinctively pulled her closer, making sure West got the message:mine.

“I didn’t kidnap her,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

“But there were handcuffs involved,” Lox added, still laughing.

“Nice touch,” West smirked, elbowing me.

Rolling my eyes, I gently nudged Loxley toward the kitchen. “Let’s see what’s for dinner.”

Through the window above the sink, I spotted Easton outside with Max and Jesse. Max was mid-giggle, chasing my brotheraround while he used Jesse as a human shield. Grams stood at the sink, smiling at them.

“Can I help with anything?” Lox offered. “It smells like apple pie.”

Grams practically lit up and started waving her over. “Absolutely! You can roll out this last crust. It’s going in the oven while we eat.”

Lox slipped right into the moment, laughing with Grams as they got to work side-by-side. It wassurrealwatching her blend so easily with the woman who meant the world to me. I caught myself rubbing the center of my chest like I could calm the storm behind my ribs.

“We huuungry!” Easton’s voice boomed from outside in full monster mode. Max’s giggles followed, and a second later, the door creaked open.

Max came barreling in, fresh off Easton’s shoulders, and hugged my legs before I scooped him into my arms. “There’s my favorite little dude.”

But the moment shifted. Easton had gone quiet. Too quiet. I glanced up and caught him staring at Loxley. She’d frozen too, hands hovering over the dough. Grams, blissfully oblivious, kept prepping.

“Um…” Easton finally managed.

Then Jesse stepped inside behind him and spotted Loxley, but she didn’t freeze. She smiled.

“Hi there, I’m Jesse.”

Easton blinked out of his trance and looked at me, then back at Lox.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Loxley said warmly. “I’m?—”

“Loxley Adams,” Jesse cut in, her voice calm.Toocalm. “When Grams mentioned your name, I figured it had to betheLoxley Adams.”

“I thought she was joking,” Easton added, still trying to make sense of it. “Aren’t you… like, sick or something?”

Loxley’s eyes darted to me, unsure how to answer that, so I stepped in. “I’ll explain everything over dinner.”

“Well,” Grams clapped her hands, perfectly timed, “we won’t have to wait long. Everyone to the table because dinner’s ready!”

Chapter Thirty-Five

LOXLEY

SUNDAY DINNER

Somehow,I ended up being less nervous than Miles about Sunday dinner with his family. They were warm, funny, and so easy to vibe with, but still… a small part of me felt like I didn’t belong.