Page 26 of It Happened Back Then (Nilsson Family #3)

“ M om?” I call out as I enter her house.

The house we all grew up in, the one that holds all the memories, good and bad.

I still feel my dad when I come here, and seeing all the pictures on the walls gives me peace even though the idea of never seeing him again can crush me on certain days.

I still see him sitting on the back porch of our home with his flannel shirt and a mug of coffee, the aroma so strong, you could smell it a mile away.

He’d smile at me like I was the best thing in the world.

His baby girl that completed our family.

“Out here, honey!” I walk through the kitchen and out on the deck where I find Meadow, January, her best friend, Courtney, and my niece, Lily. Lily comes running to me like she always does, and I scoop her up into a hug.

“Hey, Pretty Lily!” I call out, using the sweet nickname Drake came up with for her.

It stuck instantly, like it had always belonged to her.

And maybe it had. Drake lost his sister, also named Lily, at a young age, so the two of them seemed destined for each other.

Drake’s been incredible with her. Gentle, patient, and protective in all the ways she’s needed him to be.

He stepped into the role of a father figure without hesitation and somehow made it look easy.

I walk over to my mom and sisters, falling into one of the lounge chairs with Lily, who wiggles out of my grip and scoots to the end of the seat, swinging her feet off the edge.

“It’s gorgeous today. How is everyone?”

“Looking forward to hearing all the gossip from my girls,” Mom says and my sisters snicker.

Meadow raises a brow and says, “There’s only one piece of gossip you need today, Mom, and that's from the baby of the family.”

I roll my eyes, accepting the glass of wine Courtney hands me with a nod of thanks before turning to my mom and saying, “Mom, don’t listen to them. I thought we were here to discuss January’s bachelorette party plans.”

Mom snickers. “Oh, we’ll get to that. But I heard a little something around town yesterday and have been dying to know if it’s true.”

“Of course you heard something. It’s Bluemoon. Someone always hears something,” I say and roll my eyes, sitting back and taking another sip.

“Well, daughter number one likes to fuck in bathrooms and daughter number two likes to give blow jobs in the stockroom. So, I can imagine the baby of the family is probably having sex in a local restaurant with a certain head chef?” Courtney explains, and I could kill her.

“Courtney!” My sisters laugh, and Mom does too.

“Oh, Blossom. So Bennett? Is it true?” Her voice is soft, filled with hope, and when I meet her eyes, I see the love she has for the idea of us together, as a couple.

She’s always loved me and Bennett, even when I let things between us crumble.

I know she wants me to find a man who was just as good to me as Dad was for her.

And she always believed Bennett was that one.

“I mean, I guess it’s true.” She squeals and my sisters clap. “You all need to slow it down. We’re not official. It’s complicated.”

“If Savannah is the one making it complicated, I could handle that for you, ” Meadow says nonchalantly and cracks her knuckles.

I shake my head. “She’s part of it,” I grumble, taking a larger sip from my glass.

“I don’t like her one bit,” January offers. “And the fact she thinks she can just move into our town is absurd.”

My mom looks concerned. “Savannah? You mean Bennett’s ex-girlfriend? She’s here?”

I nod. “She showed up, proclaiming to miss Bennett, and is renting one of the cabins in Birch Village for six months.”

“And what does she think is going to happen in six months?” Mom asks.

I shake my head. “She’s just trying to cause trouble. She was in the store a couple days ago talking about how Bennett could be a chef in France if he wanted to, and she would make sure to help him get there.”

My mom brushes that aside. “That’s just talk. She means nothing to him. He’s only ever had eyes for you, honey.”

“If he had told her that, I don’t think she’d still be here, though?” It comes out sounding like more of a question than a statement, and I’m embarrassed I’m telling my family there is another woman trying to come between my boyfriend and me, even if we have no official title.

“He didn’t tell her you guys are together?” January asks, obviously outraged.

I shake my head but try to calm her. I know January can go from zero to one hundred quickly, and I don’t want them turning on Bennett over something that isn’t really there. “To be fair, we didn’t tell anyone. It’s still…” I drift off and they each say, “Complicated. ”

“Yeah, complicated.”

Silence settles over us for a moment, and then Meadow leans in with a smirk, mischief practically oozing off her. “Okay, but seriously, spill it. How’s he in bed?”

“Meadow!” I gasp, my eyes going wide as my face starts to heat up.

She just shrugs, totally unbothered, like she’s asking about the weather. “What? I’m just curious. Is he, you know, proficient? Skilled? A generous contributor to the cause?”

I cover my face with both hands. “Stop it! Oh my god.”

She sips her drink. “All I’m saying is, I saw him in the boutique that day, and, wow, Little Bennett is all grown up . The man is a walking thirst trap, and he knows it. I just know he’s a menace in bed.”

“Meadow!” I screech, louder this time, and all of us burst into laughter. The kind that makes your sides ache and your eyes water, the kind we haven’t had in years. For a brief moment, I feel Dad again. He would have been right here with us, refilling our glasses and encouraging the laughter.

Meadow winks at me and raises her glass. “Don’t act shy now. We’re all dying to know if he lives up to the hype.”

I just shake my head, laughing so hard I can barely breathe. “You are the worst .”

“And yet,” she grins, “you love me.”

“Who’s a menace?” Lief comes in, bellowing the question onto the back deck. But he’s not alone. He’s with Drake and Bennett. And I want to crawl into a hole. Please don’t let them hear us. And please shut my sister's mouth right now.

“Oh we were just discussing how amazing Be–”

I jump from my chair and throw my hand over Meadow’s mouth. “Oh, she’s just being Meadow. Hey, where’s Cole?” I turn on her, giving her the look of death. She licks the palm of my hand, and it makes me want to strangle her.

“Girls’ day. I should have known we’d be walking in on some bullshit,” Lief says, and I sigh as Drake kisses January then scoops up Lily in his arms. He kisses her on the nose, and she hangs on for dear life.

I melt knowing Lily is getting the absolute best father figure despite her not being Drake’s biologically.

“We’re talking about how Aunt Blossom loves Bennett,” Lily announces in her sweetest little four-year-old voice, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity. “Is he gonna be my uncle now, too?”

The room goes dead silent, like someone just yanked the plug on the party playlist. I swear I hear an imaginary record scratch as every head whips toward me.

And then laughter explodes around the backyard.

I collapse back into my chair, groaning and covering my face. “Lily, why are you like this?” I mutter into my palms, afraid to look at everyone.

A second later, someone drops into the seat next to me. I peek through my fingers and catch Bennett smirking like he knows he’s the cause for this chaos.

And to make it worse, because Meadow never knows how to quit while she’s ahead, she asks, “So, how much have you learned, Bennett? I mean, you’re not a little kid anymore, ya know?”

My eyes are wide as I yell at her, “Are you for real right now?”

“As real as the gossip in Bluemoon,” Drake replies.

“Bluemoon is the real menace here,” I say.

“So Bluemoon got it right and you agree he’s a menace?” January sing-songs, raising her eyebrows like she’s just caught me in a trap.

“No, no,” Drake cuts in, all smug. “Swoops Bar is the real source. They’ve always got the scoop on the best places to eat, the newest fashion trends, and the weirdest places to hook up.

” He wiggles his eyebrows. “I heard about these Nilsson sisters and getting off, pun intended , on having sex in random places.”

I smother a laugh as January turns bright red. Those two met during a one-night stand in the bathroom at the bar, only to find out later Drake was our delivery guy at the store. There was no getting away from the story.

“Bro!” Lief groans, smacking Drake in the arm. “Can we not talk about my sisters and sex in the same sentence? My ears are bleeding.”

“Why are you all so obsessed with this?” I wail, throwing my arms up dramatically.

“Because there’s something going on,” Meadow insists, pointing back and forth between me and Bennett like she’s a cop. “You've been too close for years . Are we writing a slow burn here? I’ll fucking die of old age if this keeps up.”

I narrow my eyes on her. “So what? You want me to just blow him in the stockroom to kill the mystery?”

My mom chokes on her drink.

Meadow just blinks, then smirks. “I mean, that’s my spot, but sure, go ahead and copy me.”

The entire backyard howls, while Bennett shakes his head, grinning like the smug little secret he is. I roll my eyes, and he bumps my shoulder. “They're just messing around, don’t feed into it.”

I’m annoyed because the same questions that have been in my own mind are now swimming around in my family’s as well. It's always been us. He was there to comfort me, be my rock when I was left alone. He was the only one there for me.

I blush just thinking about how he manhandled me the other night and, as if he can read my mind, he leans over and whispers, “I guess menace is a good way to put it, though.”

Sweating and needing to change the subject, I ask, “Anyway, why are you here crashing girls’ day? ”

“We’re just passing through. We’re heading to the Swoops Nest Bar to see Cole. We need to discuss all things bachelor party.”

January points the finger at our brother. “Don’t even think about taking my fiancé to a strip club.”

“Don’t worry, January. If he needs to see a half-dressed woman, we’ll just have you meet him in the bar bathroom.”

With a flip of her middle finger, the guys laugh and head out the door, but not before Bennett gives me a forehead kiss and whispers, “I'll be back for more later.” He winks and follows the guys out the door.

I sit and wonder, can this be real?

If he’d only send Savannah on her way, it could be.