Page 27 of Trust Me (Rivers Edge #1)

My mom is silent, so I look up to see if she’s even paying attention.

There’s a peaceful smile across her face.

“I knew the first day I met that boy when he tore through this house like a tornado with Jake and Nate, he was special. When he got older and out of school, he was a bit of a tomcat.” I blush at my mom’ s analogy.

“Oh, stop it, girl. You know it was true. That boy bounced around from girl to girl without a glance back. Just like your brother. It drives me crazy. But my point is that no matter what he was up to, when he was here, I could see a different look in his eyes when he was around you. The way he looked at you, even when you were in high school and he was just out of the military, showed me he looked at you as more than a little sister. He looked at you like you were the one he would change everything for.”

My eyes fill up with tears as I listen to my mom talk.

“Of course, he’s a stubborn man so it took him awhile to realize it and stop fighting it.

But I’m so glad he finally did. He’s the perfect complement to you, Avery.

You guys will be just fine.” And with that, the tears stream down my cheeks.

I walk over to my mom, one of my best friends, and hug her tightly around the neck.

“I love you, Mom.”

“And I love you too, baby girl.” She takes a step back. “Now, this food won’t cook itself and there’s nothing worse than a house full of hungry, cranky men. So, let’s get this done and enjoy our holiday.”

“You got it.”

**** *

At quarter after five, the final two trucks pull into the drive. Jake steps out first, quickly followed by Maddox. They’re both in their uniforms but carry bags with clothes to change into.

When they hit the front door, Jake hollers, “I’ve got the first shower.

” He takes off up the stairs. I walk into the foyer and smile at the sight of this tall, dark, devastatingly handsome man, in uniform no less, who is all mine.

He returns the smile and drops his bag, snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me against him.

His lips descend on mine a moment later.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he says against my lips.

“I’ve missed you too,” I reply as I go back for another delicious kiss.

“Knock it off, you two,” I hear Nate reprimand from behind me as he passes from the dining room into the family room. I turn and give him a shy smile, not ready to leave Maddox’s warm embrace. We stand here for a few minutes, just reveling in each other’s warmth.

“Where’s my girl?” Maddox asks, finally breaking the spell.

“She’s on the couch watching a movie with Will. Though all the boys are in there now so I’m guessing she’s already lost the TV to football.”

“Let’s go see. I want to give her a kiss,” he says as he walks me into the family room.

The sight before us is amazing and completely hysterical.

My dad is reclined in his easy chair, Nate is sitting in Mom’s chair, and Travis, Will, and Brooklyn are curled up on the couch; all still watching the princess movie. I can’t help but laugh.

“This is the funniest football game I’ve ever seen.”

“We tried to turn it,” Travis says.

“But she threatened to make Jake her favorite uncle,” Nate chimed in. Maddox and I laugh hard as he walks over to the couch to Brooklyn.

“Maddox!” Brooklyn stands up on the couch and throws herself at him. The excitement has her coughing a little, but Maddox rubs a soothing hand up and down her back to calm her.

The boys take the distraction as an opportunity to turn on the pregame show for tonight’s Thanksgiving game.

“I’ve missed you today. Were you a good girl?”

“Yep! Uncle Will bwought me pwesents for being good!”

“He did? Well, that was nice of him.”

Jake comes down the stairs at that moment. “Shower’s yours,” he says to Maddox as he takes Brooklyn from him. “Give your favorite uncle a big kiss.”

“She already gave me one,” Travis says as Brooklyn plants a big kiss on Jake’s cheek.

Maddox heads up the stairs to shower. The boys are all engrossed in the football game, and Brooklyn is playing on the couch with her new doll and doll clothes, so I head into the kitchen to help Mom with final dinner preparations.

“It’s almost ready, honey. Will you set the table?”

“Absolutely.” I gather up the plates, silverware, and napkins and head into the dining room.

When the table is all set and the food is brought to the table, Mom goes into the family room to gather the troops. As I’m pouring glasses of water, Maddox comes down the stairs, hair still damp from his shower. He slides up behind me and presses his lips against my neck.

“I can’t wait to dig into this food. I’m starving.” He trails slow kisses from my neck down to my collarbone, hands wrapped around my waist. “But do you know what I’m looking forward to the most?”

“What’s that?” I ask a little breathless.

“Dessert.”

“Oh, there’s going to be dessert,” I inform him. “Remember that black lace corset we saw in the window at the mall?” His eyebrows shoot sky-high; a look of excitement crosses his face. “Well, it might be hanging in my closet as we speak.”

His pupils dilate and his smile turns wolfish. “I can’t fucking wait for dessert,” he says as he gives me a long, lingering kiss.

“Knock that shit off,” Jake thunders as he enters the dining room.

“Just because I gave my blessing doesn’t mean you can get all grabby with my sister when I’m present.

” He walks over and pulls out his chair.

“In fact, you’re never allowed to talk about as much as a kiss with her.

Let’s just go with the assumption that you two never touch. ”

“Oh, we touch…a lot,” Maddox throws hi m a big grin, earning a loud growl from Jake.

Will brings Brooklyn into the dining room, and I help get her settled in the booster seat between me and Maddox.

After everyone is seated, Dad says grace before standing to carve the turkey.

Mom is a genius in the kitchen. Not only can she bake, but she can cook anything.

Besides turkey, we feast on mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, scalloped corn, green bean casserole, Jell-O salad, and of course, Mom’s famous homemade yeast rolls.

Conversations flow and bowls are passed. My family puts a big dent in the amount of food sitting around the table, but there is still plenty of food left for leftovers. Mom and I start on dishes as Nate and Travis set out to clear the table and divide up the leftover food.

“Did you think I didn’t notice all the rolls going into your bag, Travis?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Avery. I would never just keep all the delicious rolls for myself. Mom told me I could have them all since I was her favorite.”

“Bullshit,” Nate coughs as he walks by with a stack of plates in his hands. I reach my hand in and remove a few rolls and throw them in my bag, giving him a look to let him know I’m watching him.

After the table is cleared, dishes are washed or in the dishwasher, and the desserts are set out on the counter, we all head into the family room to watch the end of the football game.

Jake gets up so Mom can sit in her chair and sits on the love seat next to Nate.

Travis, Will, and Maddox are sitting on the couch with Brooklyn on Maddox’s lap.

I head over to the couch with the intention of sitting on the floor, but Maddox has other ideas.

He moves Brooklyn over so she’s sitting on one leg and slaps his other leg, indicating he wants me to sit.

There’s no place I’d rather be than snuggled up on Maddox’s lap with my daughter at my side. This is my home.

After the desserts have been consumed and a couple of card games have been played, Maddox and I gather up our belongings to head toward home. He has to work tomorrow since he traded a shift from earlier in the week when Brooklyn was in the hospital, and Brooklyn is still weak from her pneumonia.

As we make our way to Maddox’s truck, my family joins us in the driveway to see us off. It’s kind of our own little tradition.

“Thank you so much for dinner, Mom. It was delicious. ”

“Oh, you are so welcome, honey,” she says with a warm hug. Mom turns her attention to Maddox and Brooklyn.

“Take care of my girls,” she tells Maddox with a hug and kiss on his cheek.

“I will. I promise.”

“And you, little lady, need to go home and get some rest. Grandma will stop by in the afternoon tomorrow to check on you. Okay?”

“Otay, Gramma. I wove you,” Brooklyn says with a big wet kiss on my mom’s lips. I hug all of my brothers as Maddox fastens Brooklyn into her seat in the back of the truck.

“I love you, baby girl. We’ll see you Sunday,” my dad says as he hugs me tightly against his chest.

“Love you more, Dad.”

With one last wave at my family, I settle into the front seat of the truck. Maddox shakes my dad’s hand before climbing in. As we head out the driveway, I can’t help but feel the exhaustion settling in.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I think I’m just tired. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed tonight. It feels like it’s been weeks since I was home.”

“We’ll be home in just a little bit. Actually, I wanted to make a pit stop quickly, if that’s okay with you?”

“That’s fine,” I say assuming we’re going to run by his house so he can grab more clothes, maybe a clean uniform for tomorrow.

Maddox reaches over and takes my hand in his, linking our fingers together on the seat of his truck.

The peace and contentment settle over me as I shut my eyes and slowly drift off to sleep.

*****

“Babe, wake up.” I can hear Maddox talking to me, trying to rouse me from sleep. I feel his soft lips press gentle kisses on my lips and nose. “Avery, we’re here.”

“Where?” I open my eyes and try to focus. The landscaping is different. We are definitely not at my place or Maddox’s. So where are we?