Page 16 of Forbidden Dreams
I waved my hand. "I was working."
"On a Sunday?" Maria asked.
"The paperwork never ends," I said, knowing no one would dispute that. The guys were just happy they didn't have to deal with it. That meant my job was secure for now.
If we lost the contract with the town, that would be a blow we couldn't come back from. It was our main source of income at this point.
Maria kissed my cheek. "You work too hard."
I never wanted to take anything for granted. I was entrusted with this position, and I couldn't let the Sterlings down. "I want to do a good job.”
"Well, of course you do. Good enough that you can take off a Sunday every now and then." She patted my cheek and shot Ford a look as if it was his fault that I worked long hours.
"He's a grown man. He can figure out his hours at work on his own," Ford drawled, pulling Natasha against his side.
The banter continued as we ate the appetizers Maria always remembered to put out for us.
We helped her put the food on the table. Today it was chicken, rice, and a salad. These evenings had become something familiar and comforting to me.
As usual, I was seated across from Aspen. Everyone else was paired off, and we were stuck at the end of the table.
Soon, there would be a kids' table large enough to accommodate their expanding family. I tried not to feel a pinch that they were moving on with their lives, and I was still single.
I needed to be the steady one. The guy that could work long hours. It was better this way. I could focus solely on the business.
We passed food around the table and dug in. As usual, there were several conversations going on at once. It was easy to stay quiet and not get involved.
Aspen met my gaze over the table a few times while she talked to Angela, who was seated next to her.
"There's something I'd like to talk to you about," Maria began, and the conversation cut off. "I'd like to do more things together as a family."
Ford raised a brow, looking around the table. "What do you think we're doing right now?"
Maria shook her head. "You all are getting busier and busier. Soon you won't have time for your parents."
I felt a little uncomfortable to be included in this conversation.
"You can't be serious—" Hudson said incredulously.
"You all—or at least most of you—are dating significant others, having babies. All great things. But I'm worried we're not going to see each other as often."
"What did you have in mind?" Ford asked, always taking the lead as the oldest.
Maria looked around the room, gauging our reaction. "I'd like to do some volunteer work in the community. The church hosts a food bank once a month. I thought we could all go and volunteer."
"That's a great idea," Hudson said with a smile at Angela. "I have a feeling once the baby comes, we won't be doing much of anything outside the house."
"That's what I'm talking about. Let's get together while we can. And I don't want it to be all family dinners and holidays. Let's do something meaningful together as a family."
"That sounds good to me," Ford said reasonably.
"I've heard great things about the church in town. They have a lot of outreach programs," Lincoln said.
My attention was drawn to Aspen, who was shaking her head.
"You don't want to do it?" Maria asked her.
Aspen looked across the table at me. "I've been volunteering at the food bank since I was in high school."
