Page 109 of Cautious Love

He shrugs. “I don’t know, Ma, he’s on break for a bit. But maybe he’s busy.”

She frowns. “You didn’t talk to him?”

“We talk, but it’s not like we call each other every day to make plans.”

I roll my eyes and elbow him.

“These kids of mine, I swear, Shiloh,” she says. But she’s not actually mad. Her eyes are bright, cheeks rosy, and I wonder if this kind of life is possible for someone like me.

Ledger tugs me to the giant dining table that looks like it’s seen many dinners in its lifetime, but it’s sturdy as a rock, like the Hayes.

Mr. Hayes comes into the kitchen and gives Mrs. Hayes a peck on the cheek before snatching a biscuit off the table without her noticing. He sees me catch him and tosses a wink in my direction. I smile and shake my head as he wanders into the living room.

The Hayes bunch is so lively and loving.

“Sorry Mama! I’m sorry!” June yells as she hustles into the kitchen.

“I was wondering where you were,” she says.

Then Sterling comes in behind her.That’s interesting.

Sterling spots me and sends me a wink before Fletcher and Cooper crowd him. “Is Sterling here a lot?” I whisper to Ledger.

He takes a sip of beer and nods. “Yeah, as kids we did everything together. But his home life wasn’t great. He lived with us for a little while before we graduated, too. So he’s like another member of the family.”

I hum and take a sip of my own beer that was suddenly placed in front of me, observing the chaos. I love it.

“You okay?” he whispers in my ear. Before he can lean away, I turn my head and kiss him quickly.

“I’m great.”

He makes a face I’m not sure how to interpret and dips his chin.

“Okay! Now we can eat!” Mrs. Hayes yells.

June, Tatum, Mae, Sterling, Cooper, and Mrs. Hayes all gather the food from the counter and set it down on the table. While everyone else comes to find their chairs. Then I realize I had zero manners and didn’t offer to help.

I tug Ledger to me. “I forgot to offer to help. She’s going to hate me now.”

Ledger snorts, dropping a kiss on my temple without saying a word.

I frown at him, deciding to apologize to her later.

When everyone is seated, Mr. Hayes says grace, and then the enormous platters begin their turn around the table.

I scoop a bit of everything. I’ve never been a picky eater, and she made beer can chicken.

“No, Naomi, you may not get up until you finish your green beans.”

I look to the girl at my side, and Cooper is watching Naomi. She huffs and puffs, crossing her arms, not excited about the green bean situation.

Cooper turns to say something to his wife, and I quickly grab her plate, scooping the green beans onto mine, but I grab one and leave it on her plate to make it look more convincing.

She looks up at me with wide eyes, and I wink.

She grins widely and yells, “Daddy, I’m done!”

Cooper frowns, inspecting her plate. “Alright, princess, you can get up.”