Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
I had to tread carefully, because I could tell from her tone she was getting pissed. But I wasn’t backing down.
“I like you, too, and so will my family. I wouldn’t take you to something you’d be uncomfortable at.”
“Look, I appreciate the offer, but no. Now I need to get back to work, so enjoy the baked goods and”
“And I’ll see you Thursday morning. We’re casual people. I’ll be wearing jeans and a flannel.”
“Beau.” She glared at me, the swirling greens and brows in her eyes reminding me of a forest, though they were anything but peaceful at this moment.
“Shelby.”
She shrugged. “Fine, I just won’t open the door.”
“Fine, I’ll sit outside until you open the door and miss Thanksgiving. Hope you’ll at least share your soup with me.”
She sighed dramatically. “Why are you being like this?”
“Why are you being like this?”
“I don’t want to be exposed to germs during flu season. But thanks for thinking of me.”
I shook my head. “My sister’s pregnant and she’ll be there. I promise no one will get in your face.”
“I just don’t want to go,” she said, exasperated.
“And I just don’t want you here by yourself on Thanksgiving.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I am not your charity case, Beau Fox. If you show up at Thanksgiving lunch, or dinner, or whatever, with a woman, your family will think we’re together.”
I considered. “Maybe. But who cares? Just don’t mention that you’re pregnant. That’s a minefield we don’t want to walk onto.”
“You’re right, it could be uncomfortable. So I’m not going.”
“I’ll be here at ten. You don’t need to bring anything. My mom cooks most of the food but has some of it catered. You’re eating for two now, so it’d be best for the baby if you came and had a good meal.”
“I can eat a good meal here.” She gave me a death glare.
“I’ll see you Thursday.”
“Beau…” She shook her head and looked away.
“Hey,” I said, sensing her rising anxiety. “Trust me, okay?”
She said nothing, which was better than biting back with another argument.
“Thanks for these,” I said, nodding at the box. “And congratulations again.”
“Go away,” she said, but there was a lot less fire in her tone now.
“Bye, Shelby,” I said with a grin.
“Bye, you stubborn asshole.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Shelby
“You grew up here?” I asked Beau, stunned as his parents’ home came into view at the end of a long, private driveway.
It was a sprawling log home on a lake with stone pillars and huge windows, and no other homes in sight. I’d seen homes like this one in architecture magazines. This notched the intimidation factor up even further. While I’d known his parents likely had a beautiful home, I hadn’t expected this.
“No, they built this about ten years ago. I grew up in a house in a subdivision in the city.”
“This is incredible,” I said as he parked on one side of a large portico.
“They’ve got about fifty acres. In the summer, we fish and ride four wheelers and in the winter, we ice-skate on the lake when it freezes over.”
I shuddered. “I could never ice-skate on a lake.”
He grinned. “Sure you could.”
“Worrying about falling through the ice would ruin it.”
He gave me an amused look. “Ready to meet the den?”
“I see what you did there. Because you guys are the Foxes.”
He winked, and I said a last-minute prayer that the rest of the family was as easy to be around as he was.
“Let’s come up with a signal,” I said as we approached the wooden front doors. “If I say anything about peppermint tea, it means I want to leave immediately.”
He gave me a look. “Can we at least eat first?”
“Depends how uncomfortable I am. Remember whose idea this was?”
“Oh, nice,” he muttered. “They’re a subtle bunch.”
I followed his gaze to a window, where several faces were crowded around each other looking at us.
“Why are they staring at me?” I gave him a panicked look. “I hate this already.”
“It’s fine. They’re just a little excited because I’ve never brought a woman to a family thing.”
I turned to him, my heart racing as his words sank in. “But this isn’t”
The front door opened then and we were greeted by a woman I assumed was his mother. “You must be Shelby.” She was a pretty woman with a choppy silver bob. She reached out to hug me as she introduced herself. “I’m Claire. We’re so thrilled you’re here. Come in, come in. Can I take your coat?”
As I took off my coat, I took in my surroundings. The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. It was two stories of wide-open space, bright with natural light from the many windows and decorated in a modern rustic style. My gaze stopped on a cluster of people standing about fifteen feet away, some with faces I recognized from the window.