me, his arms out for a hug. Standing up, I stepped into his embrace as he placed a quick kiss on my forehead. “We’re so glad you guys are here.”
“Me too.” I smiled.
He walked over and grabbed a plate of his own. “If everyone else is eating, so am I.” He took a quick look around the room. “Then again, I could probably just pick off your plates instead of making one up,” he said, taking a quick peek over his shoulder and turning back to give a wink. It was easy to tell how much the Bentley’s loved each other. It was very similar to my parents. They knew how to have fun and joke with each other, plus they still had their romantic sides. I hoped Andrew and I could have the same once we were married.
Sarah glared at her husband as she walked out of the pantry, yet there was the subtlest of lifts at the corners of her mouth. When she walked back into the pantry after only a moment, I knew she was trying to hide the smile that was threatening to come out.
Mike sat down at one end of the table and looked at Andrew and I. “I’m sure someone already asked, but since I missed it, any wedding plans taken care of yet?”
Andrew rolled his eyes. “Why do you think she’s been screaming?”
Rolling my eyes at Andrew, I looked over at his dad. “Not many. All we’ve decided so far is the bridal party.”
“Next April is a while away—you have plenty of time. I’m sure you’d both like to get through graduation first.”
“More than you know,” I said.
“Let’s hear about the internship position you got, Andrew. How did your meeting go with the partners?”
“Oh yes, honey, I want to hear all about it,” Sarah said, taking a seat at the end of the table, finally apron free, and with a plate of her own.
The rest of the meal was spent with Andrew telling his parents all about the internship and the opportunities it would provide when he left school. It was a simple brunch on a beautiful Christmas morning, and listening to everyone talk while we ate made me happy that I’d gotten to spend the holiday with Andrew’s family.
Their interest in my thesis had a certain warmth spreading through my chest. Most people, outside of those studying history themselves, weren’t curious about the paper I was writing, but Andrew’s parents asked a ton of questions—Mike even gave me a few new ideas to add into the mix. It was a nice feeling, and knowing I was going to have two families that cared about me was more than I could ever have asked for. You always hear the horror stories about the in-laws but, thankfully, that was a problem I was never going to have.
The biggest surprise of the whole morning came after we ate.
Andrew
SEEING EMILY SO RELAXED and happy throughout brunch went a long way to dispelling some of my earlier unease. Never in a million years had I expected to piss her off so badly. I had an inkling that if it hadn’t have been Christmas, there’s no way she’d have forgiven me so easily. I’d probably still be home, on my knees, groveling. When Emily was in that mind frame, she was a force to be reckoned with—another reason why it surprised me that she didn’t want to use her degree to go into politics. It was a dog-eat-dog world, but no one would be dumb enough to take on my fierce little pit bull. It was a good thing my sister and Emily got along so well because Jess’s constant questions about the wedding were getting to be a bit much. Even I’d wanted to freak-out a few times. But Emily just took it in stride, not once getting annoyed. Well, at least there were no outward displays of it.
After we all finished eating, Jess was determined that we exchange presents, which was fine by me. Emily had done so much shopping for everyone that I was kind of excited to see their faces, especially since they were probably just expecting gift cards. My family was going to be shocked with having actual presents to open.
We helped Mom clean up the mess and then followed my father into
“Me too.” I smiled.
He walked over and grabbed a plate of his own. “If everyone else is eating, so am I.” He took a quick look around the room. “Then again, I could probably just pick off your plates instead of making one up,” he said, taking a quick peek over his shoulder and turning back to give a wink. It was easy to tell how much the Bentley’s loved each other. It was very similar to my parents. They knew how to have fun and joke with each other, plus they still had their romantic sides. I hoped Andrew and I could have the same once we were married.
Sarah glared at her husband as she walked out of the pantry, yet there was the subtlest of lifts at the corners of her mouth. When she walked back into the pantry after only a moment, I knew she was trying to hide the smile that was threatening to come out.
Mike sat down at one end of the table and looked at Andrew and I. “I’m sure someone already asked, but since I missed it, any wedding plans taken care of yet?”
Andrew rolled his eyes. “Why do you think she’s been screaming?”
Rolling my eyes at Andrew, I looked over at his dad. “Not many. All we’ve decided so far is the bridal party.”
“Next April is a while away—you have plenty of time. I’m sure you’d both like to get through graduation first.”
“More than you know,” I said.
“Let’s hear about the internship position you got, Andrew. How did your meeting go with the partners?”
“Oh yes, honey, I want to hear all about it,” Sarah said, taking a seat at the end of the table, finally apron free, and with a plate of her own.
The rest of the meal was spent with Andrew telling his parents all about the internship and the opportunities it would provide when he left school. It was a simple brunch on a beautiful Christmas morning, and listening to everyone talk while we ate made me happy that I’d gotten to spend the holiday with Andrew’s family.
Their interest in my thesis had a certain warmth spreading through my chest. Most people, outside of those studying history themselves, weren’t curious about the paper I was writing, but Andrew’s parents asked a ton of questions—Mike even gave me a few new ideas to add into the mix. It was a nice feeling, and knowing I was going to have two families that cared about me was more than I could ever have asked for. You always hear the horror stories about the in-laws but, thankfully, that was a problem I was never going to have.
The biggest surprise of the whole morning came after we ate.
Andrew
SEEING EMILY SO RELAXED and happy throughout brunch went a long way to dispelling some of my earlier unease. Never in a million years had I expected to piss her off so badly. I had an inkling that if it hadn’t have been Christmas, there’s no way she’d have forgiven me so easily. I’d probably still be home, on my knees, groveling. When Emily was in that mind frame, she was a force to be reckoned with—another reason why it surprised me that she didn’t want to use her degree to go into politics. It was a dog-eat-dog world, but no one would be dumb enough to take on my fierce little pit bull. It was a good thing my sister and Emily got along so well because Jess’s constant questions about the wedding were getting to be a bit much. Even I’d wanted to freak-out a few times. But Emily just took it in stride, not once getting annoyed. Well, at least there were no outward displays of it.
After we all finished eating, Jess was determined that we exchange presents, which was fine by me. Emily had done so much shopping for everyone that I was kind of excited to see their faces, especially since they were probably just expecting gift cards. My family was going to be shocked with having actual presents to open.
We helped Mom clean up the mess and then followed my father into
Similar Books
