Bodie parked at his mom’s and turned to Ivy, smiling because she looked so serious. “It’s just a family dinner,” he promised. “With really great food.”
She gnawed on her lower lip. “What if they figure out . . .” She lowered her voice. “You know, how difficult I am?”
His entire heart cracked wide open. “Look at me.” When she did with a slight flash of sass, he smiled at her. “You’re amazing, and my mom will love you.” When she gave him a doubtful look, he said, “I’m never going to lie to you, Kit Kat, so when I tell you something, you can take it to the bank.”
She nodded but still looked like a flight risk. And even though he really did know his mom was going to love her, he was afraid Ivy wasn’t going to let herself be loved. “Look, you’re her first and only granddaughter. She’s going to like you better than all the rest of us put together, I promise you.”
She nodded bravely, and he reached over to hug her, pressing his jaw to the top of her head, catching Zeke’s and Serena’s eyes as they, along with Shay—in her own car—and Mace got out of their vehicles.
Everyone smiled reassuringly. It took him a beat to realize that while he was here for Ivy, they were here for him. Not that he deserved it. When he’d first come back to Sunrise Cove, he’d been a broody, moody asshole. He hadn’t come around much.
Or at all.
He’d holed up in his cabin in Hidden Falls and he’d . . . well, he’d hidden away. He’d had a lot of healing to do, physically and emotionally, and it’d taken him a shamefully long time to get over himself and come back to his family. And actually, he hadn’t done it on his own. He might never have, but one day, maybe a month after he’d gotten here, there’d been a knock at his door. He’d ordered food delivery, so assuming it was that, he’d limped painfully to the door, only to be shocked by his family pushing their way past him inside.
Mace. His mom. Zeke. Serena. Their rug rats. Shay. All of them carrying food, and not just for dinner, but for his cupboards and freezer. They’d stocked him up, and after that night, someone had come by every few days with more. Respectfully keeping their distance, taking their cues from him.
It’d happened so slowly, so gradually, he couldn’t even pinpoint exactly when he’d gotten comfortable with them all up in his business. Now they’d collectively do that for Ivy, until she believed. He knew that without a doubt, and they wouldn’t give up until they’d succeeded.
As always, his mom opened her front door before he got up the walk. She’d had a rough year, and it showed, but the pain in her eyes was less visible tonight. “Come in and eat,” she demanded. “You’re skin and bones, all of you.”
Zeke, who wasn’t as fit as Bodie and Mace—they liked to tease him about his “dad bod”—snorted. “Well, not all of us.”
“You’re perfect,” his mom said, and grabbed him by the face and kissed both cheeks.
She repeated this for Serena, and then Mace—whose face she held a little longer than she had Zeke’s and Serena’s. “I see the woman who is your far better half standing right behind you. Does this mean you two have come to your senses?”
Mace glanced back at Shay. “We’re trying to be friends.”
“Ack. Idiot,” his mom said fondly, and pushed him past her so she could reach for Shay, whom she hugged hard.
Never comfortable with familial affection, Shay squirmed a bit, but in the end, no one had ever resisted Suzie Campbell’s genuine love for all things in her orbit. She was warm, sweet, caring, and nosy as hell. She was simply impossible to escape or resist—proven when Shay gave a snort and hugged her back. “Good to see you, Suzie.”
“Right back at you, honey.” Then those miss-nothing eyes landed on Bodie and . . . filled.
“Ah, Mom,” he said, pained. “Please don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it.” She pulled him in hard and rocked him to her even though he had over a foot on her. Then she quite literally shoved him aside. “Oh . . . Oh, honey, you’re perfect. Come here, I’ve got sixteen years of hugs to give you.”
Ivy, deer in the headlights, tried to duck behind Bodie. He caught her to him and turned to face her, his back to everyone else, blocking her from their view. “I get the fight-or-flight response, trust me,” he said quietly. “And if you want to leave right now, we leave. Your decision, always.”
“I’m not scared. I was just thinking a burger and curly fries sounds really good about now, that’s all.”
He smiled. “Trust me, your grandma’s five-cheese lasagna is way better than my burgers.”
She wasn’t blinking, maybe not even breathing, and he tilted her chin up. “I’m serious about it being okay to leave. If you’re not okay with this, if you’d rather be anywhere else, we go right now, no questions asked.”
Her eyes slid to the right and he knew she was looking at his mom. “She smells like vanilla,” she whispered. “And maybe cinnamon.”
“I know. I think she does that on purpose to make herself irresistible.”
His mom’s hand smacked him lightly on the back of his head, and he laughed. “Honestly, Kit Kat, she’s the best. In the most terrifying way possible.”
“He just forfeited his dessert to you,” his mom said to Ivy. “And hi, I’m your grandma. I couldn’t be happier to meet you. But, honey, he’s right. It’s okay if you’re not ready. I can be a lot.”
Ivy pulled back from Bodie and looked at her in surprise. “So can I.”
His mom smiled, her eyes shimmering brilliantly. “Then we’re made for each other. Now let me get a look at you.” She took Ivy’s hands and spread them out. “Oh my goodness, you’re so beautiful. And you’ve got the Campbell eyes. You know we can bat them at anyone and bend them to our will, right?”
“Mom,” Bodie said.
His mom smiled and ignored him, speaking directly to Ivy. “It’s mostly on the female side. You’re welcome.” Her eyes went even more shiny. “Thanks so much for coming. I know it wasn’t easy. Can I hug you?” She looked at Bodie. “Did you tell her I’m a hugger?”
“I think she’s getting that, Mom.”
“Is it okay?” she asked Ivy.
Ivy nodded and was immediately swallowed up by his mom’s arms. She looked at Bodie over her shoulder, eyes still a little wide, and he smiled reassuringly. “You okay? Is she squeezing too hard? Sometimes she does that. She swears it’s an accident. Blink twice if you need a rescue.”
Ivy laughed, and though it sounded rusty, the sound was music to Bodie’s ears and warmed his heart.
Three-year-old Ian tugged on Ivy’s hand and pointed to the backyard visible through the house and out the sliding glass doors, and the huge swing set there. “Swing!” he yelled. “Pweaze?”
At his side, two-year-old Max nodded hopefully.
Five minutes later, Bodie watched out the window as Ivy played with her three cousins. She was pushing Ian and Xander on the swings and laughing, looking so open and happy it hit him right in the feels. Max was on her hip, his little arms wrapped around her neck. There was a strong physical resemblance between them, but the real reason he couldn’t tear his eyes away was because despite the age gap, they clearly had a built-in bond. Ivy hadn’t had that. He could only imagine what her life so far had been like, and it made him sick. And damn. He was either getting old or turning into a sap, because it put a lump of heart in his throat.
His mom came up beside him. He expected her to give him grief about taking his sweet time about bringing Ivy here, or maybe something about the fact he hadn’t even known he had a daughter. But she didn’t. In fact, she didn’t speak at all, so he turned his head and looked at her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, voice teary.
“For bringing Ivy? Of course.”
“For bringing you.”
“Mom.” He hugged her. “I’ve been back for months.”
“But today . . .” She cupped his face. “Today is the first day I’ve had all of you.”
Growing up, dinner had been a family affair, attendance required, even if it was on the stands at the baseball or soccer fields, or at the bar because his dad was working. It’d driven him crazy, always having to eat together, but it’d been a staple in his life.
He hadn’t appreciated it until he’d been on the other side of the country from his entire family. Yeah, it’d been his choice, and he didn’t have regrets, but he also hadn’t realized how much he could miss something until it was gone.
And now he had it back again.
His mom went into the kitchen. “Tell everyone five minutes.”
Bodie headed to the den, where he heard Zeke’s voice say, “Tell me you’ll wear it again tonight.”
“If you do the bedtime with the heathens,” Serena answered.
“Are we making a deal?” Zeke asked.
“Maybe,” she said. “We could review the taboo list and see if anything’s negotiable.”
Zeke laughed. “Baby, we wiped out your taboo list a long time ago.”
“Oh yeah.” Serena laughed too. “Damn that bottle of whiskey . . .”
Bodie grimaced and entered the kitchen. “TMI.”
Zeke grinned. “Jealous?”
“I need brain bleach. Do either of you have any brain bleach?”
A few minutes later, they all gathered in the dining room. When they were seated, as always everyone started talking over everyone. It was loud, boisterous, and messy. He looked at Ivy, who was watching them all like maybe she was at the circus, which basically, she was. “Don’t worry, you get used to them.”
She laughed, and he decided that it was the best sound he’d ever heard.
His brothers were going on about skiing this coming year and which resorts they planned to get passes from. “Do you know how to ski?” he asked Ivy.
“No.”
The table went silent in shock. They’d been skiing since they could stand on two feet. As early as kindergarten, it’d been a part of their PE in school. Zeke often taught skiing to the under-ten set on the weekends, which he loved to do because he could bring his kids. Mace and Bodie had been on the local ski team their entire childhoods, and even now Mace sometimes hired on as ski patrol.
“This must be fixed ASAP,” Mace said.
“One hundred percent,” Zeke agreed.
“Only if she wants,” Bodie said, not even sure she’d come back this winter, and not wanting to push.
“I want,” Ivy said.
Zeke high-fived her. “One of the first times Bodie skied, he broke his arm.”
“Because I was seven and you pushed me off Dead Man’s Bluff,” Bodie said. “A diamond run, which means expert,” he explained to Ivy. To the room he said, “I’ll teach Ivy to ski.”
“Who taught you?” Ivy asked.
“My dad.”
“Keep your knees bent!” Zeke said in an imitation of the man they’d all lost.
“Lean into the turns,” Bodie said in that same voice. “What are you slowing down for, boy?”
Mace laughed. “Stop dragging your poles like they’re a set of brakes! You guys are a bunch of girls. No, scratch that, girls are awesome skiers, you’re giving them a bad name!”
“He did not say that,” his mom said, laughing in spite of herself.
“Oh yes he did,” Bodie said.
“Was he scary?” Ivy asked.
“As a puppy,” Bodie’s mom said. “He was all bark and no bite. Oh, how he would’ve loved you, honey. I hate that you’re missing out on knowing him.”
“But you can still see him.” Zeke pulled out his phone, accessed Google Earth, and brought up his mom’s house. He zoomed in as far as he could go and showed Ivy the man on his knees in front of a flower bed out front. “He died six months ago, but on Google Earth he’s still gardening.”
“Which he loved,” his mom said softly.
“Hey,” Mace said to Zeke. “Remember that time Bodie’s back pocket got caught on the lift as he was getting off and it dangled him above all of us for like half an hour before they could get him down? By the seat of his pants? Oh, and his boxers had Disney princesses on them?”
“Hey, I was ten, and that’s what Mom had bought me,” Bodie said in his defense.
“They were from Walmart,” his mom said proudly. “They were on sale.”
Ivy was shaking from mirth, a few tears streaming down her face, and Bodie smiled down at her. “You find this amusing?”
“So much.” She grinned at him. Grinned. He felt like he’d just won the lottery. “Your brothers are so cool.”
“True story,” Mace said, unabashedly eavesdropping. “Just make sure it’s me who teaches you to ski. Your dad sucks at it.”
“I’m the one who taught you,” Bodie said.
“Which is why I used to ski into trees.”
Zeke laughed. “Save yourself some trouble, Ivy. I’ll teach you to ski. The right way.”
“Uh-huh,” Serena said dryly. “What about that time you hit a tree because you wouldn’t wear your glasses, saying they kept fogging up?”
“Hey, a guy hits a tree one time . . .”
“Skiing’s expensive, right?” Ivy asked, a worry frown between her eyes.
“We get a locals discount, and Zeke’s buddy has a ski shop where we get gear cheap,” Bodie said. “So not as much as you’d think. Don’t worry about it.” Besides, he’d go broke giving her the moon, he didn’t care.
Mace told everyone a story about something that had happened on his job the week before, when he’d been dealing with a plumbing issue—aka an exploding toilet. Zeke one-upped him with one of his short-term renters, who’d let himself into the wrong condo, because too many people left their keys under the front mat, and slept there for two nights before he realized he was in the wrong place—only figuring it out when a large family flipped on his bedroom light one morning, yelling, “Happy birthday, Stan!” taking years off his life.
Ivy was still grinning when she turned to Bodie. “Does anything interesting ever happen at your work?”
“Other than the occasional drunken karaoke night, not really.”
Ivy looked a little disappointed, and Mace opened his big fat mouth and said, “Your dad has two jobs, and the other one is the coolest job ever. He’s an ATF agent.”
“Was,” his mom said. “He was an ATF agent. He retired.”
Zeke and Bodie both glared at Mace.
“Right,” he said, pushing away his wineglass. “Don’t talk when you’ve had alcohol. Ever.”
His mom was ashen, her eyes on Bodie’s face. “You’re not retired?”
“Mom,” Zeke said gently, “he’s not even thirty-five. It’s unrealistic to think he’s not going to go back—”
“I’m not.” Bodie looked at his mom. “I’m not going back.” He then looked at his brothers. “I didn’t know how to tell you before. But they released me. Too injured to be effective in the field, and I can’t ride a desk.”
“Oh, honey.” His mom’s eyes were fierce. “That just means they’re too stupid to know what they’ve lost.”
His brothers nodded.
Ivy was looking at him like he’d hung the sun and the moon in one try. And suddenly he couldn’t remember why he’d tried to hide the fact that he was done working a crazy-dangerous job that no longer suited his lifestyle anyway. Not with a daughter. Still, the silence was awkward, at least for him.
Until Mace looked at Ivy. “One time, your dad took down a ring of illegal arms dealers.”
Zeke nodded. “And then there was the time he had to hide in a freezer while undercover. He got frostbite on his as—er, behind area.”
His mom gasped. “On top of the four bullet holes?”
Ivy’s eyes were huge—and impressed—as she looked at Bodie.
“He also still can’t fully bend the pinkie finger on his left hand,” Zeke said.
“So much for ‘these stories stay in the vault,’” Bodie said dryly, but also wanting to hug his family for making this easy for him.
Mace just grinned. “He means the night we plied him with alcohol to tell us why he was so surly and grumpy all the time.” He looked at Bodie. “Promises made with alcohol don’t count, man.”
“Okay, got it,” Bodie said, and turned to his mom. “Remember when the vase from your great-grandma vanished? You might want to ask your youngest what happened to it.”
Mace choked on a piece of bread and glared at Bodie. “Wow.”
Zeke was laughing his fool-ass head off, so Bodie smiled evilly. “And, Mom, Zeke’s got a story to tell you about the time the hot tub turned green.”
Zeke stopped laughing. “Man, why you gotta be like that?”
Ivy didn’t know what she’d expected out of dinner, but it hadn’t been to have her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“Do you do family dinners back home?” Bodie’s mom—her grandma!—asked.
“No.” Ivy almost laughed at the thought. Her mom didn’t cook, much less even like dinner. She always said dinner made her fat. “There’d probably be warfare.”
Bodie’s mom chuckled. “Honey, I raised four boys, I’ve seen my share of warfare, believe me. And destruction too. One time, the boys decided to sneak into my kitchen at midnight and make brownies. They thought the microwave would be faster. My brand-new microwave. The brownies exploded. I thought we were in the middle of a home invasion.”
“Hey, we cleaned it all up,” Mace said.
She snorted. “The next day. You were all too . . . ‘baked’ in the moment.”
Zeke choked on his iced tea. “Mom, do you even know what that means?”
“I grew up in the sixties, of course I know what it means. And if I didn’t, the fact that you guys ate me out of house and home that night would’ve clued me in.”
Ivy laughed.
His mom smiled at the sound. “Did I mention they thought they were invisible? They kept asking each other in a hushed whisper, ‘How is she seeing us?’”
“Mom,” Bodie said, sounding pained. “You’re talking to my teenage daughter.”
“About you and your brothers being stupid, yes I am. Maybe she can learn from your stupidity.” Her smile faded, her eyes remained warm and caring on Ivy. “For Mace’s twin brother, Austin, that sort of harmless play turned out to be a gateway to bigger and far worse things. They played into his demons and changed the course of his life.”
“I’m so sorry,” Ivy said, meaning it from the bottom of her heart. She hated that Bodie, that all of them, had lost someone they loved so very much.
Bodie’s mom gently cupped her face, and even though her eyes were a little wet, she gave a very small smile. “Don’t ever be sorry for things that aren’t your fault.” She hugged her tight, then pulled back. “Does your mom have other children?”
“Mom,” Bodie said.
“Sorry, honey. It’s just that I want to play catch-up more than I want my next breath. I’m told I can be a little pushy.”
Bodie held up his hands about three feet apart from each other. Her other sons laughed.
Ivy usually ignored pushy entirely, but she didn’t want to ignore her dad’s mom. “It’s okay, Mrs. Campbell—”
She broke off when the woman’s eyebrows vanished into her pretty white flowing hair. “Mrs. Campbell was my mother-in-law’s name, God bless her soul. I’m Mom or Grandma to everyone in this room, you included.”
“You could go with Grandma Nosy,” Bodie suggested.
Everyone snorted. Even his mom, who also threw her napkin at Bodie and hit him smack in the face. Ivy sucked in a breath, but Bodie just pulled the napkin away and rolled his eyes.
“He used to roll those eyes of his so hard I was sure he could see his own brain,” his mom said. She stood and grabbed some dishes to clear the table.
Bodie tugged affectionately on Ivy’s hair. “Kit Kat?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
Something deep inside her tightened in the very best of ways. “Me too,” she admitted. “It’s been the best day of my life.” A little embarrassed that those words had escaped, she stood to help her grandma clear the table.
She heard Bodie speak just as she’d left the room.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be out buying her a pony,” he said.
Ivy realized everyone was following her, helping to clear. They all ended up in the kitchen, where Bodie’s mom was piling cinnamon rolls on a plate. Harper’s grandma’s cinnamon rolls, to be exact. Bodie stole one, took a bite, then looked at his mom in surprise. “Mom, where did you get these?”
“In town.”
He narrowed his eyes. “In town where?”
“Sugar Pine Bakery.”
Oh boy. Ivy almost laughed at the look on Bodie’s face.
His mom met his gaze straight on, brows raised high in a dare. “Why?”
“You know why,” he said. “What did you do?”
“Just introduced myself to the woman my son’s seeing.” She gave him a look of pure attitude. “Which you should’ve done yourself.”
Zeke, Mace, and Shay were laughing so hard, they were no longer making any sound. Ivy was watching with utter fascination. She couldn’t believe that everyone let this tiny old woman boss them around, but then again, they clearly loved and adored her. Hell, Ivy already did, in spite of herself.
“Harper is a lovely woman, by the way,” his mom said. “So kind. Courageous too, starting over so far from home. She’s intent on making a good life for herself. You know I love me a sweet, courageous, smart woman. Zeke got lucky to land his.”
Serena blew her a kiss.
“And sure, Mace somehow messed up with Shay, but he’s at least smart enough to know she’s his better half,” their mom said.
Shay also blew her a kiss.
“But you,” Bodie’s mom said to him. “You need to let go of the past so you can move on and accept love.”
“He’s working on it, Mom,” Mace said.
“He really is trying,” Zeke said. “It’s not his fault he’s all fucked up in the head—er . . .” He eyed the children. “I mean, messed up over what happened.”
Once again, Ivy felt herself surprised. Bodie’s brothers gave him some serious shit, like all the time, but they also always jumped to defend him. She’d loved to have siblings even half as great.
Her grandma pointed at Zeke. “Let me remind you that you’re never too old to have your mouth washed out with soap for swearing.” She softened. “But you’re both right.” They all looked at Bodie. “I believe he’s trying too, and . . .” Her voice cracked, and her eyes welled up. “I’m so relieved. For a while there, we thought we were going to lose you, for something that wasn’t your fault.”
Even Ivy’s heart, which was usually a cold lump in her chest, squeezed hard.
Bodie just drew a slow, deep breath. “Mom, we all know that what happened to Dad was directly related to my job, which means it is my fault.”
His mom came over and cupped his face, though it sounded a little bit like a two-handed slap. “You listen to me.” Her head didn’t even come quite up to his shoulders. “You were gone a long time—”
“I know,” he said, covering her hands with his. “I—”
“Shh. You weren’t all that great at keeping in touch, so let me tell you what I’ve never told any of you before. Your dad had a heart condition.”
Bodie froze. So did his brothers. “What?”
“For several years before he died. He didn’t want me to tell any of you. He didn’t want the fuss.”
“Jesus, Mom,” Zeke said. “Why didn’t you at least tell us after he died?”
“He made me promise I’d never tell you.” She tossed up her hands. “You all know how he was. Stubborn as a fool, and as hardheaded as . . . well, as each of you.” She’d kept her gaze on Bodie’s. “But that secret is no longer serving him, and it certainly isn’t serving any of you, so I’m telling you now. So yes, he had a fatal heart attack when he heard what happened to you, but, honey, it was not your fault.”
Bodie opened his mouth, but she shook her head. “It wasn’t,” she said fiercely.
All of them looked . . . well, stunned, as well as highly emotional, and Ivy stirred, feeling like she was eavesdropping. “I should go—”
“No, Kit Kat, you’re all right.” Bodie turned to her, reaching out a hand to pull her to his side. “You remember how I told you family should always be there for you?”
“Yes,” she said, hearing her voice sound thin and unsure.
His mom smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand. “Always,” she said. “Even when it’s hard.”
“If you want to talk about me,” Ivy said, “just tell me and I’ll give you your privacy.”
“Never worry about that,” Mace said. “We talk about each other right to each other’s faces.”
“As for your grandpa,” her grandma said, “we keep him alive in our hearts. Come. I’ll show you some photo albums, so you can do the same. You’ve got his eyes. And I think, probably, his ability to out-stubborn even me.”
Ivy smiled. “My mom says I was born stubborn.”
Everyone started to file out of the kitchen, but Bodie caught Ivy’s hand, holding her back, bending a little to look into her eyes. “Hey,” he said softly. “You okay?”
She nodded.
He gave her a “come on, let’s hear it” gesture.
Her smile faded, and she picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on her jeans. “You know how you asked me to stay with you?”
“Yes.” His smile faded too, probably because her voice was suddenly shaking with nerves. “It’s okay, Kit Kat, whatever you’ve decided, it’s okay.”
“I’d like to.” She looked up. “Stay with you.”
His serious expression lightened. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Well, not tonight, because I promised your mom—” She stopped. Flashed a grin. “I mean my grandma, that I’d spend the night with the cousins. But maybe we could start tomorrow night.”
“I’d love that,” he said, and somehow she knew he meant it.
“You don’t think Harper will mind?” she asked worriedly. “I really like staying with her, but I also feel bad because she’s done so much for me. Even after all she’s been through. I hate that her dad ignores her and her ex took all their friends.”
“I hate that too,” he said. “But she has us now, and Shay and Abuela, and my brothers. The way she took care of you? We’ll all take care of her. That’s how this works.”
Since that had her a little choked up, she just nodded, and he gave her a small smile. “I’m so glad you came tonight.”
Shockingly enough, so was she. She couldn’t remember ever being so relaxed and . . . happy. Usually, she managed to sabotage any happy that came her way, but this time she’d managed to keep it. It felt like Christmas in August. Well, not her usual Christmas, those were usually crap. More like the Christmases she saw on TV. And she wanted to never let it go.