“I guess. It’s a little uncomfortable being the center of attention, though.”
“I know what you mean.” And she did, which was why there had been small touches, like a hug or holding hands or a quick kiss good-night, but that was it.
Her brother was trying his best to accept this change in the natural order of his life, so Liz was trying not to make it any more traumatic than necessary. She had really, really wanted to crawl into Drew’s tent last night, but she figured Mitch had been traumatized enough by her sex life.
The irony, of course, was that now that she was free to openly be with Drew, they still weren’t having sex. But she could wait. They’d go home soon and then they could maybe have a normal relationship.
At about the halfway point of the loop they were riding, they pulled into what passed for a rest area on the ATV trails. A swampy pond to look at, one ancient picnic table to sit on and lots of trees to pee on.
Within seconds, there was riding gear littering the entire area, which seemed overrun with kids. Liz set her helmet on the back of the machine next to Drew’s, and then slipped her hand into his. His fingers locked with hers and he gave her a little squeeze.
“So much dust today,” Beth said to her husband, slapping her clothes so big puffs of dust drifted into the breeze. “I’m glad we left Lily with your parents.”
Liz pulled Drew back as the boys ran between them and her cousin, with Steph in hot pursuit, screaming about giving back her hair elastic.
Kevin looked at Drew and shook his head. “I know what you must be thinking. Camping with this crew is a great advertisement for birth control.”
Drew’s gaze swept over the horde of shouting, laughing kids and he shook his head. “I was thinking that you’re all really lucky guys.”
Liz felt a pang deep inside. He probably wasn’t aware of how much longing he let slip into his voice and his expression. And it was a poignant reminder that, even though they’d somewhat managed to clear the hurdle of Mitch, he’d never been the only stumbling block in their path.
“Yeah, we are pretty lucky,” Kevin agreed. “Now that my business partner and his wife have the new pub running smoothly and Jasper’s Bar & Grille is as strong as ever, Beth and I are thinking about adding another to the horde.”
“Boy or girl, I hope the addition’s got a strong constitution,” Drew said. “Lily’s one fierce little girl.”
“Yeah.” Kevin’s dimples popped into view when he thought about his daughter. “Maybe a little less time in a sports bar for that one. She likes to sneak out of the office and help Paulie sometimes and she fits right in. But hanging out with the whole family, what with Emma having a new baby and Paige being pregnant—um, you guys knew that, right?—and Katie thinking about it has Beth determined to get pregnant now, too.”
Liz was keenly aware Drew had let go of her hand and shoved his hands in his pockets while Kevin was talking. Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe there was a reason he’d pulled away from her while there was talk of having babies.
“It’ll be quite the pack of kids if Rose and Mary decide to make this family reunion thing an annual tradition,” Drew said. “Assuming the couple that owns the campground don’t run away in the middle of the night.”
Kevin laughed. “They’re good people. They’re getting up there in years, though, so we’re worried they might sell the place to somebody with less tolerance for juvenile exuberance.”
“Of doom,” Liz muttered.
“Let’s go!” Leo yelled over the noise.
“That was fast,” Liz said.
“We don’t have much in the way of snacks with us, other than granola bars, so it’s best to keep the kids moving,” Beth explained. “And we might be trying to wear them out so they’re not hiding in the woods, trying to dodge bedtime tonight.”
“Parenthood is fun,” Kevin told Drew. “Really. You should have five or six of the little buggers.”
Drew laughed. “I was thinking two or three, but why not field a hockey starting line, right?”
“Poor Liz,” Beth said, and then she went to get ready.
Liz didn’t know what to say, so she was glad for the distraction a bunch of kids trying to find helmets, goggles and gloves made. She put her helmet on and climbed up behind Drew, and she was thankful when he tucked his hand under her left knee.
“Some of your family’s come around to the idea of us being a couple a lot faster than others have,” he remarked.
“Yeah. Sorry about that.”
“Why are you sorry?”
Because assumptions she was going to bear Drew a hockey team were a little premature, and made even more awkward by the fact she knew Drew really wanted that. Maybe not the hockey, but the kids. “It’s a little soon for them to jump to conclusions like that.”