“Eddie will be here,” his dad said. “Elgin and Patsy are in Italy on vacation, so they won’t be able to make it.”
“I’m supremely jealous of their vacation, too,” his mom said, eyeing his dad.
“Europe’s not really my thing, honey, but if you wanna go, just make the plans and I’ll tag along.”
His mom pointed her finger at his dad. “I’m holding you to that, Easton.”
Once the glasses and wine setup was finished, they were all shuffled into the living room.
“It’s time for everyone to relax.” His mom turned to head back into the kitchen.
“No, Mom,” Mia said. “It’s time for you to relax. No fixing food or spending your evening in the kitchen.”
Mom laughed. “Please. I have a ton of food to prepare for tonight.”
“Actually, you don’t,” Mia said. “All of us got together and arranged for tonight’s dinner to be catered. The caterers will be arriving shortly.”
Grant couldn’t help but smile when his mom teared up and laid her hand over her heart. “Really?”
“Really. So we’re going to open some wine and you’re going to let someone else work tonight. Tonight’s the night you get to have time with Dad. Happy anniversary.”
She hugged them all individually, and when she got to him, whispered, “Thank you for this.”
He gave her a little squeeze, and said, “You deserve it. Now have some fun and enjoy your guests.”
He liked seeing his mom so happy, especially with a glass of wine in her hand, leaning into his dad.
He’d been lucky—damn lucky—to have grown up with a family he could always count on. As they all raised their glasses and toasted not only Dad’s birthday, but his parents’ anniversary, he glanced over at Katrina. She looked genuinely happy for his parents, but he wondered if she was thinking about her own parents.
A mother who was gone too soon, and a father who’d abandoned her and her siblings. That had to eat away at her. He went over to her and put his arm around her.
“I hope you’re having fun.”
Her lips tilted in a smile. “I’m having a great time. You have a wonderful family, Grant. You’re very lucky.”
“I know I am. And I’m glad you, Leo, and Anya decided to come down here with me. Thanks for that.”
She gave him an enigmatic smile, but then guests started to arrive, so he didn’t have a chance to talk to her, because he had to introduce her to his other uncle, Eddie, and his Aunt Cecile, and soon the door was open and the house filled with guests.
His dad’s old coach from Green Bay, now retired, made the trip. Grant hadn’t seen Fred Arendale in years, so he spent some time getting caught up with him. Fred talked to Grant about his team this year and how proud he was of Grant’s career. Then they were surrounded by Grant’s brothers, all of them having a great amount of respect for Fred.
He’d lost sight of Katrina because he was swallowed up by all the guests. Fortunately, he knew she could hold her own.
He’d just have to catch up with her later.
KATRINA WAS IN AWE OF THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS who’d showed up for Easton and Lydia’s party. She knew Grant was busy greeting people, and she was fine on her own.
Not that she spent a lot of time on her own. Neither did Leo or Anya. The one thing she’d learned quickly about the Cassidys was that they didn’t let their guests stand alone. One of Grant’s brothers would introduce her to someone, and she noticed Mia had stuck close to Anya all evening, making sure she didn’t feel like a wallflower.
Her brother had met a new friend in Easton, and when he’d taken a moment to go get a soda, he’d stopped by and told her he’d met Easton’s former coach and some of his old teammates from Green Bay as well.
Her brother was going to have stars in his eyes for a while, she could tell. She didn’t have to worry about the kids feeling left out.
Or herself. Right now she was sitting with Lydia and talking to a few of the women who were a part of the charity foundation she and Easton had founded. Some of these women were wives of Easton’s former teammates. She found them to be highly intelligent, most of them career women who had either retired or were still actively working. They were all formidable, and she sat with rapt attention listening to them talk about items on the agenda for their next meeting.
“We have a few scholarships to go through,” Lydia said. “I have the paperwork that we’ll need to review, but I believe there should be about ten we’ll give out this year.”
Lydia turned to her. “The foundation gives full-ride scholarships to underprivileged children in high risk areas. These are kids who might not qualify financially otherwise, but we believe stand a great chance at making a good life for themselves and their families. They just need someone to believe in them and give them the opportunity.”