“Yeah, well, Savannah put me in charge of greeting guests. She said I’ve got the sexiest smile she’s ever seen,” the giant responded with a smirk and wink. “And who might this be?” he asked and held out his non-toddler corralling hand toward me.
“Thatch, this is Melody,” Will introduced us. “Melody, this is Thatch, my brother-in-law’s best friend. And the little guy in his arms is his son, Ace.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I shook Thatch’s hand. “And it’s really nice to meet you, you little cutie,” I said to Ace and tickled his belly.
He giggled in response and then held both of his tiny hands out in my direction. “Hole me, pease.”
Both Will and Thatch chuckled.
“You come on too strong, little man,” Thatch whispered to Ace. “You have to ease into it with the ladies. Dinner first before cuddling.”
“Un-ca Will!” a tiny voice exclaimed as she ran toward us. Her pigtails bounced in the air as she made a beeline straight into Will’s arms.
“How’s my favorite girl?” Will asked and settled the little girl—who I knew from pictures was his niece, Julia—onto his hip.
She kissed his cheek, and Will grinned.
“Who dis?” she asked once her eyes met mine.
“Julia, this is my girlfriend, Melody,” he answered and smiled in my direction. “Melody, this is my niece, Julia.”
“Hi, Julia,” I greeted and gently tugged on the silk material of her pale pink dress. “Your dress is so pretty.”
“Tanks,” she said with a grin and then looked toward Ace, who was still in Thatch’s arms. “Ace-eee!” she exclaimed and squirmed out of Will’s arms. He set her to her feet, and Thatch followed suit, setting Ace onto his tiny Nike’s.
Ace smiled at Julia, and she smiled back at him. They exchanged a little toddler babble of their own before giggling like hyenas and running down the hallway together.
“I get you, Lia!” Ace shouted toward her, and Julia continued running, giggling the entire way.
“Look but don’t touch, son,” Thatcher advised, and I couldn’t stop a shocked laugh from leaving my lips.
“You’ll get used to that,” Will whispered into my ear. “Thatch is the opposite of conventional in every facet of his life.”
“His wife is Cassie, right?” I asked quietly, and Will nodded.
“Now it’s all making sense.” Because it was. Cassie wasn’t your average woman. She was outspoken and confident, and it only took a few seconds upon meeting her to deduce that she was a bit wild. Maybe a little crazy, too.
Plus, I was ninety-nine percent sure she hadn’t been wearing a bra. Only a certain kind of woman has the confidence to free-boob on purpose.
Thatch turned back toward us with his large arms crossed over his chest.
But he didn’t say anything, merely just stood there, grinning down at us without a care in the world, and things started to get awkward.
“Do you mind if we come in?” Will asked with a sarcastic smirk. “You know, inside the house, my sister’s house?”
Eventually, Thatch gestured us in the door while bellowing, “Dick! Savannah! Georgia! Will’s here!”
The second we stepped through the door, I spotted a horse of a dog snoozing on a dog bed with a fat, fluffy cat curled up to his side. Honestly, it was one of the cutest fucking things I’d ever seen.
“I’m guessing they’re best friends?” I asked Will with a nod toward the dog bed.
He snorted in laughter. “Uh…a little more than that.”
“Stan and Walter are lovers, actually,” Thatch informed me. “Oh, and watch out for Walter. He’s an asshole.”
“Walter is the dog, I’m guessing?”
“Nope. He’s that evil fucking demon cat. If I were you, I’d just avoid eye contact, and stay away from his boyfriend, Stan.”
I looked at Will in confusion, and he smiled.
“Trust me, it’s a long story.”
“Pretty sure I need to hear that story.” Because I did. I mean, a Great Dane and demon cat that were in love? Where was a television show producer when you needed one? That was reality TV gold.
“Later,” Will whispered and guided me down the hall with a hand pressed to the small of my back. Before we reached the spacious living room, a jolly specimen of a man rounded the corner with a petite and gorgeous woman pressed to his side. Both were smiling widely, and by looks alone, I knew instantly they were Will’s parents.
“Willy, my boy! Have you grown?”
My eyebrows pulled together as Will’s cheeks tinged with pink. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him blush before. What’s got him embarrassed?
“Hey, Dad,” Will greeted, but under his breath, he muttered, “Lord help me.”
“Oh, William, you look so handsome this evening.” His mother kissed him on both cheeks. “And I’m assuming this is Melody?”
“You assume correctly,” he said and wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulder. “Melody, these are my parents, Dick and Savannah Cummings.”
“She’s stunning, William,” his mother complimented. “Long legs, fantastic rack, and a gorgeous face. Isn’t she gorgeous, Dick?”
“So pretty that I’m wondering why she’s dating our son.”
I fought the urge to giggle and looked up at Will. He appeared slightly exasperated, but mostly, just smiled down at me proudly.
“Well, come in, come in.” Savannah gestured us toward the living room where everyone—including Georgia and Cassie—seemed to be sitting cozily in front of the big-screen television.
“Georgie,” Dick chimed in, “Get off your lazy pregnant ass and greet your brother’s girlfriend.”
Georgia flipped him the bird, and Cassie laughed. “Damn, Wheorgie’s in a mood tonight.”
“Dick,” Savannah chastised. “You know she’s probably tired from all of the pregnancy sex that she and Kline have been having. Her sexual aura is practically encompassing us all.” She looked around at all of the characters who’d assembled there and smirked. “It’s making us all horny.”
“Jesus, Mom,” Will breathed out on a sigh.
“Oh, don’t be such a prude, William. You know I taught you better than that.”
A ridiculously handsome guy hopped out of his seat and held out his hand toward me. “I’m Kline, Georgia’s husband, and Will’s brother-in-law.”
“Hi, I’m Melody.”
“Oh, believe me,” Kline said with amusement. “I’m more than aware of who you are after your lunch date with Will and the gossip queens.”
“I take offense to that!” Georgia exclaimed, but Kline just grinned in response.
“We’re not gossip queens,” she added and looked toward Cassie. “Back me up, Casshead.”
Cassie smirked and shook her head. “We’re totally gossip queens. And you’re the worst of the bunch.”
“I am not!”
“You definitely are,” Thatch added as he sat down beside his wife and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. “And the fact that you can’t lie or keep a secret if your life depended on it makes it even worse.”
“I can lie,” Georgia refuted and looked around the room, but when no one spoke up in agreement, she looked toward her mom. “Mom?”