"Hey, Lou." I jump up and go down the deck stairs, meeting up with him. "Glad you could make it." I take the three big plastic containers he's holding, which I assume are the desserts he said he was bringing. "How much did you make?"
"A few dozen cookies and some brownies. You said Nash's brothers were as big as him, and now that I'm seeing them, I'm thinking I should've made more." Lou's looking out at the yard where the guys are playing football.
"This should be plenty. Come sit down."
We take a seat at the table. Lou has on khaki shorts that stretch over his big belly, a red and white plaid cotton shirt, and navy socks pulled up to his knees.
"So you're moving next week," he says, sadness in his voice.
"Yeah, but I'll be back to visit."
Nash and I plan to stay here at least one weekend a month to check on our houses and get some time away from the city. And we're going to stay here for an entire week in October when the leaves have changed to bright oranges and yellows. My mom used to love that time of year, and she always said we should come down here in the fall but we never had a chance to, so I'm going to this year.
"And I'll be living here next summer," I tell Lou. "If you need some help, I'd be happy to come work for you again."
"Maybe a few hours a week, just so I can see you." He smiles. "But otherwise, you should take the summer off. Relax and have fun. You need that after everything you've been through."
"I'm a lot better now."
He pats my hand. "I know you are. But you keep it up, you hear me?"
"I will."
"I'm gonna miss you, kid."
"I'll miss you too." I feel myself tearing up, but then smile as Nash approaches us, a football under his arm.
"Lou, thanks for coming." He smiles at him.
"I wouldn't miss it. Haven't been to a cookout in a long time."
"After we eat, we're playing cards. Hope you planned to stay a while. When the Wheelers host a party, it goes on all day and night."
"What are you saying about us?" Jake asks, coming up behind Nash.
"That we like to party."
"That's for sure." He holds his hand out to Lou. "I'm Jake. Nash's brother."
"Good to meet you," Lou says, standing up and shaking his hand.
"I'm Austin." He gives Lou a wave as he walks up to the deck.
"I'm Bryce." He waves too, and follows Austin to the cooler to get a drink.
"And I'm their father," he says, smiling as he joins us on the deck. "Mitch Wheeler. Good to meet you."
"Nice family you got here," Lou says.
"They're good boys, although they have their moments." He glances at Jake.
"What are you looking at me for?" Jake asks.
Nash laughs.
Mitch grabs a beer from the cooler. "The meat's almost done. I'm gonna need something to put it on."
"I'll get the platters." I go in the kitchen and grab the two platters I brought over from my house.
"Not so fast," Nash says, catching me around the waist as I turn to leave. "I need to kiss you since you get mad when I kiss you in front of my family."
I set the platters down. "You can kiss me in front of them, but it has to be quick. And no tongue."
"So I can't do this?" He leans down and his mouth covers mine, softly kissing me. My lips instinctively part for him, and he takes the kiss deeper. As always, I find myself wanting more, not wanting to stop, but then he slowly backs away, smiling at me.
"Yeah, you can't do that around your family," I say.
"Then we'll be sneaking off a lot today because I have to do that every hour or so."
I laugh. "Come on. Let's go." I hand him the platters and we go back outside.
Our Labor Day cookout turns out to be perfect. We had nice weather. Great food. And best of all, I wasn't alone.
Chapter Thirty
Thanksgiving
Callie
Today is Thanksgiving and I have a lot to be thankful for. Nash and I have been living in Chicago for three months now. We got an apartment together just outside the city. It's on the bus line, which will make it easy to get to class, or I could just drive to campus.
I'm going back to Northwestern starting in January, continuing where I left off, working toward my degree in mathematics. I still plan to teach someday, following in the footsteps of my mom and stepdad.
"Don't worry about it," Nash says to whoever he's talking to on the phone. We're in the living room at his dad's house and Nash catches me around the waist as I walk by and holds me against his chest. "You can fix it on Monday," he says into the phone. "I don't want any of my guys working the holiday weekend...Yeah, I'll see you then."
Nash is back working for the family business. He's in charge of a new project, renovating a really old library. The project started last week and won't be done until March. The other day I met him there for lunch. I like seeing him direct his crew, taking charge. I think it's sexy. He has to juggle so many things at once and so many people, but he makes it look easy.
"Is everything okay at work?" I ask.
"It's nothing that can't wait until Monday." He kisses me, and not an innocent kiss, but a long, deep kiss.
"Would you two give it a rest?" Jake says, walking up behind Nash. "Can't you wait until you get home to do that?"