Nerves have overtaken my belly as Michael tugs me out of his car at his parents’ home. It’s a beautiful wooden structure with lights glowing around the property.

Michael wraps an arm around me, and smiles. “Don’t worry. They’re not going to eat you.”

“I didn’t think I’d be this nervous, but it’s important to me. What if I do or say the wrong thing?”

He laughs. “I’m sorry, but my father is one of five brothers and if you’d ever seen them together, you wouldn’t be saying that. Trust me.” Kissing me on the cheek, he grins.

“Michael get in here before your mother drags you in.”

He laughs and whispers, “My dad.”

“I got that.”

His father smiles as we walk up the steps and onto the porch, which puts me at ease. The love and amusement I see when he looks at his son, settles me completely. I have this.

“Welcome to our home, Brooke,” he says, and Michael squeezes my waist.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I hold my hand out, but he shakes his head and steps forward. When his arms wrap around me, I surprise myself when tears spring to my eyes.

I return his embrace and smile when he gives me back to Michael.

“Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Dad, I’m only twenty-eight.”

“As I remember, you were a bit older than Michael when you met me,” his wife adds, her eyes alight with mirth. Reaching up, she kisses her husband on his lips and then turns to me, pulling me against her. “It’s so good to meet you.”

“Thank you.”

“Why are you still standing at the door?” she asks.

“Dad hasn’t let us in yet,” Michael drawls, ushering me inside. “Who else is here? I don’t recognize the cars.”

“Your Uncle Lucien and Aunt Sabrina are here in their new car, and Uncle Ramon said he’d come by if he made it back in time,” Lily answers and smiling, threads her arm through mine, tugging me along with her.

Michael and his father laugh. “Mom’s a force to be reckoned with so just go with it.”

“I’m in the kitchen with Sabrina, so let’s leave the men to it while we get tipsy on the left over cocktails my mother-in-law made.”

I grin at Lily who looks younger than she must be to have four adult children. She has long, dark hair, which she is wearing tied back. Her face is void of make up apart from mascara and lipstick.

She hurries me into the kitchen, and then another woman, who I presume is Sabrina, greets me. She hugs me in greeting as well before wobbling back into her chair.

“I knew I shouldn’t have started on this cocktail,” Sabrina drawls. “Pippa makes powerful stuff, after all these years, I should have learnt my lesson.”

Lily laughs. “We all should have.” She continues, softly, “I think she added more liquor than usual. I think she’s getting forgetful now that she’s in her eighties.”

“Hmm, I’ve noticed. I mentioned it to Lucien.” Sabrina looks into her glass and shakes her head.

“Oh, where are my manners,” Lily says. “Come sit, Brooke.” She pats the seat beside the one she takes. “Pippa is our mother-in-law, and in all these years that I’ve known her, she’s never changed…until now.”

I smile, and add, “Considering she’s in her eighties and only started getting forgetful, I think she’s done amazingly well.”

“Me too.” Lily pats my hand on the table and then, sighing, pours me a large glass of the cocktail they’re drinking. “Only one glass for you. I don’t want Michael angry with me for getting you drunk. I’m referring to your Michael.” She laughs. “I’ll let you in on a secret,” Lily pauses when Sabrina snorts, which has us laughing, “when we’re altogether we call your Michael, Mickey. He made us promise not to use that name around you.” She chuckles.

“Mickey, huh? I think I’ll have to tease him with that for a while.”

“You do that,” Lily encourages. “I’ll tell you something else as well,” she becomes serious, “this is the first time that he’s ever introduced us to a girlfriend. It makes my heart lighter knowing that he isn’t going to be a workaholic anymore.” She holds my hand. “I can see that on his face when he looks at you. He has someone at home waiting for him—a reason to go home early instead of working late…so thank you, Brooke.”

I don’t know what to say. I feel close to tears listening to his mom talk about him like this. So I give her something, “Michael makes me smile, amongst other things.” I blush.

“Oh don’t worry, we’re well aware of how good the McKenzie men are at ‘other things’,” Sabrina drawls.

My blush deepens as I meet the amusement in Lily’s gaze. “What I’m trying to say is that Michael means everything to me even though we’ve only known each other for a short time.”

“Trust me on this, I fell for Michael the minute I laid eyes on him and twenty-nine years later, I still love him with everything I have. He’s my soul mate and I can’t live without him.”

“Lucien was difficult and confused when we met, but my heart had belonged to him from the moment we met. I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and keep him.” Sabrina smiles as she shares her own story with me. “I did that, eventually, but it wasn’t easy at first.” She sighs. “I love him, Brooke…and if that’s how you feel about Michael, then tell him because I know my nephew and he’s already at that point with you or you wouldn’t be here with his family.” Sabrina grins and reaches for her purse.

“Now,” she continues, “he made his mom promise not to get the baby pictures out, but…he never made me promise.” She smirks.

I laugh as we huddle together and she opens a photo book. “I chose the best ones and put them together in here.” She shrugs. “I didn’t think Lucien would appreciate me hauling the lot with us.”

“Oh look,” Lily sighs. “Michael and Charlotte were a few hours old on this picture.”

“How did you give birth to twins and look like it was a walk in the park?” I mumble.

Lily laughs. “Trust me, it was no walk in the park.” She sighs and looks lost in thought. “Michael had stayed with me. He helped me get cleaned up while the twins slept. I was excited and so in love with Michael and the twins, I don’t think anything could have made me sad right then.”

“Oh, I love this picture,” Sabrina gushes as she turns the page. “That’s my Alexander with Michael and their cousins’ Paige and Rachel…Mmm…I think that was taken at a family wedding out in Montana.” She smiles. “The girls would follow the boys around everywhere. Michael used to get annoyed with it, but not my Alex.” She frowns. “It stopped once the girls went to college but I think it was more Rachel than anything. She has a love of horses like Alex so they’d spend hours out at the grandparents’ ranch riding. In fact, they’re both around today, out riding on the horses here…they might be back before you leave.”

“You included the family picture,” Lily adds, smiling. “We have this in a huge print in the dining room. I’ll show you later as you can see everyone more clearly on that. It was taken last year at Pippa and Elias’s anniversary party.

Sabrina smiles and rolls her eyes. “If you wore your glasses Lily then you’d see them just as clearly on here.”

“Tsk, don’t mention that word.”

I laugh at them and hope I have that kind of friendship one day.

I hold the picture up, searching and finding Michael amongst all his family. I notice Alex standing close with his arm slung around Rachel’s neck. She has her arm around his waist and clearly looks happy…I wonder…

“Look at this one,” Sabrina points out, “this was taken when we had the twenties dress up party a few years ago to celebrate New Year.”

I laugh when she holds it out to me. “Michael looks hot as a gangster,” I comment.

“They all look good. Took forever to get the right costumes. One of the best parties you’ve had here Lily.”

“Gosh look at all my babies,” Lily becomes sad. “That’s Joshua, my youngest, and those two hiding behind masks are Sirena and Charlotte. That’s Alexander’s sister, Olivia to his right, and Rachel to his left. Paige acting the goat with Dylan.” She smiles fondly. “I need to do another party, and get everyone together. It’s been too long since that has happened.”

She grabs my hand. “Of course, you’ll be there as well and you’ll be able to meet everyone. There’s a lot of us, but you’ll remember who we all are and our relationship to each other eventually. Might take a few years.” Lily laughs.

Coming through the backdoor is a man, who I presume is Ramon, which is confirmed when Lily jumps up and embraces him.

“I’m not moving because I’m not sure I’ll be able to walk straight if I do,” Sabrina winces. “I think I might need a strong coffee if someone wouldn’t mind making me one.”

Lily laughs. “I’ll get it.” She turns to the man “Ramon go and say hi to Michael’s girlfriend, Brooke.”

“So you’re the woman Rachel told us about?” He joins Sabrina and I at the table.

“I haven’t met Rachel yet,” I offer feeling confused as to why she’d be mentioning me.

He laughs. “News travels fast in this family. I wouldn’t worry about it.” He glances toward the front of the house. “The guys through there?”

“Yes,” Sabrina slumps forward in her chair. “Why do you guys always let me drink your mother’s cocktails?”

“Probably because she knows you’ll drink them without complaining,” Ramon adds.

“Yes, but she isn’t even here to see me right now.”

“Here,” Lily places a cup in front of her, “drink that and you’ll feel better.” She puts her arm around Ramon’s shoulders and he wraps one around her waist. She smiles and adds, “Ramon is Paige and Rachel’s father.”

“And before everything gets confusing, I’ll tell you that my husband is Noah. Paige and Rachel were adopted a long time ago.”

I wasn’t expecting that, but I smile to put him at ease and to show that it doesn’t bother me, “I’m happy for you both, and you were so lucky adopting. I have a friend or more like a work colleague whose gay. He and his husband have been trying to adopt. Last time I spoke to him, they were thinking about paying a surrogate…I hope they eventually get as lucky as you did.”

Ramon watches me with an unreadable expression on his face while Lily and Sabrina watch me with delight.

“Michael!” Sabrina mumbles.

“Aunt Sabrina!” He moves and gives her a kiss on the cheek before he frowns. “Have you been drinking?”

She groans and drops her head to the table. “I never ever drink during the day. Hell, I might have one glass of wine in a two week period, and then I come here and Lily mentions your grandmother’s cocktail and I’m drunk after half a glass.”

Michael pats her on the back and hollers, “Uncle Lucien, Aunt Sabrina’s drunk.”

She gasps. “You tickle-tackle.”

Laughing, he pats Ramon on the back before he lifts me out of the chair, sits on it, and then places me on his lap.

“How did Sabrina get drunk?” Lucien asks, chuckling as he crouches besides his wife's chair.

Lily’s husband pulls her away from Ramon and cups her face. “What have you been up to wife?”

“Grandma’s cocktails,” Michael drawls, snickering into my shoulder.

“They’ve also been showing me lots of baby pictures of you,” I add to the conversation.

“What?” He looks at his mom. “You promised.”

“I did, Aunt Sabrina didn’t.” Lily laughs. “Don’t worry honey, she left out the naked baby pictures.”

“She’s already seen him naked so what does that matter now?”

“Dad!” Michael hisses while I blush, burying my face into his neck, and then I start laughing.

“I’m sorry, Brooke, that was uncalled for,” Michael’s father apologizes.

“It’s okay, and I guess everyone in this room has seen Michael naked at some point in his life, so I guess we all have something in common.” I smirk.

Sabrina chokes on the coffee she was sipping and Michael lifts me to my feet. “I think we’re going to leave before anything else comes out of that mouth.”

“You’re not leaving yet. I made your favorite, chicken casserole and dumplings,” Lily wiggles her finger at Michael.

“No more embarrassing conversation please,” he begs and wraps me up in his arms, “and you will refrain from talking about me naked around my family.”

I smirk. “I promise…Mickey.”

Chuckling follows from behind us and when Michael’s eyes narrow, I know he’s going to pay me back for that last comment.