Pulling into the driveway, I searched far and wide, but not one car lined the street. The neighbor was having his lawn trimmed. Another was carrying bags of groceries into the house. Cicadas chattered in the distance as Gram’s sprinklers sprayed over the pink azaleas edging the front of the house. Everything seemed weirdly usual for a welcome home party.
As we rounded the corner of the house, Jake stepped through the back door. Gram shoved him impatiently aside, beaming widely. Her arm rose into the air, waving enthusiastically. Haris rolled to a stop and shifted to look at me. “Go ahead. I’ll carry the bags in.”
“Leave the bags. I want you to meet my gram.” Leaning over, I kissed the corner of his jaw. “You’re going to love her. She’s amazing.”
“If she raised you…”
I smiled widely. “She taught me everything I know.”
“I like her already.”
“Come on.” Insistently, I tugged his sleeve.
“I’ll be right behind you.” Nodding his head toward the passenger door, he smiled. “Go see your grandmother.”
“Gram. She would die if you called her grandmother.”
“Mattie Whalen, I’m sixty-five years old,” Gram chided. “I’ll be dead and buried if you make me wait any longer.”
“Nonsense,” I said, sliding from the truck. “It’s in your will to be cremated.” She said she wanted her ashes scattered over the top of grandpa’s dresser. He hated dust, and she wanted the last laugh after having to dust the thing for forty-eight years. “Besides, you’re seventy-five.”
“Shush, child. A lady has to keep some secrets to herself and her age is one of them.” Gram hugged me long and hard before backing me to arm’s length. “What’s wrong? You should be glowing.”
“A lady has to keep some secrets to herself.”
“Jake,” said Gram, looping her arm around mine. “Help Mattie’s friend with her bags while we catch up.”
“Sure, Gram.” Hesitating, he stared, indignant that I was keeping secrets from him. When Gram started leading me toward the house, he shook his head and stalked off.
“You haven’t told Carter yet,” Gram surmised. Her tone was disapproving. No surprise there. Other than my roommates, Gram was the only one that knew who the real father was. Despite maintaining my secret, she’d pressured me on several occasions to disclose everything to Carter. She was right, of course. But I couldn’t bring myself to face him again.
“No.”
“You know he’s going to eat your friend alive.”
“Haris? I warned him, but he wouldn’t be dissuaded.”
“Of course not. A fool could see he’s in love with you.” Pausing at the back door, Gram turned me toward her, lowering her voice to a soft whisper. “I raised you better than to play with a boy’s feelings, Mattie.”
“It’s not like that.”
“You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. I’ve lived and loved long before you were ever born. And I can promise you, this won’t end well.”
“I like him, Gram. He’s a good guy.”
“You’re in love with Carter, Matilda. You have been since I can remember.”
I flinched over the use of my full name. Gram never used anyone’s full name unless she was truly upset. Naturally, I went on the defensive. “I don’t want someone who doesn’t want me! Especially over some grossly misguided sense of honor! Jesus, Gram, we live in the twenty-first century. I don’t need a man! I can support myself.” Tears blurred my vision. “I'm not trapping him into marrying me.”
Gram’s eyes softened. Reaching out, she grasped my hand. “I’m not going to tell you what to do. I can only point you in the right direction. That’s why I’m giving you the house.” Raising my hand, she dropped a set of keys into my palm. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything, whether it’s Carter or…”
“Haris, Gram.”
“I don’t care if it’s Larry, Curly or Moe. I don’t want you to settle for anything less than you deserve. I want you to be happy.”
“So, you’re giving me your house?” I choked, wiping the tears from my face. “What about Jake and Paisley? They just got engaged.”
“Jake has the money to buy a dozen houses. Besides, it’s too big for him. He and Paisley don’t want children.” Nostalgically, Gram stared up at the house. “A house like this should be filled with them.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“‘Thanks’ usually works,” said Jake, climbing the stairs of the porch. Stopping just shy, he placed the bags down.
“You didn’t spare any time,” Gram chided. She dealt me a look that said this conversation wasn’t over. “I told you to give us a few minutes.”
“How much time do you need? Harry and I had a whole conversation.”
“Haris,” Haris corrected. Smiling politely, he offered his hand to my gram. “Hi, ma’am. Nice to finally meet you.”
“Likewise, Haris.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh, dear, don’t believe everything she told you,” Gram warned, playing coy.
“It was all good,” Haris assured, quick to allay Gram’s unease. Lord, he really didn’t know my gram at all. She was going to play him like a fiddle.
“Then definitely don’t believe a thing she told you!” Gram cackled. “If it was good, not a word of it was true!”
Carter would’ve taken Gram in an embrace and dipped her back for a kiss, but Haris just smiled politely. I hated myself for making the comparison. The better man was here by my side.
“I see where Matilda gets her personality.”
Jake barked in laughter. “Don’t trust either of them. They’ll chew you up, spit you out, and use your bones to pick their teeth when they were done with you.”
“Sweetie,” Gram drawled. “You flatter me.”
Jake quirked his brow in Haris’s direction. “It’s the O’Connor blood. Makes them untamable. Consider it a warning before you make yourself part of this family.”
Jake’s words were like a Brazilian—a quick shock of pain that left you breathless and unable to speak. Mother fuck it all to hell. If Haris proposed, I might just die. Humiliation warred with horror in the pit of my stomach, threatening to oust my breakfast in the most dramatic way possible.
“Mattie?” Jake stared at me, his brows furrowed.
Snapping out of it, I forced a smile. “I’m fine. Nerves, you know? This is a lot to take in. I was expecting a homecoming party, not the title to the house.”
“I told you she needed a day to rest before having everyone over,” Gram scolded. “You’d have overwhelmed her.”
“They always have to be right, too,” Jake scoffed, tossing Haris a withering glance. “We planned a party, but Coop wasn’t feeling well. She’s been having contractions. Paisley went with Emily and Shane back to Tate’s house to be with her.”
“Is she ok?” I asked.
“Paisley said she’s at thirty-six weeks. She’s safe to deliver if she goes into full labor.” Lifting my bags, Jake jerked his head in the direction of the door. “I’m headed over there as soon as you’re settled in; I wanted to be here to welcome you home.”
I separated one of the keys on the keyring. “You can go if you want. Haris and I can take the bags.”
“I can manage the bags, Matilda. You’re still my little sister.”
“Much to my disappointment, I imagine that’ll always be the case.” Peering surreptitiously through the window, I palmed the handle, trying to make out if there was anyone inside.
Jake, Haris, and Gram snickered. “I told you the party got cancelled,” Jake apologized. He wasn’t sorry, because he was still laughing at me.
“Shut up.” Turning the handle, I pushed the door open. I was met with silence and several untouched platters of hors d'oeuvres.
“We should put it away before it spoils,” Gram observed. “Jake, why don’t you let Haris take those bags upstairs while you help with all this here?” Denying Jake the chance to object, she grabbed the first platter and shoved it into his hands. “Just go to the top of the stairs, Haris. Mattie’s bedroom is the first door on the right. Yours is the second.”
And just like that, Gram effectively cock-blocked Haris.
“Yes ma’am.” Obediently, Haris picked up the bags where Jake had dropped them, and headed up the stairs. About half way up, he stole a glance over his shoulder, the hint of a grin toying at his lips.
“You know they’re going to bang in every room of the house the minute we leave,” Jake voiced, stuffing the first tray into the fridge. Lifting the plastic wrap, he stole a wedge of cheese.
“You seem awful understanding over that,” I observed. It was a shame he couldn’t be that understanding over any man I chose. He only approved of Haris because he was ‘respectable.’
“And you’re oddly unargumentative over Gram’s rules.”
“I’m not exactly the epitome of lust right now, Jake.”
“Who are you kidding? I saw the way he just looked at you.”
“He did not.”
“Keep lying to yourself.” Biting into the wedge of cheese, he leaned against the counter. “You should see Tate and Coop. The two can’t keep their hands off each other.”
“Whatever.” Grabbing the tray of vegetables, I carried it over to the fridge, and toed the door open with the tip of my shoe. “Besides, it’s like you said. We’ll just wait till Gram leaves.”
“You’ll do no such thing.” I turned and found Gram giving me the mother lode of all evil eyes. “You might already be pregnant, Matilda Whalen, but two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“On that note, I'm outta here,” Jake said, tapping out. “I’ve had this argument already. I'm not doing it again. I’d have better luck herding cats.” Grabbing a handful of cookies from the dessert tray, he kissed my cheek and headed for the door. “Tomorrow—if Coop’s not in labor, we’re reconvening at Tate’s house. I'll pick you up and help with the food.”
“Great.”
“Good luck, Gram. God knows, you’ll need it.”
I huffed in complaint and grabbed another tray from the counter. Stuffing it into the fridge, I bided my time until Jake pulled down the driveway. “Is this a condition that comes with the house?”
“Of course not.”
“Good, because I have enough money saved to get my own place.”
“Don’t be stubborn. I’m looking out for your welfare.”
“I’m an adult, Gram. You can’t tell me who I can and can’t date.”
“No, I can’t, but I’m still your gram. It’s my job to talk sense into you when you’re making a mistake. That’s why I’ll be staying here until you have a clear head and can make a sound decision.”
Sighing, I dropped my head into my hand. I had Jake telling me I couldn't date his friends, and Gram telling me I couldn't date mine. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
“And don't think about sneaking into Jake’s room. I'll hear everything. I'm sleeping just across the hall.”
“Gram!” Now she was going overboard.
“Don't sass me, Matilda.” Her tone brooked no argument. I knew Gram when she was dead set on something. She wasn’t about to bend. The fight bled out of me. I knew a lost cause when I saw one.
Dropping into the closest chair, I purloined a pretzel from a serving bowl. Sulking, I plunged it into the sour cream dip and stuffed it into my mouth. “I'm not going to have sex with him while you're in the house. You might as well sleep in your own room.”
Gram smiled at the pout in my voice. From the cupboard, she retrieved a smaller bowl and proceeded to dump some of the pretzels into it before storing the rest away. She knew she’d won. “I can’t, actually. I gave Jake the bedroom set.”
“I love that bedroom set.” I hated that bedroom set, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. It was thick and heavy. Too masculine. It was more befitted to someone in the likes of Dracula or Henry the VIII.
Unconcerned, Gram waved off my grievance. “It wasn’t your style. It wasn’t my style. Your grandfather picked it out. I hated the thing. It was extravagant and out of place.”
“Doesn’t matter. I can use the money I had set aside for the apartment to buy a new one.”
“Nonsense. I’ve already hired a decorator to come in and refurnish it. She’ll be here next week with a few drawings.” Temporarily quelled, Gram sat across from me. She stared wistfully, seeing what I couldn’t—or refused—to see. “Put your money into savings. You’ll need it.”
“Is that the last of your sage advice for the day?”
Gram chuckled lowly, her eyes glinting with humor. “Sweetheart, you’ll receive my last bit of sage advice when I’m laid out on my deathbed.”
Unhappily, I stuffed another pretzel into my mouth.
“Tell me about Harvey.”
“Haris.”
“What do you two have in common?”
“Eating. Sleeping. Breathing.”
“Matilda.”
“What?” I objected. “What do any people my age have in common? We party all night, sleep all day, and scrape meals together based on what leftovers are in the fridge.” It wasn’t like I had anything in common with Carter, except for my brother’s mutual acquaintance.
“What was his major in college?”
“Business.” I did know that much. “He’s planning on working for his father as a regional manager.”
“Where is that?”
“Sacramento.”
“That’s a hell of a commute.”
“We haven’t gotten that far yet.”
“Do you think he’s going to give up his family’s business to live here in Seattle?”
“Is that why you’re giving me the house?” She was trying to prove a point. Unfortunately, she was succeeding. Not that I’d admit it. I wanted to raise my kids in Gram’s house. I wanted a house full of them.
“Don’t be foolish. I told you why I was giving you the house. Besides, you always said you wanted it.”
“I do.”
“How does he feel about children?”
“I think that’s obvious.”
“One child is different than a house full of them.”
“These are all things that any normal couple would discuss.”
“But you haven’t yet.”
“We haven’t had the chance. We just started dating.”
“You’ve been ‘dating’ almost six months.”
“We’ve been taking it slow.”
“Matilda.” Gram looked at me, rebuke clear in her eyes. “I’m not telling you to stop…or end this…whatever this is you’re doing, but he goes home Monday. He can stay the weekend, but I put my foot down on moving in together. The two of you can date properly first.”
“Fine.”
“You should at least know these things about one another before making any kind of commitments, don’t you think?”
“We’re not making any commitments! We’re dating!”
“He asked for my ring.” She said each word concisely, letting it sink in.
I blanched, my fears confirmed.
“Fuck,” Gram allowed. “Go ahead, you can say it.”