Page 59 of Easton
“Yeah, and Miss Meadow has a surprise for you.”
He frowns. “Wait. What? For me? What is it?”
“I can’t tell you, sweetheart. Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.” He nods before I get serious for a moment. “If you want to leave, tell me. You need a minute to yourself, you can take one, okay?”
“Why do I like it when you do that with me?”
“Care about you? That’s all I’m doing, East.”
“Seems like it should make me feel weak, but it doesn’t.”
“Letting someone care about you is the least weak thing you can do.” I cup his cheek the way I like doing. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
“Let’s go before your family wonders what we’re doing out here,” he replies, and I let it go.
The second I knock on the door, it’s immediately pulled open. It doesn’t surprise me to see my sister standing there. “Hey, big brother.” She gives me a hug before turning her attention to East. We’re a family of huggers, and I made sure to tell them to go easy on East—to try and read him or ask him before they did anything that could make him uncomfortable. “Hi, Easton. It’s good to see you. In case you didn’t know, I’m the cooler Thorn sibling.”
He chuckles as I roll my eyes. “She wishes.”
“She seems pretty cool to me,” East replies, and I have to bite my cheeks so I don’t smile too big. I love him joking around with her this way.
“Hey. Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” I tease, then tell my sister in the same playful voice, “Move your butt out of the way and let us inside.”
Mom, Dad, and Simone are all waiting in the living room. “Hi, son.” Dad hugs me, then holds his hand out for East. “Good to see you, Easton. We’re glad you could join us.”
“Thanks for having me,” he replies, not making eye contact, but it’s a start.
“I’m cooking sauce. I hope you brought your appetite,” Mom tells him.
“She’s Italian, which means she shows her love with food.” I nudge him with my arm. “East is a good cook too. He’s been trying to teach me a thing or two.”
She looks at East. “Does it work? Because it was hopeless when I tried.”
East chuckles. “He does all right.”
“Hey, now. Just all right? First you take Cora’s side and now my mom’s.”
“Smart boy,” Mom tells him, and I know it’s killing her not to hug him, but she doesn’t.
“I’m sorry I’m not getting up to say hello. I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m as big as the house, and it’s a lot of work to move,” Simone says from the chair where she’s sitting.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to get up.” East walks over to her, my sister moving to sit on the arm of the chair. “I’m Easton.” He shakes Simone’s hand. In a town like Birchbark, they’ve heard of each other, but they never met.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Cora says. “We have about nine weeks to go before this little baby joins us.” She rubs Simone’s belly, the pride she feels shining out of her.
“You don’t have to answer that. I’m sure being with Archer you know how they are, always so damn sweet.” Simone looks at my sister with love in her eyes.
“They’re friends, baby, but I appreciate the sentiment,” Cora says.
Hearing her say that makes my chest burn. East isn’t just my friend. I have to hold myself back from saying so.
“You’re, um…you are beautiful. And congrats, on the baby. Archer will be a great uncle.”
Damned if hearing that doesn’t make me feel ten feet tall. “Thank you.” I put my hands on his shoulders, standing behind him. Is that too much? Hell, I don’t know the etiquette here, so I pull back just as there’s another knock on the door.
“That’ll be Cass and Meadow. I’ll get it,” Mom says. She goes to the door, and there’s hugging and chatter, before my best friend and his daughter come into the room. Dad and Cora hug them both, before Cass goes over and kisses Simone’s cheek and gives her a hug too. There’s a closeness with my family and Cass, a familiarity that I want so damn much for them to have with East.
“How are Pretty Girl and Casanova doing?” Meadow asks East, holding a gift bag.