Part 42 (1/2)
”That'd be me.” Maggie stepped forward to shake his hand. ”Great to finally meet you.”
”You, too.”
”I owe you a long-overdue thank-you,” she said.
Reid looked down at Kate, who seemed equally baffled. ”Whatever for?”
”I understand you flew my sister home to Rhode Island after I fell off the ladder.”
”Oh, that. Well, it was no problem.”
”I was really happy to have her there.”
”We're really happy to have you here,” Reid said.
Maggie smiled at him, and he relaxed a bit when it became clear that she had no beef with him marrying her sister.
Ashton came in with Jill, who introduced him to Maggie. Reid noticed his son's face was flushed with color that couldn't be completely attributed to the cold. He had a dazzled, stunned look about him whenever he glanced at Jill, which was often. To see his son truly in love for the first time was an amazing thing.
”Since you two have officially crashed our party,” Jill said dryly, ”what can I get you to drink?”
”Beer works,” Ashton said. ”For both of us.”
Jill rolled her eyes at him and got the beers.
Ashton leaned on the center island, making himself right at home with the chips and dip. ”So, ladies, what'd we miss?”
Chapter 17.
The all-out invasion occurred at high noon the next day, when three limos started down the lane to the house.
Kate had been vibrating with excitement since she woke up at five and bounded out of bed to greet the day on which her family would finally arrive. She'd wanted to go to the airport to meet them, but Reid had convinced her to spend the morning at home to get through the hours of nausea she battled each day.
Since the nausea had been particularly intense today, she was grateful for his foresight. How in the world was she going to keep the secret about her pregnancy if she turned green at exactly the same time every day?
As the limos got closer to the house, she decided she'd worry about that tomorrow.
”Ready?” she asked Reid, who'd been quieter than usual all morning. He had to be nervous about her family arriving, knowing some of them were less than pleased about him and the wedding.
”As ready as I'll ever be.”
”In case I forget to tell you later, I love you for a million reasons, but I especially love you for welcoming my family into our home for the holiday and our wedding. I love you for building that amazing Bunkhouse practically overnight, and I love you for going to see my dad when you knew you wouldn't be welcome.”
”That's a whole lotta love, darlin',” he said with a warm smile.
”I want you to remember how much I love you no matter what happens in the next few days.”
”I will.”
”Promise?”
Nodding, he planted a lingering kiss on her lips.
It was the last moment of peace or quiet as people poured out of the limos. Kate stayed close to Reid, introducing him to everyone and not giving anyone a chance to say or do anything untoward. She noticed her dad and Uncle Jamie went out of their way to say as little as possible to Reid, even though both of them shook his hand-somewhat begrudgingly, it seemed to Kate.
Her mom, Andi, Aunt Frannie and all her grandparents-real and adopted, in the case of the Booths-hugged and kissed Kate and Reid, which she appreciated. The six kids-the Harrington and Booth twins along with the O'Malley boys-were running and screaming in the yard after being cooped up all morning on the plane.
Kate spent the next hour getting everyone settled. Her dad's family, his parents and the Booths-senior and junior-took possession of the Bunkhouse, while her mom's family and her grandma Anna settled in Kate's house. Maggie had decided to stay at Jill's where it was ”safe.”
”Everything is beautiful, honey,” Kate's mom, Clare, said of the Christmas decorations Kate had labored over the last few weeks.
”I'm so glad you think so.” Kate hugged her mother again. ”I can't believe you're all here and that we actually pulled this off.”
”I know. It's amazing. I remember the first Christmas after Dad and I got divorced, and I hoped that someday we might have a Christmas just like this one, all of us together with the people we love most.”
Kate blamed pregnancy for putting her every emotion on full alert. She blinked back tears. ”That's what I wanted, too. I wanted it so badly. It's been such a long time since I was able to be with you all for Christmas.”
Clare embraced her daughter. ”We've missed you, honey.”
”Hey, Clare, do you remember where I put my phone charger?” Aidan asked as he came in, stopping short when he saw them hugging. ”Oh, sorry.” He started to back out of the room.
”No,” Kate said, holding out a hand to him. ”Don't go.”
He came in to take her hand, and they added him to their hug.
”I'm so happy to see you,” she said to her stepfather. ”Thanks for coming.”
Aidan planted a kiss on Kate's forehead. ”Our pleasure, honey.”
”Have you had a chance to talk to Dad at all?” Kate asked her mom. ”About the wedding?”
Aidan and Clare exchanged glances that set Kate's nerves on edge.
”Some,” Clare said. ”He's doing the best he can.”
”He's here,” Aidan added. ”That's something.”
”Yes,” Kate said softly. It was something, but it was nowhere near enough.
”I know for certain that he wants you to be happy,” Clare said. ”That's all we've ever wanted for you.”
”I'm so happy. I've never been happier.”
”Let him see that for a few days,” Aidan said. ”He'll come around.”