I narrow my eyes. “Lizzie?”
Before she has a chance to respond, the front door flies open, and Lizzie’s mom, Christine, barre
ls down the front porch, her arms held wide. “My sweet girl. I missed you so much.”
Lizzie hugs her mom. “I saw you a few weeks ago.”
“I know.” Her mom pulls back but keeps her hands on Lizzie’s shoulders. “But it’s not the same. I wish you and Emily would reconsider moving back to the city.”
“Or you could move here.”
Christine cuts a hand through the air. “Your dad would go crazy making the commute to work every day.”
“Maybe when you retire?” I suggest.
“Now that’s a great idea. How are you, Aiden?” Christine lets go of Lizzie to give me a hug.
“I’m good. You look beautiful as always.”
She pulls back and smiles. “You always were a charmer. Now, come on, I’m starving, and your sister is dying to talk to us.”
“About what?” Lizzie says, following her mom into the house.
“No clue. She said we had to wait until you got here. They’re here,” Christine announces as we walk through the front door.
“Dinner first.” Emily smiles knowingly when I follow the ladies into the house. She hugs her sister but keeps her eye on me. “I thought I might be seeing you here.”
I smile because I’m the happiest man on the damn planet.
“Of course, you would see him. She brings him everywhere,” Christine says, blissfully unaware of the change in our relationship dynamics.
“There’s my little girl.” Lizzie’s dad, Marcus, walks into the room with Jonathan following close behind. He hugs Lizzie and turns to me. “Aiden, my boy, how’s the gaming industry?”
Lizzie loops her arm through mine and smiles proudly. “He just designed an educational game, and it’s going to be a hit.”
Marcus shakes my hand. “That’s wonderful, son. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He cuffs the side of my arm. “We’ve known each other long enough. Call me Marcus.”
“Marcus,” I say, earning a bright smile from Lizzie.
“Okay, enough of this, let’s eat.” Emily ushers us into the kitchen.
Emily and Jonathan sit on one side with Lizzie and me across from them. Marcus sits at the end of the table between his daughters, and Christine sits happily between Jonathan and me.
We say a prayer, and everyone digs in. I’ve been to enough Donovan family dinners to understand how things work. Their motto is whoever eats the fastest eats the most. I learned my lesson the hard way, and will never make that mistake again, which is why my plate is overflowing.
“What did you want to tell us?” Christine asks, taking her first bite of chicken Alfredo.
“Oh, no,” Jonathan says, shaking his head. “If we talk while you guys eat, there won’t be any left. You’re all savages.”
Marcus nudges Emily’s arm and points a fork toward his son-in-law. “You picked a good one.”
I wonder if he’ll feel that way about me? Lizzie reaches for my hand under the table and smiles.
“Now, we have to find Lizzie a suitable man, throw a few grandchildren into the mix, and our family will be complete,” Marcus announces.