She sighed and shook her head. “See what I mean?”
Maddie laughed. “Could I bring the boys over to the farm sometime?” she asked. “They’re just getting into animals. I know they’d love to see the chickens.”
“Of course. Any time. I’ll take you all on a tour.” Courtney couldn’t help but like Maddie. She was so lovely and welcoming.
“Let me introduce you to the rest of my family,” Logan said, inclining his head toward the living area of the kitchen.
“Sure.” She smiled at Maddie and Gray. “Thanks again for inviting me.”
Maddie squeezed her hand. “We’ll talk later.”
With his palm still firmly against the small of her back, Logan steered her past the breakfast bar into the main living area. “This is Tanner and Van,” he said, introducing her to the couple standing by the sofas. “My younger brother and his wife.”
“You run the Chaplin Drive-In, don’t you?” she asked, shaking their hands. “The one next to the Cutler farm?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Tanner said, smiling warmly. “It’s great to meet you. And congratulations on the baby.”
“You should come over when we reopen,” Van said, brushing her blonde hair over her shoulders. “We just finished our holiday season, and we take a break until April, but then we’ll be back with a bang.” She glanced down at Courtney’s stomach. The bump was obvious beneath her clingy, red dress. “When is the baby due again?”
“June twenty-fifth,” Logan said. Courtney looked up at him, surprised he could remember. The date was ingrained in her thoughts, but surely Logan had only heard it once, when they were at the doctor’s office.
Van grinned. “This year we had showings once a week where we encourage babies to come. That was Maddie’s idea. Some of her friends from her prenatal classes were afraid their babies’ crying would annoy other customers. So we have a special showtime just for them, and the babies can scream to their hearts’ content. When we start them again next year, maybe you can come?”
“That’s wonderful,” Courtney said. Logan’s family were all so lovely and welcoming. “I’d love to come.”
“I’ll get your number from Logan. We’ll make it happen,” Tanner told her.
“Let’s go and meet my dad and Aunt Gina,” Logan said, giving Tanner and Van a wink. “They’re over here.”
Like his brothers and their wives before them, Logan’s aunt was welcoming and gracious. His dad was quieter, giving her hand a shake and asking if she was well, before sitting silently and listening as Aunt Gina asked all the questions. Next to them was Maddie’s mom, who oohed over all the baby talk.
It was strange seeing how different Logan was, surrounded by his family. His body relaxed against her as his arm circled her waist. He smiled more than she’d ever seen him do before.
This baby growing inside her would be part of it all. Logan would probably bring him or her over here during his parental time. They’d play with Maddie’s kids. Climb on the huge wooden swing set in the backyard. Curl up with Aunt Gina and listen to stories.
Courtney’s mouth felt dry as she thought about her talk with Lainey. She was right. It would be confusing for Courtney to try to be part of all this. Not just for the baby, but for her, too. And yet part of her yearned to be a member of this huge, friendly family. To pretend that they were her own.
But they weren’t. And if she wasn’t pregnant, she wouldn’t even be standing here right now. She’d be at home, alone, probably watching a Christmas movie.
“This is my brother, Cam. My twin.”
Courtney turned to the man standing next to Logan. Even though they had the same face, she could see the differences right away. Not just in Cam’s longer hair, and the bump in his nose that Logan told her came from a football injury at school. But it was in the way he looked at her. Oh, he was friendly and open-faced, but the fire she always saw in Logan’s eyes wasn’t there.
Taking a deep breath, she smiled and looked up at Cam. “It’s lovely to finally meet you.”
“And you.” Logan had warned her that Cam was a man of few words. Though he was lauded on the football field, he was much shyer than his twin, according to Logan.
“Did you fly in today??
?? she asked him.
“Yesterday. Then I’m back home on Saturday to be ready for a game on Sunday.”
“You must travel a lot,” she said.
“Yeah. But it’s all good.” He smiled at her. “How are you doing? My brother giving you any problems?”
“He’s behaving,” she told him, starting to relax. Of all his family, it was Cam she’d been worried about meeting most. Maybe because he was the closest to Logan. “And he’s been treating me well. Sending me pastries every day, which means I’ll be the size of a house by the time the baby arrives.”