The Perfect First (Fulton U, #1)(45)

“And who is this?” His gaze turned to me. Instead of narrowing, his eyes were open and welcoming, just like Mary’s.

“I’m Persephone—Seph.” I stuck my hand out.

His enveloped mine and he covered it with his other one. “Nice to meet you, Seph. I’m John.” His hands were warm but rough, the calluses on his fingers and palms rubbing against my skin. He looked a lot like Reece with the same green eyes and dark hair.

“She’s Reece’s friend, who he took fishing.” Mary gave him a knowing look.

John let out a whistle. “Fishing, huh?”

She nodded.

“Well, that says a lot.” He looked from her to me. “What do you know about football, Seph?”

I crinkled my nose and ducked my head. “Not much. Sorry. Reece mentioned you played, but I can’t even pretend to know much about anything he says when it comes to football.”

“Don’t worry about it. Mary was the exact same way when I met her.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her closer.

“You’ll pick it up through osmosis, whether you want to or not.” She laughed. “You’d better get into the kitchen. That pie isn’t going to bake itself.” She smacked John’s butt, not even the least bit covertly, and pushed him toward the kitchen. “He makes the most delicious fudge pie I’ve ever had in my life.” Her face beamed with pride and love as she said it.

I swallowed back the emotions squeezing my throat tight. Was this what families were supposed to be like? For some reason, it was easier to think that was only the case in TV shows and movies.

“Rods are done. What did I miss?” Reece came up from behind me. He glanced from his parents to me and his eyebrows crinkled. “What’s wrong?” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder like his dad had done to his mom. His thumb ran along my arm, a comforting move that only made it worse. This was for six months at most. He was going off to the pros and had no interest in a girlfriend.

“Nothing, I’m fine. Your mom was just telling me about your dad’s fudge pie.” It felt like I was pushing the words out through a cocktail straw. I widened my smile and held my arm out in his parents’ direction.

“No one told me fudge pie was on the table.”

“If I’d known that was all it took to get you home, I’d have had your dad making them every week.” Mary and John disappeared into the kitchen.

Reece turned to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I waved him off. The front door opened and a figure the same height as Reece strode inside.

“Mom said to get my ass over here. I thought it was just because of the pie.” He pulled Reece into a big hug.

“Should have known she’d circle the wagons and call you in. Seph, this is my brother Ethan. Ethan, Seph.” He looped his arm around his brother’s shoulder and shook him.

Ethan held out his hand to me, but the gesture didn’t cover the surprise in his eyes. Beneath the hat he wore, his eyes glanced from me to Reece and back. “Nice to meet you, Seph.”

We hung out in the living room. I tried to offer my help in the kitchen, but that was quickly shut down by Reece’s parents. His sister did ask me about the braids, and I tried to show her as best as I could. It felt weird doing it for someone else, kind of how I’d imagined it would be doing it for a little sister.

We all sat down to eat and the meal was the best home-cooked food I’d had in a long time.

Reaching over to hand the pie dish to his sister, my hand knocked against a glass of wine. The fall was in slow motion, at least in my mind. The red liquid sloshed out, spreading all over the white tablecloth.

My stomach dropped and I jumped up, knocking my chair over. Grabbing my napkin, I dabbed at the spill. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” I repeated the words over and over again as dread clawed at my gut.

The time I’d knocked over a glass of wine and it had shattered on the floor at my parents’ house, I’d been berated for a solid hour with my dad nearly pushing my face into the spill like a disobedient animal and made to feel like I’d never be able to do anything right.

Even though I picked up the glass and rubbed at the spill, the spot kept growing, and the prickles of tears itched my eyes. “If you have some club soda, I can get it out. I’ll get it out, I swear.”

No one had moved. Everyone sat still, staring at me.

I flinched when Reece covered my hand with his. It slid up to my arm and he forced me to stop my frantic attempt at cleaning. “Seph, it’s okay. Stop.”

I looked over my shoulder at him. Concern settled deep in his eyes. I glanced around the table at everyone else.

“Honey, it’s okay. Nothing to worry about. This thing has been bleached to hell and back—I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen apart by now. Really, don’t worry about it.” His mom’s kind smile nearly broke me.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I tried to shove the humiliation down. Reece righted my chair.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” I bolted from the table and out into the bathroom in the hallway, though what I really wanted to do was dash out the front door.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I dropped my head, resting my hands on the side of the sink. There was a gentle knock on the door.