Broken Love (Broken #4)(37)
A warm feeling washed over me as I smiled and said, “I feel the same way.”
“At first my parents didn’t mind, but the more time she spent out there, the more worried my mother became.”
“Why?”
Jennifer stole a glance to her mother before looking back at me. “If you say I told you, I swear I’ll deny it.”
Oh, this just got good. Family gossip.
I crossed my heart and said, “Promise.”
Jennifer bit her lower lip before blowing out a deep breath and saying, “Kate believed the house was haunted by our great-great-grandmother.”
“Lizzy?”
Pulling her head back in surprise, she said, “Yeah. How did you know about Lizzy?”
“I found your family Bible with a letter Robert wrote to Lizzy.”
“You found the family Bible? Holy crap. Mom is going to freak!”
“I was going to talk to her about it after dinner. I know Ryder said she had already done some family research.”
“Oh, she is going to be your best friend forever. Ever since Kate passed away my mother has been searching for the Bible. She was on a mad mission for a while. She swore our grandmother hid it before she passed away.”
“Why?”
Jennifer shrugged. “She didn’t like Mom at all.”
“That’s terrible.”
Jennifer chuckled. “Yep. Mom said our grandmother made her life a living hell.”
“Who wants dessert?”
Jennifer and I both looked up to see Lucy and Nate Sr. both standing with pies in each hand.
With a low moan, I shook my head. “I’m sure I’ve gained ten pounds since I broke my leg.”
“At least you’re not pregnant like Dani.”
We both turned and looked at Dani who wore a beautiful smile. “She looks beautiful though,” I said.
“Yeah, she really does.” Jennifer sighed. “I hope I find love someday.”
With a grin, I bumped her shoulder. “You will. Just be patient.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes and pushed out a frustrated breath. For someone as romantic as she was, I found it hard to believe she hadn’t been swept off her feet yet.
After everyone ate dessert and helped clean up the table, it was time to head into the family room for what Nate described as four hours of sure torment and hell. Jennifer and Ryder started pulling out games as my mouth dropped open.
“Games?”
“I told you … four hours of torment and hell.”
“I hate board games,” I whispered.
“You are spending Thanksgiving with the wrong family then, sweetheart. It’s tradition. Stuff your face full of food and then play game after game of stupid nonsense until you’re so sick of it all, you would pay to have someone kill you. When what we could be doing is sitting our ass on the couch watching football.”
With a huge grin on my face, I turned to Nate. “I have a way of getting us out of game night.”
His eyebrows rose. “Really? If you can make that happen, I will owe you big time.”
“So, what you’re really saying is you will owe me a favor. Anything I ask for you’ll have to do it.”
Nate pinched his eyebrows together as he looked at me. “I can easily accept this offer because you have no clue how powerful game night is on Thanksgiving in the Montgomery house. You cannot win at this one, my sweet newbie.”
I reached my hand out and said, “The only way to find out is to shake on it.”
Nate laughed and took my hand.
“Deal. If you can somehow make the heavens open up and swallow up all the board games and leave me in peace to watch football … I’ll owe you whatever your little heart desires.”
With a grin, I turned to Lucy, who was instructing Dani’s husband Rich on how to set up the card table.
“Lucy, did Ryder tell you I found the Montgomery family Bible today?”
Everyone stopped moving as all eyes turned to me. Lucy’s eyes widened as she stared at me with a disbelieving look on her face.
I could feel Nate’s eyes burning a hole into me as he leaned in closer to me. “You little sneaky bitch,” Nate whispered.
With a jab in his side, I smiled bigger.
“Where did you find it, Ava?” Lucy gasped.
“On the bookshelf in the stone house.”
Lucy’s head snapped over to Ryder. “Did you see it?”
He nodded and said, “Yep.”
Lifting her hands in the air, Lucy called out, “Game night is cancelled. Ava and I are going on a little history lesson.”
“Thank God!” everyone called out as Ryder started laughing while making his way over to me.
“I’m not sure what you just did, but you’ve obviously made the rest of the family very happy with game night being called off.”
“You don’t like it either?”
Ryder shook his head. “Hell no. Kate came up with game night and we all hated it. Ever since she passed away, Mom has been insistent on it and none of us have the heart to tell her no.”
My heart ached for Lucy. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for her to lose her daughter. “No one will be mad I had a part in her calling it off will they?”
Ryder flashed me his signature melt-my-panties smile. “Are you kidding? You’ve probably moved up to hero level in everyone’s eyes. Especially Nate’s.” Ryder turned to look at Nate. “The bastard already has the football game on. I’m sure we’ll see his hand slip into his pants and a cold beer in the other hand in no time.”