Coming Home(10)

She collapsed back into the car, pulling the door closed behind her and covering her face with her hands.

Lucky day, indeed.





“Christopher, I swear to God, if I see your hand near this plate again, I’m chopping it off and making it the centerpiece.”

“Those are some tough words from someone who can’t even kill a spider,” her brother replied, reaching around her and grabbing another piece of salami off the plate of antipasto Leah was arranging.

She tried to grab his hand, but he was quicker, taking a step back and holding up the stolen piece of meat like Rafiki holding baby Simba in the opening sequence of The Lion King.

Leah tried to suppress her smile. “You’re a moron. We’re eating in like twenty minutes. Stop acting like an animal.”

He shoved the salami in his mouth as he leaned toward her, growling rabidly and chewing with his mouth open.

“Oh my God,” Leah said with a laugh, pushing him away. “Alexis! Come get your husband out of the kitchen before I kick his ass!”

A minute later, Alexis appeared in the doorway, folding her arms over her swollen belly and trying to look stern. “Christopher, leave her alone.”

“Yeah, Christopher, leave her alone,” Leah echoed.

“Okay, okay,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender before turning to leave. He darted his hand out quickly, swiping a piece of ham on his way out.

Leah rolled her eyes while Alexis sighed. “I swear, when people ask me if this is my first child, I’m always tempted to say no,” she said, looking over her shoulder at her husband.

Leah smirked as she drizzled the balsamic vinegar over the salad.

“What can I help you with?” Alexis asked.

“Nothing. Go sit. I’m almost done in here.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. Sit. Rest. Your days of sitting and resting are numbered,” Leah said with a wink, grabbing the wooden spoon from the counter.

Alexis leaned over and kissed her cheek, discreetly pulling a piece of cheese from the plate between them, and Leah quirked her brow.

“For the baby,” Alexis said innocently, popping it in her mouth before she went back out to the living room.

Leah laughed as she brought the salad and the antipasto out to the table and uncorked two bottles of wine. She glanced at her watch before wiping her hands off on her mother’s apron and loosening the strings.

“Hey, Sarah?” she called.

“Yeah?”

“Can you come in here for a sec?”

A moment later, her sister’s head popped around the corner. “What’s up?”

“Can you just watch the sauce for a minute? I’m gonna go upstairs and change.”

“Yup,” she said, coming into the kitchen and pulling herself up onto the counter, swinging her legs from side to side like a child.

There was only a three-year age difference between them, but Sarah had always seemed so much younger to Leah. Physically, they were complete opposites: Sarah was almost pixie-like, standing at five-foot-one, while Leah towered over her at five-foot-seven. Sarah’s hair was long and straight, a warm caramel color that showed hints of red in the sunlight, while Leah’s was a chocolate brown, falling just past her shoulders in subtle waves. Their only similarity was their eyes: large and deep green, surrounded by a fringe of thick lashes.

Leah nudged her little sister playfully. “Is Kyle coming later?”

“Yeah, for dessert.”

“You know, a guy who comes to spend Christmas with a girl’s family after dating her for only two months means business.”