Dad kissed my cheek and let me go in time for Mack to give me a bear hug then, while I was hugging Carrie, I heard Dad say, “You must be Tatum.”

“Tate,” Tate replied and I pulled away from Carrie but kept an arm around her to watch Dad shake Tate’s hand.

When they released hands, Dad looked at Jonas but asked Tate, “This your boy?”

“Of course it’s his boy, he’s the spittin’ image,” Mom declared and bustled up to Jonas. “Hi Jonas, I’m Gramma,” she announced then demanded, “Give me some sugar.”

Jonas stared up at her, clearly uncertain what to do with a self-appointed Gramma since, between Tate and Neeta, he’d never had one.

“She means she wants a kiss, honey,” I informed Jonas and Mom bent down and pointed her index finger at her cheek.

“Right there, hon, a big smackeroo,” Mom instructed and Jonas’s eyes shot to his father. Tate nodded and Jonas leaned in and swiftly kissed her cheek.

“Oo!” Mom shouted and shot upright, smacking her hand on her cheek. “Keeping that one forever.”

“Oh God,” I whispered and Mom turned to me.

“Neither of you girls gave me grandkids, I’m claiming Tate’s,” she declared.

“Jeannie, you might wanna tone it down before you scare the kid silly,” Dad cautioned.

“Boloney, he’s not scared,” Mom said to Dad and then looked down at Jonas. “Are you, hon?”

“Um…” Jonas mumbled which meant yes.

“Let’s get coffee,” I suggested in an effort to save Jonas.

“Great idea, I’m three quarts low,” Mack put in and walked to Tate, taking his hand, giving it a firm shake at the same time clapping him on the shoulder. “Tate, man, shit reason but still good to see you.”

“Same here, Mack,” Tate replied and Carrie moved in for a hug from Tate.

“Hey there, honey,” she whispered, giving him a good squeeze then leaning back, leaving her hands on his shoulders. “You doing okay?”

“We’re hangin’ in there, Carrie,” Tate murmured.

“Well, I’m not, we flew in late last night, stayed at a hotel by the airport, been on the road all mornin’. Then Gavin got lost –” Mom stated, forging toward the house.

“I did not get lost,” Dad declared.

“Hon,” Mom stopped at the sliding glass door and turned to him, “you… did.” She looked at Tate. “Sat nav who? Sat nav what? I don’t need a sat nav. Acting like he drove through the Colorado mountains for a living!” Then she threw open the door and disappeared into the house but we heard her shout, “Good God, look at that cat!” Then we heard her coo, “Who’s a pretty kitty? Come to Gramma, pretty kitty.”

“I’m feeling nostalgic for my hospital bed,” Dad muttered to Tate and moved to follow Mom, tousling Jonas’s hair as he went by.

I got close to Jonas, bent down and whispered, “My family’s a little goofy.”

“I can tell,” he whispered back, I winked at him and straightened.

Then I introduced, “Jonas, baby, this is my sister, Carrie and her partner, Mack.”

“Hey,” he said on a barely there wave.

“Hey, big man,” Mack said back, Carrie smiled at him and Jonas looked at me.

“Your sister is as hot as you,” he announced, Carrie let out a startled giggle and Mack straight out laughed.

“He thinks I’m a milf,” I whispered to Mack.

“Darlin’, you are,” Mack whispered back.

“Whatever,” I muttered.

“Let’s get inside,” Tate said brusquely, I looked at him, Mack and Carrie looked at me but Jonas led the way and Mack and Carrie followed.

I hung back, caught Tate’s hand and spoke when he looked down at me.

“Is it okay they’re here?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah,” he answered then started to move away but I tugged his hand and he looked back at me.

“They just want to –”

He cut me off. “I know.”

“This is what families do, or, it’s what my family does,” I told him and he turned to me, his hand coming to my neck, his head dipping toward mine.

“Babe, I know,” he repeated firmly.

“You sure you’re okay?” I asked, searching his features.

He closed his eyes and his forehead came to mine before he whispered, “I’ll be better once she’s in the ground.”

I nodded my head, my forehead rolling against his and watched his eyes open as he lifted his head from mine. My hand went to his neck too and my thumb swept his clean-shaven jaw as my eyes watched.

“You miss the beard,” he muttered.

“I fell in love with you when you had a beard,” I replied.

Suddenly his arms closed around me tight and, lips at my temple, he said, “Fuck, I love you.”

I gave him a squeeze and whispered, “Me too. Well, I mean, I love you, I don’t mean I love me too,” I blathered stupidly and felt his arms give me a squeeze back as I heard his soft chuckle.

I held him, he held me and then he let me go, took my hand and led me inside.

Mom had clearly taken control for everyone but Jonas had coffee and Mom was at the island, squirting chocolate syrup into a glass at the same time she was stirring it into milk that was so far from the color of milk and so close to the color of chocolate that the milk was in danger of becoming chocolate.

“Mom, what are you doing?” I asked as I hit the island.

“Making Jonas chocolate milk,” Mom answered.

“You can quit putting in chocolate now,” I informed her.

“It’s not quite there,” Mom informed me back.

“It’s there,” I stated.

“Not quite,” she returned.

“Mom,” I warned.

She splodged in a thick, last squirt and announced, “There!”

I rolled my eyes, pulled in breath and when I rolled them back I looked at Jonas. He was grinning at Mom.

“Shit, Laurie!” Mack exclaimed sounding like his mouth was full and I looked at him to see he was eating one of the fudge filled, chocolate cupcakes with chocolate fudge icing I’d made for Jonas the day before.

“Mack!” Carrie snapped. “Don’t help yourself!” But Mack was ignoring Carrie and looking at Jonas.