Holly watched them as she took the dinner plates out of the cabinet. She had taken out three plates when the front door opened again and Greer came inside. She turned back toward the cabinet to take out another one for him when he stopped her.
“Going to need more plates. The rest of the family’s coming.”
Holly took out enough plates for everyone, relieved she had made enough to feed the crowd.
“Why’s everyone coming over?” Dustin asked as Greer ruffled Logan’s hair before sinking down on the couch and putting his long legs on the coffee table. Logan climbed up onto Greer’s legs, swinging his own.
Greer may be hard on Logan, but the surprising thing that always shocked her was how affectionate he was toward his nephew. He shifted his legs as if he would let Logan drop while squeals of Logan’s laughter found a soft spot in her heart, which she made sure not to let Greer see. If he had any idea she liked anything he did, Greer would make sure to stop. He lived to irritate her, and he wanted her gone from his family. That he hadn’t yet reached his goal was a sore point for him.
“I’ve called a family meeting.”
Holly finished setting the table then went to the oven to take the rolls out and put more in, trying not to let Greer see she was curious.
“Why?” Dustin sat down next to his brother on the couch.
“We’ll talk after dinner when everyone’s here. No need to repeat myself.”
Holly frowned, growing concerned. Had he decided to make it a family issue to get her to leave? What if they were tired of listening to Greer’s complaints about her?
The sickening feeling in her stomach destroyed any appetite she had. Even when Rachel and Cash showed up, she could barely manage an awkward smile as she took a fussy Ema to give her mother a break.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked intuitively.
Holly buried her face in Ema’s pudgy neck, breathing in the baby aroma to calm her anxious nerves. “Nothing,” she lied, masking her expression as she lifted her face.
Rachel raised disbelieving brows but let it pass as Tate and Sutton arrived.
She managed to eat a small amount as the large family sat at the table. Holly didn’t try to talk, letting the conversation flow around her. She even managed to give a proud smile at Logan when he boasted about his achievement at school.
When dinner was over, she busied herself with cleaning the table and doing the dishes with Sutton’s help, feigning interest in Sutton’s plans to redo the kitchen to the house she had inherited from her grandfather. Then she listened with half an ear as the rest of Logan’s relatives spread out in the living room. Rachel’s husband sat on the couch with her, while Dustin sat Logan on his lap.
Each minute that passed as they finished the dishes made her tension curl tighter. When Sutton dried her hands then sat down on the arm of Tate’s chair, Holly knew from Greer’s expression he was waiting impatiently for her to leave the room before speaking to his family. Trying to be unobtrusive, she started to sit down at the kitchen table.
Greer, who had been talking to Tate, broke off his conversation, bringing his hawk-like gaze toward her.
“You ready for your bath, Logan?”
Logan shook his head. “Daddy promised me we could play a video game after dinner.”
“You can do that after your bath. Me and the grownups have some business to talk about.”
Under Greer’s authoritative stare, Logan stood up from his father’s lap.
“The game is my room on my dresser. The machine is hooked up. You can play until Greer finishes talking to us.”
Logan ran out of the room before his father could change his mind about the rare treat.
Holly started to stand up. “I’ll go to my room—”
“You might as well stay; you are part of this family, too.” Dustin’s jaw clenched when Greer shot him the same glare he had given to Logan.
“No, she ain’t. What I’ve got to talk to you all about is none of her business.”
“Does it concern me?” Dustin spoke out.
“Some,” Greer grudgingly admitted.
“Then it affects her.”
Holly turned her face away, not wanting the others in the room, especially Greer, to see what Dustin supporting her meant to her.
“Fine.” Greer rose from his chair to walk back and forth across the room as everyone stared at him closely. It wasn’t often that Greer was at a loss for words. “I’ve decided it’s time for me to get married.”
You could hear a pin drop in the room. The only sound that could be heard was Logan playing his video game.
Rachel was the first one to find her voice. “Please don’t tell us you’re marrying Diane.”
“Maybe. I haven’t made my mind up yet.”
“What in the fuck does that mean?” Tate asked his brother, wincing when Sutton elbowed him in the shoulder, nodding toward Ema who was lying on Cash’s chest.