Meagan’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked between my mother and me. “What? I had it in my hands and you distracted me with your—well um yeah, I forgot it.” My mother brushed it off with a wave of her hands, saving Meagan from digging herself in deeper.
“No worries, Meg. We have so much food. James made potato salad, and beans and I made homemade fries along with steamed veggies. We will have plenty of things to eat. Not to mention the apple, cherry and pecan pies James and I made.”
With a chuckle, I shook my head. “My gosh, Mom. Why did y’all make so much food for just the four of us?”
Turning away from me, she pulled out the plates as she gave James a quick peek. “Oh well, we have a few more people coming over.”
“Who?” I asked as I popped a piece of cut up cheese into my mouth.
James took that has his cue to step in. “My daughter and son. Sandy and Rick.”
“Your kids?” I asked slowly. “Wow, do they at least know about my mom, or are they walking in blind as well?”
With an awkward smile, James shook his head. “I told them this morning. They’re both thrilled and excited to meet everyone.”
Meagan walked up and helped my mother set the table. “That’s wonderful! Isn’t it, Gray?”
I wanted to yell out no, but I was almost positive my mother would frown on that so I forced a smile. “Yeah, how old are they?”
James flashed a proud smile across his face. “Sandy is twenty-six, and Rick is twenty-two.”
With a quick nod, I grabbed a handful of cheese and headed toward the door. “I’m gonna see how your chicken is doing.”
James laughed and stepped out of the way as I headed outside. I hadn’t bothered putting on a jacket.
The cold air felt good as it hit my face. I lifted the grill and cursed.
The chicken was of course fine since James had recently checked on them. I needed a few moments to collect my thoughts. Everything with my mother and James seemed to be happening all too fast. Truth be told, she needed to find love again and if James was the guy, then I’d try like hell to be supportive.
The back door opened and I turned to see Meagan. “Hey, James’s kids are here, you want to come back in and out of the freezing cold?”
Taking in a deep breath, I tried to not let any of it bother me. “Yeah,” I mumbled as I walked up to Meagan.
Reaching up on her toes, she kissed my lips. “I’m sorry. I know this is all so fast and you weren’t expecting it. Just remember your mom is happy and that’s all that matters.”
I knew she was right and I pulled her into my arms. “I’d be lost without you, do you know that?”
With a wiggle of her eyebrows, Meagan replied, “You can show me later when we get back to your place.”
My eyes closed as I exhaled a breath while thinking about being with Meagan again.
“Come on, let’s go met Sandy and Ricky.”
With a moan, I shook my head. “They sound like they should be from the movie Grease.”
Meagan giggled as she lightly hit my chest. “Stop it.”
Less than a minute later, Meagan and I were being introduced to James’s kids. Ricky was tall, about six two and built pretty big. He was attending college in Denver and had come home for the week to meet my mother. By the look on his face, I’d say he was just as surprised as I was to find out about all of this.
Sandy was for sure not from Grease. She wore tight jeans and a shirt so tight and low cut, I was sure her tits were going to fall out just from me shaking her hand. I tried desperately to stay focused on her nose. That felt like the only safe zone to look at.
“So, Grayson, what do you do for a living?” Sandy asked as she flashed me a fuck-me smile.
“Gray, you can just call me Gray. I work for the Durango Police Department.”
Sandy widened her eyes. “Is that so? What do you do there?”
“He’s a detective,” my mother responded as I glanced over to her. “Sorry sweetheart, I’m just so proud of you I have to brag.”