College is the fresh start Mackenna Baker is hoping for, but her past follows her from the small town she left behind like a ghost. She does her best to ignore them and no matter how hard she tries, she can never seem to actually let them go. Shovin...
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"What do you say, Mac? Can I get some one-on-one time with my future daughter-in-law," Shelby asks from where she's sitting in one of the armchairs across the living room, Saturday night.
My breath catches at her choice of words.
Daughter-in-law
"Yeah, I said that."
Wesley's chest rumbles in a chuckle behind me since we're sitting together on the couch. "Mom, don't freak her out."
"Oh, shut it. I'm not scaring her." His mom flicks her attention down to me. "Am I scaring you?"
I chew on my bottom lip. "Um-"
"Good job, mom," Wesley laughs again.
"I just feel like there is so much we have in common and we didn't get a lot of time when you came to see us," Shelby tells me.
"Oh, boy. I feel like I'm going to need some alcohol for those conversations," I giggle.
"Wine is always good with me." She tips her half-empty wine glass that she's been nursing in our direction.
"My mom doesn't bite," Wesley murmurs in my ear.
"Shut up," I playfully smack his chest. "I know that."
"Now who's trying to scare her," his mom challenges.
"That's not what I'm trying to do," he counters and all she does is narrow her eyes at him.
"He's not, if anything he's convincing me." I straighten against his side so I'm not resting against his shoulder.
"Okay, how about this?" Wesley tips his head back to look at me better, his fingers still dancing along the top of my shoulder. "Go put on some comfy clothes, grab some drinks and I'll start a fire for you guys outside."
"Okay," I sigh, raising my hands in the air in concession before standing up.
It doesn't take long for Wesley to get the fire going, blankets already on two of the six well loved and weathered wooden Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit on the backside of the house, overlooking the fields.
Shelby is already sitting there, a full wine glass in hand, two buckets filled with a couple wine bottles and a few beets sitting between our chairs.
"Well, this looks cozy," I chuckle as I round the chairs and plop down in the one for me.
"Anything for two of three most important women in my life," Wesley smiles at me before adding one last log to the pit. "Now, be easy on her mom."
Shelby waves off her oldest son with a scoff, and an eye roll if I've come to learn anything about the James' family. "She's still going to love you no matter what I say."
"I hope so," he chuckles as he walks over to me. "Have a nice chat or whatever." He kisses the top of my head before heading back to the house.
"This is an amazing place, Mac," Shelby tells me once her son has reached the porch, waiting until he's at a safe distance to start her integration.
