Wyatt followed Cade up the stairs and grabbed Adriana’s hand and pulled her along. He never thought he’d see her speechless and wondered if this weekend would push him ahead or set him back.
Saturday afternoon, Adriana said, “I can’t get over how big this party is.” They were at his Aunt Jolene and Uncle Gavin’s house.
It was the house they raised their five kids in. Even with all the money they had now, they weren’t leaving and he could understand why. The place was huge, had a massive yard and pool and everything he had and wanted growing up. He suspected his cousins felt the same way.
Last night they’d had a blast with his brothers and Cade and Alex. They’d ordered pizza and just hung out and talked. Cade told the story of how Cade and Alex met and Adriana thought it was hilarious, saying, “I can’t imagine parents going to that much trouble to set their kids up. No way. I’d run away from any man my mother even liked. My father wouldn’t dare.”
He was glad to be able to say his parents wouldn’t dare either.
“You must be Adriana,” his Aunt Jolene said, almost running toward her.
“Aunt Jolene. Good to see you too,” Wyatt said as his aunt went right past him and hugged his girlfriend.
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. You’ve got a beautiful home.”
“Thank you, thank you,” his aunt said and then whisked Adriana away.
“At least you don’t have to worry about your mother setting you up,” his cousin Mason said. “You got her on your own.”
“I did,” he said. “But you don’t seem to mind too much at the way things turned out.”
Mason caught one of his sons that tried to run past, then threw him in Wyatt’s arms. “Hold Jacob.” The next toddler came charging in the other direction. “Got you, you little monkey.” He threw Jeremy in the air and then caught him and started to tickle him.
“Throw me too,” Jacob said to him. Wyatt did as he was instructed, caught the squirming toddler and tickled him like Mason was doing. “I’m gonna pee!”
Wyatt stopped quick and put his cousin’s son down. “I think you need your mother.”
Mason started to laugh. “He’s pulling our chain. Jade put him up to that.”
He looked over and saw his sister laughing so hard she was holding her side. She pulled Adriana over and said something, then watched as they both laughed.
“It’s never going to end, is it?” he asked.
“Not in this family. It’s not like you’ve stopped,” Mason said.
“Why would I when it’s so much fun?”
He walked away from Mason and joined Aiden at the table for some food. He’d planned on introducing Adriana to everyone, but it seemed like his aunts and his mother had it under control. “She’ll find her way back to you. She seems nice.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Damn, this all looks good. Where’s Nic?”
“She went in to change Anthony’s diaper. Adriana almost gagged when the smell drifted up. Who would have thought something so little could stink that much.”
“You’re loving every minute of it too, aren’t you?”
“You know it.”
Two of his cousins loving marriage and kids. He saw Brody in the shade walking his son and patting him on the back while Aimee was in the pool with Sidney. Ella and Travis were talking with Sam and Dani who just arrived with Bryce and Payton.
“Your family is a lot to take in, but they’re all so friendly,” Adriana said when she made it to his side a minute later with two beers in her hand. “I needed this and thought you might too.”
“Thanks. They told you it’s going to get nuts here soon, right? That family is here for about an hour and then the rest of the guests come?”
“Yeah. I’m glad I can figure out who is who. If I had to be introduced when all the employees and neighbors were here I might have felt lost.”
“I’ve got you,” he said, putting his arms around her. “You aren’t going anywhere without me.”
“Nor do I think I want to.”
* * *
“Look at them over there,” Jolene said.
Carolyn looked over at her youngest son and saw his arms around Adriana. “I’m so proud of myself on this one. I knew it’d work out.”
“It’s been a few months,” Garrett said. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“I thought you liked her,” her brother-in-law Gavin asked Garrett.
“I do. I’m just saying that my wife is getting a little cocky. This is Wyatt we are talking about. Though I admit he seems to be taking this seriously, there is still time.”
“He’s not like Ryder,” she said, then looked at her other sister-in-law. “Sorry, Diane. Your youngest isn’t even the love ‘em and leave ‘em type. He just finds the worst possible women there are while trying to love them. But then even he can’t stand them after a few weeks.”
“I don’t know where he gets it from,” Diane said. “It’s like he’s a magnet for the ditzy blonde. I can’t even tell you the last time I saw him with a brunette. You’d think if he just changed what he looked for in a woman he’d do better, yet he goes back to the same molds that are dented and broken.”
“Oh, those molds have had a lot of work to fix them,” her brother-in-law Grant said.
“Enhancements aren’t fixing the real problem with those women,” Diane said.
Carolyn listened to everyone go on about Ryder but looked at Wyatt and saw how happy he was.
“You’re feeling good about yourself, aren’t you?”
She looked over to see her daughter standing there. “Of course I am, Jade. You should be thrilled your brother is happy. I’m ashamed of you.”
Jade laughed. “I am thrilled. I like Adriana a lot. She won’t take any of his crap either. Did you hear about the breakfast she made him?”
“What? No.
