“Let’s help Mom set the table,” I said, pulling him from the room.
“Your face is talking again,” he whispered as we walked into the kitchen.
I rolled my eyes, but schooled my features. We’d used that as a code years prior when my volleyball coach told me I was good, but needed to watch what my face was saying. I had no idea what she meant. Titus had had to explain to me that my facial expressions said more than my words, which was really saying something because I didn’t usually hold my tongue all that much. When I made a girl cry sophomore year just by sending her a look, I’d had to admit everyone must be right. My RBF was killer.
“Ah, my Amelia,” Mom said, cupping my face and then glancing down at where Titus was still holding my hand. Her head lifted with the most brilliant smile. I quickly let go of him.
“What can we do to help?” I said, reaching to stir the chili.
She slapped my hand away like I knew she would. “You mean, what can you do to get away from your sisters?”
I shrugged. “Pretty much.”
She smiled, but said nothing. “You can help Yedda set the table. Titus honey, you can taste my chili and see if it needs anything.”
I crossed my eyes at Titus, who tried to smother a smile. Of course my mom would want him to taste the chili she wouldn’t let me near. She’d always loved Titus and he could do no wrong. Between Yedda and me, we got the table set and I called in my sisters.
Titus proclaimed Mom’s chili perfect—hey, he was no dummy—and came up behind me to run his hand down my back thinking no one could see. His touch had my cheeks flaming.
“Watch your hands, Jackson,” my dad bellowed, striding into the kitchen and slapping Titus on the back. Oakley, my oldest sister, followed behind Dad. They must have been hiding out talking police crap that none of the rest of us wanted to hear.
Titus jumped a foot away from me and I would have burst out laughing if not for the real fear I saw on his face. I’d have to talk to him later. My parents loved him, but my dad would always act like an overprotective male. It was built into his DNA.
We all sat down around the extended table and Yedda said grace, naming off five of her cats at the shelter that needed divine intervention, along with thanking God for the Hardware Store coming to town recently. Contrary to their name, they sold butt plugs and sex swings, not hammers and screws. There was a joke in there somewhere about getting nailed, but that was low-hanging fruit in the humor department. Dad nearly swallowed his tongue and Mom snickered. Personally, I prayed for this dinner to be over. Quickly and as painlessly as possible.
We all dug in at Yedda’s amen, and thankfully, the food was so good, we didn’t talk much at first. That all ended when the twins started fighting over whether red kidney beans were better than pinto beans. I didn’t have a dog in the fight, so I asked Oakley how work was going.
“Fine, thanks for asking. There’s rumor I might get a new partner, but no official word, so we’ll see.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin.
“I’d feel better about things if you had a partner,” Dad muttered, a spoonful of chili on its way to his mouth.
“Let’s hope he’s hot and single, huh?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows.
Dad jolted, spilling chili down the front of his shirt. He let out a long-suffering sigh as he wiped it with his napkin. Oakley smiled and gave me a wink. She wouldn’t say it out loud in front of Mom and Dad, but I knew she was thinking the same thing.
“So, Titus. Got any plans this weekend?” I heard Vee ask while my head was turned.
I whipped it back real damn quick, catching her flirty little smile aimed in his direction. What was up with her flirting with Titus? He was way too old for her. And besides, he was mine.
Whoa. Hold up. Where had that thought come from?
“Uh, yeah, actually. I’m starting on a new project and it’s going to take up my weekend.” He coughed. “All my weekends.”
Relief that he deflected her flooded my brain, but I still felt on edge. Was I really going to try this thing with Titus? I didn’t want to go there just because my sister flirting with him made me insanely jealous. Or because he had feelings for me. I wanted to make sure I knew what I felt before I agreed to anything. I didn’t want to fuck this up. For once in my life I’d think things through before jumping.
Titus asked my dad some questions and I sat there quietly observing him. Oakley saw me and raised her eyebrows. I shook my head subtly and kept watching Titus. The way he interacted with my family like he was one of us. The way he filled out a shirt and sat up tall. He was a man. A beautiful one at that. Even with that ridiculous haircut. He flashed a smile, that little dimple he hated popping out, and my heart sighed.
Esme, on the other side of me, leaned in and whispered, “Oh, girl, you got it bad.”
“Shut up!” I whispered back, my face deciding now was the best time to blush.
Esme snickered, and in that way twins do, she filled Izzy in on the situation without saying a single word. Great. Now my whole family was in on me and Titus. They’d pester me until they knew the exact status of our relationship. Like I needed any more pressure in that regard.
I pushed back my chair. “Well, that was fantastic, Mom. We’re going to go out to the
