Chapter 51: Chapter LI
As soon as we step inside, a feeling of nostalgia hits me as I stare into their living room. I spent so much time here in the past that it leaves me disoriented for a second. It looks exactly as I remembered it, except for some different paintings on the wall and Caitlin’s dolls and toys spread on the floor. The TV is on, some cartoon Caitlin was probably watching before we arrived, and I allow myself to get lost in this feeling for a moment.
Spencer’s home always felt cozy and inviting, having the same family atmosphere mine has always had. Both of us are lucky to have a close family where everyone likes to be together and gather for meals, or just to do anything, really. After his parents died, I remember how gloomy and sad the house was, and it made me feel uneasy whenever I came to spend some time with the Baileys.
“Everything okay?” Spencer murmurs in my ear, jolting me back to reality.
I clear my throat, shaking my head and turning to look at him. “Yes. Just took a trip down memory lane for a second. Everything here still looks the same.”
He shoots me a warm smile, his hand darting to my lower back and guiding me toward the backyard where Thomas is probably working on the grill. “Come on. I’ll get both of us a beer. I’m sure you’ll need it for my sister’s inquisition,” he jokes.
“I heard that.” A feminine, sweet voice comes from the patio before we even step into it. Aubrie’s voice is threatening, although I can sense the teasing tone in it. “Very funny, but also cliché, to turn me into the villain, brother.”
Aubrie is looking at us by the time we step outside, her bright blue eyes piercing through her brother’s skull. She has a grin on her lips, her dark hair—the same color as Spencer’s—tied into a French braid. She is wearing a floral summer dress and a beige cardigan on top of it since it’s windy and slightly chill out here.
“Don’t pout, sis. I’m only stating the truth and preparing Hayden for what’s ahead of her.”
Aubrie scoffs, walking toward us. “As if she doesn’t already know me. You can’t pretend you’re the saint here.” She wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. “It’s so good to see you, Hayden.”
“It is so good to see you,” I repeat, trying to emphasize how happy I feel to be here. It feels different to see Aubrie outside of her bookstore. She has always been kind to me, but now that I’m her brother’s girlfriend again, it seems like there’s an invisible rope bringing us closer to one another.
As if… I’m part of the family.
“Don’t worry, I know Spencer is being overly dramatic,” I tell her, watching her turn to her brother and grin at him. It feels like I’m watching two kids banter, but again, who am I to talk when I do the exact same thing with Chad? I guess siblings never really do grow up.
I glance at Spencer, who feigns being offended, and then allow Aubrie to guide me toward the grill where Thomas seems to be preparing food for an entire battalion.
“Thomas, you do remember Hayden, right?” she asks, catching the attention of her husband. Except for his eyes, he looks just like his daughter, his blond hair neatly styled even though he’s facing the heat from the grill. He’s a tall man, with a confident posture, something I figure he must have learned from his job as a real estate developer. He’s a bit quieter than the rest of the family, a bit too serious even, but I know he has a kind heart from the way I’ve seen him treat Caitlin and Aubrie.
He’s also always treated me well whenever we bump into each other in town, so I have nothing bad to say about the guy. I like Thomas.
“Of course. Welcome, Hayden. It’s so good to have you join us.”
“Thank you, Thomas. It’s very nice to be here.”
“Okay, so you go over there with Spencer to distract Caitlin while Thomas and I finish preparing the food,” Aubrie urges me, pushing me toward Spencer and Caitlin, who are now focused on some toy she’s showing her uncle in the living room.
“Oh, it’s fine, I can help you. What can I do?” I offer, already knowing she won’t allow me to do anything.
Aubrie shakes her head eagerly, forcing her hand on my shoulder and guiding me back inside. “Absolutely not. You’re our guest today. I must say, though, handling Caitlin might be worse than chopping onions sometimes, so I apologize in advance for that.” She chuckles, turning her back to me and walking inside the kitchen.
I ponder insisting on helping, but I simply know she won’t let me do it. I can’t blame her because, if this was the Jenkins household, my mom would be flipping out on me if I allowed a guest to do any work.
I take a deep breath, turning on my heel to go and meet Spencer and Caitlin. I thought I’d be more emotionally overwhelmed, but when Spencer looks up at me, and our eyes meet, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
This feels like home. A different one, but equally as loving and caring as the one I have back at the ranch. It makes me feel so lucky. How did I end up being so blessed?
“Hayden, come see what my daddy got me for my birthday. It’s a xylophone that lights up in the dark,” Caitlin yells, waving at me enthusiastically as I approach them.
I bite down on my lower lip to prevent myself from laughing at how cutely she pronounced the word 'xylophone', and instead, I widen my eyes, squatting down in front of her. “Oh, wow. Does it really? That seems like the most incredible xylophone ever.”
Spencer wraps his arm around my back, pulling me close to him as we both pay attention to Caitlin while she starts playing a song she apparently just learned from YouTube. I swear the kid seems to be in her twenties with how smart and self-reliant she is.
“You have no idea how much it means to me that you’re here,” Spencer whispers in my ear, causing my entire body to shiver with how close he suddenly is. It also helps that he’s been the sweetest guy on earth by acknowledging how happy he is that I’m at his family’s house with him.
I turn slightly to look at him, not wanting to be disrespectful to Caitlin’s presentation. “It means even more to me that you want me here.”