“Nothing. It reminds me of dinners at my grandparents. My grandmother used to decorate their house like this. Of course, I never paid attention to it at the time. I was a dumbass kid. But I just realized how nice it was.” A wistful look skitters across his face. “How much I miss it.”
I smile, relieved. “Well, you can look forward to seeing this every year at this time because fall is Mama’s favorite season.” I add more quietly, “Let’s hope her love for it helps her mood after I tell her to butt out of our wedding.”
His eyes flicker to the window, where Aunt May is still spying on us. “I guess it’s time to do this.” He releases a shaky breath.
Wait a minute. It dawns on me. “Are you nervous?” Incredulity fills my voice.
“I don’t get nervous.” But his jaw tenses.
“You are!” If my hands weren’t full, my palm would be slapped over my mouth. “I don’t believe this. The unflappable Henry Wolf is flapped!” By my family, nonetheless.
“I’ll show you flapped.” He adjusts the bags in his arms long enough to free a hand that he slips under my dress. I know what he’s aiming for.
“Stop it!” I skitter away from his touch with a squeal of laughter.
With a secretive smile, he juts his chin toward the house, silently directing me to go, and then trails behind me.
The second porch step creaks noisily under my weight, as it always does, and a wave of nostalgia hits me. I may not live here anymore, but it’ll always be home.
The scent of oregano and roasted tomatoes hits me the moment we push through the front door. I inhale deeply. “Lasagna?” I haven’t had my aunt’s famed dish in too long.
Aunt May rounds the corner wearing an apron. “You and that nose of yours! I can never surprise you. Come here!”
I set the floral arrangement down on the front table just in time to catch her as she pulls me into her in a tight hug. “Congratulations, sweetheart. I’m so happy for you!”
I sink into her slender yet curvy body, wishing for the thousandth time that Mama was more like her younger sister. “Thank you.”
She turns to Henry. “And you. I know you love my niece, but are you sure you want to join this family?”
“Don’t scare him off,” I scoff.
“If he hasn’t been yet, I think you’re safe,” she throws back in a mock whisper.
Henry offers a charming smile in return. “It’s good to see you again, May.”
“Here, let me help you with some of that.” She sweeps the larger gift bag out of his arms, her eyes flittering over his ensemble, which he let me choose—a casual but delicious sable crewneck and tailored jeans—ever so quickly before winking at me. It reminds me that Aunt May is only four years older than Henry and no more immune to his looks than anyone else.
She’s also the only true ally I have in this house when it comes to Mama. “Listen, before we go in there, I need to talk to you about—”
“There she is, my baby girl!” Mama appears, her hands rubbing at a tea towel. “It’s been too long.”
“A few weeks, at least.” I step into her outstretched arms and she envelops me in a warm, tight embrace. Her hugs are what I remember most growing up. No one can say she doesn’t like to give them. “Is that a new dress?” I know without asking that it is. She’s worn the same outfits for years.
“Got it yesterday.” She smooths the material over her hips. “Nothing fits me anymore.”
After that stunt with the caffeine pills to keep Henry and me apart, Mama and Daddy had a long, serious talk about her health—from the countless cups of coffee she was drinking every day to her poor diet and sedentary habits, to the fact that her mother died of a heart attack at a young age. I don’t know what else he said to her, but since then, she’s put in a real effort, cutting out caffeine, taking daily walks, and cooking healthier. “You look good.”
“I feel good. I can walk all the way to the Enderbeys’ place without needing a break.” She swings her focus to Henry.
I hold my breath.
“How is my favorite future son-in-law?” She charges forward to throw her arms around him.
Henry’s eyebrows twitch as he stoops to return her hug, the only sign that he’s shocked by her pleasant greeting. “Hello, Bernadette.”
“Oh, call me Mama if you want. Would ya look at that.” She scowls at the scab on his forehead, like a mother tending to her little boy’s injury.