“Yeah, just needed a moment to myself.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. I’m just not used to . . .”

“I know.” I see that she’s a bit rattled, so I step closer to her and run my hands down her arms. “Do you need a few more minutes?”

“No, I’m fine.”

When we walk back into the kitchen, the kids are watching their movie, and the chaos has dissipated. I pour her a glass of wine, and hand it to her, whispering, “Come on,” in her ear. I lead her through the house, showing her around as I take her to one of the back rooms that looks out over the water.

We’re alone, and it’s quiet as we stand in front of the large picture window.

“Better?” I ask, and she smiles as she looks at me.

“I guess I didn’t realize how big your family actually is. I mean, you’ve told me, but . . .”

“It can be a lot,” I tell her. Having twenty of us here can be overwhelming. It’s more the women and kids. The guys are always laying low, trying to dodge the madness.

“This is a great view,” she says. “Have you always lived here?”

“Yeah.”

“Small town.”

“You have no idea,” I say with a hint of humor. “I used to spend most of my time in Seaside or Astoria. That’s where Tori’s from.”

“Is there even a school here?” she asks with a huge smile, finding it funny. Not a whole lot of people are permanent residents of this area. It’s mostly vacation rentals, but we’re one of the few that actually call it home.

“No,” I tell her. “The schools are in Seaside, but I went to private school.”

“Me too.”

We chat for a few more minutes, and when she seems more at ease, we head back. Tori and Jenna are sitting in the dining room when we pass through.

“Candace, come join us,” Tori offers, and when Candace hesitates, I tell her it’s fine, letting her know that I’ll be in the other room with my mom. I know Tori is curious about her, and I also trust her enough to know Candace will be fine.

I find my mom in the kitchen, working on dinner. It’s just the two of us, and she stops what she’s doing as we lean against the counter and talk.

“How did this morning go with the kids?” I ask, a little bummed that I wasn’t here.

“Anarchic,” she laughs.

“I bet.”

“They missed you.”

“I have all their presents outside,” I tell her. “We can open them later.”

She takes a sip from her glass of water, and then asks, “Where’s Candace?”

“Dining room with Tor and Jenna.”

She nods her head with a smile, and I know she’s biting her tongue, so I tell her, “Just say it.”

“What?”

“Whatever it is that has you looking at me like that, Mom.”

When she sets her glass down on the counter, she reveals, “She’s different than I was expecting.”

“How so?”

“Just . . . different.” When I narrow my eyes at her, she grins and assures, “It’s a good thing, dear. Relax,” before patting my arm a couple of times and walking away.

“Where are you going?”

“Dining room to visit with the girls.”

I let her have her time with Candace, even though I feel like I want to go in there and check on her. But I don’t. Instead I busy myself with Connor, helping him out with a puzzle on the floor. When I look up, I see my mom and Candace passing through the kitchen. She catches my eye, and I give her a small half grin as they walk through, heading to the study. I like seeing her here, with my mom, in my familiar surroundings, mixed in with my family.

Candace is now in the kitchen, helping Mom cook while I drink a beer and hang out with the guys. I can’t keep my eyes off of her as I watch her laughing with my mom while they get everything ready for dinner, and I know instantly that I want to see this again. Have her here again.

She makes me nervous because she has this power about her that is dragging emotions out of me when no one in the past has been able to. She has no clue what she’s doing to me, and that’s a scary thing when I think about admitting how I’m feeling about her.

After a while, I unload the gifts and let the kids open everything. My mom was right—they’re much crazier than they were last year, but they’re another year older, and I’m sure next year will be even wilder. Candace sits on the couch with Tori while they laugh at me being overtaken by the little ones.

When dinner is done, Candace excuses herself to go upstairs to relieve Katie from mommy duties. Her daughter, Maddie, hasn’t been feeling well all day, and Candace told me that she needed some quiet time, so she’s up in my room with Maddie, and Katie is finally getting to eat dinner.

My aunts are cleaning up, Jenna and the guys are getting all the kids ready for bed, and Tori and I band off into the study to talk.

“I got a job,” she tells me as we sit down.

“What made you decide to go back to work?”

“After you and I talked this summer, I decided to just be honest with Trevor. Told him pretty much what I told you,” she says. “He suggested the same thing. Thought I should get out of the house, get back into a routine. So I called my old boss, and it was as easy as that.”

“When do you start?” I ask.

“Second week in January,” she says with a little uncertainty.

“You ready to leave Connor and Bailey?”

“Yes and no.” Tori is a great mom and is very attached to her kids, so it makes sense that this transition would be hard for her since she’s been a stay-at-home mom for the past four years.

“It’ll be fine,” I say. “So you and Trevor are on the same page?”

“He never got off track. It was me. I think I’ve been miserable because I’ve been lost. I wasn’t doing anything about it, and it made me start questioning everything. But he’s supportive. Always has been. He just had no clue how I was feeling. Once I was honest with him, things started to change. So yeah, we’re good.”

“Good.”

“What about you?” she questions.

“What do you mean?” I ask, not understanding what she’s asking.

“Being honest,” she starts, “Candace told me that she thinks you brought her here because you feel sorry for her.”

“She said that?” I feel horrible that she would even think that.

Tori nods her head and then questions, “How long do you plan on avoiding telling her how you feel?”

Letting out a deep breath, I tell her, “She makes me nervous.” When Tori smiles, I say, “I’m glad you’re enjoying my discomfort.”

“I’m just enjoying seeing a girl have this effect on you,” she admits before she stands up. “I’m heading to bed, but for what it’s worth, I really like her.”

I follow her out, and the house is quiet. I see my mom in the kitchen, turning everything off.

“You going to bed?” I ask her.

“Yes. It’s getting late. Is Candace still upstairs?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go up there and get her. I think we’ll just crash down here and let Maddie take my bed.”

“Well, tell her that I’ll see her in the morning, will you?”

“Okay, Mom.”

We say good night, and I go to the hall closet to pull out some blankets and pillows. I toss everything on the floor, making a makeshift bed for me to sleep on and lay out a blanket and pillow on the couch for Candace. We had planned on her taking my room, but since Maddie is sick, I figure this is a fair alternative.

I pick up Candace’s bag and head upstairs to my room. Quietly, I open the door to see Maddie passed out, lying on top of Candace. When she rolls her head to the side and looks at me, I walk in and laugh. “Are you stuck under Maddie?”

“I didn’t want to move and wake her up. What time is it?” she asks.

“Past eleven. Everyone has gone to bed. I told Katie that I would check on you and Maddie.”

“I wanted to thank your mother before she went to bed.”

“Don’t worry about it. Here’s your bag,” I tell her as I set it next to the bed. “I made a big pallet of blankets and pillows downstairs in the living room. Since Maddie is in my room, we’re just going to sleep down there. We can watch a movie or something if you want.”