And now she didn’t want to give him the power to make her cry again.

She pushed Desmond out of her head and gave Matt the space. Before long, she was three chapters into the book she was editing, and the coolness in the air drove her inside.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Baking a cake was the easy part. Showing up at Matt’s parents’ home, on the other hand, made her want to vomit. Right when Erin was starting to put on the pounds she’d shed, here she’d lost her appetite simply by being around people she didn’t know.

Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, Emmitt and Nora, she’d met a couple of times since they had accompanied Colin over to the property. Mallory’s live-in boyfriend, Jase, was a cousin to Matt, so she’d met him. But then there was the rest of Matt’s family, a grandmother that flew in just to meet Parker, an aunt on Nora’s side with her husband, and a handful of family friends.

Yeah, Erin wanted to curl up in a corner and hide.

Instead Nora had taken the cake out of her hands when she hit the door, Grace placed a glass of wine in it, and Matt snuck to her side and greeted her with a kiss on her cheek. How had they become so familiar? She wasn’t about to turn his affection away.

There was tons of chatter and music coming from speakers in the family room.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Matt whispered in her ear.

“You have a nice family, but . . .”

He placed a hand on her waist and moved her forward. “They won’t bite. Grandma Rose will talk your ear off, but won’t remember a thing you talked about tomorrow. Colin and Parker are the center of attention right now, not you. Relax and have fun.”

No sooner did Matt’s words reach her ear than his aunt walked up to them and reached out her hand. “I’m Aunt Bethany, you must be Matt’s girlfriend.”

Erin’s jaw dropped.

“We’re just dating, Aunt Beth.”

Beth had the same eyes and mouth as her sister, Nora. But unlike Matt’s mother’s soft disposition, Beth carried herself a little more vocally. “Isn’t that what I said?”

Instead of correcting her, Erin reached out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Colin says you’re Parker’s roommate.”

“I live in the guesthouse, yes,” Erin told her.

Beth smiled. “Isn’t that convenient. You can double date and never leave the house.”

Yeah, Erin wanted out of this conversation . . . yesterday.

“How are Jasmine and Karl doing? I’m surprised they’re not here,” Matt said.

“Fine, fine. Busy.” She leaned closer. “I think they’re trying to get pregnant and she’s ovulating . . . so . . .” Bethany lifted her eyebrows a couple of times before winking. “Can’t wait to be a grandmother.”

Matt turned to Erin. “Jasmine is my cousin, and she and Karl have been married for two years.”

Bethany tapped a finger on the glass she was holding. “I’m not getting any younger.”

“Hoookay, then. You know what, Aunt Beth, I promised Erin I’d show her that thing I did in the backyard.”

“What thing?” Beth asked.

“You know . . . that thing, right, babe?” He looked at Erin and nudged her with his hand.

“Right. The, ah . . . artsy thing.”

Matt’s eyes lit up.

“You did an artsy thing?” Beth asked.

“It was when I was a kid.” Matt waved her off. “Women like that stuff.”

Apparently Aunt Bethany bought it. She dropped the subject and moved aside. “You must be Mallory . . .”

“On to her next victim,” Matt whispered in Erin’s ear as they walked away.

They chuckled as he navigated her out to the backyard.

Matt’s younger cousin was outside with Austin.

“Escaping the chaos?” Austin asked him.

“Fresh air,” Erin said.

He laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“When is your graduation?” Matt asked.

“Thursday. The last day of school was Friday. I can’t believe it’s over.”

“It goes by quick.”

“I’m surprised you’re not out with your friends.” Erin sat her wineglass down after only one sip. She really didn’t have it in her to drink around strangers.

“I have my whole summer to hang with them. Parker only gets engaged once.”

Erin felt her heart swell. “You’re a good brother.”

He shrugged. “Don’t tell her. She’ll expect it.”

Matt led her away from Austin and toward the back of the yard.

“Showing me your art project?” she teased.

“Actually . . .”

In the corner of a flower bed sat a stepping stone with three sets of handprints in it. “Just in case my Aunt Beth asks.”

“I can’t believe she told us her daughter was ovulating.”

“My entire family overshares. It’s a curse.” Matt tilted his head and stared at her. “How’s the head?”

“Fine. Stitches are out. I’m waiting a week and going to see my hairdresser.” She shook her head, letting her hair fly. “I’m getting rid of the red.”

“You mean you’re not a natural redhead?” His tone was sarcastic.

“Oh, please.”

He laughed, reached out, and touched the edge of her hair as it draped over her shoulder. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know, but this doesn’t feel right anymore.” She was considering cutting it off. She disguised herself with the red, now maybe a new length. One she’d never worn before.

“What about purple?”

“Because that fits my personality.” She rolled her eyes.

“I’m joking,” he said. “What was it before?”

She leaned in with a whisper. “I’m a blonde.”

Matt placed a hand to his chest. “Oh . . . my favorite. Probably a good idea if you don’t go back to that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll never stop thinking about you if you do.”

That made her smile.

“How are you?” She and Matt had talked and texted quite a bit, but he had yet to bring up their private conversation since they had it. “Everything quiet on that end?”

“Nothing’s changed.” Renee had touched base and informed her that they were still in a holding pattern because the judge had granted an extension.

“Are you still nervous?”

Erin reached for a nearby tree and pulled a leaf from it. Giving her hands something to do offered some stress relief. “You mean do I still look over my shoulder every time I feel someone watching me? Yeah. But I’m getting better.”

He reached out and took the hand she was using to play with the leaf in his.

Erin found herself taking a step closer.

“What does your Thursday look like?”

“Are you asking me out?”

“Only if you say yes. Otherwise I just want to know what you’re doing on Thursday. I could ask about Saturday, too, but there are a lot more people milling about on the weekends.”

He’d given the day some thought. “Matt . . .”