Falling in Love + other Conditions of Living

Chapter 26

© kelliekook

Rachel had not been sure what to expect from Nathan's brother, and her first impression of William Wyatt was one of mild amusement. Tall and lean with dark hair and dark eyes, he looked just like his brother only ten years older – and with a beard.

He grinned widely at them as he made his way slowly on to the front porch and down the steps. "Nate," he greeted, stepping forward to embrace his brother quickly, "good to see you."

"Good to see you too," Nathan smiled, "where's Em?"

"Over here!" They all turned to see a pretty blonde woman standing in the front doorway, a baby on her hip and a little boy by her side. She laughed and made her way over to them, "Nate! It's so good to see you!" Her grey eyes lit up as she reached out to hug him.

"Hey Em, it's been a while." He laughed as he squeezed her. The baby on her shoulder cried out and Nathan smiled wider taking the child from her, "And how's my new nephew Jason doing? Keeping your parents up at night, I suppose?" Jason made a gurgling noise and smiled.

Emily sighed, "He's been pretty good lately, actually. This one on the other hand..." she ruffled the hair of the boy by her side and shook her head.

"Giving your parents hell are you, Luke?" Nathan asked the child, raising a brow. The boy shrugged, smiling. Nathan chuckled, leaning down to give him a brief hug. "I hear you got an award for running the other day." He whispered.

Luke smiled proudly, "Yeah I did, first in the 50m sprint, wanna see it?"

"Show Uncle Nate later Luke, lunch is nearly ready. And besides," Emily turned to Rachel, "we haven't even been introduced to his friend yet." She smiled knowingly at Rachel as everyone turned to look at her.

Feeling a little more than uncomfortable under their searching gazes, Rachel smiled sheepishly. "Will, Em," Nathan took her hand and squeezed it, "this is Rachel West."

"Nice to meet you," William said, stepping forward to shake her hand firmly, "I'm Will, this is my wife Emily and our sons Luke and Jason."

"Just call me Em," Emily smiled as she stepped forward, "It's lovely to meet you Rachel."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you all as well." Rachel returned smiling at them.

"Please, both of you come inside." Emily winked at Rachel, who relaxed ever so slightly. "Nathan's got a wonderful day planned for the two of you." She murmured, taking Rachel's hand as they started forward, "Don't worry, you won't have to put up with us much longer." She whispered into her ear.

Rachel laughed lightly, unsure of how to respond, she glanced over her shoulder at Nathan. He was talking quietly with his brother, absently bouncing the baby on his side as he walked. She smiled, kids looked good on him, she decided.

"How old are your children?" Rachel asked turning to face Emily.

"Jason is 18 months in November and Luke just turned six last week." Emily answered, grinning proudly.

Rachel nodded, "They seem sweet."

"Oh, they're alright," Emily chuckled, "So, tell me about yourself Rachel, what do you do for a living? Nathan mentioned something about journalism."

"Yes, I'm a journalist for The Daily Sunshine Telegraph."

"That's right, he said that on the phone, well, that must be exciting. I was never good at writing myself, I can only translate my ideas to paper through a paintbrush." She chuckled.