An Instant Attraction

Chapter 29

"Hey, Dad," Dex calls out.

The paper moves to the side and when I look at him, I can easily see both Dex and Luke. Even sitting, I can tell he has a similar build and body type to both his boys. His eyes are pools of deep brown, matching Dex's almost identically and when he smiles at his son, I see a mirror image of Dex's smile. His hair is a slightly lighter shade of brown, the same as Luke's but speckled with a touch of gray.

"Dex. Glad you finally joined us. I see you brought a new friend with you today," his smile grows larger.

"Dad, this is Mia. Mia, this is my dad, Tom," Dex says giving us each a simple introduction.

Tom smiles as he sets down his paper and picks up his coffee mug from the side table next to his chair.

"Nice to meet you, Mia," he says. He stands, asking, "Does your mother have the food ready yet? I'm starving."

"I think she's just letting the coffee cake cool," Dex answers just as we hear Maggie's voice call out, "Food is ready!" We make our way back through the house and into the kitchen where Maggie has plates set out for us to serve ourselves. Kristin and Luke already have their plates filled with food as they pass us, making their way out to the sun room. Dex hands me a plate and I take an assortment of what Maggie has prepared, including a piece of the blueberry coffee cake and a couple scoops of fresh fruit. I wait for Dex as he piles on the protein, adding mounds of scrambled eggs and bacon to his plate along with his extra-large piece of coffee cake. We turn and leave the kitchen, easily finding our seats at the table along with Luke and Kristin.

"So, what were you two up to last night? We missed you at the party," Luke laughs and winks in his brother's direction. I feel heat in my face and I hope I don't look at red as I feel.

"Shut the fuck up," Dex growls at his brother, obviously not wanting his parents to hear what Luke is insinuating.

"Testy...testy. I just thought maybe you two had a late night, since you were so delayed in getting here this morning," Luke smirks as Kristin tries to hide her laughter under her napkin. Dex opens his mouth to say something back to Luke, but Tom and Maggie join the table, so he stops himself by taking a bite of bacon instead.

The conversation flows easily between the six of us. I tell Dex's parents a little about growing up in California and they ask what I'm studying at BU. Soon our plates are empty and the boys turn the conversation to hockey. Maggie stands and begins clearing dishes from the table. Kristin catches my eye and we both stand to help her, carrying dishes into the kitchen. Between the three of us the mess is cleaned up in no time.

"Thanks girls. I usually have to do the clean-up myself," Maggie says.

"Our pleasure. Thank you for cooking, it was all delicious," I say to her with a smile.

Kristin nods in agreement, "Delicious as always. Thank you, Maggie." Kristin locks her arm around mine as we walk back towards the sun room to find our boys.

"Well, you look freshly fucked," she whispers as her lips curl into a huge grin.

"Kristin! Not here," I say yanking her arm, not wanting Dex's parents to hear. She covers her mouth to contain her laughter at my reaction. Kristin's laughter is always contagious and I can't help but let a small giggle escape.

"Oh c'mon, Mia. I don't want all the dirty details, but you have to give me something," she says.

"I will give you one word," I say holding up my pointer finger to indicate that I mean it when I say just one. I think back to last night with Dex and my whole body warms as the thoughts flood my mind. I look at Kristin and whisper, "Unbelievable." We continue walking into the sun room after our quick pause in the living room. Dex, Luke and their dad all stand from the table as we approach.

"We were just heading into the kitchen. You all probably have better things to do than spend the whole day here, hanging out with Mom and Dad," Tom says with a laugh and a smile.

Dex moves towards me and leans in placing a small kiss on my cheek. "Are you ready to go?" he asks.

"I'm ready whenever you are," I reply. He takes my hand, leading me back into the kitchen. We say "Thank you" to his parents for hosting brunch. Both Tom and Maggie express how happy they were to meet me, and Maggie even says she hopes to see me again soon as we exchange goodbyes. Kristin, Luke, Dex and I walk out the door towards the vehicles sitting in the driveway. As soon as the door closes Dex lifts his fist, punching Luke square in the shoulder.

"That's for all your funny comments inside, you asshole," Dex laughs deeply.

Luke rubs his upper arm and begins to laugh too, "That fuckin' hurt."

I tell Kristin that I'll text her later, as I climb into Dex's car and she slides into her car. The guys continue their brotherly exchange for another minute, but I can't really hear everything they're saying. As Dex opens the door to join me, he's laughing and I clearly hear him say, "Don't be jealous just because you can't go all night, bro." I cover my face in embarrassment as he sits down and closes the door, still laughing when he starts the car. He looks at me and smiles saying, "Sorry, I just had to put Luke in his place." As we leave the driveway, he reaches over setting his hand on my knee. I place my hand on top of his.

"Did you have a nice time?" he asks.

"I did. Your parents are great," I say as I rest my head back and enjoy the ride back to Dex's.