He glared at his sister. They were saved by the rest of his family running down the stairs including some of his nieces and nephews. He was suddenly bombarded with hugs, kisses, and slaps on the back.
Lana stood off to the side watching the whole spectacle. He saw something else in her gaze as she watched him, a yearning. She wanted what he’d gotten.
“Guys, stop with the hugs and everything. I get it. You love me and miss me.” They took a step back. “I want to introduce you to a friend. This is Lana Hawkins.”
His mom, Penny, turned to Lana. He’d seen the happiness on her face. Kent felt he’d done the right thing bringing Lana with him.
Chapter Nine
Kent’s family was huge, and Lana saw they all loved each other. The display of affection was making her yearn for something similar. There would be no happy family gatherings for her and no public displays of affection. If anything, her mother would proposition Kent after already getting blind drunk. She’d not seen her mom in years, and the thought of returning to the trailer where she used to live filled her with fear.
His mom turned to look at her. She had expected to see the disappointment or some other emotion of disgust. What she got was a large smile, and then she was pulled into his mom’s arms.
She turned her gaze to Kent wondering what to do.
“You need to wrap your arms around her, dear,” the older man who looked like Kent said.
The others chuckled. Lana smiled along with them and wrapped her arms around the woman. The older woman smelt so comforting. Her vanilla scent helped to calm Lana’s nerves.
“Penny, dear, I think you’re scaring the woman,” the older man said.
“Lana, this is my mom, Penny, and this big guy here is my dad, Derek.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Lana said. Penny let her go and smiled.
“You’re so pretty.”
Heat filled her cheeks at the compliment. “Erm, thank you.”
Kent moved to her side. He took her hand in his as they faced his family. “You’re scaring my friend, guys. Take a step back. Sorry, they’re not used to seeing people,” Kent said, joking.
She smiled.
“No, we’re the ones used to seeing people. Kent here spends too much time working to know what real people are doing.”
“Shut it, Seth.” A blonde woman with a slender figure slapped the oldest Anderson brother. “It’s great to see you, Kent.”
“Tonya.”
So this was the woman who broke Kent’s heart. Lana turned to the beautiful woman. Tonya Anderson looked like she could have been a model. Her slender frame didn’t look as if she’d given birth to three children.
“Kent,” she said. Tonya knelt down and picked up her youngest daughter. “We’re so glad to see Uncle Kent, aren’t we?” She spoke in a baby voice.
“Come on, dear, let me get you inside. It’s cold out here, and my frail bones can’t take much more,” Penny said.
Derek followed behind them. Penny and Derek didn’t look particularly old. The years had been good to the older couple. Kent smiled after her. Wasn’t he coming inside?
He was leaving her alone with his family. She suddenly felt exposed by being left alone with them. The rest of his family followed them inside. Seth, Tonya, and Kent stayed outside. Their kids were playing around their feet.
“Don’t mind them, Lana,” Penny said. She was taken into one of the largest kitchens she’d ever seen. There was a range cooker along the back wall, but in the centre was a counter with a stove in the middle and plenty of space for her to sit.
Lana felt like she’d stepped onto a cover of a magazine. “Do you like my kitchen? Kent did tell me you liked to bake.”
“Your kitchen is beautiful. I’ve got a small oven in my apartment.” Along the far wall was a double oven at chest height. There was also a double fridge freezer along the opposite wall. The kitchen was spacious, and she saw it was much loved by Penny. The scent of chicken filled the air.
“I’ve got three chickens cooking for dinner. My boys and my girls have a healthy appetite,” Penny said.
“You also have enough for leftovers, Pen. Don’t forget your legendary leftovers,” Derek said. He was reading the paper.
Sophie and Dawn walked into the room and took a seat on either side of her.
“So, you’re Kent’s woman?” Sophie asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter.
“Sophie, if you eat that and struggle with your dinner, there’ll be trouble,” Penny said, warning the others.
A cup of tea was placed in front of her.
“Mom, I’m twenty-five, not twelve.”
“You still act like a kid, Soph. Mom’s right. Don’t eat too much,” Dawn said.
Eric walked into the kitchen. Everyone was everywhere, and Lana didn’t have a clue how to keep up. “What are you looking at, Dad?”
“The results on the football,” Derek said.
“You don’t even watch the football, baby,” Penny said. A blush stained the older woman’s cheeks. “You’ve always got something better to do.”
“Ew, gross, they’re going all lovey-dovey and talking about sex. Make them stop, Dawn,” Sophie said.
“Honey, if you’ve got it as good as I have, you’ll be blushing at my age,” Penny said. “Now, are you Kent’s woman?”
Lana opened her mouth to speak, but she was beaten to it by another person.
“Of course she’s his woman. Kent never brings a woman home unless he’s serious about her. When’s the wedding?” Derek asked.
“Guys, you’re terrifying her,” Kent said, stepping behind her. “There’s no wedding. Lana and I are friends.”
“Oh dear, I think we were scaring you, weren’t we?” Penny said.
“I’m not used to a large crowd,” Lana said.
“You’ll get used to it,” Tonya said, bringing in her three children and Seth. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger.
Kent squeezed her shoulders. She took the comfort.
“Here you are, pet, a nice cup of tea. I buy the good stuff.” Penny placed a cup in front of her. Dawn and Sophie then started to add sugar and milk to her cup. “Girls! Leave the poor girl alone.”
“It’s fine,” Lana said.
He kept stroking her arm, which made it hard for her to concentrate on the conversation. His touch sent shivers up her spine. She couldn’t do anything but think about what he was doing to her body.