Alison
I WALK TOWARDS THE HOUSE with my bags in hand. I’m sure one of the Landry’s would’ve come out to help me, but I needed a few minutes to myself.
I’ve never felt so welcomed, so overwhelmingly accepted by a family like I do them. It’s amazing to watch them play with Hux, tease him, joke around with him like they’ve known him all his life.
The house is lit up as I approach. It’s beautiful in the evening darkness, like a picture painted by a talented artist. Troy is standing on the porch and opens the door for me with a smile.
“Thanks, Troy,” I say.
“It’s my pleasure. You’ve made my job a lot easier,” he winks.
“How’s that?”
He shrugs, furrowing his brows. “Barrett’s usually a wild mess of coming and going. But since you came in the picture, he’s focused. He’s a better man now, Ms. Baker.”
I can’t respond. Words fail me. Grinning, I enter the house and it’s sensory overload.
A number of televisions are on, all on different channels. The brothers are all in the dining room going over papers and discussing what the numbers and reports mean. A few people are now here that I haven't seen before. I'm guessing they work on the campaign because they flank Graham on either side and field calls left and right.
Barrett rushes to my side.
"It's going to be crazy for a few more hours. My mom and Camilla are probably in the kitchen. Do you want to go in there? It might be quieter."
"Uh, yeah," I say nervously. "I'll find something to do. Don't worry about me. Where’s Hux? He was right here when I left and I don’t want him getting in the way."
“Linc set him up in his room with a video game system. He’s fine, trust me,” he laughs.
“He’ll be fine as long as he doesn’t go through my phone,” Linc says, looking worried. “Shit. I better just go get it.” He jumps up and races upstairs, making us laugh.
I kiss Barrett on the cheek. “I’ll just go find something to do.”
Taking my hand before I walk away, Barrett says, “This might be boring for you, but I’d like you to stay. I’m so glad you’re here.”
I can’t resist him. “Of course. I’ll be here. For you.”
He flashes me his sweet smile and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. "I'll be in here if you need anything." He grabs a seat next to Ford, and Graham slides him a sheet of paper.
“Alison,” Harris says, looking at me over the top of his glasses. “That boy of yours is a good kid. I look forward to getting to know him.”
I start to respond, but the smile on my face is all I can muster. Harris grins and goes back to his work.
I wander through the house towards the kitchen. My stomach is a ball of nerves at the prospect of meeting Mrs. Landry. She looks like she walked off the pages of Better Homes and Gardens in her pressed grey slacks and pink cardigan. Her hair is perfectly coiffed, pearls lining her neck. I'm flat-out intimidated by her already.
She's with Camilla in the kitchen when I enter. They're in the midst of a conversation I can't hear. Camilla looks up and sees me and breaks into a huge smile.
"Alison! There you are! I was wondering what happened to you!" She comes around the counter and pulls me into a hug. I know I'm stiff against her, but I'm a little taken aback.
"Hi, Camilla. It's nice to see you."
"I'm so glad you're here," she says, turning towards her mother. "Mom, this is Alison. Ali, this is my mother, Vivian."
She comes towards me, and I expect her to offer her hand. Instead, she too pulls me into a hug. She smells of expensive perfume and flowers as she lets me go.
"Alison, it's such a pleasure to meet you, darling." Her grin is reminiscent of her sons’.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Landry."
"It's Vivian, please. Or Vivi. Some of my friends call me that." She turns away and picks up a pie server. "Would you like something to eat? If you've been here with these boys of mine all day, I'm sure no one has thought about feeding you."
I laugh. "I actually had Hillary's House deliver some things for lunch earlier. When Lincoln and Ford started fighting over a piece of cold pizza, I had to do something."
Camilla rolls her eyes. "They're animals. But I love them."
"I can see why. You all have a fantastic family."
"Thank you," Vivian says, beaming. "My boys are raucous and rowdy and loud as all get out, but they're good men. I'm pretty proud of them."
"I would imagine so."
“I met your son earlier. He’s such a doll. So polite and well-mannered, and he seems to have taken up with Lincoln.”
I laugh. “Yes, he loves baseball, so Linc is pretty much his idol.”
“They’re both good boys,” she nods. “Maybe they can keep each other out of trouble.”
She holds my gaze for a long second, before turning to her daughter. "Camilla, go in and see if the guys need more coffee, please."
Camilla grabs the pot and heads into the dining room. Once she's gone, Vivian turns to me.