Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
She licks her lips and nods. "I'll tell my mom I'm staying with Amora."
I kiss her knuckles, then we get out of the truck to greet everyone.
The parking lot is packed with vehicles, and the B&B is filled to the brim. I find Maize in the kitchen as always, and looking at the sweet desserts and food she's made for today makes my mouth water.
"You ready to man the grill?" Gavin asks, patting my shoulder.
"I was born ready." I smirk.
Grabbing what I need, I head to the back porch and set up next to the massive built-in grill. It's one of the many additions my dad and his cousins have made in recent years. The B&B got a complete remodel, and they added a huge backyard area with a flower garden and a few gazebos for the guests to enjoy.
It was a beautiful place to watch the sunset and kiss my girlfriend for the first time.
Once I've cooked all the meat, Maize wraps it in foil and places it in a warmer. Then everyone makes their plates, and we eat together. The family chats and catches up as if we don't see each other every day, but it's nice to hang out without worrying about chores.
"Ready for dessert?" Maize calls out. "I made every single one of Grandma's favorites."
We line up and look at the spread.
Blueberry pie, triple chocolate cake, blueberry muffins, sweet pecan pie, pumpkin pie, peach cobbler, carrot cake, and tiramisu.
"Dang, you baked up a feast," I tell her as I take a slice of cake for Lilia and two different pies for me. Lilia will say she only wants a little, but then she’ll steal bites of mine, so I always get extra.
"Grandma liked to eat just like the rest of us." Maize smiles. "She taught me to cook and bake when I was your age."
"That's so sweet." Lilia grins, taking a forkful of hers. "Oh my gosh, this is delicious."
Maize beams with pride. "That's one of my faves too."
For as long as I've known, Maize has been the cook in the family, but I know her daughters are into it too. My cousins Madison and Mila are twins and a few years younger than me, but they're always hanging out in the kitchen with their mom.
"Your mama said you went on a college tour last weekend," my mom says to Lilia as she sits across from us. "That's excitin'!"
I hold back my disappointment because although I want her to chase her dreams, I’ll miss having her so close.
"Yeah! It was awesome! The campus is so big, nothin' like here," she explains. When you grow up in small-town Texas, everything is bigger and better.
"Have you picked your major yet?"
"I'm still deciding, but once I figure it out, I'll narrow down which college I like the best."
"You know San Angelo has a great university," I tell her slyly.
She grins. "I know. I'm lookin' at that one too."
That’s my choice because it’s only an hour from here.
"Either way, you kids will be fine. Zach will be workin' during the week while you're in classes, and you'll still have weekends and holidays," Mom tells me as if that's supposed to lessen the blow of Lilia leaving.
But it doesn't.
She's not just my girlfriend. She's been my best friend since first grade. We've shared all our firsts together, and when I asked her to the school dance in ninth grade, she said yes, and we've been together ever since.
Amora plops down next to her, and they chat about their plans for next weekend. It's already bad enough I have to share her with my cousin, but soon I'll have to share her with a whole campus of friends.
"I wanted to say a few words and talk about Mama," John says as he stands. "Fourth of July was her favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. It's why we always brought it to the next level and made sure there were as many people here as possible. She loved her family and being around friends. As we got older, each year only got bigger and louder. Still, one of my favorite memories is when all five of us kids were teenagers, and Dad and Evan were in charge of lighting the fireworks. Evan lit a bottle rocket before the big show, and being a klutz, he knocked it over tryin’ to get out of the way. That thang shot off and soared right at Mama. She spilled red punch all over her clothes. We were rolling because we knew Evan was in deep shit."
"Evan Tyler!" Jackson mocks in a high-pitched voice that echoes Great-Grandma’s, and the room bursts into laughter. "Mama nearly strangled him for ruining her dress."
"You always knew you were in deep shit when she used your middle name," Evan confirmed.