Meredith leaned left to look around her brother. “Why don’t we go on and head over to Maggie and Errol’s?” She looked up at Major, a slight nervousness in her smile.
He looked beyond Forbes, too. Jenn, Rafe, and a few others of Meredith’s siblings and cousins were heading in their direction.
Forbes glanced over his shoulder. “You’ll have to deal with them one way or another.”
“I’d rather deal with them in a less public setting, thanks very much.” She shooed Major out of the pew, and he obediently led the way.
“Do you want to ride over with me?” Meredith slid her sunglasses on when they reached the brightness outside.
“I think I’m closer to home at Maggie and Errol’s than from here, so why don’t I just follow you over there.” Guilt nibbled at his conscience like ravenous piranhas.
“Oh, okay. But I thought maybe we could drive out to my house afterward so you can see the progress Ward has made on the kitchen, since you did help him design it.”
And when he’d talked on the phone with Ward about the things he would want to see in a home kitchen, Major had experienced jealousy unlike anything he’d ever want to go through again. Not just for the fact he was talking to the man he thought Meredith was falling for, but because he couldn’t foresee ever being able to afford a kitchen like that for himself. But now...
The drive to Maggie and Errol’s sprawling mini-mansion didn’t take long, and he and Meredith were among the first to arrive.
“Do my eyes deceive me, or is that Major O’Hara?” Maggie Babineaux stopped stirring the contents of a pot on the stove and came across the ginormous kitchen to hug him. He could understand Maggie’s having a kitchen like this—after all, she’d been a caterer and cake decorator for years—but he still didn’t quite understand why Meredith, who didn’t cook at all, wanted a gourmet-quality kitchen.
“It’s good to see you, Maggie.”
“I’m glad one of our girls finally wised up and brought you around.” Maggie winked at him. “The first time I met you, I knew you were destined to become part of this family.”
He endured the ebullient greetings from the rest of Meredith’s aunts—and the more reserved welcome from her grandmother. The only outward sign of surprise Mairee gave when she entered a few minutes later was the slight lifting of one eyebrow.
While he’d had an intellectual understanding of just how large Meredith’s extended family was, to experience it in reality soon became almost overwhelming. The table in the cavernous dining room seated all the adults, while teens sat at the long central island in the kitchen, and children, at tables set up on the sunporch.
“Anne called before their flight left Atlanta,” Maggie announced after Meredith’s grandfather asked the blessing and food began making the rounds of the table.
“Did she sound like she was coping okay?” Meredith passed him the bowl of mashed potatoes.
“She admitted she had gotten sick to her stomach before they boarded the plane here, but since the flight to Atlanta was smooth, she’s feeling okay about the flight to New York. Still, I could tell she’s worrying about the flight to London.”
“It’s a miracle she’s flying at all.” Rafe shook his head. “If it hadn’t been for George, she might never have had the motivation to get on a plane again.”
“Well, she asked everyone to pray that she doesn’t have a panic attack along the way, because she doesn’t want to ruin this trip for George.”
Though the food was what most French-trained chefs would consider “rustic,” Major loved every morsel that passed his lips, from the fall-apart-tender roast beef with rich gravy, to the corn pudding, to the mustard greens that had been cooked with a ham hock. Every family should have a meal like this once a week.
After dinner was finished, the women cleared the dishes and returned from the kitchen with thick slices of cake garnished with fresh berries, which they served to everyone at the table. Meredith set Major’s in front of him, and he immediately recognized the cake.
“There was this much wedding cake left over? I’m surprised there was any.”
“Aunt Maggie made an extra tier that she ended up not using. So now we get to have it for dessert.” Meredith scraped a thick swirl of frosting off her piece with her fork and ate it, closing her eyes with a sigh.
Major wasn’t a big fan of cake, but Maggie’s creations were in a class by themselves. He enjoyed every bite but wished he could take a piece to his mother, who loved cake and never got a chance to eat any but the dry, grocery store cakes that they occasionally served at BPC for someone’s birthday.
As soon as the last crumb was eaten, the last dollop of frosting scraped off the plates, the men all stood and collected the dishes. Forbes indicated with a nod of his head over his shoulder for Major to join them. He took his and Meredith’s plates and followed Forbes into the kitchen.
Led by Errol, the men scraped and rinsed all of the dinner dishes and put them into the three dishwashers hidden behind panels that matched the cabinet doors.
“Major, how long have you known our Meredith?” her grandfather asked as he scraped the few spoonfuls of mashed potatoes from the serving dish into a plastic container.
“Eight years, sir.”
“And it’s taken that long for her to invite you to Sunday dinner?” The old gentleman’s brown eyes twinkled—just like Meredith’s did when she teased him.
“I’m a slow learner.”
The head of the Guidry clan threw his head back and laughed. The self-deprecating humor seemed to be all the men in Meredith’s family needed to accept him as one of their own, as no one else questioned his presence and what it meant.
But as soon as the dishwashers hummed and swished in the background, Major approached Lawson Guidry. “May I have a word with you, sir?”
“I hoped you might want to.” Lawson cuffed his shoulder and led him to a study beyond the kitchen. He closed the door then motioned for Major to take one of the wingback chairs that flanked the fireplace.
Major had occasionally imagined the day when he would sit down with the father of the woman he loved and confess his feelings and ask for the father’s blessing. Now that it was here, he wasn’t exactly sure where to start.
“Mairee and I cannot thank you enough for the exemplary job you and your staff did at Anne’s reception last night. I know Anne appreciated every effort you made on her behalf.”
“Thank you, sir. It was my pleasure to give her the best of everything.” He wiped his hands on the knees of his slacks. “Mr. Guidry, I’m in love with your daughter.”
“Which one? I have four.” The corner of his mouth twitched.
Major stopped fidgeting, Lawson’s humor breaking the tension in the room. “You mean, I can have my pick?”
Lawson finally gave in and smiled. “I’ve been aware that Meredith has carried a torch for you for a while now. We were quite surprised when we learned she had started seeing someone else. And when you told me two weeks ago that you couldn’t take the restaurant deal due to your need to tend to your mother, I almost wanted to tell you then that Meredith would be the perfect helpmate.”
Major swallowed hard. “I haven’t told her about my mother just yet.”
The humor seeped out of Lawson’s face. “Why not?”
Because I’m chicken. “The right opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet. But I will tell her, soon.”
“See that you do. Honesty is of the utmost importance in any relationship.”
“I will.”
“Good. Now, if that’s all.” Lawson rose.
Major stood as well.
Meredith’s father extended his right hand. “Welcome to the Guidry family, Major.”
His stomach flip-flopped. “Thank you, sir.” Following Lawson out of the study, Major looked at his watch. One thirty. Not too bad. As long as he made it out to BPC by three o’clock, Ma should be okay.