Free Room for More by Beth Ehemann

laid-back, go-with-the-flow demeanor was seeping into me. I kinda liked it.
    “What time are we going?” Piper crashed through my bedroom door.
    “Brody is picking us up at nine o’clock.” I yawned.
    “He’s here!” she shrieked and slammed my door shut again.
    “What?” I called out and sat straight up in bed, realizing I was talking to an empty room. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and blinked several times, trying to focus on the time.
    9:12 a.m.
    Shit !
    I flew out of bed and into the kitchen where Brody was leaning against the island, blowing on the coffee cup in his hand.
    “Morning.” Brody cocked a small smile at me.
    I stood with my mouth open, my eyes darting back and forth between him and the table where my mom and Fred sat with their own steaming cups of coffee. “I overslept.”
    “I can see that.” He raised an eyebrow as his eyes traveled down to my feet and back up to my face. He walked over and planted a kiss on my forehead. “You’re still the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
    Quickly, I threw some clothes in a duffel bag for the girls and myself, kissed my mom good-bye, and we were out the door.
    “Where are you going?” Brody asked as I headed for my Jeep.
    “I need to grab Lucy’s and Piper’s booster seats. Hang on.”
    “No you don’t. I got it covered.” He grinned.
    “You what?”
    “I bought some.”
    “Booster seats?”
    “Yep. Consumer Reports said they were the safest and they are super comfortable. Viper tried them out.”
    “Wait.” I stopped in my tracks and narrowed my eyes at him. “First, you checked Consumer Reports ? And second, Viper tried them out?”
    “Hell yes I checked Consumer Reports . I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to car seats. And the pictures of Viper are probably on the internet somewhere. He tried to fit his big ass in one to make sure it was comfortable and some lady videoed the whole thing with her phone.” The girls covered their mouths and giggled from the side of Brody’s truck. “I actually had to buy three. Two for the girls plus the one Viper broke.” He rolled his eyes and walked over, opening the door for me.
    I climbed up into the truck and turned around. Sure enough, sitting in the backseat were two brand new booster seats and Diesel.
    Brody walked around and opened the door on his side and the girls hopped up, settling nicely into their new seats. Every single day that crazy man offered up some innocent text or gesture that made me fall in love with him all over again. Today’s dose came in the form of two booster seats.
     

     
    The drive from my house to his parents’ was only about an hour. Brody and I held hands quietly and listened to the girls chatter the whole way. They were so excited to see his parents’ farm and swim in the lake. We’d lived on a lake their whole lives, yet they were still thrilled to swim in someone else’s lake. We turned down a dirt road and drove along several miles of farm fencing before making a sharp right down another dirt road.
    “That’s the cutest thing ever,” I said as we passed a sign that read Lazy Acres Farm hanging off of a post at the corner.
    Brody’s lips turned into a crooked smile. “It’s always been my dad’s dream to have a big farm to retire on. He’s wanted to name it that as long as I can remember.”
    When Brody told me his parents lived in a farmhouse I pictured a charming hundred-year-old farmhouse that was worn down and decrepit like you would see in the movies. This house was just the opposite. It was a fairly new Victorian farmhouse, painted a cheery light green, adorned with small details to make it look antique. White gingerbread trim accented the corners of the huge front porch and wicker furniture, with red and white gingham-checked cushions, invited you to sit and relax for a while.
    I stood on the porch and stared out at the sprawling, immaculately kept property. Every flower was in full bloom, every blade of grass just the