Don't Go by L.J. Breedlove (series like harry potter txt) 📕

brought Bianica home until they were practically engaged,” he added. “My parents can be a bit intimidating. No scaring off the dates with invites to Sunday dinner.”

“Your parents are not scary,” Sarah protested, then reconsidered. “Well, your mom might be a bit.”

Cage pushed her chair out the back door and over to Corey’s car, Corey trailing behind them.

“We really do need to take her to one of Dad’s services,” Corey said. “She needs to see him at the pulpit to appreciate the full strength of his glare.”

“Oh stop,” Sarah said. Cage helped her into the passenger side seat and climbed in back.

“Let’s swing by and get my car,” Cage said. “Your back seat is too small.”

Corey obligingly headed south instead of north.

“Maybe you should have ‘the talk’ with J.J.,” Cage suggested, hopefully, because to be honest, he kind of thought someone should. And that someone should not be his father. He grinned, and looked at Corey in the rearview mirror, who grinned back.

“No way,” Sarah said. “I’m not touching that one. Do we even know if they’re a... a thing?”

“Pretty sure they’re not,” Cage said, trying to focus on his driving because the 405 had traffic this morning. “I’m pretty sure Carroll doesn’t ‘become a thing’. But I think J.J. is innocent, and it might break his heart to learn that the hard way.”

“Then you do need to have the big brother chat,” Sarah said. “Because I’m not going to introduce an innocent to the fact that there are multiple genders and multiple ways people can be attracted to each other. And that a lot of people do not go down the path he was probably taught; you fall in love with a nice girl, and get married, and both of you lose your virginity on your wedding night. I’m not going to have that discussion with J.J.”

Corey laughed. “You do know the lecture we got from Dad.”

Cage chuckled. Corey cracked up again, and that made Cage start laughing.

“Pay attention to your driving,” Sarah said severely, fighting a smile.

Sarah was surprised at how big a group there was for lunch. Ryan was there with Rafael, of course, looking worn out. Fatherhood? Or something else? Something had gone down yesterday morning in the newsroom, Emily said, but she hadn’t known the details. J.J. was there, and he was looking better. No longer one of the walking dead. Sarah shuddered. It had been too damn close. His smile dimmed when he saw her still in her chair, but she just held up her arms for a hug. He gave her one, not as awkward about it this time. Good. Learning to give hugs was important.

Cage did wander into the kitchen to help his mom and perhaps update her a bit, Sarah thought. Parenting these three sons must have been a handful.

Gregory, Bianica and their son John Lewis came in. Rafael and John Lewis headed out to the back yard, already good friends it seemed.

“And I invited Emily,” Martha Washington said, as she came out of the kitchen. “Clyde, we may need to put another leaf in the table.”

Oh, this could get interesting, Sarah thought. The advantage of the chair was she could maneuver herself into a good observation point and just watch. And there was something about this household that warmed spots inside her that she didn’t even know were chilled. She wanted to have a home like this, she thought suddenly. A hub of a family. Some by choice, some by birth. People knowing that they had a place to belong.

Home.

What was the saying?  “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Robert Frost, she thought. But in this home, it didn’t seem to be a burden to take them all in.

She wanted a home. She blinked away tears and set aside that train of thought for another time. The doorbell rang, and Emily was there. She, too, came with a dish, and Sarah looked at Cage with raised eyebrows. He shrugged sheepishly.

She watched him watch Emily. Corey might be oblivious to his brother’s feelings, but they were there to be seen, and she suspected Mrs. Washington could see them too. Especially now that Emily was no longer oblivious. She seemed her usual self, talking to Bianica and to Mrs. Washington. But Sarah noticed she avoided eye contact with Cage, and, of course, with herself.

Ryan came and sat down beside her. “You like to watch,” he said.

She shrugged. “People are interesting.”

“Yeah, they are,” Ryan agreed. “Everyone still gossiping about Carroll and J.J.?”

She laughed out loud. “Trying to make sure they’re not the one who has to have the talk,” she informed him.

He snorted. “Well believe it or not, the talk has been had. And I learned more than I shared. He’s doing OK. People can stop worrying. Not that they’ll stop gossiping. Not the newsroom. Speaking of which, did I miss something?”

Sarah looked wary. “Probably?”

“When I suggested to J.J. if he ever needed advice, he should go to you or Emily because I most certainly was the wrong person to give advice. And he snorted, and said something like those two?”

“And?”

“And?” Ryan was relentless. Sarah was blushing. And avoiding meeting his eyes. This was interesting.

“I suspect J.J. got the story from Carroll,” Sarah admitted at last. “But I’m not talking.”

Ryan laughed, and then they sat back, and people watched and gossiped comfortably together.

After lunch, Rev. Washington gestured to Ryan. “Can I see you for a moment?”

They walked to the front room where they could look out the window onto the street. “Got a call from a neighbor,” Rev. Washington said conversationally. “Wanted to know if we knew we were under surveillance.”

Ryan looked out. There was a black car parked down the street. It looked very similar to the one that had watched the newsroom the night this all started.

“Just wanted you to know,” he said. “I’d recommend you don’t take Rafael off the property for now. We’re pretty secure here — had some vandalism at the church