She and Raven didn't resemble each other much, except for their eyes.

"Hi, Mom, hi, Dad." Raven went to hug them both. She reached back and pulled me to stand beside her. "Mom, Dad, this is Joslyn Simonini. Jos, my mother, Anna, and my father, Wyatt."

Since her father stepped forward and held out his hand, I greeted him first. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Paul." I couldn't help feeling like he was testing me with his handshake.

Since many corporate executives tried this with me, I simply used a polite amount of force and smiled like his crushing grip didn't bother me. When the vice grip *155 loosened, I turned to Raven's mom. "A great pleasure, Dr.

Paul."

"Oh, so formal." She winked at Raven before pulling me into a hug. "My patients call me Dr. Anna, but you'll call me Anna."

"Yes, ma'am," I complied, tongue in cheek.

"I already like her," she proclaimed, keeping an arm around me and sliding Raven into her other arm.

Apparently, the Pauls liked making affectionate proclamations.

Wyatt frowned in a discouraging manner at his wife.

"My brothers told me everything you did with the company, Joslyn."

A question never actually followed, despite my waiting several awkward seconds. I decided to respond anyway.

"Archie asked me to look at everything, sir. I'm afraid my a.n.a.lytical nature makes me a little more thorough than some owners are prepared for."

"She did a great job, Dad," Raven piped up, starting us toward the house. "With her recommendations, the projected five-year numbers are going to be better than any five-year period we've had."

"I'll believe that when I see it," he grumbled.

"Raven tells me you struck out on your own seven years ago?" Anna spoke over her husband's objection. "That's quite young to start your own company."

"It's a service business, so it's not as impressive as it sounds."

"Humble, too?" Anna raised her eyebrows at her daughter.

Before we made it to the house, Daxson's SUV pulled up behind his parent's car. We turned back to greet the younger Paul's family. Daxson's wife was beautiful, which wasn't surprising since Ray was a looker, too. She didn't appear old enough to have a twenty-year-old daughter, but Dax was eight years older than his sister and didn't look it either. The 156*

two boys that climbed out of the backseat ran immediately to their aunt for a tag team bear hug. Their white blond heads reached up to her neck.

"You guys are getting so big," Raven cooed at them.

They puffed up their chests before grabbing on to their grandmother. "Hey, Tanya, Dax. T, come meet Joslyn."

"The famous Ms. Simonini, or if I listen to my cousins, the infamous Ms. Simonini." Daxson joked, offering his left hand as his right was currently wrangling in one of the boys.

"Good to see you again, Dax, and I thought we decided that I was better at coming up with villainous fodder about me. Why are you wasting time listening to your cousins when you could come straight to the source?"

"Told ya I liked her." Dax tipped his head at his mom.

"It's nice to meet you, Tanya." I shook his wife's hand.

"You're in for an evening, I hope you know." Tanya's long dark hair brushed my shoulder as she whispered her playful warning while everyone's attention was on greeting Dax and the boys. I tilted to smile into the dark eyes that she'd pa.s.sed on to her daughter.

"My sons, Eric and Steve." Dax gripped the squirming boys' necks, bringing my focus back. "Say hi to Joslyn, guys."

"Are you Aunt Raven's girlfriend?" the one that looked like a Steve asked.

Before I could respond, Raven interjected, "We're going to be without garlic bread tonight if I don't get my two favorite chefs inside right now." They shouted something that got lost in their rush toward the house. Everyone laughed at their eagerness and followed. Raven got them situated with the makings of garlic bread and a salad before joining us in the living room.

Wyatt went to the sidebar and started mixing drinks for everyone. Tanya leaned in with another tip. "Drinking is a *157 good way for a first-timer to make it through one of these things."

I laughed silently, but Wyatt caught us. Tanya bent back upright and went over to join her husband on the sofa.

Wyatt barely let her settle in before he asked, "Tell me, Joslyn, where did you go to school?"

This guy was worse than a father of an innocent prom date. "I stayed here for undergrad at U-Dub then off to a couple of different places for grad school."

"How nice," Anna said.

Wyatt spoke over her, "Where exactly for grad school?"

"Dad," Raven used a tone that sounded like a warning.

We hadn't spent a lot of time talking about her dad, but there was a dynamic here that I wished I'd learned about.

"Don't tell me you have two graduate degrees?" Dax trampled over the tension that his father was creating.

"She has a MBA and a PhD," Raven boasted.

"That makes you a doctor, too, doesn't it?" Anna shot a told-you-so look at her husband.

"Not the kind that can make you feel better, no." I dismissed the idea in front of these actual doctors.

"What schools?" one-track-mind Wyatt persisted.

"Chicago and Penn."

"Business major?"

"For grad school, yes. I was a history major in undergrad."

"So, when you said Penn, you meant Wharton, didn't you?" Dax shot an impressed look at his mom. "Jeez, she may be smarter than you, Ma."

"Of course she is," Anna was quick to add.

"My father and brother would be the first to say, 'never mistake education for intelligence.'" At their squints of confusion, I added, "They're both master carpenters, no college between them, but they're brilliant in their craft and the way they live."

"That sounds wonderful," Tanya said.

158*

"What about your mother?" Wyatt asked.

I hesitated but felt Raven's arm slip around my shoulders. The show of support quieted my unease. "She used to work for my dad and his business partner in their construction company. Then she moved to New York with my step-dad, had twins, and found it to be a full-time job."

"Amen," Tanya murmured, glancing into the kitchen at her two boys who were just over a year apart. Thankfully, no one stated the obvious about not growing up with my mom. It usually made people uncomfortable. Society was crazy like that.

The doorbell rang and moments later, Archie and his wife let themselves in. Anna and Raven went to greet them as I stood to face the next few hours of scrutiny and judgment. I'd never once willingly met my significant other's family; although, I'd been tricked into meeting them once or twice. To voluntarily subject myself to this kind of torture meant that Raven was more important to me in the short time we'd been together than any person I'd been with for months and months before.

After the entire clan arrived and introductions were made, I stole away to the kitchen to help Raven finish preparing dinner. We loaded the hors d'oeuvres on serving dishes, and she took them around to her guests. I put out the starters and cold dishes then went back to stir the pots and check on the rigatoni and lasagna.

"Shoulda guessed you were a d.y.k.e," Robert's voice interrupted my task.

"Why's that, Robert?" I responded with casual disinterest.

"Because you're such a b.i.t.c.h."

"And that has to do with my s.e.xuality, how?" His expression told me he didn't catch that I was making fun of his flawed logic. Big surprise.

*159 "You might have my dad fooled, and you certainly have my cousin fooled, but I saw who you really were when you worked for me."

"A better salesperson and manager than you?" I jabbed because he was starting to tick me off.

"Bite me."

"Professional courtesy ended with my contract. I was willing to give politeness a try because you're Raven's cousin, but since you clearly have no respect for her or me, I won't bother."

His face grew red with what I a.s.sumed was anger rather than embarra.s.sment. "I don't usually care who my cousin is s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g, but I plan to tell her all about what a useless b.i.t.c.h you are."

I pulled off the oven mitt and casually tossed it onto the counter. Bullies can't stand when you don't get all riled up over their antics. "What p.i.s.ses you off more: the fact that I was able to close more sales than your entire department combined for the quarter, or the fact that I told your dad that your AA could do your job better than you?"

His eyes stretched so wide I thought they might pop out of his face. Archie must not have mentioned my recommendation to him. Couldn't say I blamed him, but still, he should have at least talked to Robert about working a little more efficiently. "You G.o.dd.a.m.n b.i.t.c.h!" He stepped toward me with a vicious spark in his eyes. I'd never liked being crowded and being hit ranked even lower. Not that I believed he had the guts to actually hit me. Before he had a chance to do either, a large hand appeared out of nowhere and grasped his shoulder to swing him around.

"Your dad's looking for you, cuz," Dax drew out the family connection.

"He can wait. Joslyn and I were having a little discussion."

"Yeah, heard some of it. Be glad it was me and not Raven 'cause she'd be kicking your a.s.s for being such a d.i.c.k 160*

to her girlfriend. You do remember Raven's a.s.s kickings from when you were a kid, right, Bobby?"

"Shut up," Robert muttered but left with a death glare in my direction.

"I'm sorry," Dax and I said together. We both smiled and he gestured for me to continue. "He's never been happy with me, and I'm afraid I provoked him just now."

"He's an idiot, always has been, but usually he's harmless."

"Well, I appreciate your intervention."

"Can I ask you something?"

I took in his earnest look and didn't need him to voice his question. "Listen, Dax, I have a brother, too, so I know what you're going to say. You don't want Raven hurt, neither do I. You want to make sure that Raven has someone worthy of her, so do I. From the moment I met her, I recognized that she was special. Now that I'm involved with her, I know she deserves to be treasured. That's my plan with her."

Dax considered me for a minute before nodding.

"Actually, I was going to ask how you stand working with a company where you may find resistance and sometimes hostility. But all that stuff about my sister was good to know. Thanks." I blushed at his ribbing. Brothers, good ones, can be both wonderful and exasperating all at once.

"What's going on in here, bro?" Raven came up and slipped her arms around my waist to hug me from behind.

"Not giving poor Jos a hard time, are you? She's been put through the wringer enough tonight."

"I've only just gotten out the water wheel and straps, sis.

C'mon, let me have some fun."

"Back off, Dax." She moved around to place herself between me and her brother. If I hadn't witnessed their ribbing nature before, I might be a little nervous that she felt she had to literally protect me. "Go deal with Dad, will you?

He's griping about something again."

*161 "Don't let it get to you, Rave. You know you can't change him." He squeezed her shoulder and tipped his head at me before leaving the kitchen.

"He didn't come on too strong, did he?" Concern flickered through her expression.

"He was great, but I should warn you that Robert really, really, really hates me. The gloves came off right before Dax walked in."

She pulled me into her and tilted my chin up to catch my eyes. "Did he do something to upset you? I swear that boy always was a handful."

"Don't worry about it. I handle people like Robert every day. Eventually they stop blaming me for their own inadequacies, but maybe we don't have another family barbeque any time soon?"

"I was just thinking that myself." She pressed her forehead against mine, swaying our bodies gently.

"Something tells me I'm not a favorite of your dad's either?"

"Don't take it personally. He's, well, he still isn't entirely comfortable with my s.e.xuality. He seems to take it as a personal affront that I prefer women."

That definitely never came up in any of our discussions.

I hugged her tightly. We hadn't been afforded any personal time tonight, so I took this private moment for all it was worth. "I'm sorry. That must be difficult."

"I'm used to it. I'd hoped meeting you would be different because Uncle Archie thinks so highly of you. He'll come around."

"If there's anything you'd like me to do or say, just name it."

"You're so amazing, Jos," she declared with glistening eyes. "You've handled this night really well. My mom adores you. My brother wants to hire you to shape up his office, and he doesn't let anyone near his business. My sister-in-law has found a co-conspirator in family 162*

gatherings. You're even winning over some of those cousins you mentioned. You're doing great, sweetheart, just a couple more hours."

"And then?"