Chapter Twenty
Welcome to the Family
“You good?” Ren asked, and I looked from my place in the passenger seat to him behind the wheel of his Jag.
“I’m good,” I answered. “You good?”
He grabbed my hand, gave it a squeeze and rested it on his thigh. “I’m good.”
I looked out the windshield.
Even though we were heading to have dinner with Mom and Dad, I was good.
This mostly had to do with the fact that Ren instigated Operation Two Year F*ck-a-Thon today. Ren got out of bed to make us these awesome toasted roast beef sandwiches with peppers, mushrooms and melted cheese for lunch, and we both got out of bed about an hour and a half ago to take a shower. The rest of the time was in bed making love or holding close, touching and whispering, or snoozing to prepare for more making love.
It was righteous.
So since we had no fights or breakups and nothing exploded, but I’d had seven orgasms, I was all set for dinner with my man and my parents.
“Date night tomorrow night, baby,” Ren said on another hand squeeze, and I looked at him.
“Okay, but I have a meeting at Lee’s office to discuss my future career plans tomorrow evening, so we’ll have to go after that.”
“What the f*ck?” he asked, eyes narrowing on the road.
“It’ll be cool,” I assured him. “I’ll talk them around but if I—”
“No, babe,” he bit out. “What the f*ck?”
I looked forward.
My parents lived in Bonnie Brae, which was just off the very popular ‘hood where I lived, Washington Park. Wash Park surrounded a massive park-slash-hotspot that even in the winter was teeming with activity. It was practically impossible to find a parking spot in Wash Park. Bonnie Brae, unless you were close to Bonnie Brae Tavern, didn’t have the same problem.
But lining the curbs outside Mom and Dad’s house were not only Lee’s Crossfire and Hank’s 4Runner but also a shiny black Caddy, a semi-sporty Hyundai coupe, a Chevy SUV, a Honda Accord and a GMC Acadia.
“There’s a space in front of the Acadia, Zano,” I pointed out, and it was only two car lengths down from Mom and Dad’s, so I wasn’t certain what the big deal was. Still, maybe Ren was feeling nervous so I said, “Sorry that Lee and Hank are here, even though we didn’t know they were coming. But they’ll be cool. And all these cars mean one of the neighbors is having a little get-together.”
“One of your neighbors isn’t having a get-together, babe. The Acadia’s Dom’s. The Honda is Connie’s. The Chevy, Jeannie’s. Hyundai, Ma. And the Caddy belongs to Vito and Angela.”
I stared at the lineup of cars.
Holy shit!
Ambush!
“Are you serious?” I asked, sounding like I hoped to God he wasn’t, mostly because I hoped to God he wasn’t!
“Yes, unfortunately,” he answered, putting on the brakes to swing in in front of the Acadia, which would mean he intended to park.
“What are you doing?” I yelled.
He stopped the car and looked at me. “Parking.”
“Don’t park. Do not park. Drive on. I just got a really bad headache, period cramps and I think that French toast gave me food poisoning. I’ll text Mom. She’ll understand.”
Ren didn’t listen to me. He swung into the spot, and while looking over his shoulder to reverse closer to the bumper of the Acadia, he spoke to me. “Of all that, I really hope you’re kidding about the period cramps.”
Like I’d have sex during a bout of food poisoning.
“Zano!” I snapped.
He put the car in park and turned his attention to me.
“Is this my Ally, scared of nothing?” he asked, sounding slightly pissed, but also slightly teasing, and I knew the former was for his family, the latter for me.
Still, I gritted my teeth.
He reached out a hand and curled it around the side of my neck, and when he spoke again there was no more teasing. “Do you think your mom planned this?”
“Absolutely not,” I answered.
“So I mentioned to Dom at the wedding yesterday I was havin’ dinner with your folks tonight. Dom opened his mouth and Vito did what Vito does. He horned in,” he deduced.
“Probably.”
His voice was just pissed when he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of them.”
“Do that fast,” I ordered, then explained my eagerness for him to be rude, “See, Mom and Dad will be cool with you because I love you. I don’t love Vito and Angela, and Dad really doesn’t love at least Vito. So he’s probably in there, about to have an aneurysm because Mom won’t let him be mean to guests. Even surprise ones. Even ones who engage in criminal activities. And anyway, knowing what you mean to me, he definitely won’t want to be mean in front of your mom and sisters. The problem is, Mom likely instigated the Lee and Hank being here thing without telling us, which means Dad also doesn’t have the upper hand. So he’s screwed, and he won’t like that.”
To all that, Ren’s answer was simply, “Like I said, Ally. Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of them.”
He let me go and turned to his door, but a thought occurred to me, I grabbed his wrist and yanked.
He turned back to me.
“You can’t get rid of your mom and sisters, so you just have to get rid of Vito, Angela, Dom and Sissy.”
Something else occurred to me and I yanked again at his wrist.
“No. Not Sissy, because she’s a sister, so you can’t get rid of her, which means we’re stuck with Dom, too. Which also probably means were stuck with Vito. Shit!”
Ren twisted his wrist to grab my hand and hold it tight as he leaned into me, and I noticed his eyes studying me.
Intently.
“You’re freaked,” he whispered, and his voice sent a chill over my skin.
“I… well, a little bit,” I admitted.
“You’re totally freaked,” he stated.
His family was in there with my family, and some of his family engaged in criminal activities and my family was a cop family.
Not to mention, without warning, I was meeting his mother and sisters.
Of course I was freaked.
“Okay, maybe more than a little bit,” I allowed.
His eyes moved over my face in the waning sunlight, the air in the car got heavy then, again with the scary whisper, “My woman doesn’t get freaked.”
Uh-oh.
“Ren—”
“Let’s go,” he clipped.
Before I could say another word, he let me go, turned to his door and angled out.
I rushed to do the same thing. I barely got to the sidewalk before my hand was seized and Ren half walked with me, half dragged me toward my childhood home.
The dragging part had to do with the fact that I couldn’t keep up with his pace. I had on a pair of high-heeled bronze sandals that were awesome and went great with my new brown-washed jeans and kickass Stevie-Nicks-meets-Olivia-Newton-John batwing dusty blue top shot with bronze and silver that had a deep vee. But even the reminder that I had on great jeans, shoes and a kickass rock ‘n’ roll top didn’t unfreak me (as it usually would do).
We were at the base of the walk when the door opened and expelled Roxie and Indy.
Roxie had her hands up, palms down, pressing the air and she was calling out (but quietly), “Calm. Calm. It’s all going to be okay. We got out the leaves for the dining room table.”
This did not make me feel better, and not just because Mom didn’t have that many leaves.
Indy just lifted a hand and stated, “No worries. It’s under control.”
I couldn’t tell if Ren even looked at either one of them before he hauled us through them.
As for me, I had just enough time to give them a wide-eyed, warning-danger-is-imminent look they both totally understood before he tugged at my arm, pulling me in front of him. He did this while reaching beyond me to yank open the storm door, push open the front door then shove me in front of him.
I took two steps in, Ren one, and we were faced with a tense family room filled with people holding cocktails or bottles of beer; none of them, I noticed on a quick scan, having a good time.
Except Vito looked like Vito always looked. Expansive and happy.
Shit.
The Montagues and Capulets were never congregated in anyone’s living room. If they were, I had a feeling from the vibe in my parents’ house right then, Romeo and Juliet would be a much shorter play.
Crap.
“Malcolm and Kitty Sue,” Ren greeted my parents tersely with a chin jerk, and then his eyes immediately went to Vito. “Vito, a word outside.”
“Son, we’re havin’ a drink,” Vito returned, lifting up what looked like a Manhattan.
“A,” Ren started, his voice on that one syllable rumbling and another chill ran over my skin, “word.”
Vito and Ren went into a staredown.
Indy and Roxie squeezed in through the limited space Ren left at the door, but they didn’t move in much further, just because movement in that kind of volatile environment could mean bad things.
I held my breath.
Surprisingly, Ren won the staredown when Vito turned to Mom and Dad and said, “Mal, Kitty Sue, my nephew needs a word.”
Mal?
Oh God.
Dad’s lips got tight.
Oh shit.
Mom murmured, “Of course.”
Dad just looked between Ren and Vito and nodded.
Vito moved toward the door.
Ren moved us out of his way and looked at Dom. “You too.”
Dom, incidentally a man with looks that could make him Ren’s brother, not cousin (except he had wave in his hair and his confidence had swagger), was playing it smart for once. I knew this when he immediately made his way toward the door.
They disappeared behind it.
Mom spoke. “Ally, honey, I had another pork tenderloin that I just popped in the oven, and you know I always have backup Pillsbury crescent rolls. It’s okay.”
Pillsbury crescent rolls could be served at peace talks to put the negotiators in good moods. However, I was thinking their magic wouldn’t work here.
I looked at Mom and told her, “He’s a hotheaded Italian American badass. I think he needs to do what he needs to do.”
“He needs to do what he needs to do,” an attractive, petite, stylish woman who was sitting on one of my mom and dad’s couches confirmed.
She rose.
I took in Ren’s mother, then his two sisters who had been flanking her on the couch.
His sisters looked like female versions of Ren, long, lean and attractive.
His mother had silver hair, lots of it, and it was fashioned in a becoming style that curled in at her shoulders. She also had fabulous cheekbones and exotic features that had not dimmed with age. Looking at her, it came semi-clear why Ren’s dad didn’t share with this woman that he was what he was. Because she was currently a knockout; erase thirty-five years, she would be breathtaking. So even with just her looks, a man would do a lot to keep hold of that.
But I knew she was much more than just beautiful. Therefore Ren’s dad likely would do anything.
And he did.
She stopped in front of me and offered her hand. “You must be Ally.”
I took her hand and held it. “Yes. And you’re Mrs. Zano.”
“Amalea,” she corrected on a hand squeeze.
“Amalea,” I repeated on my own hand squeeze.
“As I told your mother,” she went on. “I was under the impression we were invited.”
Vito.
Jeez.
“I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding,” I replied.
“No misunderstanding,” she returned, letting my hand go then finishing on a sigh, “Just Vito.”
It was clear that there had been a lot of Just Vito times in her life.
I forced a smile.
I mean, what else could I do?
“We’ve met your lovely family.” She turned and held out a hand. “Meet Lorenzo’s sisters. Giovanna and Concetta.”
At their mother’s unspoken command, both women were approaching me, hands raised.
When I took her hand, the taller one muttered, “Jeannie.”
And when I took her hand, the one with the longer hair muttered, “Connie.”
They were uncomfortable. Then again, it would be impossible not to be.
We all stepped back but stayed in a loose huddle as I felt Indy and Roxie close to my back, and I tried to figure out a way to break the tension. Alas, my usual ways to do something like that were things you didn’t do when you first meet your man’s family.
I decided on, “It’s nice to finally meet you. Ren talks about you and it’s all good.”
It was lame but at least it was polite.
“Then he’s lying,” Jeannie stated. “At least about Connie.”
I blinked.
Connie glared at her sister. “Hardly. If he’s lying, it’s about you.”
Holy crap.
“Connie works his nerves,” Jeannie told me.
“He actually disowned Jeannie once,” Connie told me.
“Pfft,” Jeannie made a noise with her mouth. “He was eight.”
“He wasn’t eight, and I can’t repeat what he said the last time you crashed your car, called him and told him you’d forgotten to re-up your AAA and you needed a loan to get another car,” Connie retorted then looked at me in order to share, “She crashes her car a lot.”
“Is three times in three years a lot?” Jeannie asked me.
I thought it was, but luckily Connie saved me from replying by snapping, “Yes.”
“Girls,” Amalea said quietly, and they both clamped their mouths shut.
Yowza.
Impressive.
And evidence was suggesting I’d like Ren’s sisters.
“While we wait for that situation outside to sort itself, I’ll get my daughter a drink,” Dad announced, getting close and leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Beer? Margarita? Something else?” he asked.
I did a quick scan and knew from what I saw that Mom had a pitcher filled with margs, so I put in my order, biting back my real order, which was a tequila shooter with a valium chaser.
Then I did the rounds, greeting everybody.
Lee and Hank also seemed pissed but holding it back.
Sissy whispered in my ear, “Sorry.”
“It’s cool,” I whispered back. “How’s the baby?” I asked.
“Light of my life,” she said on a big smile.
He would have to be for her to smile that big during this disaster.
Dad brought me a marg. I took a healthy slug, trying not to appear like I was taking a healthy slug, and I was pleased when I was done and it seemed I accomplished this feat.
The door opened and Ren, Dom and Vito walked through.
The minute Vito hit the family room, he looked at Dad and announced, “Lorenzo just reminded me I have some business to see to tonight. Unfortunately, Angela and I can’t stay for dinner.”
“Holy crap,” Indy breathed beside me.
I just stared.
Vito was not a man to back down.
This was a mini-miracle.
“I’ll need Dom with me, so he and Sissy will also be leaving,” Vito went on.
I moved my stare to Ren, at this point wondering if I should contact the Pope to report this miracle.
Ren was scowling at his uncle.
“You’re more than welcome to stay,” Mom said courteously.
“It’s urgent,” Ren bit out.
Mom shut her mouth and nodded.
Vito glowered at his nephew.
The room grew tenser.
Sissy made a move to her husband.
“Again, Vito, it’s urgent,” Ren said when Vito made no move.
Vito kept scowling at his nephew for a few beats before he rearranged his face and looked at me in order to declare, “Just want to say before we go, you with my boy Lorenzo, it’s a good thing. I’ve always liked you and I see a happy future. Much love. Big family. And I know I speak for Amalea and Angela as well when I say we’re extremely pleased you’re turnin’ Catholic.”
Oh shit.
The room went wired, and even just with my family, this was bad. Add a bunch of Italian hotheads, this was very bad.
As for me, I avoided Mom and Dad’s eyes. It wasn’t like he was a deacon and she led a Sunday school class, but they went to church on Sundays (mostly). So me staying in the faith I was raised in was probably important to them.
Crap.
“Vito,” Ren gritted.
“What?” Vito asked him, fake innocently.
“What?” Ren asked back, not-fake sarcastically and turning fully to his uncle. “You think maybe Ally wanted to discuss that with her family? And furthermore, she’s not turning Catholic. She’s considering it. For me. Which is what I told you outside. But either way, it was not up to you to share it now since she hasn’t discussed it with her family.”
“Turning. Considering. Same thing,” Vito retorted.
“It isn’t,” Ren returned. “Reflecting and deciding are two different things. And my woman is gonna do her reflecting with no pressure, say, like the shit you just piled on her. And whatever she decides, she’ll have the backing of this family.”
“If she decides Catholic,” Vito stated.
“If she decides Scientology,” Ren shot back, and I heard Roxie and Connie giggle and Hank clear his throat to disguise a chuckle.
“I’m uncertain how the Pope feels about Scientology, Lorenzo,” Vito replied.
“The Pope doesn’t make my woman breakfast,” Ren countered.
God.
Seriously.
Was my man awesome or what?
I pressed my lips together and felt Indy’s hand curl around my elbow, her body getting close and it was shaking.
“How about we give this some time, see how things go,” Angela suggested, moving toward her husband and bravely entering the fray.
“I know how it’s gonna go,” Vito stated, sliding his arm around his wife’s waist.
“I do, too,” Ren returned immediately. “And if it doesn’t go the way I want it to go, the issues we already got get bigger.”
Thus another staredown commenced, which lasted until Sissy began the process of saying her farewells, adding more excuses about how she wanted to get back to her baby and dragging Dom with her.
Vito and Angela were forced to do the same. We all did cheek kisses, gave awkward hugs, and said see you laters. Ren, clearly wanting to make sure Vito followed his directives, followed them out the door.
Roxie, Indy and me ran to the window.
On the other side, we were joined by Mom, Amalea, Connie and Jeannie.
We watched Ren prowl down the walk behind Dom, Sissy, Vito and Angela, and then we watched Dom stand close as Vito gesticulated wildly. Ren stood there with a hard jaw, a closed mouth and arms crossed on his chest. I didn’t know what all the girls were thinking.
Personally, I was thinking my man was hot.
“Indy, come away from the window,” Lee ordered, and I looked away just long enough to see Indy wave at him to shut up, but she said nothing and did not move.
“Kitty Sue, the man doesn’t need an audience,” Dad called.
I didn’t look at Mom, but she didn’t say anything. She also didn’t move.
“Jesus,” Hank muttered.
“Fine to say that, but don’t take L. Ron Hubbard’s name in vain,” Lee muttered back.
All the women giggled.
Then we all dashed away from the window as Vito climbed into his Caddy. Dom took off toward the Acadia and Ren turned to come up the walk.
I sucked back more margarita and didn’t bother trying not to look like I was sucking it back this time.
Ren came through the door.
Before I could make a move to get to him, Dad did.
I knew my Dad. I (mostly) knew Ren. However, I had no clue what was about to happen.
But if you’d asked me to guess, what happened would be so far down on the list, it wouldn’t even make the list.
And what happened was that Dad lifted his hand, Ren took it, and Dad announced, “Welcome to the family.”
Indy grabbed my hand. Roxie put hers to my back.
As for me.
I melted.
* * * * *
The women (all of us, including Ren’s mom and sisters) were in the kitchen doing the dishes.
After the Vito fiasco and Dad welcoming Ren into the family, things went a whole lot better. It became clear very quickly that Ren didn’t blink at much of my or the Rock Chicks behavior because his sisters might not be as nutty as us, but they weren’t far behind. It also became clear Ren got his class from his mother because she was brimming with it.
Conversation, understandably, started stilted, and also understandably got less so as time went on and drinks were consumed.
So dinner wasn’t a disaster and now we were cleaning up.
Or, I should say, the women were.
“Can I ask why it’s always the women in the kitchen doing the dishes after, I’ll add, it was the women in the kitchen doing the cooking?” I queried.
“Have you seen your brother let loose in a kitchen?” Indy asked, drying a platter.
“Not recently,” I answered.
“It’s not pretty,” she returned. “He doesn’t even rinse his dishes before he puts them in the dishwasher. I’ve given up and told him just to put them in the sink.”
“You do know he does that so you would do that. In other words, he does a crap job so he won’t have to do the job at all. Or, in your case, anything,” I educated her. “He did that when he was at home, too.”
“This is true,” Mom, at the sink, muttered to Amalea.
“Well, it was a smart move because he doesn’t have to do anything,” Indy replied. “And it takes longer to complain about it than it does just to rinse his bowl and put it in the dishwasher.”
“Caving,” I stated.
“You’ll see,” she retorted.
“No I won’t,” I told her. “Ren cooks and does the dishes and he does both well.” I looked to Amalea. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
Amalea smiled at me and opened her mouth to speak, but Indy got there before her.
“You’re joking,” Indy said, and I looked back her way.
“Not even a little bit.” I grinned. “And he serves tater tots with breakfast.”
I knew that would get her.
It got her.
Indy’s eyes got wide and she whispered an envious, “You’re joking.”
“Nope,” I replied, still grinning.
“That’s… that’s like… that’s…” she stammered.
“Righteous?” I gave her a word.
“Totally,” she agreed.
“Hank does the dishes and he’s good at it,” Roxie put in. “He also makes great eggs, and he’s a grill master.”
“Whenever I suggest we grill something to Lee, he says we should go to a steak joint or invite ourselves over to your place,” Indy said to Roxie.
I took the rinsed serving bowl Mom handed to me and started wiping while saying, “You’re letting Lee get away with too much. You need to crack down.”
Indy shoved the platter in the cupboard. “I’m not sure cracking down works with Lee.”
In mixed company, I couldn’t suggest what would, so I didn’t say anything
“Just sayin’,” Connie put in. “Ren does all that stuff because Jeannie and me were like Lee.”
“This is true,” Amalea murmured to Mom.
“He was a brownnose, always suckin’ up to Ma,” Jeannie stated, and Amalea’s back snapped straight.
Uh-oh.
“He was not a brownnose. He was a good son,” Amalea stated. “After slaving in the kitchen to feed a family of four, it was nice to have someone do the dishes. And, I’ll add, nice to have someone who saved me from having to slave in the kitchen every once in a while.”
So that was how Ren learned how to cook.
“Total brownnose,” Jeannie muttered, wiping the stove.
“This is what I wish,” Amalea started. “I wish for you both to have sons and daughters, sons that look out for you, daughters who don’t, so you’ll understand precisely how it feels.”
Oh man.
Seriously set down.
She was good.
I bit my lip and gave big eyes to Mom.
Mom grinned huge at me.
Jeannie began concentrating closely on cleaning the stove like Mom was performing surgery on it later, while Connie shoved more leftovers in the fridge but did it without speaking,
With excellent timing, Dad ended our discussion by walking in and announcing, “I’m taking drink orders. Any of you gals want a refresh before you join us?”
“I have to get behind a wheel, Malcolm,” Amalea said. “Nothing for me.”
He got yeas from Roxie, Mom and me, nays from Connie and Jeannie. We finished up the dishes, Dad brought our drinks and we wandered back to the family room, me bringing up the rear and Amalea poorly pretending she wasn’t trying to position to bring up the rear with me.
I slowed my gait as the others forged on. I stopped, turned and looked down at Ren’s mom.
“Did you want a word in private?” I asked quietly.
“Was it that obvious?’ she asked back.
“Yes,” I answered on a smile.
She returned my smile before hers faded. Then she tipped her head to the side and studied me for a moment before speaking.
“It’s just that…” she hesitated then said, “I’m really very sorry to barge in on your family dinner, Ally.”
“That’s okay, Amalea. Mom invited my brothers and their wives without telling Ren and me, so it evens out.”
She grinned.
Then she looked down, reached out and touched my hand briefly, before she looked up and caught my eyes.
“He says he’s moving on,” she said softly, her words confusing me.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“From Vito,” she explained, and I pressed my lips together. “Some months ago, he told me he met a girl, he cares a good deal for her, so now it’s time.”
Some months ago.
Ren made this decision some months ago.
How cool was that?
Again she reached out and touched my hand before she whispered, “I certainly am happy to meet you, Ally.”
I got her.
She lost a husband; she was terrified of losing a son.
And she was giving me credit.
I didn’t let her move her hand, but caught it and told her, “He’s doing it for you, too.”
“He’s been going to do it for me for years now, honey.”
Interesting.
“Now he’s doing it,” she continued. “Angela has been talking about it. Dom’s mother, Ramona has been talking about it. Vito’s angry about it. But Lorenzo isn’t backing down.”
I nodded. “He’s got his mind made up and he already has plans for the future.”
Her eyes grew intense on me and they were far from unhappy. “This, I can see.”
I got that, too.
Again with the melty.
Jeez. What was up with me and the melty?
“As crazy as this night started,” I told her, “I’m glad you and the girls were here.”
“Me too, Ally.”
I grinned.
She grinned back.
“Ally, sweetheart, are you and Amalea coming?” Dad called, and I rolled my eyes at Amalea because Dad was likely calling because he was worried she caught me and I wouldn’t want to be caught.
See?
A good dad.
I pulled her hand up, tucked it in the crook of my arm and we walked with our drinks into the family room.
I stopped because everyone was lounging, except Lee and Indy were standing, Lee’s arm around her shoulders, hers around his waist.
This was not weird, entirely. Lee didn’t often have Indy close when he wasn’t claiming her in some way.
It was just weird they were standing.
My eyes went to Ren to see his eyes were doing a sweep of his mom and me. They stopped on his mom’s face, where it was clear he approved of what he saw, before he looked to me. He was also sitting in an armchair and he tipped his head to the armrest.
Seems another alpha hot guy wanted to claim his woman (yes, again, melty).
I let Amalea go and moved across the room to him. I sat my ass on the rest, felt his arm slide around my hips, and looked up at Indy to see she was looking at me.
But it was Dad who spoke.
“We had a lot of surprises tonight, but now I’ll explain one. And that is that Lee and Indy and Hank and Roxie are here because Lee asked that they be.”
What?
My gaze shot to Roxie who was giving me a wide-eyed look, then we both looked to Indy.
Lee was holding her closer, now with both arms, tucking her front to his side, and Indy had wound both arms around my brother.
“We have something to tell everybody,” Lee took over.
Oh my God.
Oh my God!
Oh my God, God, GOD!
“We already told Tom,” Lee went on, and I felt my eyes get hot as I glued them to Indy.
She looked happy. Not her usual run-of-the-mill, I-married-the-man-of-my-dreams-who-I-loved-since-I-was-five happy (which was pretty freaking happy).
But happy.
Oh.
My.
GOD!
“We’re having a baby,” Lee finished.
At his words, I hurdled from the chair, clapping and shouting, “Oh my God! Oh my God, God, God!”
I made it to Indy just as she pulled away from Lee. We collided and wrapped our arms around each other. I bounced her up and down with me as I kept shouting, “Oh my God, God, God!”
“I know!” Indy shouted back.
I stopped bouncing and pulled away an inch, declaring, “You know it’s a girl—”
Indy interrupted me. “She’s named Allyson.”
I smiled.
Indy smiled back.
My eyes got hot.
Her eyes got wet.
“Oh my God, God, God,” I whispered.
“I know,” she whispered back.
We stared at each other for a long time before Mom asked from our side, “Can I hug my daughter-in-law?”
I didn’t want to let her go.
Then again, I never wanted to let Indy go. My BFF. My partner in crime. My sister of the heart and sister by the law. The soon-to-be mother of my brother’s baby.
No, I never wanted to let her go.
Not ever.
“Sure,” I said, my voice husky, and it took some effort to tear my eyes from Indy’s as I let her go and let Mom move in.
Dad called out, “Champagne.”
“I think we have some in the fridge in the garage, Mal,” Mom told him, hugging Indy.
I moved in after Roxie moved out and hugged Lee.
“Pleased for you, bro,” I said in his ear.
“Not as pleased as me,” he said in mine, his arms going tight.
That was not in doubt.
I pulled back and grinned at him.
He let me go with one arm so he could lift a hand and touch my cheek.
Then he said, “When he or she gets here, do me a favor. Don’t try to convert them to Scientology.”
I burst out laughing, and when I was done, my brother was still holding me close and smiling down at me.
I heard Amalea murmur, “An unexpected honor, but one nonetheless, to be here to hear this joyous news,” thus proving she was total class.
But I was listening with half an ear because I was fully feeling the vibe, looking at my brother’s smile and experiencing it again, almost exactly twenty-four hours after I’d just felt it.
That feeling you get only a handful of times in your life, if you’re lucky.
That feeling that I was lucky to get often.
That feeling of sheer beauty.
* * * * *
I was curled up in Ren’s armchair in his non-TV seating area downstairs.
It was the dead of night and I’d twisted the chair so I could look out the window at a sleepy street disturbed only by the occasional car.
I couldn’t sleep, and not for the reasons people normally couldn’t sleep.
No, mine were different.
“Jesus, Ally.”
I turned my head to see Ren’s bare chest, pajama-bottomed legs (and the rest of him) through the shadows walking down the stairs.
“Woke up, you gone, not in the bathroom, you worried me,” he kept talking as he moved across the room toward me.
“I’m cool. Just couldn’t sleep,” I told him.
He stopped by the chair and looked down at me.
A nanosecond after his eyes hit me, he crouched in front of me and reached out a hand to wrap his fingers around my ankle.
“Is everything okay, baby?” he asked in his sweet voice.
He’d read me.
“Yes, Ren,” I said quietly, then explained just how okay it was. “Jet is having Eddie’s baby. Ava and Luke are on their honeymoon. Stella’s recorded an album that’s coming out soon. Tex is marrying Nancy. My man has accepted me as I am and I’m looking at office space tomorrow to start the job that I was meant to be doing. Your mom and sisters like me. My dad likes you. And my best friend, who I made a blood pact with when we were kids that she was going to marry my brother, we’d be real sisters and she’d name her daughter after me, is carrying my brother’s baby.” I shook my head. “So maybe it’s no. Everything’s not okay.” I leaned into him. “It’s very okay.”
“And that makes you not able to sleep?” he asked.
“I don’t know how to feel this happy,” I answered, and his fingers around my ankle tightened.
Then he let me go, got to his feet, but did it bending over to pluck me out of the chair. He turned, sat in it and arranged me in his lap.
“Ren, it’s okay. I’ll be—”
His arms around me gave me a deep squeeze and his voice was thick when he said, “I want you this happy for the rest of your life.”
Oh God.
Again with the melty!
I lifted a hand to his jaw, but tucked my forehead into the side of his neck.
“You willin’ to work on that with me, Ally?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” I answered.
“Good, baby,” he whispered.
He held me close.
I slid my hand from his jaw to press it against his heart and lay in his arms, feeling it beat.
After some time, Ren spoke.
“My girl, she feels deep.”
He was not wrong.
I said nothing.
He gathered me closer. “So f*ckin’ deep.”
I pressed my forehead into his neck.
We again lapsed into contented silence.
It was me who broke it the second time.
“I wondered what it would be like, when the Rock Chicks and Hot Bunch settled in and the drama stopped.”
“And what’s it like?” he asked.
“Sheer beauty,” I answered.
His arms got tighter again and his lips growled, “Mouth, Ally.”
I pulled my forehead out of his neck and tipped my head back.
Ren took my mouth.
Then he took me on his living room rug.
After, he carried me up to his bed, leaving my nightie, panties and his pajama bottoms on the living room floor.
When we got there, neither of us had trouble falling asleep.
And we slept tangled up.
Maximum contact.
Sheer beauty.