Then Ella strolled to a stool, hiked her ass up on one and announced, “Now, I’ll take a cocktail.”
All out offensive a success, I felt relief so I moved a grin through my girls then I moved my body to where we kept our booze. I took the bottles down and something caught my eye. My head turned left and I saw my heart of petals hanging in the kitchen window. I hadn’t etched “Ty and Lexie, Las Vegas” in it because I thought that was cheesy but I had etched some curlicues and I thought it looked good. Out of place but I knew what it was, Ty did too so it was in the exact right place for us and that was all that mattered.
Then I felt the still warm, early evening sun beating on my skin through the glass. It was bright. Colorado was bright. I’d never experienced so much sunshine in my life.
And that’s when I knew. It had happened. What just happened was only placing a stamp on it, making it official.
That warm sun shining on my skin, its brightness filling my days – the shadow of Ronnie was gone. Even with Ty’s business in the background, nothing encroached, not even to throw a little shade.
My life was filled with brightness.
And thinking that, I left the bottles where they were, muttered vaguely to my girls, “Just a sec,” then walked to the backdoor, put one foot out of it and yelled in no particular direction, “Honey! If you’re avoiding the house, drama over, it’s safe to come inside. It’s all about cocktails and camaraderie not tempers and tantrums!”
Then I stepped back in, shut the door and hit the liquor bottles, ignoring Honey’s audible snicker.
I got them their drinks. I got myself a beer and they were all lined up on the stools, me at the side of the island, my hip leaning against it when Ty came up the stairs from the garage. He jerked up his chin to my family, hit the fridge and got himself a beer.
Then he settled, hips against the counter at the side wall, reached out a long arm, tagged my hand, yanked and I scuttled toward him, falling into his body where his arm wrapped around my waist and my head tipped back.
“Wood, Tate, Jonas and Deke are on their way. You’re gonna have to direct traffic and provide payback in the form of pizza and beer,” he told me.
I smiled up at him. “I can do that. Pizza place in town deliver?”
“Yep,” he answered. “Head’s up. Reconcile of Maggie and Wood means they’re attached at the hip unless he’s under a car. Tate says that you told Laurie we got good patio furniture so he warned me she’s itchin’ for a look and will probably find her way in his truck. So you order, order big ‘cause Tate says Jonas alone can eat a large all to himself.”
“He’s a growing boy,” I explained.
“He’s a growing Jackson,” Ty returned. “Tate ain’t exactly small and Jonas is the spittin’ image of his Dad.”
I looked to my girls who were all observing us. Honey with a happy smile. Bessie with an assessing stare. Ella with her head tipped to the side but her expression shuttered.
I ignored all this and told them, “Wait until you meet Ty’s friends. They’re all white but they’re all seriously hot.”
“Heard word of women, they hot and taken?” Bessie asked.
“Except Deke,” I answered.
“Then what do I care they’re hot?” she shot back.
“They’re taken but they’re still fun to look at.”
“Girl, I got an eyeful right in front of me. More might make my head explode,” she returned.
She wasn’t wrong about that so I had no reply. Luckily, Honey giggling covered it.
Ty’s reaction to this compliment was to take a tug on his beer then set it on the counter beside him. I watched his hand do that then I watched it come toward me then I watched it until I couldn’t anymore because it cupped my jaw and tipped my face up to his while he curled his body slightly enough to give us a hint of privacy, not enough to be rude.
When my eyes caught his, he whispered, “You good?”
There it was. That was why he didn’t react to Bessie’s compliment. His mind was on me.
I grinned. Then I nodded.
His gaze roamed my face.
Then he nodded back, his hand dropped, he curled away and grabbed his beer.
I looked to my girls. Honey was smiling her happy smile. Bessie was looking away, blinking and I knew this was to hide it while she fought tears and Ella’s expression wasn’t shuttered anymore. Her face was soft, her eyes were lit with her sweet momma light and they were on me.
“I love you guys,” I blurted.
This caused Bessie to hop off her stool and mutter, “Bathroom.”
“Your right, door by the livin’ room,” Ty said quietly and Bessie hustled away.
Honey smiled happily.
Ella took a sip of her cocktail.
*
Ty