“Eliza!” she cried. “My darling girl! Could you be more adorable in that dress?”
As Johnny rolled up to his feet holding Brooks to him, Margot swept in, latched onto Izzy and hugged her like she was her favorite daughter who’d married a Russian who’d whisked her off to the cold of Siberia and she hadn’t seen her in a decade.
“Totally . . . dig . . . this chick,” Addie murmured.
Johnny moved their way as Margot let go of Izzy, assessed Addie, and Dave moved into Iz and gave her a hug, muttering, “Great to see you again, child.”
“You too, Dave,” she said back.
“You must be the sister,” Margot decreed.
“That I am,” Addie replied. “And you must be the awesome Margot.”
Margot arched a brow. “Awesome?”
“Izzy thinks your da bomb.”
“Did she use that vernacular?”
“No, she said, ‘I can’t wait for you to meet Margot. She’s class on a stick.’”
Margot’s face grew smug and she aimed a look Izzy’s way, murmuring demurely, “Darlin’.”
Izzy was blushing.
Johnny waded in.
“Let’s finish this up. Dave, this is Addie, Izzy’s sister. And guys, this is Brooks.” He lifted the baby a couple of inches. “Addie’s boy.”
“Oh . . . my . . . word! Look at that handsome child!” Margot lifted both hands his way. “Give him to me immediately, Johnathon.”
Johnny gave him to her and then turned to Dave. “I’m gonna drag the deck furniture and camp chairs down by the creek. Izzy’s making her guac, and you can thank me for the ingredients and worship at the chip bowl as gratitude to her. The dogs are a mess. They’ve been in the creek, so I gotta hose ’em down. I’ll grill later.”
“Works for me, son. Help you with the chairs and the dogs.”
“Thanks, Dave,” he replied and turned to Izzy. “Be back, baby.”
She was mushing guac. “All right, honey.”
“Who’s handsome? Who’s sweet? Who’s a precious boy?” Margot cooed, swaying Brooks side to side.
Brooks slapped her face and giggled.
“Who’s a naughty little monster?” Margot asked through a huge smile, capturing his hand and pretending to bite it.
Brooks arched and squealed and then patted her lips when she stopped pretending to bite him.
“Just to say, classy babe,” Addie put in quietly. “We try not to let him slap.”
Margot turned her eyes to Addie, and when she did Johnny knew Izzy’s sister had her approval.
“All right, darlin’,” she whispered.
Margot grinned.
Addie smiled back.
Izzy squeezed lime into the guacamole.
And Johnny and Dave moved to lug furniture down by the creek.
He was at the grill at the end of the deck and the women were in the chairs, with Izzy lying on the same blanket she’d had at the festival that she’d told him was still in her car, so he’d got it and spread it out.
She was again in her glasses and hat and she again looked cute, ridiculous, and with company, entirely too fuckable.
The chip bowl was empty, so was the guac bowl, both now in the sink.
Margot still had Brooks. Then again, except to allow him to motor around the grass for a while, Margot hadn’t let go of Brooks.
The dogs were spent. Dempsey flat out on his side by Izzy, Swirl down on his belly at Margot’s feet, but Ranger was curled at the foot of the grill with Johnny.
Dave was walking up the outside steps that led to the balcony.
“Need help?” he asked when he hit the deck.
“It’s good. Later, you can help me carry everything down when this gets close.” He indicated the grill with his head.
“Will do,” Dave replied and got up close.
His attention was not on Johnny or the grill.
It was on the women in the grass.
“She’s a great gal,” Dave murmured, referring, Johnny knew, to Izzy.
“Yup,” Johnny agreed.
Dave finally looked to him. “You seem . . . good.”
“You tasted her guac. You’ve seen her dress. Her sister is hilarious. And you and Margot are here. What’s not to be good about?”
“You know . . . you know with this one . . .” Dave didn’t finish.
Johnny felt the back of his neck start to itch.
“Dave—”
“She’s a fighter, I can see it. I can see it ’cause she’s had so much to fight all her life, it’s marked her. She can’t hide it. Don’t make her fight anything more, son.”
Johnny fought back getting pissed. “You know I wouldn’t take it there if I didn’t intend to be right there with her.”
“Your old man got his hands on a couple of good ones—” Dave began.
“I’m not Dad,” Johnny returned.
Dave held his eyes. “Your mother, that woman . . . she was somethin’. Lance thought he won the Super Bowl, the World Series and the NCAA championship when he won her.”
“Dave—”
“She shattered him.”
Johnny shut his mouth.
“And I loved that man better than I love my own brother so it was hard to watch him destroy every woman that came into his life after that woman left it.”
“That’s not happening here,” Johnny said tightly.
“Johnny boy,” Dave murmured.
“My mother left my dad with two young sons and she didn’t look back, Dave. She never looked back. Not a one of us saw her again. And I don’t know why. Do you know why?”
Dave slowly shook his head and gave him the answer Johnny already knew.
“I don’t know why, Johnny. Your dad didn’t know why. He just came home one day to a note that you boys were with your grandma and all her stuff was gone. I think that’s part of why she haunted him. He never knew why.”
“Shandra made a choice,” Johnny replied. “My opinion, it was the wrong choice. But she left me for a reason and I knew that reason. What happened with my mother is not what’s happening here. I’m not haunted, wondering about whys. I let Izzy go when Shandra first told me she was coming back to town because I wasn’t done grieving what I thought was supposed to be my life. But it finally hit me that wasn’t what life had planned for me. Now I don’t know if all along it had plans for me to find a girl who’s got a way with wearing a dress and makes my blood burn with the need to take away the taste of whatever shit she’s obviously had to consistently eat in her life. What I do know is she’s what’s in my life now and while she is, I’m gonna take care of her.”
Dave just continued to look in his eyes.
“I mean, look at her, Dave,” Johnny said quietly.
Dave’s head turned so he could take in all that was Izzy.
“I don’t know what was in Dad’s head when he did all he did after Mom went away. If he was looking for her again and never found her. If some place inside him needed to be free if she came back. But Shandra’s back and Izzy’s on my grass with Margot, and knowin’ she’s gonna be right there to eat the food I cook for her makes me happy.”
Dave looked back to him. “You got a long row to hoe with this, Johnny.”
Johnny felt his brows snap together. “What’s that mean?”
“Everyone in town thinks that—”
Johnny looked to the meat on the grill, stating, “Everyone in town can go fuck themselves.”
“Boy,” Dave said low.
Johnny looked to him. “I don’t care what they think.”