14. Lizzy
LIZZY
“You’re glowing,” Tilly, Mason’s mom, says across from me as we finish dinner.
I cough, nearly choking on my martini. I don’t need to look in a mirror to know my face is turning red.
“That’s because they finally did it,” Tate tells Tilly, like they’re talking about us going for a walk and not sleeping together.
Mortification isn’t a strong enough word. If I could crawl into a hole and disappear forever, I would.
Tilly’s face doesn’t change. Her smile stays where it was, and she appears to be unfazed by the salacious news. “Are you two a couple finally? Please say you are. I couldn’t think of a better woman for my son.”
I don’t know what to do with that statement. The few times I’d met the mother of the man I was dating, they always acted like I was stealing their grown-ass child or I would somehow morally corrupt them.
“I… We…” I stammer, unsure how to answer.
We don’t have a definition of what we are to each other.
“They’re moving in together,” Tate answers for me again.
I turn my head, glaring at her.
Tate beams, unbothered by my best angry face. “Chill, blondie. We’ve all been waiting for this day.”
“How do you know all this?” I ask.
“There are no secrets in this family,” she replies as she picks up her espresso martini that’s nearly drained.
“Obviously,” I mutter to myself.
I told Zoey what happened, thinking she’d keep the news to herself, but of course, I was wrong.
“We’re all so happy for you two,” Tate says.
“Beyond happy,” Tilly adds. “A woman can never have too many daughters.”
Her words make my heart squeeze with a mix of happiness and sorrow.
I’ve felt lost since my parents died. Almost like I no longer had a home, twisting in the wind with no one to tether me to this world.
The very thought of becoming part of another family and having parents, even if not by blood, has my body craving that life more than I want to admit.
“We’re not getting married,” I say.
Tilly strokes her long braid that hangs down one side of her head and over her chest. “You became part of this family the moment your brother and Zoey got together, but now…” Tilly tilts her head as she smiles at me with calming joy.
“Now, you are part of my family too, and I don’t need a piece of paper or a priest to make that a fact, baby. ”
“You have two sisters and another brother now,” Tate says, like this isn’t weird.
I love the idea of having sisters. Growing up with Hunter was fine, but I craved some girl time to do girl things. I wanted to do our makeup, share clothes, talk about boys, and everything else sisters did together, but I never had the chance.
“We’re taking things slow,” I blurt out, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support.
“That’s smart,” Tilly says. “Nothing wrong with slow.”
“There isn’t?” I ask, because she seems ready to vault us into the future.
“Nope. Angelo and I took things slow at first, but there was no one else for us. We figured there wasn’t any point in dragging our feet when destiny was pulling us forward.”
I remember the first time I laid eyes on Mason. I knew I wanted him, but I never dreamed it could become a reality. He seemed out of my league and didn’t look like he was the type that was ready to settle down.
“Mom, you always sound like a greeting card,” Tate says against the rim of her martini before polishing off the last sip.
“I’m just happy, sweetie. All of my children are in love and happy. What could make a mom happier?”
“Grandbabies,” Tate mutters. “More grandbabies.”
“Now you’re speaking my language. I could never have enough.”
“Don’t look at me.” I raise my hands, knowing I’m not ready for children anytime soon. “We’re too new and haven’t talked about anything more than living together.”
Lulu gasps. “Did I hear you say you were going to live with Mason?”
Tate laughs and shakes her head. “Lou, give it up. She knows we all know.”
Lulu’s shoulders sag, and her face morphs as her wide smile vanishes. “Why would you tell her? You’re going to scare her away,” Lulu says to Tate.
“She’s not new to the family. She knows we’re all gossips,” Tate explains.
I did know that, but I hadn’t realized how quickly news spread and how public it would be.
“We’re happy for you,” Lulu tells me. “Mason’s a great guy, but we’re excited to have you officially as part of the family.”
Everyone is acting like we’re getting married. It’s odd, but it still makes me warm inside. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so welcomed by any group of people for simply dating someone they’re related to.
“Thanks. He is one of the good ones,” I reply, wishing I had another martini because this conversation is a little too personal for my midwestern upbringing.
Lulu pushes back her seat and stands, picking up her empty martini glass and a fork.
She gently taps the side, and for a moment, I think she’s going to shatter it.
“The guys are at the Hook & Hustle. They’re waiting for us.
So, finish up your food and drink, and then we’re leaving,” she announces to the ridiculously long table of women who didn’t stop talking to listen to her announcement.
I am excited to see Mason again. We’ve only been apart for a few hours, but this morning and afternoon went better than last night.
Being around him is easy. He brought me coffee in bed, refusing to let me get up and make my own.
I downed the entire cup while I read a book, and he cooked a large breakfast to fuel us for the day.
And, man, I needed the energy because he didn’t let me out of the bedroom until it was time to get ready for tonight.
“Cousin and sister,” Zoey says as she throws her arms around me. “I love you.”
She’s drunk, but she’s supposed to be. It’s the last hurrah before her big day. “Love you too,” I tell her, hugging her back.
There isn’t a single person in this family I don’t like.
It’s such an odd thing too. People typically aren’t my thing.
I’m a loner and always have been. I prefer a night in with a great book and a glass of wine over going to a bar to drink with friends.
But this family has a way of sucking you in and never letting go.
“Will you be my sister or my cousin?” Zoey slurs, hanging on me.
“This is a weird conversation,” Tate says, eyeing Zoey before smacking her arm. “She’s your sister-in-law before anything else.”
Zoey giggles. “Okie dokie,” she mutters.
“You clearly need some water before we meet the guys,” Lulu says, taking her sister by the shoulders and leading her back to her chair.
“I can’t remember the last time I saw Zoey drunk,” Tate tells me. “It’s been ages.”
“She’s under a lot of stress,” I say.
“It’s nice to see her so happy again,” Tilly adds. “The girl has been through it.”
“Lulu too,” Tate replies. “So Lizzy, when are you moving here permanently?”
That word makes my belly flutter. Is this forever? Is Chicago going to be my new home for the rest of my life?
“I need some time to put my house on the market and give my job notice.” I have a mental checklist that’s close to a mile long at this point. I need to get it down on paper, or I’ll lose track and miss something important. “There’s a lot to do.”
“Do you have much to pack?”
I huff out a breath as I think about all my things. Everything I’ve accumulated in my thirty-plus years of life. “Kind of.”
“If you want any help, let us know. We can all come,” Tilly offers.
I stare at her, blinking a few times. “You’d do that?”
Tilly nods. “Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you need, we’ll be there.”
“That’s so nice of you.”
“It’s what family does for one another,” she replies with the same kind smile that’s always on her face.
“Okay, everyone,” Lulu announces. “Let’s go. The limo bus is waiting.”
I am happy for the interruption of the conversation. I’m overwhelmed, not something I’m used to feeling very often in my life.
The ride to the bar is short. Maybe too short for many of us to sober up enough to last all night. I paced myself, only having one martini during dinner, and am saving all my drinking for my time with Mason at the Hook & Hustle.
The bar is jumping when we get there. All the men in the family are there and more, and the music is blasting with a hip-hop song I can’t name but has to be making the glasses rattle.
I scan the crowd, looking for Mason, but come up blank. The women file in and go directly to their men, while I stand in the doorway, suddenly feeling out of place.
I stalk across the dining room and find Hunter, who’s holding on to a still very drunk Zoey as she peppers his face with kisses. “Where’s Mason?” I yell in his ear loud enough for him to hear over the music.
He tips his head toward the back of the bar and mouths the words, “Back there.”
I make my way around the bar, leaving everyone behind. “Mason,” I call out, even though I know there’s no way he can hear me over the beat. I glance around and see no one. I take two more steps and stop dead in the doorway to the office.
My heart sinks at what I see. Mason’s back is to me, and he’s holding the wrists of a beautiful woman as she sits on the desk and he stands between her legs. My eyes widen and immediately fill with tears. The woman looks at me, a smile spreading across her face as mine drains of color.
My feet move before Mason turns around. My heart races as I run down the short hallway, punching open the door in the back of the bar.
I’m an idiot. I thought he loved me, but we barely know each other. I knew Mason was a player. No single man who looks like him wouldn’t be. But somehow, I convinced myself that he’d changed his ways because of me and for me.
You’re delusional.
I’d let my heart be in charge instead of my head. I knew better, but I couldn’t stop the freight train that was Mason Gallo from running right over me.
I run another twenty feet, stopping when everything becomes too much, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst through my chest. I bend over, placing my hands on my knees and let the tears fall to the gravel beneath my shoes.
This is what I was afraid of, and it took a total of twenty-four hours for it to happen. Record speed.
“Snap out of it,” I tell myself. “He’s only a boy.”
But that’s easier said than done. In the short amount of time we’ve been together, he made me feel like it was okay to dream. And what could’ve started as a fairy tale has quickly become a nightmare.