LULA
Nova and I moved the girls to the backyard, where they could see their uncle talking on the deck of Ford and Shay’s house.
A little part of me was offended to be kept on the outside.
However, Clint liked to poke at people. Having me at the meeting might interfere with his ability to test Zodiac and Exile.
“Dan was a dorky kid,” Nova said while she brushed Lyric’s blonde hair before resting the Dumbo hat back on her little head. “He was strict about rules. I guess he wanted the world to be predictable.”
“Was that before or after the stuff with your father?” I asked, having little trouble picturing Exile as a stalwart rule follower.
“Both. But he changed in high school. Got frustrated by people bossing him around. I didn’t understand why he wanted to go into the military, where new people would boss him around,” Nova said and leaned back on the lounge chair while Lyric ran after Skylar.
“It took me a long time to realize he didn’t want to be in South Dakota anymore. ”
“Exile and I are still getting to know each other, so I’m no expert on your brother. But I got the sense he was running from his demons regarding your dad.”
“True, but he didn’t leave his demons behind. He just left Mom and me.”
Unsure how to fix the sadness I saw in her big blue eyes, I mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine with it,” Nova said, sounding like she wasn’t at all fine with the past. “When Dan came back to say goodbye to our mom, he could have left me where I was. He didn’t know Skylar.
We weren’t his responsibility, but he still took us with him.
He bought the house I wanted. He took care of me when I got hurt.
Whatever harm he caused when he left South Dakota has been repaid twice over. ”
“Exile was unhappy away from you and the girls,” I said rather than poke at her old wounds. “I knew I’d need to build part of my life in Baton Rouge if I wanted to keep him.”
Nova smiled at me. Her face was so sweet and warm that I couldn’t help reacting to its every expression. When she was sad, I felt sad. When she smiled, I mimicked the gesture.
I understood why an angry, tightly wound man like Exile would become addicted to spending time with his sister. He needed someone to help him tap into the emotions he kept tucked away deep down inside.
“I believe everything will be okay,” I told Nova when her blue eyes revealed a hint of worry. “I’m crazy about your brother, and I need him to be happy. You and the girls own a part of his heart. I promise we’ll figure out a system for everyone to get what they need.”
“This is why I came,” Nova said and admired her girls.
“I knew it was crazy to show up. Zodiac told me to be patient. The girls didn’t know why we were packing.
My decision seemed overly impulsive, but I knew Dan was stuck on you.
Having him come back to check on us felt wrong when we could drive here and check on him. ”
“I’m glad you’re here. Now, we can get to know each other and start building a bigger family.”
Nova exhaled uneasily. Like her brother, she could be difficult to read. He exuded tightly coiled aggression despite being an incredibly sweet man underneath. Nova, on the other hand, seemed overly nervous and a little flighty, but I sensed she was actually a tough cookie on the inside.
Though I knew her life was based in Baton Rouge, I couldn’t help wanting to set her up in Little Memphis, where she’d have a better support system. Exile said his sister didn’t have friends back in Baton Rouge.
“I saw the little Eddie Murphy face you taped to Exile’s boot,” I said, smiling at the memory from this morning.
Nova smiled sheepishly. “I was so clingy when Dan brought me to Baton Rouge. I couldn’t sleep at night, so he’d stay up with me and watch movies.
I became obsessed with ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and ‘The Golden Child.’ Then, during the last week of my pregnancy, I watched ‘Trading Places’ every single day.
When Lyric was born, I got obsessed with ‘Shrek’ and ‘The Nutty Professor.’ Through it all, Dan would sit with me.
Eventually, he claimed he saw Eddie Murphy every time he turned around. ”
I laughed at the idea of Exile enduring the same movies to calm his vulnerable sister. “Now, he sees Eddie in his wallet and boots.”
Nova joined my laughter, likely relieved by how I didn’t find their family habits to be odd. Her giggles were so infectious, and her face was so sweet. I couldn’t help wanting her to find love like her brother had.
“Do you have any interest in dating?”
Nova’s eyes widened as if startled by the idea. “The girls are still so little.”
“Skylar will start kindergarten next year.”
“Yeah,” Nova said sadly. “I’m excited for her, but I will miss having my baby around during the day.”
“What about when the girls are older? Would you be interested in dating then?”
Nova didn’t answer immediately, and I realized I had pushed her too hard, too fast.
“I think maybe I’m attracted to bad men,” Nova finally said as she pulled her knees to her chest. “I read that women with bad fathers will sometimes chase bad men because that’s what seems normal to them.”
“Do you remember your dad?”
“A little, but I don’t remember him being bad.”
“Did you know your ex-husband was bad?”
“He was really funny and sweet, but I think there were signs. Maybe I ignored them, or maybe those red flags were why I liked him. I can’t trust my taste in men.”
“I understand,” I said softly as my mind raced with all the available men I knew. “Did anyone warn you about your ex before you got married? Remember how Sabrina said Tricky used to date our friend Cher? Well, we warned her about him since they seemed like a bad fit. Did you have anyone like that?”
Nova shook her head. “My mom didn’t trust her instincts because she never knew my dad was rotten. My friends thought Chris was super sweet, and I was lucky to have him.”
“Well, if you were to date someone around Little Memphis, we’d make sure he was a good guy. Rowdy has a nose for sniffing out bad people. We could test any guys you liked. And if someone you were dating got rough, we’d handle him immediately.”
“But I don’t live here.”
“True, but I’m selfish,” I said, and Nova frowned. “I like my life, and I’ll find reasons to constantly have Exile, you, and the girls here as much as possible. You might meet someone. But again, there’s no hurry. The girls are little. Besides, you should have fun as a single fox.”
“Fox,” Nova murmured, snickering. “I don’t know about that.”
“Foxes aren’t just members of the club. My mom is a fox. You can be a fox, too.”
Nova shook her head. “I don’t know. The only time I’ve ever been fun or wild was when I was with my girls and Dan. I’m not like that with other people.”
“We’ll see. You’re a tough chick.”
“No,” Nova said, shaking her head again. “I wouldn’t get a tattoo or ride a motorcycle.”
“You fought that gunman.”
“Yes, I did,” Nova said, exhaling unsteadily. “Did you know my babies were there that day?”
Shaking my head, I glanced at the girls who walked on all fours after Xena and Ramen.
“I thought the man was going to shoot them next, so I grabbed whatever I could find in my trunk to hurt him. The last thing I remember before passing out was him yelling and running away like a dumb bitch. I figured I would die, but I knew my babies were okay.”
I hugged Nova while she teared up at the memory. She gripped me, craving closeness. Like Exile, Nova learned to shove her feelings down deep, but they weren’t naturally hard people. The siblings wanted more than they had allowed themselves to claim over the years.
Nova proved how good a friend she could be when she comforted me later when I got an unexpected call from Stevie.
“Cher’s awake!” Stevie said way too loud before adding in a whisper, “She wanted to see you.”
Stevie turned the phone’s camera toward her groggy sister. Cher looked so small and vulnerable as she fought to keep her eyes open. When her fingers reached for the phone, she seemed confused.
“They took you,” Cher mumbled before a small smile lit up her face. “But there you are.”
Tears blinded me. Having her worry more about me than herself was such a Cher thing to do. I cried at how she remained the same adorable weirdo who struggled to bench press a potted plant yet took on armed men without hesitation.
“Don’t be sad,” Cher said when I cried. “My hair will grow back.”
Laughing at her words, I wanted to race to her side and wrap her in a hug. Instead, I could only sob with relief. I heard Stevie tell Cher that I was relieved. Nova stroked my back while I mumbled through my tears that I would come visit Cher today.
“Not too soon,” Stevie insisted. “She’s so tired right now. You know how Cher gets about her naps.”
Smiling at Stevie’s gentle way of asking for space, I restrained myself from racing to the hospital to hug them both.
By the time Exile returned from his meeting two doors down, I was wiped out and dozing in bed.
He gently rested on the mattress next to me.
His hand brushed across my tattoo. I felt his warm breath against my throat before he left a gentle kiss on my cheek.
As I gave in to sleep, I relaxed in the knowledge that the man I loved was nearby.