Chapter 27
27
G reer hadn’t gone back to her room. She’d slept in his bed and in his arms. He’d made love to her twice more in the night.
How could anyone be this good? She loved the silkiness of his mouth on her, the feel of him between her legs, the hardness of him inside her. They’d showered together in the morning, and he made her come again. He loved to make her come, never seeming to tire of it.
The man was a dream come true. But he was just a dream. And she would have to wake up in two days.
For now, though, she was living her best life.
Today was Nana’s big day, her birthday bash, and there was a lot for Dean to do. After kissing him long and sweet, Greer whispered, “I’ll see you at eleven,” and headed out, leaving him to the duties Bernice, the ultimate organizer, had assigned him.
Back in her room, she half expected another bouquet of roses or a gift basket from Conrad. She expected her phone to be blowing up with texts since she’d left it behind. But there was nothing. Was that good or bad?
She put on a swimsuit under her sundress for the beach party. After gathering her sunblock and water shoes, she met Sylvia, her husband Ian, and Fabiola in the elevators on the way down, and they walked out to the beach together.
“Did you have a good time yesterday on the cruise?” Sylvia asked.
Greer wanted to say, And all night long after that. But she just smiled. “It was great. I loved the snorkeling. What about you?”
“The fish were amazing. I thought you had to go to Hawaii to see colors like that.”
When they arrived, Dean and Bernice were already on the beach, and Greer was speechless with astonishment.
The family had outdone themselves.
A cordoned-off section of the beach contained the usual umbrellas and lounge chairs, but also a bandstand, tables and chairs decorated with all the colors of the rainbow, and a large, raised parquet dance floor near the bandstand. They’d even rented a bouncy house for the kids.
Despite her wonder, Greer said, “How did you all do this?”
Fabiola grinned. “Phillip had his people set it up. That’s what they do here.”
Food stations lined the boardwalk, the barbecues smoking, filled with the usual American fare—hot dogs, hamburgers, and ribs—and meat grilling for carne asada and chicken for pollo asado. She’d had only fruit for breakfast, and her stomach rumbled with the scents in the air.
Seated at the head table in a chair that resembled a throne, Nana wore her golden blow-up crown on her head and a smile that stretched across her face. Like a receiving line, the family queued to give her birthday hugs and kisses. Dean stood beside her, holding a glass of water in case she got thirsty. Hugging, laughing, and crying was thirsty work.
When it was her turn, Greer received Nana’s lipstick-smudged kiss on her cheek with gratitude and pleasure. She felt almost like part of the family.
A clown entertained the kids with balloons twisted into the shapes of dragons, serpents, scorpions, and the ubiquitous poodle she was familiar with from her youth. The bouncy house was in full swing, filled with shouts and screams and childish laughter.
Platters of meat, ribs, and chicken, finally finished on the grill, were laid out on long tables, everything covered with netting to keep the flies and sand off. An array of salads sat next to condiments for the hot dogs and hamburgers. Fixings for the tacos, burritos, and fajitas accompanied the grilled meat, along with beans, tortillas, and rice.
With Nana’s receiving line over, Dean came to Greer’s side, slipping his fingers through hers and pulling her sweetly to his side, arm to arm, thigh to thigh. “I’m thinking about that bouncy house.”
She felt her smile grow on her face. He never failed to make her smile. Or to make her scream with pleasure. “Do they allow adults?”
“I don’t see any signs forbidding us from entering.” Humor laced his words.
He pulled her along to the entrance. After crawling inside, Greer found it hard to find her footing with all the children bouncing around, standing only with Dean’s help. Then they put the kids to shame, Greer squealing with delight, and the two of them bouncing so hard, they shot the children high in the air. The kids shrieked with delight, begging for more. They gave it to them, bouncing in the middle, and sending all the youngsters flying.
Greer loved every moment. She loved her hands in Dean’s, loved the childlike smile on his face, the laughter she couldn’t contain, the screams of the children. She bounced until she couldn’t stay on her feet any longer, crumpling to the bottom of the bouncy house with Dean flopping on top of her. It was too sexy. Too delicious.
And there were too many children around.
Crawling on hands and knees to the opening, Dean following her, Greer’s feet hit the sand outside, and her legs wobbled as if she were still bouncing. Dean caught her, laughing with her, kissing her.
Then her blood turned to cold slush in her veins.
Conrad stood on the other side of the cordon, at the edge of the boardwalk. Watching her. Why was he still here? Hadn’t she said enough last night?
She didn’t stop moving, not wanting Dean to know Conrad hadn’t gone home, that he wasn’t staying at a motel in town. Or if he was, he was still lurking around the resort. Her phone vibrated with a text. She didn’t look until one of his nephews waylaid Dean. Only then did she step aside and pull out her phone.
I heard everything you said last night. And you were so right. I’ve been terrible. Please, we need to talk. I need you to forgive me.
If the phone wasn’t her lifeline, with her calendar, her contacts, her photos, absolutely everything, she would have thrown it as far as possible until it sank into the sand. As Dean let out a belly laugh at something his nephew said, she decided how to answer.
I said my piece, Conrad. We’ll talk about logistics and my moving out when I get home. Now leave me alone. She went back to add please . The polite, dutiful daughter or wife or lover still lurked inside her.
She watched as Conrad read the text. But instead of getting angry or texting back, his words wheedling and begging, he put his fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss.
What the hell was she supposed to do now? Nothing but ignore him.
Their chef finally clanged a gong, and everyone rushed to the buffet line. Nana, the guest of honor, went first. “This all looks so delicious.” Holding one of the disposable plates to her chest, Nana leaned over to breathe in the aroma of all that grilled perfection. “I can’t decide.”
In line behind her, Bernice said, “Have it all.”
But Nana shook her head, her curls taking flight around her head. “No, no. I’m having a massive fajita. Then I’ll decide what I want after that.”
“Fabulous idea.” Bernice followed, helping her pick out the delicacies she wanted on her fajita and the condiments she loaded on top.
Greer leaned close to Dean, behind her in line. “Can she really eat all that?”
He shrugged, smiling at his mother. “She’ll give it a damned good try.”
Greer did as she had on the island, taking small amounts of everything. Instead of a tortilla, she made a lettuce wrap of the carne asada. Nana’s children and their significant others, in which Dean included Greer, sat at the table of honor, with Nana presiding over them, her crown at a jaunty angle.
If Conrad was anywhere on the boardwalk, she couldn’t see him. And he didn’t text her. She prayed he’d left.
As Nana methodically worked through her fajita, Greer took a bite of her lettuce wrap. Then fingers over her mouth, she groaned, “Oh my God, that is so good. The meat is amazing.”
Dean smiled. “It’s goat meat.”
She almost dropped the wrap on the plate.
“It’s common down here. And it’s tasty.”
“I just feel bad eating those poor little goats.”
He let out a belly laugh. “What about the poor little lambs? Or the poor little chickens? Or the poor little pigs?”
“You’re right. What can I say?” She took another bite. “It really is good with all the spices.”
“Goat is a tender meat.”
Greer ate everything on her plate, goat meat included, and loved it. But when Dean stood to get seconds, she waved him off. “I can’t eat another bite.”
He leaned close, his breath in her hair. “I hope you saved room for cake.”
She shivered as if he’d whispered naughty things in her ear.
The mariachi band started up, playing Mexican music with a toe-tapping beat. The plates were almost empty, and the cake would be served later. For now, Dean had eaten enough to satisfy his stomach.
But he needed so much more to satisfy his need for Greer. He hadn’t touched her much today, not nearly enough. Now he wanted the excuse of the dance floor.
Standing, he held out his hand. “Dance?”
The music’s beat was too fast for a slow dance right now, but if he kept her there long enough, the band would get around to some old ballads. He’d requested them for his mother. Greer laid her palm across his, and his blood thrummed at her touch, and at the night to come. He wanted her again. And again. Last night had been too fantastic to miss an encore.
Family members headed for the dance floor, Bernice and Ralph, Phillip and Rosa, Sylvia and Ian, with Fabiola escorting their mother out to dance. Dean stopped long enough to say in an aside to Fabiola. “Don’t let her dance on her own. She needs someone to hang on to.”
His sister bussed his cheek. “You’re such a good son. But I’ve got it taken care of.”
Then Fabiola took Nana’s hand, swaying with her to the music. His mother was definitely not a bump-and-grind dancer, regardless of the music’s rhythm. Then Honoria took her other hand, Zendaya joining them, and the women whirled across the dance floor, at least as fast as Nana could whirl.
As Dean turned Greer around the floor, she leaned close. “Your mother is absolutely adorable. And your family is so good to her.”
“What’s not to love about Nana?” His entire family adored her. Now Greer did too.
As they danced, he pulled her close, not caring one whit whether they matched the music. All he wanted was to feel her against him. Her pupils dilated, as if she felt the same need he did. Yet neither of them spoke of it, just enjoyed the sway of their bodies, clothes rubbing together, scents rising in the warm Mexican air.
“The whole family has done an amazing job,” Greer said, her voice breathy from the dance and the body contact. “The food, the games for the kids, the band.”
He linked their fingers, bringing them up between their bodies, the backs of his hands brushing her breasts. “Just wait till you see the cake.”
Her laugh was full throated, reminding him of the sounds she’d made last night, the cries, his name on her lips, her delight in her orgasms. He would give her so many more tonight.
Finally she stepped back, bounced to the music like they had in the bouncy house, waving her arms in the air, then sinking low in a dip. Her breasts mesmerized him as they moved sinuously in time to the music. He wanted to strip the top down and take her nipple in his mouth.
But of course, his mother was present. All his sisters. His daughters.
So he swayed to the beat and thought of the night.
One song led to another, then another, and finally, Greer pushed him. “Go dance with your mother. Before she’s tuckered out and it’s too late.” But she didn’t leave the floor, joining his daughters in another dance move. He loved the way she got along with them.
He took one of his mother’s hands while Bernice held the other, then Fabiola and Sylvia. They whirled in a wide circle, twirling like they were dancing around the maypole. His mother laughed, her voice filling the air with delight.
Greer had been right. He didn’t want his mother too tired because this was the best. She didn’t move fast, and they all kept pace with her, but so much laughter and so much joy shone from her eyes. Then Lisa and Cynthia joined in, bringing Greer with them, laughing, smiling, Cynthia’s hand in his, her sister on her other side. He could truly say this was the best trip ever.
And maybe that was all because of Greer.
When the song ended, his mother put a hand to her chest. “You’re wearing me out. I need a drink.” She shook her finger at them. “But I’m getting back out here again.”
Fabiola followed her off the dance floor and poured her a glass of water. Nana downed a quarter of it before she sat. Grabbing Greer’s hand, Dean pulled her into a dance circle with his daughters. Faster and faster, laughing, hands held tight, they whirled round and round. His heart brimmed with love when he looked at his girls, with desire when he smiled at Greer.
The band slowed then to play one of his mother’s ballads, Stardust , done by Nat King Cole, slow and sweet, with a Mexican lilt added.
Lisa groaned, “Oh my God, I need some water,” and Cynthia added, “I’m so thirsty,” before they scrambled off the floor together.
Greer was all his. He didn’t hesitate to pull her into his arms, swaying to the music, holding her tight, letting her feel everything she did to him. Leaning down, he whispered against her ear, “I want you right now. Do you think anyone would notice if we left?”
“Your mother would never forgive you.” Greer closed her eyes and drifted around the dance floor with him, mumbling against his chest, “This feels so good.”
“I feel you everywhere against me. It’s even making me a little crazy.”
She tipped her head back to look at him. “I can’t wait for tonight.”
His heart soared as she said exactly what he wanted to hear. Then he reeled her in, relishing every brush of their bodies.
The dancing was glorious. Greer felt as if she were floating in the clouds. There were lots of fast numbers where she’d jumped and bounced and jiggled around. And there was delicious slow dancing, her body plastered to Dean’s.
Nana had reentered the floor again, the belle of the ball, dancing with each of her children, her grandchildren, their husbands, wives, even the baby.
Then the bandleader leaned into his microphone. “We have a very special lady here,” he said in beautifully accented English as he swept a hand in Nana’s direction. “We hear you are celebrating your ninetieth birthday, dear lady. And I have been told a very special surprise awaits you at your table. So, everyone, let us join Nana down there.”
The cake sat on the table, and beside Greer, Dean struggled not to laugh. “You’ll love this.”
As they all crowded in, Greer finally saw what Nana’s children had done.
On a large sheet cake, Nana’s photo covered the entire surface, with Happy Birthday, Nana scrolled across the top, along with two candles, nine and zero. Even on a cake that size, ninety candles would have melted the icing. And the photo was phenomenal. The entire assembly laughed, including Nana. It wasn’t the most attractive photo. In fact, it was horrible.
Greer couldn’t help smiling, then laughing, taking Dean’s hand in hers. “How could you do that to your mother?”
But tears of joy streamed down Nana’s face as she looked at her own visage on the cake. A party hat perched jauntily on her head, and she wore the silliest expression, her mouth agape, so wide her jaw almost touched her chest.
Dean whispered, “She loves her funny faces. But this picture is the absolute best.”
“Or maybe the worst.” Greer clutched his arm. “I’ve seen her make that same face.”
The band struck up the birthday song, and Bernice lit the two candles. They all sang along, Nana grinning, then holding her hands to her mouth, and finally tears fell from her eyes. It took three tries to blow out the two candles, but no one cared.
“My darling family, I love you all. You’re the best ever. You make me cry and you make me laugh and sometimes you even make me pee my pants.” She screwed up her face into a ghastly cross-eyed look that made everyone laugh. “And for my next birthday, I want to go to Antarctica.”
There was a moment of shocked silence, as if no one knew whether she was joking or serious. Then finally they cheered her. Like a queen—she hadn’t lost the crown on the dance floor—she blew kisses over the crowd, all her family, the people she loved most in the world.
The bandleader picked up his microphone again and called out, “Let them eat cake.”
Nana picked up the knife and cut into the first piece, straight down the middle of her cake face. Then she ran her finger along the edge of the knife and licked off the icing.
“Hmm,” Dean murmured against Greer’s ear. “Maybe we need to cover you with frosting so I can lick it off.”
She elbowed him. But the idea had merit.
The servers set about cutting pieces and handing them out. When Greer’s piece arrived, she gaped. “I can’t eat all this.” She held up the plate to Dean. “Will you share with me?”
His eyes glittered. And she felt all her desire flushing her skin the way it had on the dance floor when he held her close and whispered how badly he wanted her.
She couldn’t wait for the night.
A delicious white cake with whipped cream and strawberries in the middle, the frosting was airy and not too sweet. “I hate to dig into your mother’s photo.” Dean did it for her, cutting across one of his mother’s legs. “You guys are terrible with that photo.” But it delighted her. This family was incredible.
She wished, as she had so many times over this vacation, that she’d had a family just like this. Not that she hadn’t loved her parents. But they’d never been open and gregarious like the Adamo family. They were serious, not fun-loving. Her mother never made funny faces. And if she had, she would never have allowed a picture like that to remain in existence.
With the cake demolished, the band started up again. It was a moment before Greer realized what song they were playing. Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers, the love theme from Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. It was one of her favorite songs, so terribly romantic. Standing next to Dean, she swayed to the music, their bodies close, his scent as mesmerizing as the song.
Until Conrad stepped onto the stage and picked up the microphone.