KAT
Bebe was a fascinating mix of soft and tough. I loved when she shared stories about Rowdy and his sisters. She also talked about the people important to the Reed family. She was in the process of sharing a story about a woman named Darby Curran when Maria returned from the store.
Rowdy helped them carry in the groceries. Ivy set a single bag next to the door and followed Maria as if they were besties now.
“Shay and I glued ourselves together after we matched up with Ford and Pax,” Bebe said quietly when she realized I was pouting. “We were always together, and it could be difficult for other people to enter our bubble.”
“I shouldn’t be so possessive,” I mumbled, sounding overly sad. “But I always fear Maria will move on without me.”
“You’re insecure because of the garbage people you grew up around. They loved so weakly that they could walk away. But Maria doesn’t love that way. She’s crazy about you.”
Bebe’s patient words broke through my stubborn fears.
Rowdy’s mom knew I couldn’t stop worrying.
Maria was my safe person. For years, when she dated and I didn’t, I feared she would leave me.
That crazy paranoia refused to be reasoned with, and Bebe didn’t waste her time trying.
Instead, she wanted me to trust that Maria suffered from the same clingy craziness as I did.
“The store is great,” Maria told me from the kitchen. “I thought a city shop might be missing many of our regular items, but I easily found most of them.”
I peeled my gaze away from my smiling sister and an excited Ivy to notice Farley. The biker couldn’t take his eyes off Maria. My heart started racing at the thought of her finding someone so closely tied to Rowdy. I could build a new life in Little Memphis without losing out on time with Maria.
Rowdy returned from Clint’s place with Goblin trotting behind him. The dog barked at the people in his condo before hurrying to the couch to check on the cats. Finding them missing, Goblin looked up at Rowdy like his little heart was broken.
“They’re still here,” Rowdy said and knelt to pet his dog. “They’re just hiding in new places.
“Witchy is in the nursery,” I said helpfully.
Rowdy guided Goblin to the nursery. Soon, Witchy hissed, and Goblin barked. My less friendly cat flew out of the room and ran around crazily searching for safety. Rather than return to the couch, she noticed her sister on the stairs.
Goblin was too small to handle the stairs and barked at the bottom while the girls watched him with their pissed yellow eyes.
“Poor son of a bitch,” Rowdy said as Goblin danced around the bottom step. “You’re just going to have to be patient.”
Bebe glanced back at the dog before smiling at me. “We’ve turned one of our guest rooms into a nursery for the boys. Pax suggested we make another one into a toy room. He’s seen how Nova’s girls’ toys have spread all over Lula’s house.”
Sharing her smile, I gestured toward the dining area. “Rowdy suggested turning that spot into a play area. I’ve seen those gates that corral kids with their toys. It might also keep Goblin from getting into trouble.”
The dog barked when he heard his name but didn’t leave his spot at the bottom of the stairs. Maria walked over to check on the cats. I expected them to run away, but they were locked in a battle of wills with Goblin.
“I’m making lasagna tonight,” Maria announced, sounding invigorated. “How many people am I feeding?”
“Can I help you cook?” Ivy asked, and I instantly hated her guts.
Rowdy snickered nearby, drawing my gaze. He shook his head and adjusted his jeans.
“What?”
“When you narrow your eyes like that, I get a boner.”
“Rowdy,” Bebe admonished and cuddled Colson in her arms. “Text her those kinds of things, so the rest of us aren’t traumatized by the visual.”
Nodding, Rowdy pulled out his phone and texted me, “Ivy grew up isolated from people. She always gets excited over making new friends and learning new things. Please don’t make that tiny woman cry.”
As I felt guilty after reading the message, Maria invited Ivy, Clint, and Farley to dinner. After smiling at my sister, I made eye contact with Ivy to ensure she knew I was also happy about her presence.
Rowdy began texting on his phone. Soon, I read, “You’re coming on too strong. Now, Ivy thinks you want a threesome.”
Laughing, I showed Bebe the message. She rolled her eyes and smiled.
“That was on me,” she told her son. “I should have known not to read your message.”
Despite laughing with his mom, I sensed Rowdy was on edge. He walked to the door where Ivy had left her grocery bag.
“I’m going to bring this to your place.”
Ivy insisted, “Oh, I can do it.”
“No, you should have fun and keep the twins from doing anything inappropriate.”
“The girl twins or the boy twins?” Ivy asked.
Rowdy hesitated, unsure if she was serious or not. He stared at her while she stared back. I nearly laughed at the sight of such a big, intimidating guy staring down at a woman more than a foot shorter.
“Both,” Rowdy finally said, giving up on figuring her out.
He picked up the bag and called for Goblin. His dog barked at him but didn’t leave his spot.
“Ungrateful son of a bitch. Fine, Farley, come along with me since the dog won’t.”
Farley immediately looked at Maria, who frowned as if Rowdy was behaving unreasonably. I smiled at how attached my sister had already gotten to the biker. Seeing a chance to gossip, I stood up and walked to the kitchen.
“Please go with Rowdy,” I told Farley. “His heart is hurting over Goblin’s rejection.”
Farley now wore the same confused expression as Rowdy had worn with Ivy. Unsure if I was serious or not, he finally gave up and followed Rowdy out of the condo. Before the door shut, Vanessa grabbed hold and darted inside.
“I’m here to bond with my nephews,” she announced and walked to the sink to wash her hands. “Do I have any bugs in my hair?”
Maria, Ivy, and I examined her head for possible insect passengers from the ride over. Once Vanessa was cleaned up, she looked at Cavan.
“Can I hold this one?” she asked and glanced at her mom. “Or should I hold the other one?”
“This is Cavan,” I said and handed him to his aunt.
Vanessa looked unsure as she settled him in her arms. “I’m not used to him being so alert. Will he bite me?”
“He has no teeth, baby,” Bebe said, winning a smile from Vanessa.
While Vanessa joined Bebe on the couch, I turned to Maria. “Any specific plans for your date?”
“We’re going to see a movie before having dinner at a steakhouse.”
“Hey, that’s my date idea for Nova and Boone,” Vanessa said as she smiled at Cavan. “I think this twin is the better one.”
“Are you sure?” Bebe said and lifted Colson so he could stare amazed at Vanessa.
“Wait, maybe Colson is better.”
Bebe insisted, “Or they’re equally great.”
Shaking her head, Vanessa mumbled, “I couldn’t imagine another person exactly like me.”
I hugged Maria and smiled. “It’s wonderful.”
My sister swayed with me as Ivy watched us. Suddenly, I remembered what Vanessa said.
“What idea for Boone and Nova?”
Ivy explained, “We negotiated a date between Boone and Nova when she was too nervous to talk to him. Vanessa thought dinner and a movie were perfect, casual date locations.”
Maria asked, “Did the date go well?”
“They’re getting married,” Vanessa said.
Ivy smirked. “But not because of the date. Rather than go out for the movie and dinner, they hung out at Boone’s condo.”
“Maybe you should do the same,” Vanessa told Maria.
“No,” I said when my sister began nodding. “You haven’t gotten to go anywhere fun in months. Hanging out in town with Farley sounds great.”
“If you and Rowdy want to go out on a date,” Vanessa said, “I’ll watch the babies.”
Bebe smiled and glanced at me. “I don’t think Kat is ready to be away from the boys for that long. But one day, we’ll babysit together.”
“I can do it alone.”
“No.”
Vanessa looked shocked by her mother’s lack of support. Before getting upset, she shrugged and returned to focusing on Cavan.
Maria eyed Ivy and asked, “What did you and Clint do on your first date?”
“I moved in with him the first day we met, so we never had an official first date.”
“Boo,” Vanessa said quietly. “Clint needs to romance you better.”
“He brought me flowers a few days ago.”
“What for?”
“So I could have flowers.”
“Oh,” Vanessa mumbled and smiled at Bebe. “None of the guys I’ve ever dated bought me flowers. Should I be offended by their lack of effort?”
“Definitely. You know your dad and I haven’t liked any of the men you’ve dated.”
“What if I can’t find a good man and I never get a cute baby like this one?”
“You’ll use a sperm donor like your sister,” Bebe said. “Sabrina texted earlier to say she had agreed to baby talks with Moe and Xandy in six months.”
“Why then?”
“She figures by then the twins will be less adorable, and the baby fever will have faded.”
“Do babies get less adorable?”
“Sure. Even ugly people were cute babies.”
Vanessa frowned at Cavan. “What if he gets ugly? That would make me cry.”
“Why would he be ugly when his parents aren’t?”
“I knew a beautiful girl in school with troll parents. If it can work that way, why can’t it work the other way?”
“What girl was this?”
“Penelope.”
“She was beautiful in the way evil little girls are beautiful in horror movies.”
Vanessa studied me. “What did your parents look like?”
“Our mom was beautiful. Our dad was average.”
Vanessa perked up. “Okay, I’m happy again.”
As Rowdy’s sister did her quirky banter, I looked at my own sister. Maria smiled softly, and I could tell she had enjoyed her shopping trip.
“If I hadn’t been at the store today,” Ivy whispered when Maria and I stared at each other for too long, “I think Farley would have kissed you.”
“Cock blocker, huh?” Vanessa said. “I’ve been there. Right, Mom?”
“There were so many nights I went without sex because you wanted to sleep in our bed.”
“I thought a monster was in the corner of my room.”
“That’s because you painted a monster in the corner of your room.”
“She wasn’t a monster. I painted a butterfly fairy that just happened to look frightening in the dark room.”
While Bebe and Vanessa disagreed on what the painting looked like, I settled into this new feeling with Maria. She had explored Little Memphis, bonded with Ivy, and flirted with Farley. All without me present.
Rather than panic, I forced myself to embrace my life’s new direction. My sister deserved to be happy. Our codependent twin vibe would require a little fine-tuning if we wanted to build something special in Little Memphis.