Chapter 35
Rob
"So, here's the thing," Magnolia said as she merged onto the highway.
"There's always a thing," she replied. "That's the thing about me. There's always a thing."
"I'd never thought to put it so succinctly." I glanced over at her but she didn't notice. She was busy driving like she couldn't spare a glimpse and that seemed like a fine reminder that Magnolia went deep. She might have fourteen different thoughts going at once but she was deep in them.
There was always a thing.
I was coming to find I quite liked that about her. "Okay," I said. "What's the thing for today?"
"Well, there are a few of them," she said under her breath. "First of all, my brothers." She gave a great sigh. "They've been known to have some fun at these family dinners."
That didn't sound so bad. "What kind of fun?"
She snickered. "Remember how I told you my mother invited some dude from an online dating app to Sunday dinner once?"
"Yes," I murmured. That was either an expert level move or the definition of feral, and I was still split on the difference.
"Well, my brothers had a lot of fun with that guy. He didn't know what hit him."
"Are we talking about a flag football game with some unnecessary roughness or what? Just tell me what I'm walking into and whether the dog will protect me."
"The dog barks and that's the extent of his protective response. He'll also scratch at shins and ankles."
I peered at Gronk. "Sounds like I'm on my own."
"You're not," she said quickly. "And I doubt this will be anything like it was when—dammit, what was his name?"
"I'm taking it as a good sign that you don't remember."
"No—I mean, yes, sure—but it's that my brothers were…god, how do I explain this? They were messing around, calling him Titus or Targaryen, and I'm not sure I caught his actual name in that mess. I was also busy glaring at my mother the entire time so I was only half-listening."
I gave a strangled laugh but I wasn't worried. I'd survived in a frat house with sixty abysmally behaved brothers for three years and worked with hooligans cut from the same rowdy cloth every day. Hell, I was one of those hooligans. I could hold my own with Magnolia's brothers. I'd be fine.
"What else? What's the other thing?" I asked.
"Oh, right," she murmured to herself. "My mother can be a little—" Magnolia paused, her lips parted and her head tipped barely to one side as she passed exit after exit. Eventually, she continued. "Much. She can be a little much."
"Yeah, so can I. Have you forgotten how we met? How I started things?"
With a shrug, she replied, "It could be said that the way I continued things was a little much."
"And thank god for that."
Had it been literal fucking torture to carry on a relationship with this woman while Brock did the same?
Yep. Would I have wanted it any other way?
You could bet your ass I wished Brock had never entered the picture.
All of that was true and at the same time, I knew this was the way it was meant to be.
This was how I was supposed to fight and fall for Magnolia.
This was how it was supposed to go down for all of us.
So, yeah, I was thankful as fuck that Magnolia was a little much.
"I'm looking forward to it," I said.
"Okay, that's very polite and all, but I need you to know my mother can get carried away. She'll invite you to one event or another at her church and by invite, I definitely mean she'll corner you and make it impossible to say no."
"Sounds like every private wealth manager I know." I scratched behind Gronk's ears. "You know I'm not fresh out of the sandbox, right? I've been known to close a deal or two in my day. I dare say I closed you, Miz Maggie."
She laughed. "I think I closed you."
"If that's your version of the story, I can stick with it. But don't worry about your family, love. I've got this."
"I just don't want you to run screaming."
"That's not going to happen," I said with a quick glance in her direction.
She didn't notice. Her concern was adorable.
Really adorable. As if it was possible for her hyper-involved family to scare me away.
If her friends—and the other fucking guy she'd been dating—hadn't accomplished that, nothing would.
I could handle this. A mom who operated on meddle level one hundred. Some ball-busting brothers. I had this under control.
And I had the dog. That had to count for something.
* * *
Magnolia's parents lived in an old house in a section of New Bedford that treasured its old houses but unlike all the other manicured homes on the street, this one had a slightly different feel to it. There was no single thing that made it stand apart but a collection of small things that added up.
An overabundance of blue hydrangeas hugging the house.
They seemed determined to block the windows and choke the front walkway.
A pair of long, raised garden beds packed tight with tomato cages and zucchini trellises.
A few too many trees and rosebushes along the perimeter, too many flower pots around the front door.
And then there was the older Subaru wagon with no fewer than twenty bumper stickers on the back end, all in the vein of "Save the Bay" and "Follow Me to the Farmers Market!
" and "Water is Sacred" and "Feel the Bern. "
When Magnolia noticed me reading them, she said, "Yeah. Like I told you earlier, my mom can be a little much but at least she's upfront about all of it."
I couldn't explain why all of this—the bumper stickers, the tomatoes, the overgrown bushes, the promise of a family certain to give me a hard time—was so damn charming but I couldn't hide my grin.
"What's that about?" she asked, pointing at my smile.
"Nothing at all." After setting Gronk on the ground and twisting his leash around my wrist, I grabbed the wine and flowers I'd brought along. Like I'd said, I knew how to close a deal or two.
"Something," she said as she turned toward the walkway.
"Wait a second," I said, tucking the bottles under my arm and beckoning her closer. She shifted back, her gaze questioning, and that moment of confusion was just enough for me to pull her in and seal my lips to hers.
I'd been doing this for months—dragging her close, shutting her up with a kiss—though it felt different today. It wasn't about stealing moments with her anymore. It was about keeping them.
As I twisted my hand around her hair, I was fractionally aware of passing cars and slamming doors. Aware in a completely unconcerned sense, one that allowed absolutely no room for thoughts or propriety or decency or—
"Uh, Maggie. The neighbors are staring."
"Mrs. McCafferty has her rosary beads out."
Brothers.
Magnolia pulled away from me with a surprised gasp and when I pivoted toward the voices, I found a pair of men eyeing us. The resemblance between them was clear though they were as different as their vehicles—the vintage Porsche and the gleaming black truck.
"Oh, hey," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Linden, Ash." She gestured to each. "This is Rob."
The men traded a glance.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said.
Linden stared at Magnolia. "Mom didn't say anything about this."
With a sheepish look, Magnolia glanced to the ground. "That's because she doesn't know."
Oh, shit.
"What was that?" I asked.
"I really need to understand the logic behind this," Ash said.
"I didn't want Mom going nuts over this," she replied defensively.
"I just wanted it to be a regular Sunday dinner.
" When the three of us only blinked at her, she continued, "And, honestly, it's only fair considering some of Mom's shenanigans.
" More blinking. "And she told me last month to bring Rob home whenever I was ready. "
Linden studied the six pack in his hand. "I did not bring enough beer for this."
I held up the bottles. "I brought wine."
Ash nodded. "Smart move."
Linden pointed to the house. "Can I go in first? I want to get a good seat."
Magnolia glared at her brothers. Triplets, man. They were a hoot. "Yes. Fine. Go. You should only hope I am this kind and accommodating when you two bring people home."
Ash scoffed. "Like I have time for that."
Linden clapped his brother on the back. "Like I have any interest in that."
They marched inside, leaving me and Magnolia alone once again. I ran my hand over her hair. "You could've mentioned this was a surprise."
"I was going to. It was on my list of things to explain."
"Ah. Another thing."
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. "Are you upset?"
I smoothed the crease between her brows with my thumb. "No. But you gotta let me be a co-conspirator. We'll have more fun that way."
"Fun," she repeated. "Yes, let's hope this is fun. If it isn't—"
"There's a cute dog and booze. We'll manage."
We entered through a side door around the far end of the driveway, and stepped into the kitchen. Ash and Linden were tucked into the breakfast nook while an older woman who looked astonishingly similar to Magnolia chopped a cucumber at the countertop.
The door banged shut behind us and Mrs. Santillian glanced up with an expectant grin—until she spotted me and her eyes popped wide.
"Hi, Mom," Magnolia said. "I want you to meet Rob Russo."
There was a split second where I didn't know which direction this was headed. The lady had a knife and I didn't doubt she could debone me if given the chance, and if I'd brought someone home without proper notice, my mother would've sent me out back to dig myself a grave.
But then the shock wore off and her eyes turned warm. She dried her hands on a dishtowel and came to me. She plucked the flowers and wine bottles from me, dumping them into Magnolia's hands with little care, and took me by the shoulders.
"Rob," she said, staring at me intently. "I've heard so much about you. It's about time I put a face to the name."
"Don't think I told you his name," Magnolia murmured.