16. Lizzy
LIZZY
Mason’s parents’ house is damn near bursting at the seams when we walk in. I thought it would be just us plus Tate’s and Brax’s families, but I was wrong.
“Sweetie,” Mason’s grandma says, opening her arms before I have a chance to take off my coat.
I stop what I’m doing and give the woman a hug. She’s so small, I’m worried I’d break something if I squeeze her with any force. “It’s good to see you, Betty.”
“Grandma or Nonna, please,” she corrects before I have a chance to pull out of her embrace.
“We missed you last night,” I tell her as I straighten.
“I can’t stay up as late as you kids.”
There’s that word again. I don’t hate it either. Although I know our parents loved us, they hadn’t called us kids in years before they died. As soon as we were old enough, they treated us like adults. Part of me missed being doted on by them like we were when we were little.
“It was a late evening,” I say as Mason takes my coat for me. I leave out the bit about how that wasn’t the end of our night either. Mason kept me up for hours, making sure I had zero thoughts of Candy or any other woman taking him from me.
“Gimme a kiss, baby,” she says to Mason, motioning for him to lean over to her level. He has a solid foot or more on her.
“Hey, Gram,” he says with a smile on his lips as he curls forward to embrace her. “I’m glad you came today.”
“Someone had to help your mother cook.”
“Gram, let them in,” Brax says, coming up behind her. “You need to learn to share.”
“Can’t teach an old dog new tricks, baby. If your grandpa didn’t teach me, no one will.”
Mason stares at her, confused by her statement. “Well, okay,” he mutters.
“The man had a wandering eye and an even more wandering di?—”
“Yep. That’ll do it,” Mason says, interrupting her before she can finish that statement.
Brax damn near loses it.
“Betty, I could use your help,” their mom calls out across the living room, saving us from a discussion we didn’t want to have.
“Got to go. Duty calls,” Gram says, hobbling away with speed I didn’t think she still had.
“That was crazy,” Brax tells Mason, shaking his head. “Gramps really was a huge problem.”
“Huge,” Mason replies. “Thank goodness she stuck around, or none of us would be here.”
“I couldn’t. The woman is a saint,” I say.
“Oh. She’s not. Trust me,” Mason tells me.
“Jesus,” Tate mutters as she holds her head at Brax’s side. “My head is killing me today.”
“Too many drinks?” Brax asks, elbowing her gently. “Happens when you get old.”
Tate glares daggers at Brax. “You want to say that again?”
“Not really,” he mumbles.
“Didn’t think so,” she says, keeping her eyes on him. “Why are we standing in the foyer?”
Mason shrugs. “Gram ambushed us.”
“Come in and warm up, Lizzy. I started a fire for us to curl up next to.” Tate reaches out to take my hand. “Soon, it’ll be too warm to enjoy the ambiance.”
“I love a good fire,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at Mason as I walk away with his sister.
Zoey’s on a recliner, curled up in a ball. We’re all feeling the aftereffects of last night, but no one more than her. She really let her hair down, and she has to be regretting it today.
“Why aren’t you hungover?” Tate pulls me down to the floor in front of the fireplace.
“I only had two martinis.”
With just one more day left in town, I didn’t want to spend it sick, and I definitely didn’t want to fly home with a massive headache and sick stomach. I’m not in my twenties anymore, and sadly, my recovery time isn’t what it used to be.
“I had three, but man, I’m feeling it today. Thankfully, Maddox and Hazel are looking after Willow, giving me some time to get my shit together.”
“Those girls are great.”
“They’re the best big sisters ever. They always steal her away to play. They fawn over her, which makes my heart happy. I love that all three of my girls are going to be close and have one another when they’re older.”
“It has to be a nice feeling.”
“It is. My brothers and I are close. Brax and I used to do the same thing with Mason when he was little, but we were too young to be as helpful to my mom. I’m sure we gave them more headaches than anything.” Tate chuckles as she picks up a glass of ginger ale from the extra-tall hearthstone.
The fireplace is massive, sitting off the floor by a foot, taking up nearly a third of the wall, and is flanked by windows. The house has dark, moody tones, the opposite of what I would’ve thought Tilly would’ve picked. She’s so bubbly, but her home is not.
I loved my parents, but I would’ve given anything to grow up in a family like the Gallos. There never would’ve been a dull moment, and I can’t imagine the words I’m bored would’ve ever come from my lips.
“Who are we talking about?” Iris, Brax’s wife, says as she sits down next to us, facing out toward the family room. “Please tell me it’s something good. I could use some gossip.”
Tate taps her chin and twists her lips. “Did you hear about Timber?”
I’ve met Timber a few times. He’s a solid guy and reminds me a lot of Hunter. The main difference is Timber seems to have his feet firmly planted in the single life, while I know my brother thrives in a relationship.
Iris leans closer, almost salivating to hear whatever Tate’s about to divulge. “Tell me everything. That man is beautiful.”
Tate rolls her eyes. “A woman came to the shop yesterday afternoon and told him she’s pregnant and he’s the daddy.”
Iris sucks in a breath between her teeth, nearly hissing. “Oh, man.”
“Dang,” I mutter. “I can imagine that’s not easy for either of them.”
Tate nods. “I’ve never seen Timber’s face turn as paper white as it did when she told him in front of everyone.”
“That had to be shocking news,” I say.
“Poor guy,” Iris whispers.
“Poor girl too,” Tate adds. “They’re getting together today to talk.”
“Have they been dating long?” I ask, clueless to the entire situation.
“I think they hooked up a few times, but nothing close to a relationship. Timber’s never been into that life.”
That’s exactly the vibe I got from him. The man is a player with a capital P. Nailed it.
“As soon as you learn anything, you need to share,” Iris rubs her hands together. “It’s like a real-life soap opera. He must be a mess.”
“He didn’t talk much the rest of the day. I’m sure he’s in a panic, but he’ll work through it. There are worse things in the world than being a parent.”
“Depends on the other person in the scenario. Did the woman seem okay?”
“She was definitely his type, but I don’t know much more than that. She wasn’t mad or upset. I’d say she was pretty level-headed, which is good,” Tate explains.
“I just can’t imagine,” I whisper.
Brax sits down behind Iris and scoots closer until she’s tucked between his legs. “What are we talking about?”
Tate explains everything again, and Brax looks as shell-shocked as Timber had to feel. “Fuck, that’s rough.”
“Maybe it’s what is meant to happen to get Timber to settle down,” Iris tells him.
Brax grabs a handful of Iris’s hair and shifts it over her shoulder. “You think this will make Timber settle down?”
She turns her head, glancing at her husband. “Yeah. Of course.”
“Wanna bet?” He smirks at her with a devilish gleam in his eyes.
“Laundry duty for a month,” she offers.
Tate rubs her forehead. “You two are giving me a bigger headache.”
“Zip it,” Brax tells her before giving his full attention to Iris. “I was thinking something a little spicier.”
“Like what? I’m not giving you my ass, baby.”
The smallest bit of wind could’ve knocked me over after her response. My mind can’t process the casual way they are talking about anal sex, and in front of his sister too.
“Fine. The loser isn’t allowed to wear clothes inside the house for a month.”
“Sweetie, all that nakedness isn’t appropriate in front of Nova.”
“She’s a baby. She doesn’t know any better.”
“I’m not paying for therapy when she’s older because we walked around naked in the house.”
“Fine.” His shoulders sag in defeat. “If I win, I get to tie you to the bed and have my way with you for an hour.”
“No butt stuff,” she repeats. “And if I win, I get a half hour foot rub every night for a month.”
“That doesn’t seem fair,” he tells her as he rests his head on her shoulder.
“But it is,” she replies. “Then I get one hour a week for a month with you tied to the bed.”
She turns around again, staring at him for a minute before he says, “Fair enough.”
Wylder drops down on the hearth next to Tate’s ginger ale. “What’s fair?” he asks.
“They’re betting on Timber,” Tate tells him, raising her arm and setting it on his leg. “Iris thinks Timber’s going to settle down with his new baby mama, and Brax doesn’t agree.”
“I’m with Brax,” Wylder says.
I look around the room, finding Mason across the way. As soon as our eyes meet, he waves me over. I don’t say goodbye. I just uncurl my legs, leaving the conversation of Timber behind, along with Mason’s siblings.
“You okay?” Mason asks as he wraps his warm arms around me.
“Perfect,” I tell him honestly.
Every day I’m in Chicago with the Gallos is a great day. How could I not move here and be surrounded by this kind of love and acceptance? I’d be an idiot not to.
“Have you seen my brother?” I ask Mason as I peer up at him with my hands flat against his muscular back.
“He went to pick up Amira.”
My little niece stole my heart the day she was born.
She’s had a choke hold on me ever since.
The day I found out she’d be moving away felt the same as when I lost my parents.
I grieved her absence, and my brother did too.
The idea of living close to her again has me damn near giddy.
When I’m in Ohio, all I do is think about being in Chicago, counting the days until I’m back here again.
“I love that girl,” I tell him.
“She’s a good one.” He presses his warm lips to my forehead. “She loves being around the family.”
“She’s not the only one.”
He smiles down at me, and my insides warm at the softness on his face. “They love you both too. You know that, right?”
I nod. “They’re good at making everyone feel welcome.”
“Not everyone.” One corner of his mouth tips upward. “But when they love someone and make them part of the family, there isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for that person. Once you’re in, you’re in.”
“We’re both lucky.”
And we are. Amira doesn’t have any grandparents on either side, and before the Gallos, the circle was small. Just her mom, Hunter, and me. No kid should grow up without people to lavish them with love and kisses.
“The pictures are ready,” Tilly announces. “Who wants to see old photos?”
Tate, Brax, Wylder, and Iris are the first to move.
Mason and I follow them into the front room, a living room that’s too small for the family to use when they’re together.
Scattered across the oval wooden coffee table are hundreds of pictures.
Some are faded and small, and others are so large, they’re meant to be hung on the wall.
I crumple to the floor, sitting next to Tate as I gaze across the memories. “Which one is you?” I ask as Mason stands behind me.
He reaches over my shoulder and picks up a photo with rounded edges that’s torn in one corner. “That’s me.”
I take the photo from his hand, studying it.
The little boy is damn cute with his shaggy dark brown hair and big brown eyes.
He’s wearing shorts and socks that are way too high up his shins, almost touching his knees.
He has a football under one arm and is flexing the biceps on his other.
His smile is large and infectious. “I wanted to be like my uncle.”
“Why didn’t you go into football, then?” I ask, running my finger over the faded paper.
“Tore my ACL sophomore year, and I knew I’d never get back to where I was. My dreams of being a professional like Uncle Vinnie died that day.”
“What a shame,” I whisper. But if he had become a huge star, traveling across the country to play, I probably wouldn’t have met him when I did, and I wouldn’t be sitting here today. He had to give up his dream, but a small sliver of me is thankful for the accident.
“I didn’t have the dedication it takes to become a professional,” he says, putting my mind at ease. He squeezes my shoulders. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I love my life. I’m right where I want to be.”
“Me too,” I tell him, and I realize everything in my life has led me to this moment.
I hate that I lost my parents so young. That’s the one thing I would change if I could.
Would I be able to pick up and move if they were still alive?
I’m not sure I could, but maybe they would move too in order to be closer to Amira.
I like to think everything would have happened exactly the same way if they were still here, but I don’t dwell on it too long because it’s too depressing.
Never in my life have I thought about having kids, but being surrounded by this family and staring at the memories, I feel my body aching for something more. I want to someday look back over photos of my children when they were little and know I lived a full life.