26. Fireworks
FIREWORKS
SUZY
“I’m so full,” I moaned, rubbing my stomach while I lay on the pool lounger.
“I never want to eat another hot dog again,” Race said from beside me, holding her stomach too.
“I don’t know how you eat that shit.” Max wrinkled her nose.
“Max, drop the bullshit,” Mia told her, plopping into a chair next to Max at the table.
“Did you notice the guys seem more tense since the party started?” Angel poured another glass of lemonade and glanced around the yard, zeroing in on the guys huddled in one area. “See?” She pointed toward them.
“Something’s up, but they’re being pretty tight-lipped,” Izzy said, sitting near my feet with her legs dangling in the water.
“Anyone notice anything?” Angel asked.
“Someone called, but Joe said it was the wrong number.”
“Hmm.” Izzy rubbed her chin and stared in James’s direction. “Something’s up and I’m going to figure out what.” She pushed herself up to her feet, jutted out her chest, and strutted in his direction.
“She acts like she’s the boss, but we all know the truth,” Angel said and laughed.
“No matter what, I still think she has James by the balls,” Max said before pushing out her chair, creating the worst sound of the metal scraping against the cement.
I cringed. “Must you?”
Max rolled her eyes. “I’m going to check on the kids. Anyone need anything while I’m up?”
“We’re good,” I said, answering for the group. “Let me know if Ma needs help inside with the kids.”
Mrs. G had been inside most of the day, preferring to surround herself with the babies than adults. Fran had joined her too, but she had brought a wine bottle with her before she disappeared inside.
I turned toward Race. “How’s Fran been treating you?”
“She’s been really good. She’s too busy with Johnny to be up in our shit lately, and I’m too busy with the track to care.”
I wasn’t jealous of her. That wouldn’t be the right word. I envied her. For her independence and not being tied down by a gaggle of children. She owned a business and lived out her dreams.
“I told you Fran just needed a man.” I smiled, thinking back to when she blew into town. I thought Mrs. Gallo was involved in her kids’ lives, but I learned what it meant to be a helicopter parent the moment I met Fran.
Morgan wanted to start a new life away from Chicago, taking a job with Thomas at ALFA Investigations. He hadn’t expected his mother to uproot her life and follow him to Florida. After his stint in the military, she claimed she couldn’t live without him anymore.
“Well, Johnny was a game changer. She actually seems happy.” Race pulled down her sunglasses, blocking the glare from the setting sun.
I sighed, placing my hand over my eyes to get a better view of our guys and noticed Izzy heading back our way. “We all want love. Doesn’t matter how old we are.”
The guys stood near the tree line, talking and scanning the yard every few moments. They looked like a small army of tattooed sexiness. Mike, James, Joe, Anthony, Thomas, Sam, Morgan, Frisco, Bear, and Tank huddled together.
“Maybe they’re talking about where to set up the fireworks,” I told the girls, but I didn’t believe a word. Something was up, but as usual, they weren’t sharing with us.
“They stopped talking when they saw me. Something is definitely up.” Izzy sat back down, her brown hair flowing down her back as she placed her feet back in the pool.
Georgia walked out of the house. “Hey, girls. Sorry. I was inside spending time with Mrs. Gallo and the kids.”
“How are the babies?” I asked, too full to move.
“Having fun with Grandma.” Georgia took a sip from her beer before holding the cold mug up to her forehead. “It’s hotter than Hades out here.”
“Maybe we should take this party inside, girls.” Mia dragged her lemonade across the table and pressed it to her neck. “Between the view of our guys and the sun, I’m overheating.”
I laughed. I knew exactly what she meant. “Drinks inside?” I pushed myself up from the lounger. “I have champagne chilling in the fridge.”
“You better have more than one bottle.” Izzy turned to me. “I could down one myself without sharing.”
“That’s different than any other day, how?” Mia said and shook her head.
I bent down next to Izzy and scooped water in my hands, pouring it over my shoulders before smearing it around my neck. “Let’s go inside until the sun goes down and it cools off a bit. We’ll come back out before fireworks.”
I didn’t have to say it twice. Everyone followed me inside, collapsing in the kitchen.
“Why do we live in this hot-ass state, again?” Izzy whined.
“You’d rather make snow angels?” Mia teased her and grabbed the bottles of champagne out of the fridge.
Izzy’s lip curled in disgust. “Hell no.”
“Just open this and be quiet.” Mia shoved the bottle in front of Izzy’s face.
“Your hair looks really cute today, Suzy. Did you do something different to it?” Angel asked as she pulled down the champagne glasses from the cabinet next to the fridge.
“That’s because Daddy took a knot out of her hair,” Gigi said, strolling into the kitchen and overhearing us.
“He did?” Izzy asked and set the bottle down on the table before holding out her arms for Gigi. “Was Daddy doing Mommy’s hair?” Izzy set Gigi on her lap and started to tickle her.
Gigi squealed and squirmed in her arms. “Right here, he helped her, Aunt Iz.” She pointed at the table.
Izzy peered at me over Gigi’s head, and heat crawled up my neck. “Kids.” I grimaced, trying to deflect my embarrassment.
“Mommy was moaning and Daddy was grunting, so I think it was a big knot.”
I died a little bit inside.
“Oh, it sounds like it was hard.” Izzy giggled and winked at me, which earned her a middle finger since Gigi wasn’t looking at me.
Gigi put her hands on Izzy’s cheeks and brought her face closer. “Does Uncle Jimmy help you with your hair too?” The innocent look on her face made my heart melt.
“He does sometimes, baby girl.” Izzy kissed Gigi’s nose. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Gigi was a clone of Izzy. They were two peas in a pod. Not only did Gigi have the Gallo traits, the two of them had the same spitfire personality.
“Naked? Daddy’s butt was hanging out.” Gigi wrinkled her nose.
“Sometimes.”
Gigi’s eyes grew wider and she brought her face closer to Izzy’s, smashing her cheeks more. “Why?”
“Because that’s what couples do. You’ll understand when you’re older,” Izzy told her and rubbed her back.
“I don’t ever want a boyfriend. They’re gross, Aunt Iz.”
Izzy pulled her closer, cradling Gigi in her arms. “They are, Gigi. Don’t ever have a boyfriend.”
“Mommy and Daddy boss me around enough, I don’t need a man to boss me around like Uncle Jimmy does you.”
I bit my lip to hold in my laughter as my eyes met Izzy’s. We often think our kids don’t really see what’s going on—that they’re too young to understand. Even with their innocence, they see everything that happens around them.
“Uncle Jimmy doesn’t boss me around.” Izzy stroked Gigi’s hair and started to rock back and forth in the chair.
Gigi twirled a strand of Izzy’s hair, the same shade of brown as her own, around her finger. “Does he spank you? Daddy spanks Mommy when she’s bad.”
Izzy dragged her eyes to mine. “Sometimes I get a spanking when I’m bad too. Just like when you’re a bad girl, Gigi.”
“But Mommy seems to like it when Daddy spanks her, Aunt Izzy. When I’m a bad girl, I get a time-out, not a spanking. So why does Mommy get spanked?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and wished for a quick escape. Not this again.
“You’d have to ask her, Gigi.”
“Mommy?” Gigi said, turning her face toward me.
I stood quickly because I couldn’t answer her with a straight face, and I didn’t want to have to explain my sex life to my child. “I think I hear Joe calling for me. I’m sure Aunt Izzy can explain it to you.”
I walked out of the kitchen before anyone could stop me, especially Gigi.
I dreaded the day I’d have to explain the birds and the bees.
The day she realized Daddy wasn’t punishing me for being bad would be the day I’d want to crawl into a hole and hide.
Above all, hopefully, she’ll realize how much her father and I loved each other.