CHAPTER 24 ALEXIS
We spend a large majority of the rest of the night and the next morning naked, but then our guests are going to start showing up, so we only have a few more minutes before we have to get in the shower and put some clothes on.
“Are we going to let everyone in on our secret?” I ask softly as I trace little circles on his chest.
“Depends. Do you want to go through with the whole thing again for their sake or just tell them the truth and have a two-day party?”
I chuckle. “Two-day party for sure. Who did you invite?”
I know everyone is staying here, which is why Danny wanted a big house for this. But what he didn’t tell me is who he invited.
“I kept it really small. Gregory was the main surprise. I invited Cooper, Rush, and Anna, too. I guess her soon-to-be-ex is taking my nephews for the weekend so Anna could come party it up with us. And Gabby’s dad is taking in their little girl while they come here for a quick getaway.”
“But this means no more naked time?” I ask, and he laughs.
“Naked time is always encouraged. We can come up to our bedroom any time for as much naked time as you want.”
I giggle, and then we take our shower together.
Gregory and Tracy are the first guests to show up, and they come by at lunchtime with their suitcases and some food for us.
“Hope you two had a fun night,” Tracy says lightly, and I blush furiously while her son doesn’t bat an eyelash.
“Hope you and the RoboCop had a fun night, too,” Danny says.
“That’s a new one,” Tracy says, and Danny shrugs.
“Trying some new nicknames out. The Punisher? Stone Cold Greg? He seemed to like Sargeant Sunshine.”
Gregory doesn’t bat an eye at all the nicknames. He doesn’t react at all, which makes it even funnier to me.
We eat lunch together, and then the doorbell rings. Gregory gets up to answer it just to ensure it’s not any sort of threat, and I have to admit, I like having him close.
A minute later, Anna and Rush walk into the kitchen.
I leap out of my seat to give my sister-in-law who doesn’t actually know yet that she’s my sister-in-law a hug while Danny greets Rush with a bro hug and a slap on the back.
“I’m so happy you’re here!” I squeal.
I always wanted a sister. I always wanted a sibling—someone to share the ups and downs with, to complain about Mom and Dad to, someone who would miss Mom once she was gone as much as I did. It was hard facing that loss with my father, who had just lost a wife. It’s not the same thing.
A little girl needs her mom.
She needs her dad, too. But her dad started to turn on her somewhere along the way, and she never even saw it coming.
If Mom was here, I can’t help but wonder how different my life would be. Same question for a sibling. Would either of them have been able to manage my father better than I did?
Maybe I did something wrong along the way that led him to where he is now. Or maybe none of it has anything at all to do with me, and it’s all on him.
I think somehow I managed to end up right where I’m supposed to be. I just wish I could’ve ended up here with my dad’s blessing.
I have Gregory’s, though, and that’s good enough for me.
“So what’s the big secret?” Anna asks.
I glance over at Danny. “You didn’t tell her why she needed to come here?”
He shrugs. “I figured the fewer people who knew, the better.”
“Including your own sister?”
Anna laughs. “That’s Danny for you. I mean, I have an idea of what it might be, but…”
“Well, we have some news,” Danny says dryly. He nods at me as if to tell me to go ahead.
“We were planning to get married on Saturday, but we did it yesterday and now we’re going to party for the next two days,” I blurt.
Anna’s jaw drops open, and Rush has a similar reaction beside her.
“You’re married?” Anna breathes.
“Holy shit, man,” Rush says, and he bro slaps Danny on the back again. “Congratulations!”
“My sister-in-law is Alexis Bodega?” Anna says. “My sister-in-law is Alexis Bodega. Oh my God, I need to sit.”
I giggle at her reaction, but she does, in fact, sit, as she fans her face.
“I mean…I had a feeling that’s what this was, all top secret and everything, but to actually hear the words, and it’s already done. Wow. Wow! I’m just…I’m—I didn’t think Danny would ever really get married, and now he is, and to you, and wow!”
“Say congratulations,” Danny teases.
She jumps up. “Congratulations!” She pulls me into her arms and gives me a big squeeze, and she hugs Danny next while Rush grabs me up into a big hug.
This is the sort of family I wish I had grown up with. Maybe I wasn’t lucky enough to grow up with this, but I have it now, and I won’t waste a single day. I will hold onto the gratitude I feel in this moment forever.
Cooper and Gabby arrive next, and they have a similar reaction. Nobody can believe that Danny, the bad boy of baseball, eternal bedhopping playboy, is married.
And furthermore, nobody can believe that he snagged Alexis Bodega.
But in all honesty, I feel like I’m the lucky one.
We spend the rest of the day eating, drinking, and drinking some more as we celebrate this new union. Once it gets dark outside, Tracy decides to head out to give us kids some privacy even though we tell her to stay.
And Gregory actually says, “I think you’re in safe hands here, so I will leave you to your party.”
He heads out with Tracy, and I have no idea if he’s staying at her house or what’s going on there…but something is definitely going on there.
We head down to the beach, and Danny starts a bonfire, where we roast marshmallows and we’re hidden by the dark of night.
Nobody walking along the beach knows it’s Alexis Bodega partying with three of the hottest baseball players who just won the World Series.
Nobody knows I’m married to Danny Brewer now.
Nobody knows I’m Mrs. Caroline Alexis Brewer.
That has a damn nice ring to it, and part of me can’t wait to tell the entire world.