“Daddy!” Tessa gave her father an open-mouthed smile. “I’m 21.”
His jaw went slack, and he stared at her for a moment. “Are you sure? It feels like it was yesterday that I taught you how to drive. Do you remember that? You clipped the entry gate with my Maserati.”
Tessa’s hands flew to her lips. “I broke the headlight and you weren’t even mad.”
Tommy shrugged and smiled at his daughter with warmth and love projecting from his eyes – eyes that looked like exact replicas of Lucas’. “As if I could withstand those doe eyes.” Tommy handed the sketch pad back to Jessi and several pages flipped open. “Are those more designs?”
“Yes,” Jessi answered. “I made some designs for Sindy.”
“You did?” Sindy didn’t know what to say. She had lusted after this woman’s designs for years, but she could never afford anything that had Jessi Blade’s name on it. “Um. Thank you.”
Tessa read the worried thoughts inside Sindy’s head and whispered, “Don’t worry. My mom isn’t going to charge you.”
Sindy wouldn’t hear of it. This family had done too much for her already. “No. I’ll pay for them.”
“Let her do it.”
Sindy gave a slight shake of her head. She wouldn’t take advantage of the generosity in this household, but, she didn’t want to make a scene so she kept quiet. She’d deal with it later.
“We’ll go over the designs tomorrow,” Tessa told her mother. “I want to introduce Sindy to Alyssa and Damien. She hasn’t met them yet.”
Sindy’s breath caught, and she started to shake. Damien Diamond, Immortal Angel’s hardcore bassist, was here and she was finally going to meet him.
Tessa looped her arm through Sindy’s. “You’re gonna love Alyssa. She’s a total badass.”
“Don’t let her pierce anything!” Jessi called after them.
“What?” Sindy asked with a laugh, turning her head toward Jessi then to her friend for clarification.
“Alyssa’s a piercer. She pierced my nipples when I turned 18. My mom freaked when she found out, but I reminded her that she had a tongue piercing. I asked her if anything else was pierced that I didn’t know about, and that quieted her down real fast.”
When Sindy entered the living room, her gaze went straight to Lucas, who stood with his elbow leaning on the fireplace mantel enjoying a beer with Mason. He spotted her right away, but he was playing it cool, only tipping his chin at her while he continued his dialogue with Mason. But she saw the spark that lit up his eyes the moment he saw her, the way the corners of his mouth curled up, and the way he remained focused on her even though he was engaged in conversation.
Sindy’s pulse quickened, but she forced herself not to react. A lighthearted giggle drew her attention to a little boy on the other side of the room. He stood next to an elderly woman in a wheelchair with a pink blanket over her lap. Sindy looked closer. It was a Burberry blanket, and the woman’s nails were painted a matching color. She even wore a little makeup, and her stark white hair was pulled into a stylish loose bun. She was obviously well loved and taken care of. The boy was showing her his iPad. Mason’s parents stood with them, also looking down at the iPad. They suddenly let out a cheer, and Sindy realized the woman was playing a game on the iPad with the boy. “Is that Mason’s little brother?”
“Yep. That’s Michael. And Aunt Mary. She’s Mason’s aunt, but we all call her Aunt Mary.”
Sindy studied the woman and the way she delighted in playing with Mason’s little brother. Her arthritic fingers barely had the mobility to uncurl as she tapped on the screen. Neon colors reflected off her eyeglasses, while deep wrinkles fanned from the corners of her eyes as she smiled. Sindy couldn’t tell which one of them was having more fun, Mason’s little brother or his aunt. Watching them together was really sweet, especially with the vast age difference. “I take it she’s Jimmy or Audra’s aunt, and not one of their sisters, right?”
“No. She’s Mason’s aunt.”
Confused, Sindy tilted her head and turned to look at Tessa for an explanation.
Tessa paused, as if debating on whether or not to elaborate. “Jimmy is Mason’s father, but Audra is his step-mom. Mason’s birth mother left him with Jimmy when he was a toddler and took off, so Audra is the only mother he’s ever known. When Mason came to live with Jimmy, Aunt Mary came with him. Actually, I’m pretty sure she’s his great aunt.” Tessa smiled affectionately at the woman. “We all love Aunt Mary. She’s the best. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
Tessa knelt next to Aunt Mary and took her hand. “Are you OK, Aunt Mary? Do you need anything?”
“You could give me some pointers on how to play Michael’s video games. That boy beats me every time.” The woman patted Tessa’s cheek. “I’m fine, dear. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Sindy.” Tessa stood up and stepped aside so she didn’t block Aunt Mary’s view, but never let go of the woman’s hand. “Sindy, this is Aunt Mary. She helped raise all of us.”
“Hi.” Sindy smiled at the woman. “It’s nice to meet you, Aunt Mary.”
“Hello, dear. Oh, you’re the new guitar player. I remember now. My Mason told me all about you. Welcome to our family.”
“Hiya, Sindy! I’m Michael,” the little boy happily blurted out.
He was adorable, and had the signature Wilder dimples. “Hello, Michael. I hear you’re Mason’s little brother. How old are you?”
