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Out of nowhere, Keane and Maddy emerge from the crowd and stand next to Claire’s chair. Keane says, “Hey, before you take her away, can Maddy and I ask the birthday girl to help us, real quick?” Without waiting for a reply, Keane hands his chocolate-smeared niece a slender white stick. “Hey, Claire-Bear. Will you hold this up for us?”
I’m not sure what the stick is, but whatever it is, Claire wants to eat it. As she brings the thing to her mouth, Tessa leaps forward to grab it. And when she holds it up, and everyone surmises it’s a positive pregnancy test, an explosion of joy bursts from the crowd.
“Please tell me you washed that thing before handing it to my child,” Ryan says, whacking his little brother across the top of his blond head.
“That’s not a real test!” Keane says, laughing and covering his head. “I got it off a gag website!”
The crowd converges on Keane and Maddy to congratulate them and pepper them with questions. We learn Maddy’s at the end of her first trimester and feeling well. And that the baby is due at the end of the year. But that’s all the information I can absorb for now, even though I’m thrilled for Maddy and Keane.
The truth is, these days, I can’t focus on any topic for long before my thoughts drift to Alessandra. We video chatted again last night, after I got back from taking my mom out to dinner for her birthday. And, once again, our conversation was magical. So much so, by the time we hung up, I felt like our relationship had progressed, yet again.
The crowd laughs at something Keane says, jerking me from my thoughts, and I realize Dax and Colin have walked away. That, in fact, they’re now sitting in a corner with Zander and Dax’s oldest brother, Colby.
I motion to Kat’s husband, Josh, on the other side of the crowd, and then to the corner where the guys are now sitting, and that’s all Josh needs to follow me.
When Josh and I arrive in the corner, we pull up chairs and join the conversation in progress. They’re talking about Colby’s latest addition—his newborn daughter, Hayley, who’s presently swaddled in Colby’s arms.
I listen for a bit. Again, I’m happy for my friend. But, soon, once again, my mind wanders to Alessandra. When the hell can I get to Boston to see her?
“What about you, Fish Taco?” Ryan, the second-oldest Morgan sibling and our host for today, says. When I look at him, Ryan says, “I asked how your love life is going these days.”
“Oh. It’s going well. I’ve actually got a girlfriend. Alessandra.” I feel my cheeks turning warm. I think Alessandra’s my “girlfriend,” based on the stuff we said to each other on Friday night. I said I only want her and she returned the sentiment. So, that makes her my “girlfriend,” right?
“That’s great, Fish,” Ryan says.
“Unfortunately, she lives in Boston,” I reply. “So, we’re doing a long-distance thing at the moment.”
Ryan asks me how I met Alessandra, so I tell him, and his older brother, Colby, too, neither of whom were at Reed’s party, the entire story. And when it becomes clear Reed’s party was a mere nine days ago, I can tell both dudes are thinking I’m putting the cart before the horse. Getting too attached, too quickly. Assuming too much. But I don’t think they’re right about that, if that’s indeed what they’re thinking.
“Well, now I understand why you haven’t said a word about our mother’s hotness today,” Colby says. He gestures across the backyard. “Momma Lou’s been standing over there doing happy dances about Maddy’s pregnancy for the past twenty minutes, and you haven’t said a word about her.”
I glance across the backyard at Louise and discover she is, indeed, doing a lovely happy dance at this very moment. I force myself not to smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Momma Lou is like a second mother to me.”
Ryan snorts. “Well, then, I guess we should add Oedipus to your list of nicknames, eh?”
Everyone laughs, including me.
Keane says, “We all know you’ve been thirsting after our momma for ten years, brah. Maybe even longer.”
I shrug. “If that’s true—not saying it is—then I think the days of me thirsting after her are now officially over.”
“No,” Colin says.
“Yup. I’m a one-woman man. Thirsting after anyone, even Momma Lou—and even in jest—feels like I’m betraying my girlfriend.”
Keane snorts. ‘‘Even in jest, my ass.”
I roll my eyes.
“So, when are you going to see this girlfriend in Boston?” Ryan asks.
“Not for a couple months, unfortunately. Our schedule is packed.”
Dax says, “Violet and Reed are putting together a huge charity concert in New York next month. If you guys are down, let’s do it. You could see Alessandra then.”
