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His first call had been to Ronan to let him know we’d arrived and that we’d be flying to Pine Ridge, South Dakota the following day to take his mother’s body back to the reservation she’d grown up on. When Mace had asked about the arrangements after Mav had hung up with Ronan, Mav had simply said that Ronan would take care of having the body transported to the airport in Newark as well as to the reservation from the airport near Pine Ridge. His next call had been the telling one because after he’d said his name, he’d asked to speak to his grandfather. He’d been silent as the other caller had spoken, but when he’d said, “Tell him his daughter is dead and I’m bringing her home,” and then hung up, I’d known the man had likely refused to speak to Mav. And I knew that whatever tomorrow brought when we reached the reservation, it would be pure hell for Mav.
Once Mace and I reached the kitchen, I threw myself into cutting up the vegetables that needed to be chopped for the salad. Neither of us spoke as we worked, but I didn’t miss the way Mace looked at me. When I was finished putting the salad together, I noticed that Mace was making two versions of the same type of casserole. At my curious glance he said, “Cole loves mushrooms and peppers, but Jonas hates them.”
I smiled at that. “My uncle does that too.”
“Does what?”
“Cooks separate meals for his partners.”
Mace stilled. “Your uncle is involved with two people?”
I nodded. “Two men. They’ve been together almost nine years. Ren keeps saying he’s tired of making two dinners plus something separate for the girls, but he does it anyway.”
“Girls?”
“Their daughters. Two of them.”
Mace laughed. “Two daughters? They’re screwed.”
I chuckled. “The fathers or the daughters?”
Mace smiled. “Both I guess.” He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a can of soda and offered it to me. He grabbed one for himself and motioned to the kitchen table.
“Those girls have my uncles wrapped around their little fingers. Ren, Declan and Jagger are the ones in trouble.”
“Are they your only family?” Mace asked.
The temporary warmth I’d been feeling at the many memories of the three men trying to figure out how to manage two young daughters fled. Mace must have seen something in my expression because he said, “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. The air turned awkward between us and I felt instantly guilty. The man’s question had been a harmless one. I was the one turning it into something more. “They’re a big family,” I said. “Ren has three brothers. Vin is the oldest and he’s married to Mia. They have four kids. Dom’s next. He’s married to Logan and they have three kids. Rafe is the youngest and is married to Cade. They also have three kids and are expecting another one in a couple of months. There’s also Zane and Connor who are raising Zane’s younger brother and sister and they have a five-year-old son. Logan’s sister is married to one of his best friends and his other best friend is married too.”
Mace looked at me for a long time before laughing heartily. “That is a big family. You’re a lucky guy, Eli.” Mace took a drink and then asked, “Which one of the brothers is your father?”
“What?” I asked in startled surprise.
Mace hesitated. “You said they were your uncles. I just assumed…”
I swallowed hard and shook my head. “No, I’m not really part of the family,” I clarified. “I met Dom when I was a kid and he helped me and my mom out. I kind of just hung out with them here and there.”
I was glad when Mace didn’t say anything. Instead, he got up to check the casseroles and put them in the oven. When he returned to the table I asked, “How long have you and Jonas and Cole been together?”
“A few months. We’re still trying to figure everything out,” he admitted.
“What do you mean?”
Mace tilted his head. “We know that the three of us were meant to be together, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world sees it the same way.”
I nodded in understanding. “Ren, Declan and Jagger went through that. Their family was never an issue of course, but there were plenty of people who told them more than once that what they were doing wasn’t natural. Especially when they had kids and started interacting with other parents and stuff.”
“How’d they deal with it?”
“They figured out who their real friends were and told everyone else to fuck off,” I said. “It’s hard for their oldest little girl to understand sometimes why she doesn’t get invited to certain kids’ birthday parties and stuff,” I acknowledged. “But her fathers more than make up for it – those two girls will never doubt how much their fathers love them. And you mess with one Barretti, you mess with them all,” I added with a chuckle.
