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Manny got out but before he closed the door, he opened it again and stuck his head in. “You sure you don’t want any—”
“No, I don’t want anything. Now hurry up before I leave your ass here.”
Waiting a second as Romero glanced back down at his phone still shaking his head, Manny slammed the door so hard Romero flinched and nearly dropped his phone. The stunned expression was enough to have them all rolling even as an exasperated Romero yelled out for Manny. That would’ve been good enough, but Manny opened the door again. “What?”
“Why the hell you slamming my door like that?”
“It slipped.”
Still glaring at him, Romero shook his head, his expression completely irritated but didn’t say more. Once again Manny waited until Romero was glancing down at his phone, letting his guard down. The door slammed so much harder this time the whole car shook.
This time Romero did drop his phone. “What thefuuuuck!”
Vannah and Nena could barely catch their breath, they laughed so hard. Even Romero smirked as he watched them all laughing at his expense. Apparently, everyone at their table had already seen the video because just hearing it from where they were sitting, they laughed heartedly too.
Manny took his phone back to find the other video he’d mentioned. “This guy’s just too easy,” he said shaking his head and wiped tears away.
Through his continued wheezing high-pitched laughter, he explained that the next one was him being an influencer. “Yaknow? Giving advice and tips on something you’re aconnoisseuron.”
Romero shook his head after sipping his beer but smirked. “Yeah, this fat bacon loverconnoisseur.”
Vannah and Nena laughed. They didn’t even know what to expect but already it sounded hilarious. Manny handed the phone back to Vannah and again Nena and Byron assumed the position ready to see what they were in for. The video started up. It was heavyset Manny sitting on a weight bench in Romero’s garage, wearing the most ridiculous straight-out-of-the-seventy’s workout outfit. Suspenders, head band, leg warmers, and all.
At this point Vannah already had a major case of the giggles and she was cackling just looking at the outfit. “Oh, my God!” she wailed with laughter.
They all watched the video laughing as Manny looked into the camera and whispered. “Here he comes,” he gave a thumbs up and turned the camera to the door where Romero walked out into the garage and immediately slowed, his expression instantly going sour.
“What are youdoing? What the hell are you wear—”
“Shut up,” Manny said. “I’m shooting a video here for all my followers.”
Since Manny was holding up the phone in front of him it was clear Romero thought Manny was videotaping himself not him. “A lot of yous have been asking about my diet, workout regime, and how I stay in such great shape.”
Romero’s head literally jerked back, and Vannah and Nena nearly fell off their chairs laughing. Even Byron was cracking up now.
“Thehell?” Romero asked. “You’rein great shape? And what followers—?”
“Let me finish this, will ya?” Manny said as Romero continued to gawk at him in utter disbelief. “First of all, I don’t eat any junkever. Nothing but salads and healthy shit all day long. I wake up every morning at four AMsharp,and go for a five-mile run. Then—”
“Get thefuckout of here!” Romero finally laughed which immediately had Manny wheezing in both the video, and as he stood there watching them all laugh.
“Holy hell! This isgreat.” Nena said clutching her chest still laughing and wiping away tears.
Both sisters could barely catch their breath, they continued to laugh so hard. Vannah had seen the challenges online before, but Romero just made such a perfect candidate for these. Especially it being Manny who pulled them on him. Over the years, Vannah had witnessed the countless times Romero had lost his patience with his uncles. No matter how annoyed Romero got, it was always so amusing to watch and listen to them go back and forth.
Already sending Manny her email address, Nena assured him the videos would be up within the next week. They watched them a few more times getting just as big laughs as the first times. Byron even had to help Vannah wipe her runny mascara she’d laughed so hard. That workout outfit Manny wore was just classic, and watching Manny purposely get Romero more and more worked up in the door slamming one, was just too hilarious.
Aside from the videos giving them all a good laugh, Uncle Manny bringing out his phone had unintentionally served another purpose. Vannah couldn’t have been more thankful for it either. Despite her trying to reassure Byron that today would be far easier than yesterday, there was no hiding how tense he’d still been when they’d first walked in. Romero’s in-your-face spiel about hunting people down hadn’t helped. But the videos and laughs they’d gotten both while they’d watched and after when they continued to discuss them had given them a welcome distraction from everything else going on around them.
Other than a few more tense-ishconversations with her dad and his brothers, the rest of their time at the party went smoothly. Even so, just like yesterday when they got back to their room Vannah gave Byron a much-needed massage to help alleviate all the tension that’d mounted in his hard muscles as the day had passed. Despite Vannah thinking the day felt much easier than yesterday, Byron confirmed the only time he’d been completely relaxed was when they’d been cracking up at Manny’s videos.
Straddling Byron on his back, Vannah worked the tension out of his neck and shoulders with her fingers as best she could. Hearing him moan made her smile and at the same time feel a little guilty. Obviously, this weekend hadn’t been easy for him. And they’d still be having breakfast with her parents’ tomorrow morning before heading back to Los Angeles.
Just thinking about everything he’d been put through so far with her family and what a trooper he’d been about it, never once complaining nearly had the words,I love you, slipping out. She wouldn’t say it even if she was sure she felt it, because it was way too soon. If her overbearing family hadn’t spooked him off yet, that just might. But she leaned down and kissed the back of his neck softly.
“Thank you,” she whispered against his ear.
Byron lifted his head a little. “For what? You’re the one giving me a massage.”
“For everything you put up with this weekend.”
This time he lifted his head further, and then turned around making Vannah have to slip off him. Pulling her in his arms, he gazed into her eyes. “Totally worth it.” He kissed her softly. “And I already told you, Savannah. I get it. Your dad’s threat, your uncle reminding me what I’d be dealing with, if I so much as ever make you cry. Your other uncles’ obvious lack of trust this soon. I can’t even imagine what me or my brother would do if we ever saw one of our Littles cry because some fucker broke her heart.” He chuckled before kissing her again. “Sucks being the would-be fucker, on this end of the scenario. But I’m glad you have so many backing you up. You’d be surprised. I’ve known girls whose families are the ones they have to be protected from. I love—” He seemed to catch himself as Vannah’s heart walloped. “I love knowing that even if things don’t work out for us for whatever reason, there’s plenty of others with genuine concern, that would gladly step up and kick some ass for you.” The sweet smile morphed into a smoldering one, as he lifted her blouse and peeked at her braless breasts. “But,if you really feel so inclined to thank me even though you don’t have to.”
Byron leaned in and took her breast in his mouth, sucking firmly and making her already trembling body, heat with anticipation. “There’s other ways I’d gladly allow it.”
His mouth moved to her other breast as he proceeded to suck a bit more feverishly and groaned. They’d only been making love for a few days now, but already Vannah knew, they’d likely never go another day being around each other that it wouldn’t happen. Just the thought had her breathing in deeply with a smile as she ran her fingers through his hair, so ready to have him in her again.
