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“Sorry, Mrs. James. I’m not trying to be a bitch, but let me tell you what your son did to me. On the night of Ash’s gallery show, I was patiently waiting for a parking space, had my blinker on and everything, and in swooped your son. I was in heels, and had to park on the street, farther away from the gallery, with no street lamp near me. Can you imagine what could have happened?”
I love Tia, she’s a breath of fresh air, but hell, she’s laying it on thick.
“William Andrew, is this true?”
Liam leans forward, grabbing a piece of shrimp from our hors d’oeuvres platter. “Great, are you happy you little tattletale?” he whispers to Tia.
“Oh fuck, here we go,” Ash mutters under his breath.
“Well, I’m so sorry to hear my boy was so rude, he was raised better than that, Tia, I assure you.”
“Oh, Mama James, you and I will be the best of friends. Want to see what these boys have as far as drinks go? I want to see this place in all its glory.”
“Why, yes, that’s a great idea, my dear. And we girls have to stick together. The odds are not in our favor tonight.”
Tia links her arm with my mother’s, and in a matter of seconds, she becomes my mom’s favorite person.
I sit in one of the recliners, Ash sitting on my lap. “How is that even fucking fair?” he asks, speaking of my mom and her immediate bond with Tia.
“Oh, it’s easy,” Liam states, grabbing for another shrimp. “Tia isn’t banging her precious little boy—yet. If she was, it would be a whole other thing.”
I only heard one word in the bullshit that just came out of his mouth:yet.
“I swear to the fucking heavens, Liam, Tia is off limits,” I warn.
"This night has just become entertaining," my father announces, sitting back as he prepares to take in the Liam/Tia show.
* * *
Dinner is enjoyable,even with both my mother and Tia a little intoxicated at the table.
“I want to hear the story of the fish tank,” Tia begs.
“No!” I say when my brother is about to share it for everyone.
“Ah, you’re no fun, Noah James.”
Ash stands and takes the bottle of wine from his sister. “And you’re cut off.”
Liam smiles at her with a pleased look on his face, but Tia flips him off. All it does to my brother is make him more steadfast in his quest, and by the way he looks at her, none of my threats have helped.
“There’s a reason we brought you all together, tonight,” I announce, and all eyes are on me.
“When you know you’ve found the one that completes you, it clicks. Ashton is the other piece of me in this world. It was like God made him specifically to be my partner in life. Last week, I surprised him with a trip to the beach, and while we were there, I asked him to marry me. And he said yes.”
The entire table erupts in congratulations, except my mother, who sits there and cries.
PARTIII
DESTINY
The hidden power that is believed
to control what will
happen in the future.
(Via Webster’s Dictionary)
