At Peace (66 page)

One thing was good, the girls were thrilled
and I liked it that they already thought of Joe’s family as theirs.
I thought it was a little weird, we’d only met them once, but I
liked it.

The rest of it was bad.

I disengaged from Joe and walked forward
as Kate announced to Theresa and Vinnie, “We
so
have to do that!”

Oh Lord.

I ignored the reunion planning and went to
Bea first. “Hey Bea.”

Kate and Gary let her go and Bea walked into
my arms. I gave her a hug and she gave me one back. When she did, I
forgot the current drama and felt Tim’s Mom’s arms around me.
They’d been around me before, hundreds of times through laughter,
through tears and just because. My eyes stung as the memories
assailed me and I pulled her closer.

“Honey,” she whispered.

“I’m okay,” I whispered back but my voice was
hoarse.

I didn’t let her go and shoved my face in her
neck, smelling her perfume, the same scent she wore since forever,
and the tears spilled over.

“Oh, my precious girl,” Bea murmured.

“Missed you so much,” I choked.

“Me too, sweetie.”

I pulled my head away and looked at her to
see tears in her eyes and I shook my head and laughed, not because
it was funny, just because it was so
us
.

“We’re the pair, aren’t we?” I asked.

She smiled at me and I felt Gary get
close.

“Lemme have a bit of that,” Gary demanded,
Bea let me go and turned me into Gary’s arms.

“Hey Dad,” I said into his ear.

“Hey there, my beautiful flower.”

His words, words he meant, words I liked,
words said so often to me, made me choke again and I shoved my face
in his neck. He held tight until I pulled in a steady breath then
he let me go and turned us to the rest of the gang. Kate, Keira,
Bea and even Theresa had wet eyes. Vinnie was studying his shoes.
Joe’s eyes were on me.

Gary’s gaze went to Joe.

“This your new fella?” Gary asked, his voice
studiously friendly.

Before I could answer, Keira did. “Yeah,
Gramps, that’s Joe. He’s
the bomb.
”

Gary gave his granddaughter a small smile
that I could see he didn’t fully commit to and then he let me go
and offered his hand to Joe.

“Joe, I’m Gary.”

Joe took his hand and said, “Pleasure.”

They dropped hands and Gary looked Joe up and
down. “Pam didn’t lie, you’re a big guy.”

“Yep,” Joe agreed and said nothing else for
this was true, Joe was a big guy.

Gary turned and pulled Bea to his side. “My
wife, Bea.”

Joe pulled me to his side as he dipped his
chin to Bea and murmured, “Bea.”

“Am I gonna get a kiss or what?” Theresa
demanded to know, getting impatient and butting in. Then she
bustled up and grabbed Joe’s face, yanking it down to hers, kissing
his cheek then his other cheek then back before letting him go and
coming to me to do the same thing. When she jerked my head around I
understood why Joe didn’t protest. She was jerking my head around,
sure, but the affectionate way she did it felt good.

“
Cal, son.” Vinnie shoved in, giving Joe a
back pounding hug then he turned to me and whispered,
“
Cara
mia,
” then he gave me a
tight hug, released me and turned to Bea and Gary and asked, “So,
momentous occasion, you meetin’ your daughter’s new
man.”

“Um… Vinnie,” I said, “these aren’t my
parents. They’re Tim’s parents.”

“Tim?” Vinnie asked me.

“My husband,” Vinnie’s eyes got big and I
finished quickly, “he died just under two years ago.”

I could swear Vinnie’s face grew knowing and
he looked at Joe.

Before I could assess what Vinnie’s knowing
look meant, Vinnie said, “Right,” clapped his hands and finished in
a booming voice, including Bea and Gary in his announcement,
“family’s family, always is, always will be, thank God. Now, I need
coffee. We been on the road since six and road coffee is shit.” He
leaned into Bea, who leaned back as he said, “Pardon my
French.”

Theresa slapped him on the arm and snapped,
“Vinnie, the girls. They don’t need to hear your foul mouth.”

“That’s okay, Aunt Theresa, Joe cusses all
the time and he says much worse stuff, like the f-word and the
c-word.” Keira, doing her best to make Vinnie and Theresa feel
better, threw Joe right under the bus.

I groaned because Bea, nor Gary, would shine
their light on Joe cursing in front of the girls. The f-word, Gary
would accept on occasion, but not in front of the girls. Never Bea,
she went to church every Sunday and taught Sunday school for thirty
years. The c-word for both, never, ever. Tim didn’t shy away from
swearing but he never did it in front of his Mom or the girls and I
wasn’t certain I’d ever heard Tim use the c-word.

Joe slid his arm around my shoulders and
pulled me to his side. I looked up at him and he definitely looked
like he was fighting back laughter now.

I couldn’t see what was funny.

Joe looked down at me, squeezed my shoulder
and prompted, “Coffee, buddy.”

“Right,” I whispered, Joe turned me and we
led the way to the house.

“Gram, this is my new dog, Mooch,” I heard
Keira announce and then I heard Mooch yap his hello.

“He’s cute, honey,” Bea replied quietly.

We hit the house and the minute we did, Joe
turned Dad.

“Keira, babe, show Theresa and Vinnie around.
Katy, help your Mom with coffee. Yeah?” Joe ordered.

“Sure, Joe,” Kate smiled at him and skipped
to the kitchen.

“No probs, big man,” Keira stated on a grin.
She dropped Mooch and linked her arms with Vinnie and Theresa,
tugging them through the living room into the hall.

I was staring at my youngest daughter,
thinking,
Big man?

Then I looked at Gary and Bea whose heads
were swinging back at forth between the girls.

“Why don’t you guys sit?” I suggested.
“Coffee’s fresh. Joe brewed a pot not ten minutes ago.”

Gary started then looked at me. “That’d be
fine, Vi.”

Bea looked up at Gary. “I need to get my pie
out of the cooler, hon.”

“Yeah,” Gary muttered, “right.”

“Pie?” Kate asked from the kitchen where she
was taking down mugs.

“I, uh… made, um… Joe here a chocolate cream
pie,” Bea answered shyly.

“
Killer!
” Kate shrieked then screamed, “Keirry,
Gramma made Joe a chocolate cream pie!”

“No way!” Keira’s voice shouted from down the
hall.

“Way!” Kate shouted back.

“
Phenomenal!
” Keira yelled.

I looked at Joe and explained, “Bea’s
chocolate cream pie is really good.”

Joe’s mouth was twitching before he stated,
“I’m gettin’ that.”

“I’ll go get it,” Gary muttered, his mouth
also twitching which I hoped was a good sign.

I went to the kitchen. Joe moved to Bea.

“Sorry, Bea, didn’t know Vinnie and Theresa
were comin’. You want, I’ll take ‘em somewhere, give you some time
with Vi and the girls,” he offered, my stomach melted and Kate
leaned into me, bumping me with her shoulder.

“I’m fine, Joe. It’ll be okay but… uh… thank
you,” Bea said softly.

Joe wasn’t done. “They can get loud and in
your business, it gets too much, just give me the sign, yeah?”

I was worried this was too honest. Being
honest was, of course, Joe and it was also sweet but I didn’t want
Bea to think I was telling tales out of school.

I held my breath and she looked up at him,
not quite meeting his eyes then she lifted a hand. I thought she’d
touch him but she dropped her hand and spoke.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

“Right,” Joe muttered and Keira, Vinnie and
Theresa came into the room, Keira playing tour guide.

“
So this is the living room which comes
complete with dining area and views of our sparkling kitchen
which
I
cleaned.” She
threw an arm out and sashayed around the room as if she was a paid
model, showcasing a luxurious suite before she went on. “And next,
you’ll see our
fabulous
study.”

Joe grinned at Keira, hooked her around the
chest as she sashayed passed him and pulled her back to his front.
Then he bent and kissed her hair. He let her go and she turned a
radiant smile on him before sauntering into the study.

Bea watched him do this then her eyes came to
me. I saw the sheen of tears but I also saw her smile.

I smiled back, thinking maybe it all would be
okay and then I began to get down to the task of seeing to the
coffee but before I could my eyes caught on Theresa.

She was staring at Joe, tears in her eyes
too. She seemed locked in place even as Joe moved toward the
kitchen, her eyes stayed glued to where he was when he kissed
Keira.

“
Aunt Theresa!” Keira called. “You’re
missing the
fabulous
study!”

Theresa’s body jolted, her gaze moved swiftly
to me then she looked away, swiping her fingers under eyes before
turning toward the study.

“
Can’t miss the
fabulous
study,” she called back, forced cheerfulness in
her voice.

Vinnie gave her a look then he gave me a look
then he gave Joe a look. When Theresa got close, he pulled her into
his side. Keira strolled around the study, bringing their attention
to the “top-notch, state-of-the-art computer system that Mr. Joe
Callahan recently installed” (her words). As Keira spoke, Theresa
put her head on Vinnie’s shoulder and I felt a lump of tears hit my
throat.

My eyes moved to Bea who was studying these
goings-on closely, her face thoughtful.

Joe got close to me and whispered, “First
shock of it, baby, they’ll get used to it and it’ll all be
good.”

I looked up at him and nodded. He touched his
mouth to mine. Gary walked in with the pie.

“And now, Joe and Mom’s phenomenal boudoir!”
Keira announced.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

Joe grinned.

Theresa, Vinnie, Bea and Gary all looked at
Joe and me.

Joe remained silent.

I resisted the urge to kick him and
announced, “Um… by the way, Joe moved in last week.”

Kate came up beside Joe and me and
unusually declared very publicly and with a drama that would make
Keira proud, “Yeah, and thank God he did, seein’ as my
ex-
boyfriend,
Dane, the Jerk, was a
jerk
and since Joe was here, he took me for a ride in his
Bullitt
car.” She looked at Bea and
explained like she knew everything about the history of Ford
Mustangs (which she might, who knew what she and Joe talked about
when I wasn’t around). “That’s a 1968 Mustang GT, Gram,” then she
went on to everyone, “and Joe told me that we Winters girls were
the best women he’d ever met and if Dane didn’t get with the
program he was gonna lose his chance because I shouldn’t put up
with anything less than my man handin’ me
the
world.
” This was okay, until she finished. “And, he said if Dane
ever hurt me again, he’d break his neck!”

“Oh shit,” I muttered but before I could
intervene, Keira skipped toward the living room and carried on with
the storytelling.

“
Yeah, and when our mean, nasty,
loud
neighbor bleached Mom’s yard
with a dirty word, Joe and me fixed it and Joe said I was the best
assistant he ever had and he’s gonna teach me security so I can
install systems like he does for people like Nicole Bolton and
Jarrod Francis.”

Kate looked at Joe and breathed, “You
installed Nicole Bolton and Jarrod Francis’s systems?”

“Not Bolton, babe, but Francis, yeah,” Joe
told her.

“Wow! Is he as hot as he is in the movies?”
Kate asked.

Joe grinned. “Can’t make that call,
Katy.”

Kate grinned back and suggested, “Maybe next
time you do a job for him, you can take me along and I’ll let you
know.”

Joe shook his head, still grinning then
changed the subject. “You called Dane your ex.”

Kate’s grin faded and she said, “Yeah.”

“You make that decision?” Joe asked as if he
and Kate didn’t have an audience of six.

“Yeah, last night,” Kate answered, also not
concerned about her audience of six.

“You tell him?” Joe asked.

“Texted him,” Kate answered.

“He text back?” Joe went on.

“I turned my phone off,” Kate told him.

Joe wrapped his hand around her neck and
stated proudly, “Good play, babe.”

“I can’t wait to get a boyfriend,” Keira
sighed dreamily and I heard Bea laugh.

This startled me and my eyes went to Bea to
see she was looking at Keira.

“Don’t grow up too fast, honey,” Bea said
softly. “It’s not near as fun as it seems.”

“Dane’s hot, Joe’s hotter. I wanna be just
like Mom and Kate, lassoing all the good ones in and wrapping them
around my finger,” Keira replied ingenuously.

“Someone kill me,” I muttered and Joe burst
out laughing, dropped his hand from Kate’s neck, turned to me and
wrapped it around mine. Then he pulled me to him for a quick
kiss.

Then he turned to Keira. “Finish the tour,
Keirry.” His eyes went to Kate. “Get the pie from your
grandfather.” Then he turned to the coffeepot and grabbed the
handle.

The next ten minutes were spent with Keira
finishing up her tour; Kate engaged in the impossible task of
finding space in our fridge for the pie; Joe and me handing out
coffees; me cutting up a coffee cake, putting it on a plate and
setting it on the coffee table; and everyone settling in the living
room.