Positive/Negativity (27 page)

“Agreed,” I said without one argument.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to finally meet the woman who’s taming my brother,” Carter said as he gave Aria a big hug.

“Get your bear claws off of her!” I joked before he came around to give me a huge hug as well.

Cody, the dog, was running around all of us, barking, and Aria knelt to the floor.

“Who are you, precious?” she said, and she sank her face into Cody’s generous amount of fur.

Into the room walked Lacey. “That’s our Cody girl. She’s the biggest bundle of fur and love ever created.” Lacey approached Aria with open arms. “Aria, I’m so happy to see you in person. It feels like I’ve known you forever with our FaceTime chats, but nothing beats up close and personal.”

“I agree. I’m so happy to be here. Thank you for having me,” Aria said as she and Lacey embraced.

“Hey, what about me?” I directed at Lacey with my arms open and my hands gesturing for her to come toward me.

“I could never forget my favorite brother-in-law,” she said as she gave me a huge hug and kiss on the cheek.

She made me laugh as I said, “I’m your
only
brother-in-law, Lace. I have to be your favorite.”

“Caught me,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

“Don’t worry about your bags; Carter will take them to your room. Are you hungry? I know it was quite a drive.” She moved toward us and looped her arms through ours. “I made a pot roast, mashed potatoes, asparagus, salad, and some homemade rolls. Carter has a selection of some red and white wines if you like, and of course he knows what Declan likes.”

“Lace, you’re killing me! How do you expect me to keep my job if you feed us like that?!” I laughed at her.

Aria broke away from Lacey and playfully punched me in the arm. I fell back feigning injury.

“We’d love to have dinner. Pay no attention to the Neanderthal beside me. Everything smells delicious,” Aria said.

Of course, that put a huge smile on Lacey’s face. Carter had just come down the stairs and looked at all of us quizzically.

“Please tell me that both of you are hungry. If not, she’ll make me eat leftovers for a week!” he pleaded with us.

“Stop being so dramatic, Carter, and grab the drinks for Aria and Decs.”

“Yes, my love,” Carter responded. He shrugged his shoulders to both of us.
“Happy wife, happy life,”
he said with a huge smile, and off to the dining room we went.

Lacey and I went to the family room as Declan and Carter cleaned up. They said they wanted to allow us some girl time.

“Lacey, I’m stuffed. That was an incredible meal. Thank you so much.”

“I love to cook. It’s one of the things that I don’t get to do much of in the winter with school in session. I cook mostly crockpot meals with just Carter and me. When I’m fortunate enough to entertain, I enjoy making a more elaborate meal,” she said moving to the couch. “Come over here, on the big sofa. Kick off your shoes and get comfy. You’re family.”

With that comment, Cody girl jumped up and cuddled beside me.

“Cody! You’re not supposed to be up here!” Lacey scolded the big, fluffy girl.

“I don’t mind, really,” I said. “I just love her. She’s so big and fluffy that she looks like a bear.”

“She’s a Bernese Mountain Dog, and they do look like bears. She’s the biggest, friendliest cuddle bug you could ever love. Are you sure you’re okay with her being up on the sofa with us?”

“Absolutely!” I said as I sank my hands into her luscious fur. She felt like the most scrumptious and heavenly stuffed animal come to life, and I instantly fell in love with her.

She watched me petting Cody for a few moments while she sipped her coffee.

“You remind me a lot of Declan and Carter’s mom, Aria. She was very tender-hearted like you,” she said in a reflective tone.

“I do? Declan doesn’t talk much about his mom, but when he does, it’s always with love, respect, and admiration in his voice.”

“Rose was one of the most wonderful people in the world, and the world would have been a better place if more people had her personality. She adored both of those boys, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for them. She would have endured the most hurtful heartache so that they wouldn’t have to receive pain. She loved Carter and Declan far beyond her own discomfort. She shared some of the stories with me of her life over the years. I had no reason not to believe her as she had nothing to lose by telling them to me,” Lacey said as she softly smiled.

“What would make you think that I’m like her? You and Carter haven’t truly seen Declan and I together.”
TT

“I can see it in your eyes, Aria. When Rose loved someone, she loved them with her whole heart. You’re in love with Declan beyond what you’re comfortable with. It’s a scary feeling, isn’t it?”

“Am I that transparent?” I asked.

“No, not to the boys, but you are to me,” she said. “Rose and I became close through my marriage to Carter, and I learned to respect her as one of the strongest women I’ve ever had the privilege to know in this lifetime. Our relationship went far beyond my admiration of her cooking and her love of making every holiday and birthday special for each person she loved. The woman I grew to love and call my friend shaped the young woman I was. She was one of the influential women in my life, and she helped me to mature into the older woman I’ve become. Rose said that no matter what you do in this life you’ll never please everyone, so it’s useless to try. She taught me that, through loving her son, I’d be picking up where she left off. She loved Carter with every ounce of fiber a mother can have for her son, and she allowed me the freedom to love him in the way that a woman loves a man. She taught me to be unafraid to love with my whole heart, no matter the cost, no matter the pain—love
was
always
worth it. That’s what I am telling you, Aria. If Rose gifted me with that lesson, I’d like to pass it to you. Don’t be afraid to love Declan with your whole heart. The costs of loving him, no matter what they are or what they become, will
truly
be worth it.”

I felt compelled to reach over and hug her. We embraced for several minutes, and my eyes misted over as I rested my head on her shoulder.

She placed her hand on the back of my head and whispered in a broken voice, “Rose loved Declan, and she would have loved you. Wherever she is, I believe she does.”

Just then, Declan and Carter came into the room. As they approached, they were loud and boisterous. When they saw Lacey and I, they immediately became quiet.

“Is everything okay?” Carter asked.

We looked at each other knowingly, as women sometimes do, and we separated while we dabbed at our eyes.

“Everything’s perfect, Carter. No worries. I was just telling Aria about how similar she is to Rose.”

“Oh yeah,” Declan said. “I forgot to tell her that she and Mom share a love for the color red.”

Lacey and I just looked at each other again, stared for a moment and then burst into laughter.

“Yes, bear. That’s
exactly
what she was telling me.”

Lacey and I exchanged a smiling glance.

…and as the Sinclair family festivities continued, the observant private investigator made his notes, estimating that Ms. Franzi would think her money well spent…this week…

T
Seven Devils – Florence & The Machine

TT
Queen of Pain – Devil Doll

“Okay. That’s a wrap. Thanks for doing a great job everyone!” Jonatan said as the photo session had come to an end. I approached him as he was removing his camera from his neck.

“Thanks for making the session go so smoothly,” I said as I slapped him on the back.

“It was all you, Dec. When Marisol started in with the smart comments, I thought all hell would break loose, but you and Aimee kept it together. She was baiting you both, and you didn’t let her get to you. I don’t know if I could have done the same,” he said.

“We’re used to her, and we both just wanted to do our job. She has a different agenda, you know?” I shrugged my shoulders as I asked him.

Aimee approached us.

“I’m going to go change, guys. Thanks for the session,” she said, giving us both a kiss on the cheek.

“She’s a sweetheart,” Jonatan said.

“You won’t get an argument from me.” I shook my head. “I wish there were more like her.”