Page 190 of Embracing the Change

“Definitely not me,” Archie said.

“Me either,” Darryn added.

“It wasn’t a secret. I reported it to the police,” Nora reminded them.

“Dad hardly has police informants,” Val replied.

“You’re right. What I’m saying is, Mika knew, Tom, Cadence, the first or the last of those undoubtedly told Teddy, which means…” Nora didn’t finish, but she didn’t have to.

Teddy told the G-Force, and probably others, and the news made its way to Roland.

“That was a nice thing to do, Dad coming here and saying all of that. Wasn’t it a nice thing to do?” Allegra, who desperately wanted to be her father’s champion, if he’d give her any cause, asked.

“So he can act not like a dick one time and he gives a minimal shit about the woman who bore his children. Big whoop,” Valentina, who desperately wanted to hold on to her hurt so she wouldn’t get hurt again, returned.

Allegra pressed her lips together miserably.

“It was a cool thing to do,” Nico proclaimed, and everyone looked at him, but he was looking at Jamie. “Right?” he asked, like Jamie could answer, which he couldn’t. “Hat in hand, as it were, tail between his legs, putting his pride aside, making it about what it should be, an apology to Ma, it was a cool thing to do.”

Since no one said anything, and Nico was still looking at Jamie, Jamie had to say, “You’re right, Nico. It was a cool thing to do.”

He felt Nora’s arm wrap around his waist and she squeezed.

He squeezed in return.

“Do I need to break out the vodka, or are we down with deciding bolsters versus reading wedges?” Darryn asked, then he looked down at his wife. “And just to say, reading wedges are never gonna win, baby. I mean, do you know your mother?”

Allegra turned to Nora.

“They are rather unattractive, dear,” Nora said.

“God, I married my mother, in hot-tall-brilliant-guy form,” Allegra complained.

Darryn grinned wide and white.

Nora squeezed Jamie’s waist again.

“Dad, do you want to see the dress I’m going to wear to the adoption party?” Dru asked.

“No, darlin’, when I see you in it, I want you to stun me with your beauty yet again,” Jamie answered.

Dru shot him another beam.

“I love this fuckin’ guy,” Val announced. She then stated, “We’re all good, but you can still break out the vodka, D.”

“Yankees are playin’, man,” Archie reminded Darryn.

“Fire it up, brother,” Darryn replied as he headed to the kitchen for the vodka.

Archie reached for the remote.

Nora let him go, sat back down and reached for the design sheet of the primary bedroom.

Jamie headed back to the living room.

Darryn abandoned interior design for baseball, and the men sat around the TV, watching the Yankees, while the women remained at the dining room table, spending money.

Oh yes.

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