Page 18 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

“From your mouth to the good Lord’s ears!” Granny quipped, slugging back the remains of her glass and holding it out to Dad, who promptly added more. “Such a good boy, my son!” Granny cooed in a silly voice.

I shook my head. “You’re all drunk.”

“As skunks!” Syd blurted, and all four of them burst into laughter.

I went around the table to Naomi, who flung her arms around my neck and planted a kiss to my lips. “Hi, baby!”

“Hey, gorgeous. I see you’ve been bonding with the ladies, yeah?”

“Your family is sooooooo fuuuuun.” She let the words drag out far longer than normal, clearly allowing the alcohol to do the talking.

Sydney held her glass up in salute. “We’re gonna be your family too, sis.”

The elder Taylor women did the same. “To Naomi joining the family! Whoo hoo!” Syd hollered, and the rest of the ladies followed.

Just then, my other sisters came bumbling in, talking a mile a minute.

“And Nay says she’s going to have one of her fancy friends read through my grant letters to make sure they are really good so I can score as much grant and scholarship money as possible,” Paris was saying to Odessa. Both of them were holding three large pizzas from our favorite spot in town. Cheyenne andHolland followed behind, one carrying a bag of sauces, the other with a couple two-liter bottles of Coke.

“Yeah, well, she promised me she’d get me a walk-through at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and a meet and greet with one of their top surgeons! I might even be able to watch a real-life procedure from one of their teaching amphitheaters,” Holland gushed. Holland wanted to be a surgeon one day, so I knew an experience like that would score huge points with her.

I cuddled my woman and kissed her neck, whispering in her ear. “Did you bribe my sisters with things they want in order to score points?”

“Absolutely!” She giggled against my chest.

I couldn’t suppress a laugh. “Nay, you don’t have to do, say, or give anyone anything to like you. They like you just as you are.”

“I know, but a little sweet can go a long way,” she whispered, even though no one was paying us any attention, what with their focus locked on the pizzas landing on the island. “And I want your family to know I’m in it for the long haul,” she continued.

I cupped her cheeks and stared into her pretty brown eyes. “You are something special, lady. You know that, right?”

“Love you too.” She rose on her toes and kissed me rather indecently in front of my family.

Catcalls and whistling commenced as expected.

“All right everyone, let’s eat,” Momma directed once the plates were set next to the pizzas.

“We’re having pizza!” Naomi bounced up and down, her expression filled with excitement. “I can’t remember the last time I had pizza.”

“We usually have it a couple times a month, and this pie is the best. Did anyone order meat supreme for me?” I called out.

“Of course. What? Do you think it’s our first day having you as our brother? Pssshhhhh,” Odessa made a rude noise as she answered with all the sass, per usual.

I let Nay go and walked behind Odessa, then kicked the bottom of her shoe the second she lifted her foot to take a step. She stumbled against Dad, her face smooshing right against his arm pit. I held her head there for not even five seconds as she wailed and flung her arms. “Let me go!” she screeched, but it sounded more like, “Wet me dough!”

Finally, I released her, and she took a huge breath as I backed up, grinning. “You earned that!”

“You. Are. So. Dead!” Odessa yelled, as she raised her hands and came at me like a manic bear.

I caught her as she jumped at me, turned her around and tickled the hell out of her ribs until she was on the floor laughing so hard she’d curled up into a little ball.

“That’ll teach ya!” I stood to full height and brushed off my shoulders.

“Must you antagonize your sister, son?” Dad chastised with a smile pulling at his lips.

“She started it,” I said at the same time as Odessa said, “He started it.”

We both cracked up. Some things never changed.

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