Page 13 of Loving Her

“Well, now I don’t knowwhatI’d prefer.” Ruby’s irrepressible cheer, which was growing by the moment the closerthey got to meeting her family at the pick-up lot, was starting to rub off on Sasha. And she felt a little calmer now that she knew they wouldn’t be expected to share a bed. Their little PDA practices today had been disruptive enough to her fragile nerves.

She felt like she was holding her breath the whole time they were on the AirTrain to the pick-up lot. What should Sasha expect? Her family was small, just herself and her mother, and her mother never met her at the Minneapolis airport. Sasha had to rent a car and drive the two and a half hours to Duluth, where she’d be greeted with a hug and a hotdish. Maybe her Aunt Amy and Uncle Pete would be visiting from Silver Bay, maybe not. Home visits, for Sasha, were very low key.

She’d accompanied Ruby to LAX to pick up Daniel and Angela a few times. That had always been a rambunctious squeal-fest, lots of hugs and jumping up and down. Was today’s meeting going to be that but on steroids? Sasha had a sneaking suspicion that it would be. And while she didn’t mind when Daniel and Angie dragged her into a family hug, how would she feel if it were five dozen Fierellis doing it?

Well, surely it wouldn’t be that many. But it would be a couple of carloads full, Ruby had told her. Daniel and Angie would be there, so that would be nice. But Mama Fierelli would be there, and Sasha had no idea what she was like. “Typical Italian Catholic mom,” Ruby had told her, but what did thatmean? She’d had a whole dossier on Ruby’s family, but she knew perfectly well that facts paled next to actual experience.

“Lefferts Boulevard Station,” came the overhead announcement, and just like that, all of Sasha’s time to try and anticipate what was coming ran right out. She sucked in a deep breath and followed Ruby off of the train.

Ambush.

It was the only way to describe what happened. There were balloons, big shiny ones, bunches of little colorful ones. Signs,Sharpie on posterboard, lots of hearts and stars andWelcome Home Rubywritten in big puffy letters. And shrieking, and hugging, and?—

Sasha felt her suitcase taken from her hand, and she was pulled aside. To her relief, it was Daniel’s friendly, smiling blue eyes from behind glasses as heavy and black as Ruby’s that greeted her. “Sash. I’m so glad it’s you she brought.”

“I’m so glad it’s you who found me in this crowd.” She threw her arms around him in a quick, grateful hug, then pulled back to look him over. “Look at you, Mister Almost Married! Where’s the blushing bride?”

“Back at the homestead helping Rosie and Aunt Cee put the finishing touches on a big family dinner. Hope you’re in the mood for lasa—oop.”

Daniel stumbled after getting a hipcheck from a short, dark haired woman with Ruby’s eyes and sunshine smile. “Is this her? Sasha? I’m Mama Elena. Lemme get a look at my girl’s girl.”

Sasha froze as two strong hands gripped her biceps and laser-like blue eyes saw so deeply into her. Elena Fierelli tilted her head and gave one sharp nod. “You look like a nice girl. Are you?”

How to answer that? “I’m from Minnesota…”

“Oh, yeah. You’ll be a nice girl. Good. You like to eat?”

“I’m a chef.”

“That’sright. Dom, you hear that? Our Ruby brought us achef.” Elena’s smile was truly radiant as she ushered Sasha to a big black Chevy Suburban. “Finally, someone who appreciates food other than pizza. And maybe you can help us out this week? Lots of meals to make for lots of people, we can use the extra hands.”

“Anything you want,” Sasha stammered as she was handed up into the middle row of the SUV, followed by a giggly Ruby.The doors were closed around them and she had a split second to say, “I wasunprepared.”

“Sorry,” Ruby chortled. “I really don’t know how to fully explain my family. But you’ve heard me talk about them for years! This couldn’t have been atotalsurprise.”

“True. True. And yet somehow…” Sasha shook her head, but there was no more time for discussion. Doors opened and the vehicle filled up with Fierellis. Daniel slipped in past them to the back seat, followed by a pair of taller versions of him that had to be the twins, Dom Junior and Dante. Mama Elena climbed into the front passenger seat and immediately twisted around with happiness all over her face.

“Sasha, you haven’t met Ruby’s father yet,” she announced as the driver’s side door open and a tall, broad-shouldered man with gunmetal gray hair and an amiable face wedged himself behind the steering wheel.

He looked into the rearview mirror and waved. “Sasha, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Dom Senior, you can call me Papa Dom, everyone does.”

“Nice to meet you, Papa Dom.” Sasha managed to get out.

“I’m Dom Junior,” volunteered one of the twins from the back seat.

“Dante,” said the other.

“You already know me, Sash.” Daniel. Without looking, Sasha could tell he was swapping grins with Ruby as they both delighted in her overwhelm.

“Buckle up, everybody. We got a long drive ahead of us. At least there’s gonna be a great dinner at the end of it.” Ruby’s mother flashed one more sunshine smile before she turned to face forward. “Sasha, you can tell us all about yourself, don’t leave anything out!”

Sasha thought she might leave out one fact: that she desperately wished she knew how to phase through a car seat and disappear.

“I made the bed this morning, fresh clean sheets, no scent detergent just like you like, Ruby baby.” Her mother squeezed her around her waist, and Ruby tried not to wince at the firmness of the grip. Thanks to years of teaching Pilates to Staten Island PTA mommies, Elena Fierelli had arm strength that would make a Marine cry—and had at least once, as she recalled.

She hugged her mother back, considerably more gently. “Thank you, Mama. I love how youstillhaven’t changed anything in here. You know you can get rid of the Fall Out Boy posters any time you want?”

Sasha was looking around the room in amazement, her jaw fully dropped. “It’s like a time capsule. And why is it sopink? Wait, are those prom pictures stuck to the mirror? Fromtheprom?” She almost sprinted over to Ruby’s cluttered vanity, pushing ancient bottles of black Wet N Wild nail polish out of the way to peer at the Polaroids.

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