Page 73 of All Along

Mermaid’s bells. Lily has been there all along. When my mother wouldn’t talk to me about boys, Lily sat me down and gave me the sex talk. It was very detailed. And informative. And probably a bit too early since I decided sex was not for me afterwards.

When I had trouble with a teacher who thought I cheated on a test, it was Lily who went to the school and discussed theproblem. When I cried because bullies were teasing me, it was Lily who held my hand and explained the best way to deal with them.

Tears well in my eyes and my bottom lip wobbles. “I-I-I didn’t realize.”

Lily folds me into her arms and hugs me up tight. “No need to cry, darling girl.”

The kitchen door bangs open and I’m wrenched from Lily’s arms. “What’s wrong?” Caleb growls. “You made my Maya cry.”

“Oh my. All of my girls found big, strapping men to love them.”

I giggle as I push away from Caleb. “It’s okay, soldier boy. Lily was asking me about my parents is all.”

He scowls. “They are not your parents. Geraldine is your egg donor. And Roger is your sperm donor. They biologically created you but they are not the people who raised you.”

Lily smiles. “You chose well, Maya. You chose well.”

“Yeah,” I say as I meet Caleb’s gaze. I probably have cartoon hearts in my eyes at the moment. “I did.”

She claps her hands. “Help me get this food onto the table before the masses riot.”

Caleb frowns at the trays of fried chicken, nachos, cheese and crackers, mini quiches, and veggies. “I thought we were playing poker.”

I elbow him. “We’re playing drunk poker.”

“What’s the difference?”

“You’ll see,” I sing.

We carry the plates of food into the dining room where the dining table has been transformed into a poker table. Lily follows us carrying a tray with shots of moonshine. She hands them out and holds up her glass.

“To the smugglers, bootleggers, rumrunners…”

“And mermaids who loved them!” We finish the toast before knocking back our shots.

Caleb winces. “I forgot how strong Smuggler’s Hideaway moonshine is. At least it’s tastier than the shit we distilled in our barracks in the desert.”

“I’m going to need to buy a new table,” Lily says as she sits across from us. “We don’t have room for Paisley’s man.”

Paisley scowls. “I don’t have a man.”

“What about Eli?” Sophia teases.

“Say Eli’s name one more time and you’ll find out just how good my chemistry skills are.”

Lily clears her throat. “I meant once you find your man.”

“Or harem of men,” Chloe mutters. “Remember the time Lily found her watching an orgy?”

Weston groans. “Stop. I don’t want to hear about my sisters having sex. It’s bad enough my best friend is engaged to my sister.”

“And now Nova is engaged to Hudson,” Paisley says.

I gasp. “What?”

Nova waves with her left hand, which is now sporting a diamond engagement ring.

I jump up to give her a hug. “I’m so happy for you. All your dreams arecoming true.”

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