Page 18 of Audra: The Prequel

“I’m going on and on.” Audra twisted the napkin in her lap. She was more out of practice than she realized. What man wanted to hear about a woman’s kid on their first date—or whatever this was?

Damon sat forward and rested his hand on the table, his expression earnest. “It’s fine. Matter of fact, I’m glad you’re sharing stories about your daughter. Gives me insight into your relationship.”

Audra smiled appreciatively. “She’s the center of my universe,” she said honestly.

He nodded, as if that declaration had revealed something to him. “You have siblings?”

“Oh yes,” she said emphatically, followed by a laugh.

He arched an eyebrow. “What does that answer mean?”

“I come from a big family. Blended, actually. There are seven kids, plus my parents—so a family of nine.”

His eyebrows shifted higher. “You weren’t kidding when you said big.”

“No, and?—”

The waitress arrived and placed a sizzling dish of stuffed mushrooms in front of them.

After she left, both Damon and Audra placed one on their plates. Audra was the first to try it and hummed her satisfaction.

“Yeah?” Damon said.

“Really good.” She watched as he placed the appetizer in his mouth and then raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed.

“You know what? I think I’m gonna finish this on my own.” He pulled the dish toward him, and Audra grabbed his wrist.

“Hey! I want more too.” She dragged the dish back to the middle of the table.

He chuckled. “I guess I shouldn’t come between you and your food.”

“Never ever,” she advised, scooping out another mushroom and shooting him a mock angry look.

He grinned. “Okay, so finish telling me about your big blended family. Explain the dynamics of it.”

Audra finished chewing her bite. “My mother had three kids—me, my sister, and my older brother—when she met my stepfather, Benicio. He’s Mexican and had three boys of his own. Then they had a child together, a boy, the one we call the baby.”

“He’s number seven.”

“Exactly.”

“So, two girls and five boys.”

“Yes, and the boys were nightmares sometimes. They terrorized us.”

“But I bet no one ever messed with you.”

“Absolutely not. They could terrorize us, but no one else was allowed to. To this day, they’re very protective.”

“It would be nice to have a big family,” Damon said, a note of wistfulness in his voice.

“Being an only child, I understand why you would say that, but trust me—it wasn’t all fun and games.” Audra sliced a particularly large mushroom in half.

“I bet it wasn’t with seven kids. I’m sure there was plenty of chaos.”

“Mostly when we were younger,” Audra admitted. “Imagine blending not only families but cultures and having to deal with language barriers. It was… interesting at first. We had a housekeeper and a chef, but my mother learned to cook Mexican dishes. Then they had their own traditions for the holidays, which were different from ours. They’re Catholic, we were raised Baptist. You get the picture. Eventually, we started gelling, and you couldn’t convince me that my Mexican brothers are not kin.”

“That’s the way it should be. Family isn’t defined by blood. Family is in the connections we make and the bonds we build with people in our lives.”

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