Page 60 of Just Dare Me
Since I’ve never met her, I say, “This, I assume, is Darby Monson, of Manistee Forest Pack?”
“Yes, I am,” she announces with a booming voice. “Nice to finally meet the fam. I’ve heard so much about y’all, I could call you out by name.” She shines her radiant smile on Mrs. Cody. “You’ve got to be Marlene, of course. Nolan’s the biggest mama’s boy, I hope you know.”
Mrs. Cody is frozen in shock. Oops. Guess Nolan had kept this secret from more than just me.
“What is this?” Mom asks. “What’s going on?”
Nolan is no help. He turns from Darby to his mother, back to Darby, then to me. Totally tongue-tied, his stoic and even-keeled demeanor completely unraveled. It’s hilarious and so satisfying. I raise my hands, calling for attention. “Okay, obviously there’s a lot to unpack here, so why don’t I do my thing and get out of your hair. Ray?”
Ray helps Randy to step from his chair to the table, so as to be tall enough for Ray to whisper in his ear. Randy recites as he’s told: “Dad says, ‘Go ahead.’”
“Thank you. Acting in the role of official mediator—or matchmaker, in this case—I propose the creation of an alliance between these two packs in the form of marriage between Nolan Cody and Darby Monson. That is, if these two are okay with that?”
Nolan opens his mouth, but no words come out. Complete stage fright. Swiping his hand, Darby says, “Are you kidding? I thought this day would literally never come.”
Mrs. Cody slaps Nolan on the arm. “Nolan Clifford Cody!”
He shrinks under her glare. “But Ma, there’s been so much going on here with everything.”
“How long?”
Nolan pretends he didn’t hear, or didn’t understand. “What? What do you mean?”
“Don’t youwhatme. I said, how long has this been going on? Have you been keeping this girl waiting?”
Darby is only too happy to answer for him. She says, “Three years,” and when Mrs. Cody’s eyes widen to saucers and air blasts from her nostrils, striking mortal fear into Nolan’s face, Darby’s eyes twinkle with delight. “Oh, IknewI’d love your mom.”
Randy pipes up, trying to sound serious and official as his dad feeds lines into his ear. “As for our pack…we not only approve…of this union, but demand to know…what took so long?”
Laughter erupts, and Nolan’s shoulders slump in resignation, and his mom is still giving him the death look.
Ray winces in pain as he laughs, while Randy is still in oblivious translator mode, “Dad says, ‘Ow. Shit. Don’t make me laugh.’”
The older of the Manistee men steps forward with a scowl and says, “As for our pack, we not only second the approval, but demand these two kiss, right here and now, to make up for lost time.”
Laughter turns into howls, and Nolan has the gall to shake his head atme, as though this ismyfault! I wink both eyes at him as a brattyYou’re welcome.
“Nolan,” I say, quieting the crowd, “you’ve been watching out for me my whole life. I can never repay you for that, except to watch out foryouthis once. Listen carefully to my words and feel the dominance I’m putting behind them—not from aggression or superiority, but from my heart, the way Bunica would always talk to us, and it would justfeelright. For once—for once in your life, Nolan Cody—stop thinking about everybody else and take what’s yours.”
As I’m saying all this, an incredible thing happens. I don’t just speak the words, Ifeelthe words. I feel power behind them, filling in all the gaps that words can’t fill. It’s like some kind of higher form of communication that says much more than what was actually spoken.
I can tell Nolan feels it too, because he stands tall, squaring his shoulders and taking a deep, calming breath. He gives me a serene look of deep pride, which is as much of a thank-you as I’ll ever get from him. In that moment we share an understanding that is so much deeper and fulfilling than words could express. It can only be described as the end of an era. Nolan will go his way, I’ll go mine, and every couple of years we’ll get together to catch up around the fire. My days of running with the Cody boys are officially over.
The look between us ends when Nolan grins and pulls Darby in for a kiss, sending the crowd into a fit of cheers. Mrs. Cody folds her arms, looking satisfied that a wrong has been righted. The gruff Manistee men break into huge grins and slap Nolan on the back.
“All right, then,” I shout over the noise. “Now that we have something to celebrate, this has officially become an engagement party.”
Yeah, nobody’s listening. They all converge on the new couple, barraging them with hugs and handshakes and questions. Mrs. Cody attaches herself to Nolan’s side, looking up at him with starry eyes, basking in the unexpected, joyful moment. I know I haven’t brought Ben back—that will never happen—but maybe I’ve helped her to forget about that for the rest of the night. It’s the best I can do for now.
“Nowthisis the kind of funeral Bunica always wanted,” I say to Jay.
He doesn’t hear me. He looks grim, his face turned behind us, where Russo approaches with slow, heavy steps. I’ve never seen the big guy so crestfallen.
“Is Charlotte okay?”
He peers at me with thunderclouds in his eyes. “She says…” He stops to clear his throat. “She says she wants the three of us to be there with her.”
“For what?” I ask, only realizing an instant later that I already know the answer.
