With that, his ever-present twinkle returns. “That’s right. Personally, I can’t wait. I’ll need to record JD having an anxiety attack when he finds out Stewart and Manwich are showing up, too. For posterity.”
“You’re so mean to him.” To be fair, that news makes me nervous. If only because of how often Stewart’s brothers tease him in public about…private, embarrassing things that I shouldn’t know about. That’s what I get for reading his book on wilderness survival. “I can’t wait.”
What I really can’t wait for is Joey’s return. Not only does the situation with Jae need to be handled, but I have so much to tell him about, well…
Dot Dot Dot?
So many dots.
“Tanisha, you look flushed, dear. You should sit down.” Cassandra Wayne, my new mother-in-law, wears a smile tempered with concern. I know that look. It’s a natural reaction most people have until they get to know me better and realize I’m not as limited as I seem.
I think it has to do with our dinner conversation. Lang brought up my prosthesis. Not specifically, he’d been discussing servos and microprocessors and shocking all his aunts and uncles, other than Shelley, with his technobabble. But it was referenced.
She’d been nodding along with him and putting her pink braids up in a bun when she caught me staring. “Smart means curious with a tendency to overshare in this family. Should I change the subject?”
“I’ll change it,” Emerson said beside me, and I placed my hand over his.
“No, it’s fine. I’m impressed at how much he already knows about it.”
Seriously, it’s like he memorized the owner’s manual. He knows more about it than I do.
And I’m proud of him, even if I did get a few familiar looks I was hoping to avoid during my first holiday with my in-laws.
“I’m fine, Mrs. Wayne,” I tell her kindly. “I ate more of that dessert than I should have, so I was trying to walk it off. Everything was delicious. And I loved listening to what everyone was thankful for.”
Royal puts his arm around me and gives a supportive squeeze. “We’ve been thankful for her for years. With one magic leg, this girl’s been running circles around Joey since they were twelve. Of course, we didn’t know she was also running his company. Silently.”
“We’re partners. And I was only silent until recently. Anyway, Matilda knew.”
“My mother knew?” He acts scandalized. “I feel so betrayed right now. I literally can’t even.”
“Aww, poor baby.” Austen puts her hand on the rounded curve of her stomach and smiles like the Madonna at her husband. “You’ll get over it.”
“I don’t think I will,” he argues. “And now she’s got a computer for a leg and all I have are years of lies.”
“You’re still such a ham.” I love that about him.
“Twelve?” Langston asks beside me, his hand curling into mine, as if offering comfort. “You lost your leg when you were my age?”
I hadn’t realized he’d joined the conversation. I swallow a resigned sigh.
“I was eleven when I lost it. Royal and Joey didn’t meet me until I was twelve.”
They’re staring now. Waiting. I can feel it.
It’s human nature. They can’t help but wonder. Can’t not think about it. Not once it’s out there. I make the story as quick and emotionless as possible. “It was a car accident. I was in the very back, where I couldn’t buckle in.” I look down at Langston and wink. “Which is why I’m really strict about seatbelts, so thank you in advance for not being stubborn about it.”
“I won’t be stubborn.”
I squeeze his hand affectionately before letting it go. “I know you won’t.”
The mood is different now. It’s a shame, because it felt like things were going so well. At least the food I brought was a hit. “I think I’m going to pop out for some fresh air. Excuse me for a minute?”
I don’t wait, turning toward the door and grabbing my jacket off the hook before stepping onto the chilly porch.
It’s snowing again. Just a little, but I’ve been told there’s more where that came from.
I’ve lived on the West Coast all my life, so snow is rare unless you’re in the mountains. But it happens here every year.