“Don’t hurt her,” Tina says, appearing beside me at the sink.
“Never.”
She nods. “Thank you for bringing her back to life. Even before that incident in the alley that night, she was just coasting. Her mom had moved away, and all she did was work. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen her this happy. In fact, I’m not sure I have ever seen her smile this much.”
“We love her. Me, Milo, my family. She’s one of us now.”
She nods. “You better make sure I’m at that wedding.” She winks.
“That’s all up to your girl. I give her free reign to plan and invite how she sees fit.”
“Do you have a brother?” She laughs.
“I do, but he’s happily married.”
“Figures,” she mumbles under her breath. “Are we washing or putting in the dishwasher?” she asks.
“Both. I’ll wash the pans, as we transfer everything over to containers and put everything that’s left in the dishwasher.”
“Point me toward the containers.”
“Go relax. I’ve got this. You helped cook, remember?”
“Yeah, I know, but you flew me out here, you’re letting me stay with you and eat your food. This is the least I could do. Besides, you need to get to your parents’.”
“You’re coming with us.”
“Actually, I’m exhausted from the early morning flight. I was thinking about just staying here and calling it a day.”
“She’s not going to let you get away with that,” I tell her.
“You’re probably right.”
“Go, catch a quick nap. I’ll finish up here. Milo will sleep for at least an hour. We’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”
“You’re a good man, Colton. She’s lucky to have found you.”
“We’re the lucky ones.”* * *We’ve been at my parents’ for about twenty minutes, and no one has noticed her ring yet. On the way over, we decided to see how long it took them. She’s not doing anything to hide it, but she’s not flaunting it either. I can’t believe no one has said anything. Then again, all the focus has been on Milo. Gabby and Chase have a special bond with my son, and they spoiled him rotten. Mom and Dad went overboard as well.
“We’re going to need a bigger house,” I whisper to Hollis.
She just smiles. “Yeah, one day,” she agrees.
“Hollis, will you hand me that pillow?” Gabby asks. She’s sitting on the floor playing with Milo and his new toys, but she’s pregnant, very pregnant, and I’m certain uncomfortable. Hollis grabs the pillow with her left hand and passes it to Gabby. “Thank you— Wait, what is that?” She pulls on Hollis’s hand, almost pulling her off the couch.
“Easy there, tiger,” Chase tells his wife.
Gabby ignores him and looks up at us. Her eyes are darting between Hollis and me. “You guys are engaged?”
“What?” my mom exclaims, standing from her spot on the loveseat to come and take a closer look at my girl’s hand.
“We are.” Hollis beams with excitement. I can’t see her face because she’s looking at them, but I can hear it in her voice.
“Oh, my goodness! Welcome to the family.” Mom pulls Hollis into a hug, as do Dad and Chase.
“You’re going to have to come to me, sister of mine,” Gabby says, rubbing her very pregnant belly. “I’m not as mobile as I used to be.” Hollis settles on the floor next to her, and they hug as best as they can. “Tell me everything,” Gabby demands.
“Hey, now,” I say, chiming in. “Some things are sacred between a man and his wife.”
“Future wife,” Gabby corrects. “And we’re all family here.”
“She’s right,” Hollis agrees, and goes on to tell them how it all went down.
As if he understands what they’re talking about, Milo, who is sitting on Chase’s lap, cries out “Mama,” and points his little chubby finger at Hollis.
I can see her swallow past the emotions he evokes in her. Chase must see it too. He stands and takes Milo to her. “Here’s Mommy,” he tells my son, who reaches for Hollis and snuggles up to her chest.
I swear every woman in the room sighs, as the men just smile. There really is nothing else you can do in this situation. You’re a cold-hearted bastard if the moment that just passed between mother and son doesn’t hit you in the feels. Hollis may not have given birth to him, but she loves him as if she did. Milo doesn’t know the difference, and it makes my heart happy to know that he never will. Sure, we’ll tell him, but he’ll never be able to tell that she’s not his birth mother. She loves him that much. You can see it just looking at the two of them together.
The rest of the night is lots of laughter and gifts. In perfect Milo fashion, he soaks up all the love and attention. My mom even had a gift for Tina. I had given her a heads-up earlier this week that she was coming, and she wanted her to feel welcome.