“Everyone up?”
“In here, D.” AJ’s voice called from the kitchen.
The older man walked in to find the four of them seated around the kitchen table, the paper strewn out around them. He sat down next to Meredith.
“Anything good?”
“Dilbert and Garfield.”
“I meant in the news.”
“Nope.”
AJ grinned as he listened to them. It had gotten to be a ritual for the two of them, and he enjoyed listening to it.
Howie chuckled and looked at the two young men. “You guys want someplace together or separate?”
They looked at each, that silent communication of long-time friends evident as they watched each other’s faces.
“Together.” Lance smiled as Justin nodded.
“Oh, man.”
“What?” Meredith looked up.
“Can I borrow your SUV? We won’t all fit in the ‘vette.” Howie looked over at his friend.
“Keys on the table.” She went back to the crossword puzzle.
Looking at the two young men opposite him, Howie grinned. “You ready to ride?”
“Yeah.” Justin got up and took his glass to the sink and rinsed it out.
Lance followed him, and they walked out of the kitchen behind Howie.
“Have fun storming the castle!” AJ called out after them, and Meredith chuckled.
***Backstreet Boys***
They spent five hours driving around the city looking for some place safe and comfortable. Dejected, Lance and Justin slumped in their seats as Howie drove back towards AJ’s house.
“Hey, guys, there’s still a whole other page to look at. You’ll find something.” He gave them quick smiles before refocusing his attention on the road.
“Thanks, Howie, for taking us around. I know how busy you guys are.” Lance smiled at the other man, truly appreciative of all the help he and Justin had been given over the past couple of days.
Getting out of the SUV, they headed into the house. Nick was playing pool with Meredith in the Sinatra room while the dogs kept them company.
“Gentlemen.” She never took her eyes off the cue ball as she sunk a stripe.
“Why do I even play with you?” Nick rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his iced tea.
“Because it builds character and you just might win some day.” She moved around the table again to sink the eight ball and win the game.
“What does that make now?” Meredith moved over to Nick’s side and looked up at him.
“Five.”
She just grinned. “I’m calling for pizza for dinner. Anyone have any special requests? D, you staying?”
“Sure. Pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onions.” He dropped onto the sofa and stretched his arms out across the back of it.
She turned to the other two men. “Guys? Anything particular?”
“No anchovies. Other than that, I can eat anything.” Justin grinned.
“Same for me.” Lance leaned against the wall.
“I’m going to call. I’ll take winner of the next game.” She left the room.
Howie looked at Nick. “What do you owe her this time?”
He sighed as he handed the pool cue to Lance. “Five dozen cookies.”
“No money?” The green-eyed blonde racked up the balls.
“We don’t play for money, we play for talents.” Nick sat down next to Howie, rubbing Stasi’s head when she laid it on his knee.
“Talents?” Justin chalked up a pool cue and took the first break.
“Yeah. Let’s see, so far I’ve lost two paintings, three drum lessons, and dog-sitting duty.”
“And I’ve lost three Spanish dinners and one day’s use of the ‘vette.”
“You bet your car?” Justin’s eyes grew wide.
Howie shrugged. “I was feeling particularly lucky that night. I won’t make that mistake again.”
The two young men looked at each other and continued playing their game. Lance was the eventual winner. Meredith returned after phoning in their order.
“AJ should be back in a little while. He and Kevin are working on a song. Kev and Irene may join us.”
“You did order enough, didn’t you?” Howie looked at her
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I ordered enough. Geez, you’re going to give me a complex, D.”
Justin looked up from playing with the dogs. “What happened?”
Howie took great delight in telling the story of Nick and Meredith’s wager on who could eat the most. The two people in question just looked at each other and smiled, never having confessed their late-night rendezvous with the Alka Seltzer.
“Okay, what are we playing for?” Meredith racked the balls on the table.
“I’m not really sure. I mean, I can manage your career if you want to get into singing.” Lance smiled at her.
Laughing, she shook her head. “Let’s see. Do you draw or paint?”
“No.”
“Do you write?”
“Unh uh.”
“Anything you think you do particularly well other than singing?” She tossed the quarter she was holding up in the air.
He rubbed his chin for a minute. “I do a really mean chicken cacciatore.”
“The boy from Mississippi does Italian?” Howie looked over at the other man.
“Yeah. Joey’s…” He paused for a moment. “Joey’s mom taught me.”
“Sounds good. Okay, you’re on the hook for one chicken cacciatore dinner, complete with appetizer, salad, and dessert.
“What about you? What do I get if I win?” Lance called out heads and won the coin toss to see who broke first.
“Need anything in particular? If I can do it, that’ll be my bet.” She watched as he sank a solid, but missed his next shot.
“How about use of your Porsche for a weekend?” He stood aside to let her play.
“Sounds fair. Deal.” Reaching out, she shook his hand then sank two stripes in rapid succession.
“Better dig out that recipe, Lance.” Justin chuckled.
Meredith won again, ending the game as the pizzas arrived. AJ paid the guy as he was walking in, setting the boxes on the kitchen counter.
“Where’s everyone?”
“Pool room.” Howie’s voice drifted through the hall. “We’re heading for the kitchen.”
“Does she ever lose?” Lance and Justin walked down the hall with Nick.
“She and AJ are pretty evenly matched. They make *really* interesting bets.”
“Like what?”
Nick chuckled. “Almost all of them have to do with sex.”
“Oh.” Lance shook his head as he followed the other two into the kitchen.
They found AJ and Meredith with their arms wrapped around each other as Howie pulled plates from the cabinet. He was ignoring the kissing couple, moving around them to get everything they needed for dinner. He smiled at the three young men standing in the doorway.
“They’ll come up for air soon. What’s everyone want to drink?”
Howie and Justin grabbed drinks for everyone, while Nick and Lance laid out plates, silverware, and napkins. True to form, AJ and Meredith separated as the others sat down at the table.
“Why thank you for setting the table.” She grinned at the four men.
AJ chuckled as he looked around at the other five.
“You do that deliberately, don’t you?” Howie raised an eyebrow.
The couple just smiled. Bowing their heads, grace was spoken before they dug into the pizza. As they ate, they talked about their day.
“We totally bombed on finding something.” Lance pulled a pepperoni off his pizza slice and stared at it for a moment before popping into his mouth.
“Yeah.” Justin nodded before taking a sip of tea. “I almost wish we could get out of town. I’d really like to get away from all of this for a while.” He continued eating.
Meredith slowly chewed her bite of pizza, her eyes moving to rest on AJ. He stared at her, tilting his head as he watched her face. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head. His eyes lighting in understanding, he gave her a slow, wide grin.
“So, how do you guys feel about Virginia?” She turned to look at Lance and Justin.
***Backstreet Boys***
Nick and Howie eventually left the four of them discussing the logistics of Lance and Justin staying at Meredith’s house in Emerald Point. She was slowly wearing them down, countering all of their objections with solid arguments.
“We can’t just stay there.” Lance grabbed hold of his hair with both hands.
“Why not?” She leaned back against AJ, who was watching the argument with great interest.
“Because.” He blew out a sigh.
“How much rent do you want?” Justin looked at her.
“Five hundred a month, and you pay utilities and phone.”
“Deal.”
“Justin!”
The young man turned to his friend. “Look, she’s right. It’s there, it’s secure, and it’s familiar. I enjoyed being there, and I’d like to go back.”
Looking in the clear blue eyes of the young man sitting next to him, Lance slowly nodded. Turning back to Meredith, he held out his hand. “Thank you. We’ll take it.”
Justin shook her hand, too, then clapped his hands in delight. They continued to talk about how the two men were going to get up there and how they were going to get their stuff up there.
***Backstreet Boys***
Two days later, Lance and Justin pulled out in Justin’s Expedition, two security guards in the back seat, and all of their belongings neatly packed into boxes. Meredith had called the company watching the house, alerting them that guests would be arriving. They would continue the lawn and pool care, while the guys were responsible for the interior of the house.
She gave the two men the same speech she gave the Backstreet Boys when they had arrived at her house. Both listened and nodded, finally taking the keys she held out to them. She hugged them goodbye and waved as they drove off.
***Backstreet Boys***
As Thanksgiving approached, Meredith and AJ made plans to host a big dinner at their place, inviting everyone who didn’t have anyplace else to go. Lumien accepted their invitation, as did Leary and Ramos. Sully and Marcus were going to visit family while they had the chance.
Serenity was going home to see her parents, while Brian made a visit to Kentucky. Kevin was also going to Kentucky to see family before returning to Orlando to see Irene, who would be spending the holidays with Meredith. Howie would be with his family, but mentioned that he would stop by later that day. Allyson was heading to New Orleans to see family.
After much insistence, Meredith finally talked Nick into attending the dinner. He had been hoping that his brother and sisters would be spending time with their dad down in the Keys, but no word had been given that they would be anywhere close to Florida.
Thursday morning started off early as Meredith and Irene crawled out of their beds to get started on the food that needed to be prepared. For the two days leading up to the dinner, they had been baking and cooking anything that could be done ahead of time. AJ and Nick had been drafted, too, making late night runs to the grocery store or just stirring, mixing, or icing.
AJ wandered into the kitchen half an hour after the two women got up. He wrapped his arms around Meredith, nuzzling her neck before kissing her, then reaching for the coffee. She let him drink the whole cup to wake up before she actually started him on peeling the potatoes and yams.
The doorbell rang, and Irene walked into the foyer to get it, stepping over dogs on the way. Looking through the window, she smiled and opened the door.
“Good morning, Nick.”
He yawned his greeting, allowing her to grab some of the bags he carried. He had been up baking the night before and brought over several dozen cookies to add to the dessert collection. Meredith took one look at the box containing her favorite cookies and promptly hid them in the cabinet.
“I made more for the others.” He grinned at her.
“Good, because those are mine.” She winked at him as she went back to icing the coconut cake.
They took time out for breakfast, sitting down with sighs of relief to enjoy a few moments of quiet before it was time to get back to preparing food.
The shrill beep of a cell phone broke the silence, and Nick pulled his out of his pocket.
“Hello?”
He dropped his fork as he listened, then quickly looked at his watch. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Thanks. Bye.”
“Problem?” AJ looked at him.
“Dad and the kids are flying in from the Keys this morning. She let them come last night, much to his surprise. They can only stay the day.”
“What time do they arrive” Meredith looked at the clock on the wall.
“In about an hour.” He looked at the clock then at her and AJ.
“I hope they brought big appetites. We’ve got a lot of food.” AJ smiled at Meredith before looking at Nick.
“Thanks, Bone. Thanks, Mom.”
“No problem, Munchkin. Family’s always welcome.” She smiled at him as he hurried to finish his breakfast.
He called Leary before he left, swinging by to pick up the bodyguard on the way. When they arrived, Leary went to the gate, while Nick waited in the VIP lounge to avoid being mobbed by holiday travelers.
He was standing at the windows watching the planes take off when he felt several pairs of arms wrap around him. Turning, he struggled to get his arms around everyone as they laughed and talked at the same time.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I can’t understand all of you talking at once. Think you can hold it ‘til we get on the road?” He smiled at his siblings, his heart bursting with joy at seeing them again.
Looking over, he saw his father standing next to Leary, and he disentangled himself. Walking over, he held out his hand.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Nick.”
There was an awkward moment before the elder Carter stepped forward to tentatively wrap his son in a hug. Nick closed his eyes at the embrace, saddened that it had come so late.
“We need to get moving, Nick.” Leary’s voice was quiet.
“Yeah, we do. How do we work this?” He looked over at the bodyguard.
“I talked to security here, and they’re outside waiting. We’ll get out to the truck and be on our way. We’ll need to call them tonight when we come back.”
“Thanks, man.” Nick smiled at his friend before he turned back.
“You guys ready?”
Four young voices shouted their agreement, and the seven of them walked out of the lounge. Security surrounded them as they walked to Nick’s truck, and they made it outside with a minimum of fuss. They scrambled into the Durango, and Nick headed for AJ’s house, listening to the chatter of his family. Forty minutes later, they were pulling into the packed driveway.
“Who do all these cars belong to?” Bob looked at the number of vehicles in and around the house.
“AJ, Meredith, Lu, Ramos, Denise.” Nick rattled off the names as he headed for the front door.
Opening it, he walked in and dropped his keys on the table. “We’re here.”
The dogs came racing out first, and Stasi licked Aaron’s hand before sitting on the floor and staring at the others. Meredith walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishcloth. Smiling at the group, she explained the necessary process with the guard dog, and each of them obediently shook Stasi’s paw when it was offered.
Angel and Leslie picked up JD and Vegas, laughing at the little tongues that lapped at their faces. Nick smiled as he looked at Meredith.
“Everyone, this is Meredith Davenport. Meredith, this is my dad, Bob Carter.”
She held out her hand to the man, her smile pleasant. “How do you do, Mr. Carter?”
“Bob, please.”
Her smile remained. “Bob.”
Nick looked at his sisters. “BJ, Leslie, and Angel, this is Meredith.”
“Please call me Meredith or Merry.” She held out her hand to each young woman, who returned the handshakes with smiles.
“And, of course you know Air Boy.” Nick ruffled Aaron’s hair, much to the young man’s dismay.
“Stop that!” He batted his brother’s hand away before turning to Meredith.
“Meredith. It’s great to see you again.”
“Same here, Aaron. Y’all want anything to drink?”
Everyone followed her into the kitchen, where AJ shook hands with Bob and greeted the kids. He grinned as he made introductions.
“This is Irene, Meredith’s sister. This is Lumien, Howie’s bodyguard. This is Ramos, he’s stuck with Kevin. You guys know my mom and my grandparents. And I guess you met Leary, who’s got the misfortune to be teamed with this guy.” AJ smacked Nick’s arm.
Hellos were exchanged as Meredith reached into the refrigerator for the pitcher of tea. “What would everyone like?”
When drinks were passed around, Meredith told everyone to make themselves comfortable. AJ and Ramos were going outside to start frying the turkeys, much to Nick’s amusement. The smaller man just punched his friend on the arm as he walked past.
Lumien and Leary wandered into the Sinatra room to play a game of pool. Nick walked into the living room, followed by his brother and sisters, while his father stood in the kitchen looking lost.
“You’re more than welcome to hang out here, Bob. We’re just finishing up.” Meredith smiled at him.
He returned the smile gratefully, sinking down into a chair at the table and joining Denise’s parents. The three of them watched as Meredith, Irene, and Denise moved around the kitchen finishing the remaining dishes for the meal.
Despite the fact that they were excited to see each other after such a long time apart, the five Carter children sat in the living room and stared at each other. Nick didn’t know how to broach the subject, afraid of saying the wrong thing to the younger ones.
“What’s going on with you and Mom?” Angel broke the silence, and four heads turned to look at her.
Nick took a drink of his tea before answering. %Oh, God, give me strength.%
“We’re having a bit of a disagreement right now.” He kept his head down, staring into his glass.
The girl snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “This isn’t a disagreement, Nick. This is war.”
His head shot up. “What do you mean?”
“You cut her off. And now, every other sentence seems to be about what a jerk you are. What’s the real problem? Is it because you called Meredith ‘mom’?”
Sighing, he leaned back against the sofa cushions. “I think that was the catalyst, but it wasn’t the cause. Our problems started a long time ago, and as I’ve gotten older and more independent, it’s become quite apparent we don’t see eye to eye anymore.”
Silence filled the room.
“Is there any way you can make it up to her, so we can see you more?” Leslie looked at Nick, her mouth trembling.
Nick pulled his little sister over to him and wrapped his arms around her. Closing his eyes, he sighed again.
“Not without giving in to her. I can’t do that, Les.”
She nodded against his shoulder, even as she struggled to stop the tears. He kissed her hair and smoothed it down with his hand. BJ moved to sit on the other side of him, while Angel and Aaron crowded around to get in on the hug.
“I love you, guys. More than anything. If you need, all you have to do is call, okay? I picked up some calling cards so you can call me from anywhere.” He wrapped his arms around the four kids, pulling them as close as he could.
Meredith stood in the doorway and watched, reluctant to break up the cuddle time.
“Dinner’s ready.” Her voice drifted over them as she walked back to the kitchen.
Separating, they dried their eyes and sniffled, laughing as they looked at each other. Picking up their glasses, they headed back to the kitchen.
Meredith and Denise took care of her parents, sitting them in the formal dining room and bringing their dinner to them. Her father smiled at Meredith and patted her on the cheek, much to Denise’s amusement.
The two women walked back to the kitchen to direct the troops. “I think he likes you a lot.”
“Oh?” Meredith moved a bowl on the bar to make room for the cranberry sauce.
“He never did that with any of Alex’s other girlfriends.” Denise smiled and turned away to line everyone up to move past the bar where the food was laid out.
Meredith stood there, a silly grin on her face as she looked at AJ’s mother. Shaking herself, she finished putting out the condiments and got into line.
Before anyone touched their food, they linked hands and bowed their heads to give thanks for the year and the many blessings in their lives. As “amen” echoed through the room, AJ gave Meredith’s hand an extra squeeze. She squeezed back before digging into the meal.
***Backstreet Boys***
When everyone finished dinner, Nick gathered his siblings together again and led them to AJ’s office. Reaching into the backpack he had brought with him, he passed out ATM cards.
“I’ve changed the accounts I set up for you. There will be $500 placed in there each month, but you will only be allowed to get out $50 at a time. If there are too many withdrawals at a time, the bank will deny the transaction and then call me.”
Angel looked up at him, biting her lip as her eyes filled with worry. “What about tuition and stuff? They’ll throw me out if they don’t get their money.”
Nick crouched in front of her chair, reaching out to cup her cheek. “School’s paid for, and there’s a reserve for any field trips or books or supplies you might need. If something else comes up and you need help, call me.”
He didn’t add anything about his mother balking at paying the expense, but Angel understood the implication.
Nick turned to face Leslie and Aaron. “Jive’s taking care of your tutors. My lawyer looked over your contracts, so everything’s good.”
Again, he didn’t say a word about Jane’s influence or access to their earnings. The two teens looked at him, nodding in acceptance.
He turned to BJ and gently bumped her chin with his fist. “Your account’s a little easier to access since you’re out on your own. If you need help with anything, call me, okay?”
She reached out and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. He held her close, sighing at the warmth.
“I’m really sorry you guys are caught in the middle here. I never, *ever* want you to be hurt because of me.”
“We know, Nick.” Angel pressed herself against his back, draping her arms over his as he hugged BJ.
“I love you.” She whispered the words against his hair, and he closed his eyes as tears threatened.
Aaron and Leslie joined the hug, finally tipping Nick over on the floor until he was covered in Carter kids.
“Tickle attack!” Aaron yelled as he dug his fingers into Nick’s side.
If it had been just the young man, Nick might have had a chance, but his sisters leaped into the fray until he was laughing so hard he was crying from the constant barrage of tickles.
Meredith walked by the door, listening to the laughter coming from the room. Smiling herself, she continued down the hall to check on the rest of her guests.
***Backstreet Boys***
When the counter had been cleared of dinner, Meredith and Irene laid out all of the desserts and let everyone loose. They chuckled as they watched Nick, Leary, Ramos, and Aaron load up with something from every offering. Denise, Bob, and her parents stuck with the pumpkin and pecan pies. AJ snuck into Meredith’s stash and grabbed a couple of cookies, sliding one into her mouth before she could protest. Then he cut a slice of the red velvet cake and sat down next to his grandfather.
BJ, Leslie, and Angel opted for pumpkin pie. Lumien laid a piece of coconut cake, a piece of pecan pie, and two cookies on her plate. She sat down next to Nick, reaching over to grab a bite of the red velvet cake on his plate. He just shook his head and kept talking to Leslie.
Meredith and Irene picked what they wanted and sat down at the table. AJ’s grandfather leaned close to Meredith, and the two of them carried on a quiet conversation. AJ watched the entire thing, his heart swelling with love at the acceptance of this woman by his family.
***Backstreet Boys***
Lumien helped clean up the kitchen. She had enjoyed the dinner, watching how everyone interacted with everyone else. She worried about Nick, having heard the stories about Jane and seeing how he acted with his father. His obvious love for his brother and sisters had been a relief. She smiled at the thought of Meredith and AJ’s family. They liked her so much, especially his grandfather, and she could see how much it meant to her boss.
Irene was a laugh a minute, but the young woman caught an occasional glimpse of longing whenever Kevin was mentioned. For all of the laid-back attitude usually displayed by the woman, she knew that Irene was seriously in love with her boyfriend.
Ramos and Leary were themselves, inobtrusive in their usual manner; helping when they were needed, staying out of the way when they weren’t. She carefully rinsed the plates and set them in the dishwasher.
Howie opened the door and walked into the house, smiling at everyone. He handed Meredith a covered dish of paella that his mother had insisted he bring over, and she sniffed it with an appreciative sigh.
“Can you put it in the kitchen for me, D? I’m trying to find Grandpa a blanket.”
She handed the dish back to him and headed for the hall closet as she spoke. He chuckled, noticing that she called the man by the name AJ used. %Things are going well there, I see.%
He walked into the kitchen and stopped short when he saw Lumien bent over the dishwasher rearranging some dishes. Standing there for just a moment, he admired the legs revealed by the short skirt, which covered the nicely curved butt swaying to the music from the radio.
“Hi, Lu.” He continued walking forward and put the dish in the refrigerator, ignoring her abrupt rise.
“Hi, Howie. What are you doing here?” She finished loading the dishwasher and poured in the detergent, turning it on after she closed it.
“I usually stop by later in the evening on holidays. Although I love my family, I can only take so many hours in the day with them.” He leaned against the counter and smiled at her.
Her smile was automatic, and she suddenly realized that she did it every time he smiled at her. Her gaze quickly dropped to the counter, and he watched her. There were so many times he was tempted to take her into his arms and hold her, but he was afraid she would push him away—and he just couldn’t bring himself to risk that fragile relationship they were building as friends.
“Want some pie or something?” Her question brought him out of his reverie, and he looked at her.
“I’m sorry?”
“Dessert. We’ve got a lot.” She indicated a number of containers still sitting on the bar. “Pies are in the fridge.”
He opened the refrigerator again and looked at the vast array of food items available. He reached out and grabbed the pecan pie and laid it on the counter. Lumien handed him a plate and a knife to cut it.
“Want one?” He looked up at her, licking his finger of the gooey filling.
Her eyes had followed his hand to his mouth, and she was momentarily distracted. “Uh, sure.”
Turning quickly, she grabbed a plate for herself. He cut a piece and moved it to her plate. Covering the pie, he returned it to the refrigerator and accepted the fork she held out. They sat down at the table, and spoke about past holidays. Lumien talked about happy times when her father was alive, completely ignoring any family references after that. Howie talked about growing up the baby in the family, and how much fun he had at holiday times.
AJ was passing by the kitchen and caught sight of them. Chuckling softly, he continued towards the living room to hang out with his grandparents.
***Backstreet Boys***
When the Carters were gone and AJ’s mother and grandparents were gone and it was just “family”, they sat around the kitchen table and munched on turkey sandwiches. AJ, Howie, and Nick gave the others an overview of what would be happening during the coming month and how much crazier it was going to get. Leary and Ramos finally headed out, thanking AJ and Meredith for the great dinner. She smiled and walked them to the front door, watching until they left.
Strolling back to the kitchen, she was met by everyone heading towards bedrooms. “Did I miss something?”
“Pool party.” Irene chuckled and disappeared into her room, dragging Lumien behind her.
All of the guys kept a few changes of clothes at each other’s houses, so Nick and Howie simply pulled out their swim trunks. AJ and Meredith headed for their room, changing quickly. She pulled her hair up, twisting it into a messy bun on top of her head. Grabbing a couple of towels, she walked down to the music room and gathered a few CDs to take out onto the patio. Lumien joined her a few minutes later.
The young woman stared at her friend, noticing the jagged scars that decorated Meredith’s back. The other woman turned around and caught her glance, smiling softly.
“You haven’t asked yet.”
Lumien shook her head. “I’m not sure I want to know, to be honest. I see pain in those marks, and I don’t want to bring it back to the surface if you’ve got it boxed securely away.”
Staring at the young woman who had become her friend, Meredith nodded. “That sounds like the voice of experience.”
Lowering the side of her boy-cut bikini bottoms, she revealed a jagged scar along the top of her hip. “It is.”
Meredith realized that beyond the common bond of military service, she had recognized another survivor when they met. Nodding slightly, she dove into the pool and swam a couple of lengths. Lumien joined her, and the two women stretched out on floats as they waited for everyone else to return.
The usual raucousness that accompanied a Backstreet gathering was absent. They moved quietly, easily, talking softly in the dimly lit darkness that surrounded the pool. Gentle ripples as people moved about in the water gently rocked her float, relaxing Meredith as she reflected on the day.
The phone call with her parents had gone well, each daughter chatting as they moved around the kitchen finishing the meal. AJ had spoken to them as well, and he handed the phone back to Meredith with a smile when he finished. She was glad that they got along well with each other’s families, recognizing that things could have been so much harder if there had been dislike on either side.
Tucking her hands under her chin, she looked around the pool. Lumien had given up her float to Nick, who was dozing down in the shallow end, worn out after the joy and angst that had accompanied his family’s visit. Irene was lying on a lounge chair, chatting with Kevin and relaying the day’s events. AJ was on the other side of the pool, talking to the dogs prancing around the pool edge.
Her gaze was caught by movement, and she watched as Howie slowly swam across the pool and ended up next to Lumien. They were in a corner of the pool that was barely lit by the lanterns lining the patio. She couldn’t tell what they were doing, but she smiled just the same and slowly paddled towards her lover.
“Hey, mine.”
He turned away from the dogs and reached out to grab her float. When he had pulled her close enough, he leaned in for a deep kiss. She reached out and wrapped her hand around his neck, holding him where she wanted him as she delved into his mouth. They enjoyed the kissing, the playful ones that led to ravishing caresses guaranteed to make their knees weak. Slightly breathless, they broke apart, and he stroked his fingers across her forehead.
“Did you have fun today?”
“Yes, I did. I’m glad your mom and grandparents could be with us.” Meredith reached out and held on to the edge of the pool to keep herself steady. Puppy kisses dotted her fingers, and she smiled.
AJ looked around at his friends, lingering for the longest time on Howie and Lumien.
“So.”
“So?” She turned her head and looked at him.
“What do you think’s going on over there?” He motioned towards the other couple in the pool.
She glanced at them then looked back at AJ. “Well, he’s probably being very sweet and non-threatening, and she’s being bashful, which only makes him more interested.”
“Think they’ll get their act together and work it out?” He pushed her away from the edge, much to JD’s dismay and moved her towards the shallow end.
She stared into his eyes as he propelled her along, trusting him to get her where she needed to be. “I think they will, eventually. They’ve both got issues they need to work out. When they do, it’ll be very, very good between them.”
“Hmm.”
When they reached the shallow end, AJ moved to sit on the steps and pulled her float close so that they could talk face to face without bothering anyone with their conversation. Although almost everyone was in their own little world, they were still together as a family.
Table of Contents
Chapter Thirty