The pained tone in Angel’s voice and the sad expression that distorted his handsome features tugged at Tommy’s heart, and he felt worse than ever. Not knowing what else to do, he ran a soothing hand over Angel’s thigh. “It’s not that bad, A. It’s going to be OK. I promise.”
Angel lowered his eyes for a second, and he struggled to speak. “How? How is it ever going to be OK?”
Emotion clogged Tommy’s throat, but it didn’t matter because he had no answer.
Tommy felt a twinge of anxiety tickle his belly when the doorbell rang. It was Jimmy and Audra, with Mason and Mason’s Aunt Mary, accompanied by Kira and Brett. He stood back and let Angel and Jessi greet them, not sure what to expect.
Brett approached Tommy first and held out his hand. The guy hadn’t been in the family that long and needed to drop the formalities. Tommy playfully slapped Brett’s palm. “I’m not your father-in-law. How many times do I have to tell you? We don’t shake hands around here.”
Brett chuckled as he gave Tommy a hug. “Hey, dude. How’s it going?”
“All good,” Tommy replied.
Jimmy was next, wearing his customary toothy grin, and gave Tommy the usual one-shoulder hug. “How ya feeling, man?”
For a moment, Tommy wondered if, instead of an offhand greeting, the question had a deeper meaning but pushed the thought from his head. “Good. You?”
“I’m doing great. My kid just blew me away on the drums before we headed out.” Jimmy shook his head with disbelief. “The kid’s got talent.”
“We all know where he got it from,” Tommy said, draping his arm over Jimmy’s shoulder.
“Their drum offs are really something to see,” Brett added. “My jaw almost hit the floor the first time I heard the two of them play. Kira didn’t even warn me.”
“There he is!” Tommy exclaimed, squeezing Mason in a side hug when he came over to say hi. “The child prodigy. I hear you kicked your dad’s butt on the drums earlier.”
Mason displayed the signature Wilder smile, which showed off his dimples, and shrugged modestly. “I think he holds back to make me look good.”
Jimmy threw his head back and laughed up to the ceiling. “It’s all you, Mase. It’s all you.”
Lucas and Tessa came running in at the sound of Mason’s voice, and the three kids ran off together.
Tommy greeted Kira and Audra with kisses on the cheek and took both of Aunt Mary’s hands in his. “How are you, Aunt Mary? How was the ride? Was there traffic?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me.” She squeezed Tommy’s hands. “If I can handle traveling in a tour bus, I can handle a little New York traffic.”
She was as sweet as can be, and her presence warmed Tommy’s heart. The lighthearted banter, the laughs, and the ease of conversation told Tommy that everything was back to normal. With this group.
Just as they were about to move into the great room, the doorbell sounded again indicating that Damien and Alyssa were here. Tommy froze and sucked in a breath. “Go ahead,” he told everyone. “I’ll get it.” He purposely waited until they all left the entry foyer so he could speak to Damien alone. He didn’t want any less-than-pleasant words between them to sour the evening.
Tommy took a deep breath and opened the door. He smiled but was sure it looked ridiculous. “Hey! Come on in.” He stepped aside to allow them to enter.
“Hey.” Alyssa brushed Tommy’s arm with her hand as she walked into the house.
Damien stayed in the doorway and jutted his chin at Tommy. “S’up?”
“Hi.” Tommy replied. And then the two stood there and looked at one another in awkward silence.
When Alyssa realized that Damien wasn’t following her, she huffed and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. “Would you get the hell in here?” She went to him, tugged on his sleeve, and pulled him inside. “Say hello to your friend.”
“I did.”
“No. You didn’t. ‘S’up’ isn’t even a word.” She mocked him, and he scowled at her. But that was their thing. It was playful and affectionate, and it broke the icy barrier.
Tommy chuckled as he shut the door, turned, and extended his arm in Damien’s direction. “Get over here and give me a hug.”
A tiny smile made an appearance in the corner of Damien’s mouth, and he repeated, “S’up?” as he gave Tommy a quick hug.
Alyssa huffed again. “I swear I’m going to teach you more than one-syllable words.”
