"I don't mind," I said, which was what you were supposed to say when you minded very much but didn't want anyone else to feel uncomfortable.
"You might not, dear, but I make the rules at this table," Diana replied.
Very well, then.
Linden leaned in again, his hand still on my nape and his beard barely tickling the spot below my ear. "You're a snake charmer."
"Something like that," I whispered back.
"I can't decide if I'm impressed"—he dropped his hand high on my thigh—"or scared."
"Be scared. Very, very scared," I said with a quiet laugh.
"You don't have to do this dress thing. I can get you out of it."
"You must not have been very impressed if you think I need you getting me out of anything." I covered his hand with mine. "No need to worry. I'll be quite all right with your sister and Zelda."
"I don't doubt it," he murmured. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should though. There's nothing wrong with letting me handle things."
There was much wrong with letting him handle things but that wasn't an argument I'd win while whispering at his mother's table. I nodded, saying, "It's nice of you to think that."
"Right now, I'm thinking about getting us the fuck out of here. Want to fake a headache?"
I shook my head. "Not on your life."
He breathed a soft growl against my jaw. "You're such a tough cookie."
"Then it's a good thing you love eating cookies as much as you do."
His grip on my thigh tightened. "Mmm. It is."
"If we can't talk about Linden's cult celebrity girlfriend," Magnolia said, "we should at least talk about baseball."
"I can agree to that," Ash said.
With a slight groan, Linden shifted away from me. "Right. We'll be so much more civilized talking baseball than we were politics. Makes sense."
Magnolia brushed several pieces of rice into her hand from where they had dropped to her belly, saying, "The next game is at home. Thursday. First pitch at five o'clock."
"Honey. Sweetheart. Love. Do you really think this is a good time to go toFenway?" Rob asked her.
"It's the playoffs, Rob. I'mrequiredto go," she replied.
"You're not. You're not required at all." He glanced to Ash and Linden for support but found none. It was awkward as hell to watch a couple nice-fight but at least I wasn't the center of attention anymore. I could enjoy Diana's delicious fish and rice, and drink my wine, and enjoy the bear paw resting an inch from my panties. "Would that even be comfortable for you?"
"Probably not," she said.
"It's a lot of walking," he continued. "And those seats."
"But it's the playoffs. The three of us haven't missed a playoff game at home in twenty years. We're not starting now just because I'm pregnant."
"You're in your third trimester with very energetic twins," he said. "Pregnant is an understatement, my love."
"Magnolia, listen to your husband," Diana said.
She stared down the table at her mother. "I beg your pardon?"
"I'm just saying, your husband knows what's best for you."
