“Give us a couple hours.”
“I’ll tell Ma you’ll be late.”
He revved the engine, lifting the kickstand. “Bring your parents too.”
I nodded as I lifted the first set of suitcases and carried them toward the house.
I needed to convince Izzy that skipping dinner at her parents’ wasn’t in our best interest. Well, at least, not in mine. Her mother would have my head if she didn’t see Izzy was unharmed and safe.
The door opened before I stepped onto the porch, and my mother greeted me. “Welcome home.” She smiled. “The kids missed you.”
“Just the kids?” I asked as I walked past her and tossed the luggage on the floor.
“Us too.”
“I’ll be back, Ma.” I kissed her on the cheek. “I have a few more bags to get.”
“I don’t know why you two travel with so much stuff.”
That was funny. My ma didn’t travel light either. She always overpacked. It was why we made them their own suite and had enough closet space and a dresser to house her various outfits.
After I’d carried everything inside, my ma asked me to have a cup of coffee with her and my father. I needed jet fuel to get me through the rest of the day, which my mother provided in the form of a Café Cubano.
Ma poured me a larger than usual cup, probably noticing the bags under my eyes from the long night. “We think we found a condo.”
“Yeah? Where?”
“About ten miles away they’re building a new community of free-standing condominiums, and they have one ready to move in right away.”
“That’s great news,” I told them, lifting the cup to my lips.
“We’re going to keep both places so we can travel back and forth.”
That was the best news of the day. I knew they couldn’t survive without our family, and this would give them the best of both worlds. Our kids would get to know them and spend quality time with them, and they’d be free to come and go as they pleased.
“We’re excited,” my father said.
“I can’t wait to tell the boys.”
I yawned. The adrenaline from the trip had started to wear off, and not even my mother’s coffee could keep me awake.
“Go rest, Jimmy. We’ll watch the babies.”
“The Gallos would like it if you came to dinner today.”
“We’d love to.” My father licked his lips and rubbed his stomach. “I love her cooking.”
My mother gave him the evil eye because she didn’t like to be outdone. “I’ll whip up something to bring.”
“They’d like that,” I said before walking out of the kitchen and heading up the staircase, making sure to bring a few of the bags upstairs with me.
Izzy was sprawled out on top of the comforter with her mouth hanging open. I couldn’t tell if she was sleeping or passed out from the amount of alcohol still coursing through her veins.
I locked the bedroom door and stripped every piece of clothing from my body before curling up next to her. I pulled her almost on top of me, listening to her soft snores as she slept.
I could hear the faint voices of the boys playing in the backyard and the clanking of pots from the kitchen as my mother made something to bring to the Gallos’. There was a peacefulness to the noise that lulled me to sleep.
* * *
