“They are twins?” I ask Roman.
“Yes. Identical, but Tillie is prettier. Don’t tell I said that.”
A clap calls everyone’s attention. “That’s a wrap. Now, dinner,” Elizabeth says. She leaves the room as the photographer begins to pack his equipment away.
We all shuffle behind Elizabeth. Ollie and Tillie tease Roman about being engaged, and Roman smirks, trying his best to hold back his laughter.
“Then there was this one Christmas where Liam cried over Roman’s Pokémon,” Ollie states.
“I loved that Pokémon,” Roman adds.
Liam taps his shoulder. “So did I.”
Tillie shakes her head. “You always loved whatever Roman had. No matter if it’s his leftovers.”
Tessa scowls and tries to ignore Tillie’s dig.
Roman pulls out a chair for me as we sit. The dining room is the kind that you see in a Home and Country magazine. Classy and elegant. A 14-foot-long table sits decorated with candles, gold flatware, and dark green linen napkins folded into the shape of a leaf.
I lower myself down onto the chair. Ever since the kiss, he hasn’t really looked at me.
Roman’s father sits at the head, his mother on the other side.
Roman sits closer to his father, and thankfully, Tillie is next to me. I know conversation is about to be good.
Liam sits directly opposite Roman, with Tess next to him and then Ollie.
“Remember the Christmas when Roman got that large black and gold Power Ranger?” Ollie chuckles.
Roman’s mouth tightens as his arm settles over the back of my chair. “It was a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Deluxe Special Edition black and gold Megazord.”
“Roman cried for that silly toy,” Elizabeth adds.
Roman shakes his head. “It wasn’t silly. You just gave Liam whatever he wanted, even if it was mine.”
Elizabeth flicks her wrist downward. “Oh, pish posh. I was teaching you to share. Always so melodramatic.”
Something about the way she moves Roman’s emotions away irks me.
“Want to see how dramatic I can be, Mother?” The question was a simple one, but there were layers of a dare dwelling within it.
Roman looks up at Elizabeth, and she instantly becomes quiet. Roman holds her gaze until she looks away and grabs her napkin. The table goes quiet.
Elizabeth smiles and picks up her champagne glass. “A toast to both of my boys being home and to the women they will soon call their wives.”
We all raise our glasses and sip. I wonder what they will say next year when I am not here.
The starter comes out: roasted pear, prosciutto, and arugula salad with shaved parmesan and balsamic glaze.
The clinks of the forks surround me.
“So tell us, Noelle, how did you and Roman meet?” Tessa says as she slices into the cured ham.
Roman sits up. “Well, we…”
I put my hand on his arm gently. “She asked me, darling.”
Roman swallows and stares at me, like he was frightened of giving me the reins. “You’re right.”
