“Thank God you know! It was killing me!” Beckett moans from the couch.
“I’m sure it was darling,” Mother says sarcastically. She looks around with a sly grin and says, “Well, you know what this means?”
“No,” I say nervously.
There is a clicking noise to my left and when I turn, Lizzy is snapping pictures of us with her phone, capturing this perfect moment. She throws a wink out at me and my stomach tightens. This is it.
This is that perfect moment you see in movies.
Mother chuckles, bringing me back to earth. “This only increases the chances of me having a grandchild by four times! How can I not be happy about that?”
“Oh lord,” Beckett and I groan at the same time.
“Yes! Mama McKinley with the priorities!” Lizzy cheers from across the room, sending pancake batter smack onto Tony’s face. “Shit. Sorry. I got carried away. I’m just so excited!”
Looking around the room, I notice the boys aren’t cringing, rather laughing, and part of me takes it as a sign thatmaybekids aren’t off the table?
CALLUM - HAPPINESS
Itfeelslikeaweight has been lifted off Everlee and this house. Her mother knows, and soon so will her father. Donna said she’ll discuss this with him when he gets back from his trip on Sunday. Speaking with Everlee after dinner, she said her mother had already suspected something was up, even though she wasn’t quite sure whatitwas. She said at the end of the day, Donna wants her children to be happy, even if that means their lives take a different path than she had originally planned, which I think, speaks volumes to the people they are.
After dinner, we all talk about Everlee and Beckett growing up and, of course, a handful of embarrassing stories, mostly at Everlee’s expense. Between the guys' eagerness to learn everything we can about her, and Donna, Lizzy, and Beckett eager to embarrass her, it was a win-win for everyone… but Everlee. But we’ll make it up to her. And even though she was oohing and ahhing and grumbling the entire time, she was also laughing a lot.
When I walk back over with a bowl of popcorn to sit on the couch, Donna stands. “I’m going to head to bed. It’s been a long day and I’m beat, plus, there was this racket last night that kept banging and kept me up.”
In typical Lizzy fashion, she makes some sort of bow-chicka-bow-wow sound, garnering a laugh from half the room, which is all the encouragement she needs.
Donna walks upstairs and as soon as her door shuts, Lizzy and Beckett fly across the couch, ignoring me and the bowl of popcorn on my lap, causing me to nearly spill it.
“Spill the tea,” Lizzy and Beckett say in unison.
“I’m going to let you all talk.” I stand up, then look back at Everlee. “I’m going to go outside and fill the boys in on the call with Sammie.” I look at Everlee and she pumps her eyebrows with a smirk because she knows that also means about her coming to Allure full time.
The guys and I walk outside and take the left side of the deck, where the two oval couches are. Knox tries to steal my popcorn, but I shove him off and he trips, nearly falling into the pool.
“Not cool, bro.”
“Don’t come after a man’s freshly popped popcorn,” I warn.
“Sharing is caring,” Knox volleys back.
I reluctantly hold the bowl out. “Take a handful, not the bucket.”
“Stingy!”
“Watch it, or next time you will end up in the pool on purpose.”
“So what did you need to talk to us about?” Jax asks, pulling the conversation away from Knox and popcorn.
“So you know the problem we knew we were going to have with the management at Allure once Sammie pulls away?”
“Yea,” they all nod in unison.
“We have a solve.”
“Well?”
“Everlee.”
