Elizabeth gives him a double finger to the eyes. “You and I are going to talk.”
“Mom!” Charlotte exclaims.
“And the winner?” Chris asks.
Elizabeth flips over the card for everyone to see and covers her mortified face.
Getting Mom pregnant.
The kids burst into loud laughter.
“Whose was that?”
I lift my hand. Elizabeth kicks me under the table and mouths,“You’re going to pay for that.”
“I hope so,”I mouth back.
In my peripheral, I can see Chris closely watching us. He hasn’t been as standoffish tonight, but he’s still been wary.
Charlotte pulls Grant up from his chair. “Can we light the firepit out back?”
“Go for it,” Elizabeth replies, putting all the cards back into the game box.
“Marshmallows?”
“Just bought a new bag. Third shelf in the pantry.”
Chris isn’t as enthusiastic as he trundles into the kitchen without a word.
“Thank you for reminding me how much I miss this.”
Elizabeth gives me her full attention. “What? Chaos and noise?”
“Family.”
Her expression sobers, and she leans over to cup my cheek. “Your brothers and sisters and the New York Four aren’t your only family. We’re your family, too, you know.”
Goddamn this wonderful woman.
“I know.”
“No matter what happens between us, that’s never going to change.”
I take her hand and place it directly over my heart. Elizabeth tames the darkness inside me and brings me a peace that I never had in my life.
“Mom, I can’t find the marshmallows! And what happened to the Diet Twist?”
Elizabeth’s head drops forward on a groan. “I swear, an elephant could be right in front of her, and she would claim not to see it.”
Tipping back the rest of my beer, I gather the leftover glasses scattered across the table and head into the kitchen just as Elizabeth disappears out the back door with Charlotte.
Chris is at the sink, rinsing bowls under the faucet. He glances up when I come in. There’s a hard set to his shoulders and a rigidness to his jaw when I approach.
“Want some help?”
“Sure. Bowls go on the top rack.”
He hands me a rinsed bowl, and I place it in the dishwasher. We work in silence, the rhythm of our movements the only sound.
