A loud shriek from outside the room takes me out of the trance. There’s a commotion downstairs, muffled voices and laughter.
Victor narrows his eyes. “Your brother is impossible. I’m gonna kill him.” He laughs.
Victor and my brother have restored their love-hate relationship. I’ve got both men who I love in my life, and I’m not letting them go.
“What happened?”
Victor sighs and gets up from the bed, putting on his T-shirt. “Let’s go. He chose the worst moment ever.”
I’m on my feet dashing out the door. I think I hear Victor’s low chuckle as I pass him, but I’m not sure with all the noise coming from downstairs.
“Tia, shirt. Get your shirt.” Victor is laughing out loud.
I almost appeared in front of my brother and Abi naked and with a bra around my waist.Phew!I smile.
I stand at the living room entrance, watching Alek and Abi’s make-out session.
I clear my throat extra loud, but I get no attention. “Gross. I can’t unsee this, you guys. What was the screaming all about?”
Victor stands next to me and places his arm around my shoulders.
Abi finally disentangles herself from Alek and extends her hand.
“I said yes.”
Her finger has a bedazzling ring on it. I’m no jewelry expert, but the ring is beautiful.
“Abi, are you sure you don’t want to think about this first?” I tease, and I do my best to stifle my laughter, but my shoulders are shaking.
Victor laughs out loud and Abi smiles.
Alek frowns. “Very funny, Twinkle.”
“Congrats,” Victor and I say in unison, and we look at each other.
My heart flutters and expands to the max in my chest.
“Do you have a date in mind for the wedding?” Victor asks.
“I’ll see how the draft goes in the spring. I’m hopeful for the Florida team. When we move there and get settled, we’ll have the wedding.” My brother’s face beams.
“I’m so happy for you two and for the possibility of moving to Florida. But I’ll miss you.”
“You’ll see plenty of us.” Alek shoots Victor a strange look. “I hear there’s lots of traveling in the future for you.”
I twist my head so quickly to look at Victor that my neck muscle twitches. He places a soft kiss on my mouth.
“After New Orleans, we’ll plan a trip to New York.”
“And Tampa, Florida,” Abi chimes in.
* * *
Over Christmas break, Victor and I visit his mom at her new apartment. As the tradition calls for, we cook sugarplum hard candy. Although I’ve never felt happier, thoughts about what happened to Charlie invade my mind from time to time.
Victor’s dad hasn’t been harassing his mom, and for that I’m grateful.
Time passes so fast that the next thing I know, we’re walking down the streets of New Orleans. The city is calm in January before the elaborate celebrations of Mardi Gras begin. As we near the tables of Café Du Monde, I’m in awe.
