“Well, duh,” Lena said.“You never get over that.But I betif he finally had his woman and his son under his roof, that’d help.”
I bet the same thing.
“What’s holding you back, sis?”Toni asked the pertinentquestion.
She didn’t let me bat it away either.She kept at me.
“You love him.He loves you.You both love Liam.All thatwas keeping you apart isn’t there anymore.He lied to you.Clearly, you’re overit.”
“As she should be,” Lena cut in.
Toni threw her a look and came back to me.“So why thehesitation and the big show of martinis with the girls when you already knowwhat you’ve got to do?”
“Because what if…”
I couldn’t finish it.
“What if, without the obstacles and the danger and thehistory and the bullshit, you two can’t hack it together?”Toni asked.
“Yeah, that,” I said weakly.
She looked to Lena.“I see she forgot her big speech to meon my wedding day.”
“I still don’t know what she said,” Lena replied.
“In a nutshell, woman up,” Toni told her.“I was being awuss.Go be with the man I love and make a life with him.”
Lena turned her attention to me.“Right.Do that.”
“Easier said than done,” I muttered and sucked back somemartini.
“You know, I know you all think Kenneth’s touched,” Lenadeclared.
Toni ducked her eyes.
I grew fascinated by a plant in the corner.
News: Lena married Kenneth.
Surprising news: they were still thick as thieves, lovedeach other bunches and had just started trying to make a baby.
Not surprising news: we all still thought Kenneth wastouched, but he loved our girl, wanted to lay the world at her feet, so wefound ways to get over it.
“And I didn’t care,” she continued.“I knew what I wanted,and it was him.So even though I respect all you all, and I can’t say it didn’tgive me pause, I made the right decision for me.You don’t have just you tothink about, Malia.You have Liam.But I can testify that those two are twopeas in a pod.They get along like a house on fire.Darius loves his son to hisbones, and Liam feels the same way for his daddy.So yeah.I agree.Darius tooka long damned time getting his head out of his ass.But now, I don’t mean to bea bitch or anything, but it’s you with your head in your ass, Malia.”
Toni didn’t say anything, which was tacit agreement withwhat Lena said.
“Okay then, how do I go about doing that?”I asked.“BecauseLiam can’t be around.He caught his dad dropping me off, and it was all kindsof uncomfortable.I don’t want his hopes up if things go south.”
Lena shrugged.“No probs.Kenneth andme’lltake him to a movie or something.”
“Or Tony can ask him for a game of one-on-one.”
“Or Dad can tell him he needs his help with one of hisprojects.”
“Or we can ask him to babysit Talia while Tony and I have adate night.”
“I see we’ve got the covert part of this operation covered,”I mumbled before taking another sip of my drink.
