“Auntie Emilia likes to swim!” Noah cheered.
“Well, there you go.”
We got out of the car and headed into the house with Noah in the lead and Nina trailing behind. I paused to wait for her to catch up and studied her tight expression.
“You okay?” I bumped against her shoulder gently.
She took a slow breath, then shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m freaking out, because even under the circumstances, it’s still a big deal, meeting your family. I mean, even though they know we’re not really together, we still need to keep this fake marriage thing up for a while—and if they hate me, it’s going to be that much harder. I don’t even know if I’m dressed right. It’s not like I could dress up considering we’re going to be packing stuff. And you claim that your sisters-in-law are nice, but what if they think I’m weird?”
Her little crash out was understandable and also sort of adorable. She slowed down on the way to the front door, like the more she gave voice to her fears, the more she convinced herself that they were facts.
“Let me address your concerns in order,” I began. I took her hand in mine. “First, they’re not going to hate you. Second, you look absolutely stunning, as always.”
She bit back a grin.
“And third, youareweird, and that’s one of the things I like about you.”
“Who’s weird?” Noah piped up.
“Me! I am!” I answered, then contorted my body, made my hands into claws and started dragging my foot behind me, like I was a monster coming after him. Both he and Nina cracked up.
The front door swung open.
“What in the world is going on out here?”
“Papa!” Noah cheered as he ran up to him, then wrapped his arms around Dad’s waist.
“Sounds like you’re all having too much fun,” he laughed as he leaned down to hug his grandson. When they finally untangled, Noah took off, likely to put on his bathing suit to sell his demands. “I’m glad you could make it.”
He strode toward us, his eyes glued to Nina.
“Hello there, you.” He beamed at her as he took her hands in his. “I hear you two got up to some trouble out on the high seas. I’m Oliver; it’s so wonderful to meet you.”
Nina’s cheeks colored as she shook his hand. “We sure did, but we’re making it work.” She glanced at me. “At least I think so.”
I couldn’t tell her that I didn’t fully agree, because in my book, “making it work” would definitely include more naked time.
“Happy to hear it,” my father replied, then finally focused on me. “Your brothers will be here shortly, ready to work.”
He wrapped me in a hug as I sputtered out a laugh. “Please. I bet they’re going to wind up having lightsaber fights in the basement.”
“Well, no worries if you boys need to pause every now and then for fun,” he said with his arm still wrapped around my shoulders. “We have time.”
I was about to ask him exactly how much time when a figure appeared behind him.
“Hello there,” Candace said warmly.
It was still difficult for me to square that this woman wasn’t attempting to become my mom’s replacement. It was a childish reflex, thinking that she was a fairy-tale-style evil stepmother, because she and my father weren’t married, and she was anything but evil. Even so, seeing them together was still an adjustment for me.
I noticed that she hung back behind my father, like he was her shield. It made me feel bad about the way my brothers and I had initially reacted to her. We hadn’t exactly been generous with the woman who was helping our father navigate his next chapter, and it was past time to make it right.
“Hi, Candace, good to see you,” I said as I stepped forward to pull her into a brief hug. I caught the flash of surprise on her face, then felt her relax as we embraced. When I let go, I turned to Nina. “Candace, this is my, uh, temporary wife, Nina Reyes-Ashford.”
They laughed softly as they hugged.
“Lovely to meet you, and thanks for being here. We need all of the help we can get,” Candace said.
“I’m a hard worker; just point me in the right direction,” Nina curled her arm to flex a tiny bicep.
