“I better not catch you alone with him, Andi.” I use my stern voice, the one that says I’m not even fucking kidding. Not that it has ever worked on this woman.
She says, “Fine, Luke,” and I feel my racing heart start to slow down until she finishes her sentence, “I won’t let you catch me.”
I snap my head to look at her, ready to fight tooth and nail for my place in her life, and I see the gleam of absolute mocking in the twinkling of her eyes. She is enjoying this so much, she will probably flirt with Brandon just to get to me. I should’ve kept my fucking mouth shut because she willsouse this little tidbit against me.Wench.
We arrive at my parent’s house a few minutes early but it looks like the whole gang is already here. Andi looks absolutely perfect in her form-fitting black capris, her sky-blue flowing shirt that would be baggy if not for the white scarf/belt thing she has tied around her tiny waist. Her little toenails are painted the same color as her shirt and are peeking out of her black sandals. My God, she is more than I’ve ever imagined a woman could be.
My sister, Alicia, is younger than me but she married early and has two rug-rats that I love with all my heart. Being Uncle Luke has been pretty cool. My nephew Jacob is five; my niece Callie is three; and they are both so much fun. They both know my truck and as soon as Andi and I step out of it, the front door opens and they come flying out to meet us. I hug them both and lift them up in the air, playing our usual game of airplanes while Andi watches and laughs along with us.
I introduceJacob and Callie to Andi, who kneels down to be eye to eye when them, and she proceeds to charm the kids just like she did my parents. Before we make it across the front lawn, both kids are attached to her like little leeches. Alicia meets us at the door and within minutes she and Andi act like they are long lost sisters. I roll my eyes to myself at the thought of what my brother will do when he meets her.
And here we go….Brandon just arrived and is making his rounds. I know it the second his eyes find Andi because his big mouth stops moving. Brandon is two years older than me and we actually look a lot alike. We’ve frequently competed for the same thing, including girls. But there’s no way I’m letting him put the moves on this one.No. Fucking. Way. I try to head him off at the pass but he just pats my shoulder as his “hello” as he makes a beeline for my girl, who’s now sitting with my sister and Gran.
“And who is this beautiful lady? Alicia, you said you didn’t have any friends you could set me up with that I’d be interested in. I can promise you, I’m interested in this one.” Brandon is really laying it on thick.
“Brandon! We can’t take you anywhere!” Alicia is laughing, knowing what a flirt Brandon naturally is. “This is Andi, and she’sLuke’sdate.” Gran is watching me with those knowing, all-seeing eyes of hers and an obvious smirk on her face. She knows damn well that Andi is more than a friend to me even if I haven’t said it to anyone.
“Oh, Luke and I aren’t dating. We’re just friends.” Andi declares to Alicia, but the whole room full of people stops buzzing and every eye is boring into me, telling me that I’m fucking crazy. Every eye except Brandon’s eyes, which are still glued to Andi. I’m pretty sure I just growled out loud at her revelation.
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Andi,” Brandon is moving to sit beside Andi on the loveseat, even though my sister already occupies the other seat. Brandon will just sit on her if she doesn’t move fast enough. My brother is openly ignoring me and eating Andi up with his eyes.
I cut through the room full of people who are still looking at me as if I’ve suddenly sprouted a few extra heads. I take Andi by the hand before Alicia has time to get out of Brandon’s way, thus preventing Brandon from fully getting to my girl. I pull Andi up to stand beside me and wrap my arm around her waist – being intentionally and blatantly possessive, especially in front of Brandon.
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell, Brandon. Go find your own girl.”
My brother knows me all too well. His smug smile tells me he knows he’s pushing my buttons as he says, “I think it would be more appropriate ifyougo findyourown girl. You and Andi are just friends, after all.”
I’m not doing this in front of everyone.
“Andi, let me introduce you to the rest of my family and show you around the house,” and with that I lead her away from my brother, who is now openly laughing behind me. I feel somewhat better when Andi settles her hand in mine and gives it a slight squeeze.
ANDI
I absolutely love Luke’s family – every one of them. They have all taken me in with open arms and made me feel like one of them. It’s been so long since I’ve had a family, my emotions threaten to get away from me and I have to find something to take my mind off it before I start crying and make a fool out of myself. For all their problems, and every family has problems, none of them can really understand what it would mean to lose everything and be totally alone in this world.
I understand it all too well. And that makes being here with Luke’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all the more bittersweet. I’ve talked at length with every single person here, even with his brother Brandon, who is actually just a big softie even though he gives Luke hell. I think everyone asked me, in one way or another, exactly what Luke was doing at the gym.
When I explained the boxing career, what it takes to make a boxer, how much determination and grit a man has to have to even step in the ring, I could see them look at Luke in a completely different manner.
After explaining it to Luke’s dad, Sam, I think he was actually fighting back tears and he looked so damn proud of Luke. It makes me wonder if they’ve had words about it before but Luke wasn’t able to express his feelings or fully explain what all is involved. In any case, I think Sam, and everyone else here, understands now.
Luke didn’t like it when I talked to Brandon, but I made sure Luke was beside me and he was included in the conversation. Though I teased Luke about not getting caught with his brother, I would never actually betray him like that, even if “this” wasn’t going on between us. Whatever “this” is. For all of Brandon’s flirting, I don’t think he would actually betray Luke like that either, but I’m not sure Luke is convinced of that.
Sam grilled out an enormous amount of chicken, burgers and hotdogs. Luke’s mom, Linda, made everything else and we all ate until we were overstuffed. After we were all stuffed on Sam’s grilling, Linda brought out the birthday cake for Gran. She insisted I call her Gran because she’s now adopted me as her granddaughter. Gran’s presents started piling up on the table in front of her and she was beaming with pride.
Once her presents were opened and everyone had their piece of cake, I stole away from the table to get her gift from me out of my purse inside the house. Luke had told me a lot about Gran over the past month we’ve been hanging out together, but I wasn’t comfortable giving her present to her in front of everyone else.
I brought the small box to the back yard table where Gran was going back through all her presents and sat down beside her. “Gran, I don’t have a lot of experience with this kind of thing. If you don’t like it, it’s ok – we can go exchange it for whatever you want. But after Luke described you to me, I thought you might like this.”
Gran’s eyes lit up when I put the box in her wrinkled hands and I felt Luke watching me from across the yard. Somehow I can always feel his eyes on me. He slowly made his way over to where Gran and I sat, curiosity getting the best of him. I suppress a laugh but Gran’s knowing eyes dance with mischief. “That boy is in love with you, Andi.”
Dodge and deflect activated, “Open your present, Gran!”
She pats my hand, knowingly, and slowly removes the wrapping paper from the black velvet box, giving Luke time to get to us before she opens the lid. She gasps when she sees the necklace inside and tears spring to her eyes. The necklace is really simple, but I found it at a vintage shop and it is beautiful. The charm is an owl made of silver and the body is set with small stones – a mixture of sapphires, emeralds and rubies.
“Do you not like it, Gran? It’s ok if you don’t – really – I will take you to exchange it for whatever you want.”Oh my gosh– I’ve just made Gran cry at her own birthday party! I couldn’t feel any worse if I tried.
Gran straightens her back and looks at me with a stern eye, “Don’t even joke about that, child! I absolutely love it! It reminds me of the one my mother used to wear – it looks exactly like her old one.” Gran then grabs me and kisses me square on the mouth, like I was one of her kids and had always been. Now I have tears in my eyes and I’m hugging her fiercely, like I’m almost afraid to let her go.
