“Aww,” they said again.
“Daddy Boone,” Vanessa cooed. “Nova makes pretty kids. You should have at least one together.”
“We’re thinking about making a kid when Clint and Ivy are ready to do the same. It would be cool for them to grow up together.”
“Yarrow will likely move up here if you have a kid,” Nine said and sighed. “My mom said your mom is already packed for her visit this weekend. Yarrow might not go back after only a few days. Best be ready for her to stick around.”
“Nova is nervous about meeting Yarrow. I’ve probably painted my mom as too weird to feel comfortable around.”
“I like weird,” Vanessa said as she fixed her ponytail. “That’s why I like your mom.”
“What about my mom?” Nine said and leaned back in his chair.
“She stayed sane with four kids. Clove’s a saint.”
Rowdy mumbled, “Our mom had four kids and is still mostly sane.”
“Yeah, and Bebe’s a saint, too.”
Rowdy nodded approvingly before his face twisted into a frown. “Hiring someone to hunt down Katie seems wrong. If she wants to talk to me, she knows my number.”
“That’s very mature,” Vanessa said and patted his shoulders. “Bebe would approve. Remember when she told Sabrina that she couldn’t force Moe to move to Little Memphis? How, if it was meant to happen, Moe would choose on her own. Bullying isn’t the path to a stable relationship.”
“Yeah, and Sabrina was so angry,” Rowdy said, chuckling. “She swore Bebe was wrong, but she also followed her advice. Our sister is a grumpy sheep.”
While the siblings joked around, I was struck by the realization of how I’d always be Boone and Nova from now on. Nothing felt truer than when I imagined a whole lifetime with Nova at my side.
NOVA
The original plan was to go grocery shopping with Ivy. When she came down with a headache, I figured Lyric and I would trek to the store alone. Instead, Goldie, Elle, and Dalisay decided to meet us at the grocery store.
“I was craving a few things,” Elle said as she shuffled over from her SUV while Goldie and Dalisay left their motorcycles. “Mom was busy helping people, Sutter and Ford were fishing, and Zodiac was busy dick measuring with Clint and Exile. That left me to care for myself.”
As she chose a cart, I asked, “Why didn’t you text me to pick up things for you?”
“Because I’m bored and needed someone to whine to. Now, I have an audience.”
Wearing matching double braids, Dalisay and Goldie smiled while I studied Elle.
“You look tired.”
“I’m fine,” Elle assured me. “The third trimester is when I get a rundown, melty look. Zodiac is going to fucking love that.”
“She was downright hideous with Sutter Cane,” Dalisay insisted, winning a scowl from Elle. “With this baby, she doesn’t look bad at all.”
Elle flipped her frown upside down. “You’re my favorite Tooker.”
“You’re my favorite Reed,” Dalisay said and hugged Elle.
Goldie smiled at Lyric and said, “While those two write dopey poems to each other, I’ll help you shop. What are you going to be for Halloween?”
“I’m a pink unicorn,” Lyric said and walked next to the cart. “I have sparkles on my face and a horn.”
“I was a unicorn when I was super little,” Goldie explained. “But then, when I was your age, I decided to be a witch for each Halloween.”
“The same costume?” I asked confused.
“No, I was a different witch each year. I really liked the idea of flying on a broomstick.”
