My fears of Exile’s reaction and my dating inexperience were instantly erased. I could see Nova in front of me. Her lovely blue eyes were watching me. I could reach out and touch her. So many times, I’d imagine such a scenario without any hope of making it a reality.
But, if the smiling face of Eddie Murphy wasn’t a signal, I didn’t know what was.
NOVA
After the reception, a line of vehicles made its way into the Sleepy Eye Community, where many former members of the little Memphis Motorcycle Club lived. Lula’s house was located next door to her parents, Pax and Bebe.
I felt safe in this neighborhood. The two entry points were guarded. But mostly, I trusted that Pax and his older brother, Ford, were the kind of men to keep problems from hitting home.
Newlyweds Dan and Lula would be at a hotel for a few days. As I entered the house with my drowsy girls, I wished I were more nervous about staying home alone. I wouldn’t mind a distraction from obsessing over the paper in Boone’s jacket.
“Can you handle spending a few days without a babysitter?” Zodiac called out to me as he entered through the garage.
My brother’s club president was an arrogant jackass, but Zodiac cared in his own way. Right now, he walked with his “baby mama,” Elle, who had recently moved to Baton Rouge with her eight-year-old son, so they could build a family with Zodiac.
I never believed Zodiac would settle down. Even after he got Elle pregnant, I was certain they wouldn’t work. Despite my love of romance books, I tended to be overly cynical about real-life relationships.
Zodiac had proven me wrong when he asked Elle to move in with him. They looked happy today, even if she was clearly tired as she began her third trimester.
Zodiac asked me, “Should Elle and I bunk here, so you’ll have a man around to supervise your comings and goings?”
As I released my spaniel-mix, Ramen, and Lula’s Chihuahua, Xena, into the yard, I assured Zodiac, “We’ll be fine, but thank you.”
Zodiac ignored my words and stood in the kitchen with Elle. Nearby, the girls dropped onto the couch and stared tiredly at me.
Skylar mumbled, “We don’t want baths.”
“We’ll take a quick shower and sleep in my bed for the night.”
The girls nodded and then leveled their blue-eyed gazes on Zodiac. Before one of them could start hassling him about his baby, Elle sighed dramatically.
“Nova’s a badass fox. She’s perfectly capable of staying overnight without a man stinking up the place,” Elle said and took Zodiac’s hand. “If she does need your assistance, she has access to a phone.”
I appreciated Zodiac’s concern and Elle’s trust. He walked over to the girls and considered saying something to rile them up. Skylar grinned with anticipation.
“I’m choosing to leave you be.”
“Swoon,” Elle mocked. “My lover is so wise.”
Zodiac smacked her butt. “I am wise.”
“Well, not really. You were going to stay here and babysit a grown woman.”
“Zip it.”
I waited until Zodiac and Elle took their playful bickering outside before shutting the garage and returning to the girls.
“No sleeping when you’re sweaty,” I told them, winning instant groans of protest. “Let’s take a shower, climb into my bed, and watch ‘Lilo & Stitch.’”
Skylar was a lot like me when I was little. She didn’t like brushing her hair or wearing anything dressy. She walked around like an annoyed teenager in need of a nap.
I quickly grew out of those habits once my mom married a man with strict expectations for his stepchildren.
Lyric was more laid-back, but she always wanted to wear character beanie hats. Even at the wedding, she wore her white bunny hat to match her flower girl dress.
I sometimes worried about when Lyric would need to give up her hats for school. As a boy, Dan always wore cowboy hats around the house. He never seemed comfortable without his version of a safety blanket. Now, Lyric had the same habit.
Inside Lula’s huge primary shower, the girls and I stepped under the water. Skylar and Lyric quickly tilted their faces upward to take advantage of the many shower heads. They were the same way when we stood in the rain.
