“That’s crazy, Lanie,” Tyra told me.
“That’s the Heron Family, Ty-Ty. If there’s a statement to be made, you might as well do it with flair.”
She started giggling and I did it right along with her.
She sobered and caught my eye. “You okay with all this?”
I looked back down to the mushrooms I was slicing. “Yeah.” I pressed my lips together then turned to her and said softly, “Especially the AA part.”
“You think she means it?” Tyra asked.
“I think she’s never, not once, not even back in the day when Lis told them she didn’t want to speak to either of them until Mom sorted herself out, admitted she had a problem. They say admitting it is a not only the first step but the most important one so, yeah. I think she means it.”
“Happy for you,” she told me.
“Me too,” I replied and watched her eyes slide to the living room and back to me.
“How happy should I be for you?”
I understood what she was asking so I gave it to her.
“He’s gentle. He’s understanding. He’s proved over and over he has my back. He’s mellow, which is good to come home to when my mind is a mess and work is crazy. His kids are great, they like me, and I love watching him with them. He sang ‘You’ll Accomp’ny Me’ to me at a biker bar. And he loves me.”
Her eyes shot up at Hop singing to me and she breathed, “No joke? He sang to you?”
I shook my head. “No joke.”
“Tack told me he used to be in a band. Is he good?”
I smiled. “He’s a rock star.”
“I mean, is he good when you aren’t looking through love glasses,” she teased and I locked eyes with her.
“He should never have given it up. He’s phenomenal,” I stated firmly.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“You don’t know wow until you’ve seen Hopper onstage with a microphone and a guitar. Then you’ll know wow.”
Tyra grinned.
I went back to slicing mushrooms.
“ ‘You’ll Accomp’ny Me?’ ” she asked quietly.
I looked back at her. “It was the best moment of my life until he said last night, ‘Do you have any f**kin’ clue how much I love you?’ ”
Her eyes got big.
“Wow,” she repeated.
“Yes. Now that was wow.” I pulled in a deep breath and turned to her. “He’s mine. I’m terrified. Love hasn’t gone real well for me. He gets that. He’s patient. We fight. It hurts. But somehow, after each fight, we come out stronger.”
“If it’s right, that’s how it works,” Tyra shared.
“I’m getting that now.”
“I wish you would have told me,” she said carefully and I shook my head.
“I don’t know how it happened, Ty-Ty. I don’t know what I saw that led me to him but I’m glad I followed my gut and my heart because it was Hop I needed to guide me through letting the past go. It couldn’t be you. I was blaming myself for you getting hurt. It had to be someone else and there isn’t anyone in my life, even my sister, who could do it with the tenderness and understanding Hop gave me.”
Her eyes got bright but her lips smiled and she again said, “Wow.”
“Absolutely,” I replied. “Wow.”
My phone rang.
Rider shouted, “Mom! Cut poked me in the eye!”
I grabbed my phone as Tack called, “Boy, get your butt over here. You know, the rare happens and your mother’s in the kitchen, you don’t disturb her.”
Tyra rolled her eyes at me and headed to the living room.
I put my phone to my ear. “Hey.”
“You’re banging a biker?”
It was Elvira.
“Elvira—” I began only to be cut off.
“Okay, I been around those hot boys and I got me a fine piece of goodness in my bed but that don’t mean I don’t notice the goodness all around me when I’m on Chaos. So I get you, goin’ there with a brother. What I don’t get is your two sisters sat there, eatin’ up tasty morsels about your man, and you just stood there like a deer caught in headlights and didn’t say shit?”
“Elvira—” I tried but failed.
“Tyra called me, told me she got the wrong end of the stick and shared Hop was on a break with his ex-bitch when he was doin’ the nasty with a biker groupie. Still, girl, what the f**k?”
“Well—”
“I knew he was a good guy. I can sniff ’em out. The ass**les. He didn’t smell like no ass**le. So it threw me for a loop, thinkin’ he was a cheater. Thought my radar had gone screwy. Good to know I still got it goin’ on.”
“I’m glad that—”
“But you standin’ there, not sayin’ a word? Girl, you crazy?”
“Actually, yes,” I got out.
“Yeah, you are. Always knew that. Don’t know why I’m askin’,” she took a breath then changed subjects. “Chaos bonded out your mom?”
“Yeah. She’s good.”
“Sistah,” she drew this word out, “you’ve had a helluva day,” she declared and she was not wrong. I heard her shout, “What?” Then nothing, then, “Be right there, baby.” She came back to me. “Date night. Movie, dinner and a little somethin’ somethin’. Pray for me that work doesn’t call him in the middle of our entrée. That happens a lot and it never fails to shit me but what am I gonna do? My man serves and protects. It’s my sacrifice for the population of Denver.”
I grinned at my phone. “I’m praying.”
“Good,” she stated, then, “You happy?”
“Yeah, Elvira, I’m happy.”
“Good,” she whispered. “Finally.”
She was right about that.
Then I heard her shout, “Keep your pants on!” And back to me, “Gotta go. I’m pourin’ martinis in you sometime next week. I want it all but only the PG=rated parts. I do not want to know what that ’tache feels like on your skin.”
Even if she did, I wouldn’t share that.
That was all for me.
She continued, “It’ll give me ideas, and it’ll mean I can’t come over for dinner with you and Hop the week after next ’cause I won’t be able to look him in the eye if I know what that ’tache feels like on my skin. I’ll text you with a night Malik and I can make it. I’m ordering your fried chicken and pecan pie so be prepared.”