Page 65 of Beautiful Life

“I talk to her counselors every day,” I explain. “They say she’s on track for the most part, moving through some stages faster, and others slower. I’m just glad she’s still there and hasn’t taken off. If she keeps up her progress I might be able to see her this weekend.”

“That’s great. I’m glad she finally reached out for help and you were able to give it to her. This has been going on with her forever. But what I cannot believe is your mother is still at your apartment. I mean, really? How long do you think she plans on staying?”

“I have no idea and I haven’t slept in my own apartment once. She wants to know where Tina is and I won’t tell her. Tina doesn’t need our mother pulling her off course right now. But I’m really worried about Tony. I think he might lose it soon. He insists on dealing with her so I don’t have to and you know how difficult she can be. She’s even upping her game if you can believe it.” Gabby looks over and raises a brow. “Exactly. Can you imagine? She texted me this morning to tell me her boyfriend is coming tomorrow from South Dakota to stay with her while she’s here. I thought Tony was going to explode when I told him today over my lunch break. I got a text from him two hours later informing me her boyfriend was no longer coming to-quote-unquote ‘freeload’ off of me. His text ended with, ‘if she wants to see him she can get off her ass and head north for good.’”

But Gabby doesn’t look shocked like most people would as I explain my crazy mother. She’s used to my mother’s antics, so instead she’s grins and hums, “Mm-hmm.”

“Mm-hmm, what?”

“You know what I mean, mm-hmm. I’ve never seen my cousin like this, Leigh. If I wasn’t so happy and loved on from my honeymoon, I’d be pissed this didn’t happen years ago for both of you. You wouldn’t have been through what you’ve been through and Tony would have settled down sooner. You’re good for him, Leigh. I know you think you’re the taker in this relationship, but you don’t see it from our perspective. He’s different. Tony’s always been headstrong, but I’ve never seen him this determined about anything. And I don’t know why you want to sleep in your apartment anyway. You can’t have Finny there, what would you do then?”

“Gabby, I can’t move in with him.”

She comes to a standstill at her rack. “He wants you to move in with him?”

I look away and concentrate on my own rack. “Well … maybe.”

I sigh like I do every time I think of my current situation. I don’t want to be apart from Tony, but I can’t move in either. I’ve barely been divorced for two months. What will the Carpinos think of me? No, they’ve done too much for me over the last few months. I cannot move in with him.

“Leigh,” she calls adamantly and I look up to her. With a shocked look on her face she whispers loudly, “Does that mean you’ve finally had sex with my cousin?”

“Gabby!” I shout my whisper back. She does not need to ask me that in the middle of a thrift store.

“Well?” she keeps up her loud whisper.

I purse my lips together to keep from smiling because this is weird. Gabby and I can talk about anything and always used to have BFF sex talks before things went awful with Preston, but Tony is like a brother to her and it would be like talking about my sex life with Paige.

“Holy shit,” she shouts her whisper again. “You had sex with my cousin!”

All of a sudden, we hear a chuckle from the side. Gabby and I instantly turn to see an older man half-grinning at us, clearly entertained by the fact I’ve had sex with her cousin.

Gabby immediately cocks her head and while putting a hand on her hip. “Hello? Move along please, this is a private conversation.”

I close my eyes as the old guy laughs out loud and moves away.

“Well, this could get a little … um … icky since you’re with Tony. I really don’t want the details. But I will ask, are you … uh … happy?”

I grin at my friend. “Yeah, Gab. I’m really, really happy.”

She screws up her face. “Ew. I guess this means we can’t talk about sex anymore.”

“That’s what Tony said when I told him you dragged me with you for the Brazilian Wax,” I mutter.

“Leigh Briggs! Or Johnson! Whatever your name is. You. Did. Not.”

“Sorry. It just popped out. He said he liked it and it was right after our first time, the night of your wedding—”

“You had sex with my cousin for the first time on my wedding night?” she yells out loud this time.

“Lower your voice!” I yell back. “And by the way, thanks for telling him I had a crush on him in high school. That was sacred information.”

She brushes me off. “That was forever ago. It’s not sacred anymore.”

“Still.”

“Okay, fine. I’m sorry.” She doesn’t sound sorry. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way and you’ve finally moved your relationship to the next level, why don’t you just move in with him? I mean, you’re practically parents now that you have Finny.”

“I can’t and I won’t,” I say. “But he’s really pushing for it, amongst other things.”

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