Page 31 of Takedown

“What the hell is going on?” he practically screams from down the hall.

“Adam got married.” Molly’s tears are now streaming down her face.

“Adam got carried? Who in the hell can carry this giant around?” He chuckles and hugs Adam, then he turns to me and hugs me. Just like Adam did to his mother, he lifts me off the ground.

“And who is this pretty lady?” he asks.

“This is Melanie, Adam’s wife,” Molly says.

“Why does Adam need a knife?”

“Married!” Molly yells at her brother.

“Buried? Are you crazy, Mol? He’s not buried. He’s right here.”

Molly sighs in frustration, and when I look at Adam, his shoulders are shaking from laughter. I can’t help myself. I laugh too, and so does Molly.

“Married!” She takes my left hand and Adam’s, and she shows them to her brother.

“Married!” He widens his eyes and puts both hands to his head. “Adam! Mazel tov. Let’s have a drink.” He practically yells the last sentence. “Am I getting a little nephew to play ball with, Adam?” He puts a hand on my stomach then shakes his head. “Nope.”

“Go put on your hearing aid. I don’t plan on spending the first day with my new daughter shouting. I don’t want her to think we’re crazy,” she screams.

He shoos her away, but he runs down the hall and out of our sight.

“Too late on the crazy part,” Adam says. Molly swats his shoulder, but she hooks her arm through mine, and we finally leave the hallway. The rest of the house is like a shrine to Adam. There are candid shots of him, his mother, and various other people. Adam looks nothing like his mother, but a lot of the people in the pictures resemble her, so I assume they are family.

There’s a picture of a young Adam in a tuxedo with a woman.

“Prom photo?” I ask, lifting it. The female is small and dressed in a pale blue dress, the same color as his bowtie. She has dark brown skin, much darker than mine and she has a wide smile on her face.

“My mother can’t let go.” He takes the picture from me and puts it down.

“Kids! Drinks,” Finn says, less loud this time. I hear the loud pop, and by the time we make it to the kitchen, he’s pouring glasses of champagne.

“Adam, you didn’t tell me you were dating anyone. How did this happen?” She bypasses the glass of champagne her brother is holding out to her and hugs me again.

Adam tells them an abridged version of what happened in Vegas. “We got caught up in the moment, Ma. We realized our feelings and didn’t want to wait anymore. I wanted to tell you face to face, and the snowstorm this week was like our honeymoon.”

Molly swoons at her son’s words, grabs her glass of champagne, clinks it with us, and downs it in one large gulp. Finn immediately refills it.

“What did he say?” Finn yells. “He got caught in a typhoon? I thought he went to Vegas. How the hell did he get caught in a typhoon in Vegas? Adam, what the hell are you talking about?”

Molly rolls her eyes, and I laugh.

“Honeymoon!” I say, close to his ear.

“Oh! Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Hubba hubba.” He winks at me, and Molly excuses herself. She returns about a minute later and shoves something in Finn’s hands.

“I don’t need this. My ears work fine.”

She sighs and says, “How about some appetizers? Get the platter from the fridge, Son. I’m so happy about my daughter.” She hugs me again, and this time, she lowers her arms and pinches my hips. “She has a good figure for bairns. You’re very tall.” Unsure of how to respond, I look at Adam, who is putting a tray of food on the kitchen island. His mom inches closer and asks, “Are you pregnant?” I almost choke on my champagne at the question, but she steps back and pats my thighs this time.

“Ma,” Adam warns.

“What? I want grandbabies, Adam.” She turns those brown eyes to me and says, “Granddaughters to be more specific. And soon.” His mom is beautiful when she smiles, with sparkling brown eyes and perfect cheekbones. Her complexion is fair, without a single blemish.

She grabs a small plate and fills it with crackers, cheese, and grapes for me. “Eat, darling,” she orders. She fills her own plate and stands next to me. I take a bite of a cracker. She smiles again, and her smile is so infectious, I find myself mimicking her.

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