Page 53 of Baja
Alice holds out her hand, smiling. “Mr. and Mrs. Steele, it’s nice to meet you.”
Like I knew it would be, my mom’s reaction is warmth.
Mom pulls Alice in for a hug. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” Mom pulls back. “Call us Caroline and Jenson.”
“It’s about damn time, son.” My dad smirks. “We were beginning to think you’d stay a bachelor forever.” His comment earns laughs from others in the room as my brothers push the tables together.
“Caroline… Jenson,” Ophelia calls out. “Join us for breakfast.”
We gather around the table, and the mood stays light as breakfast is served and plates are passed around. For a little while, things feel normal.
Then, the one person missing appears.
Lily.
The energy in the room changes, and it falls silent. All eyes turn to Lily as she sheepishly moves toward the table.
I brace myself for what’s coming. There’s no avoiding it. It’s time to tear off the Band-Aid.
“Mom, Dad.” I look across the table at them. “This is Lily.”
My mom smiles while Dad sneaks a piece of bacon, shoveling it into his mouth. “It’s nice to meet you, Lily. We are Caroline and Jenson, Nash’s parents.”
“And I’m Lucy, also known as our mom and dad’s favorite kid,” my sister boasts with a playful grin and a twinkle in her eyes.
Lily’s eyes bounce between my parents, looking unsure. “Hi,” she says, barely above a whisper.
I clear my throat. “She’s Uncle Jax’s daughter.”
The shock on their faces is immediate, but my mom recovers quickly. She stands, making her way to Lily. Mom’s eyes are full of unshed tears as she looks at Lily. “Your dad is my brother.”
Lily rubs her belly. “He’s told me about you.”
Mom opens her arms. “Welcome to the family.” Her voice is thick with emotion. Lily’s lips tremble. Then she walks into my mom’s embrace. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” Mom says.
I sit, taking in the scene as my family wraps their arms around Lily, a surge of gratitude crashing over me. Next to me, Alice grips my hand under the table, our fingers locked together like we’re ready to face the world. My life isn’t flawless, but it’s real. And that’s close enough to perfect for me.
The rest of breakfast is quieter as the conversations shift to lighter topics like the charity event and my sister’s upcoming school dance.
“Tell your brother about the boy you’re going with.” The tone of Dad’s voice hints at his protective nature and piques my interest.
“What boy?” I glare at my sister.
In typical teenage fashion, Lucy rolls her eyes. “He’s not a boy. I mean, he is, but he’s just Cole. Besides, Daddy forgot to mention that a group of us are all going together. As friends.” She cuts her eyes to Dad, but I can see he’s unconvinced.
“I’ll make sure I’m cleaning my shotgun when your friend picks you up,” Dad states.
Lucy sighs. “Daddy. Cole and I have been friends since we were in diapers. I don’t have any other feelings for him.”
“And you’d best remember you wearing diapers not that long ago,” my dad shoots back.
What the fuck happened to Lucy playing with Barbie dolls and My Little Pony? Hearing my kid sister talk about boys and feelings has me adding my two cents. “He’d better stay just a friend.” I give my sister a look. “I hear about the little shit catchin’ feelings, and you’ll have more than Dad to worry about.” In return, my words get a fiery glare, and I feel my work here is done. I shoot her a little brotherly smirk, satisfied with myself.
“You both knew she was bound to grow up eventually, and boys are naturally part of the process,” Mom adds, coming to my sister’s defense.
“Yeah, well, so is standing on my front porch daring any little snot-nosed punk sniffing around to give me any reason to shoot them.” Dad plucks a piece of bacon off the platter, turns to my mom, and looks her in the eyes, eating it.
Alice giggles beside me, then whispers, “I see where you get it from.”
