Page 42 of Tart
Her head swung back and forth. “No, but it’s been a long time since you trusted anyone to be in here when you were alone, especially without your parents or me on call.”
“Huh, I guess that’s true,” I agreed. “I don’t even think about it with Bishop. He’s here all the time. Hey, didn’t you have some big news to tell me?”
She jumped up and clapped her hands together. “God, witnessing the kiss knocked everything else out of my brain! Yes, I have huge news!”
“Well, I know you aren’t pregnant. What’s left?”
“Brady and I bought a house!”
I didn’t jump up quite as quickly as she did, but when I was standing, I threw my arms around her. “I’m so happy for you both, Hay-Hay,” I said, hugging her tightly. “You’ve worked so hard to get here!”
She leaned back and grasped my shoulders, so I didn’t fall. “I know we already own the apartment, but with both of us there, it’s just too small. We need something bigger.”
I nodded and smiled, patting her face. “I agree. It was fine when it was just you, but not both of you. Besides, I know you want to start a family, and you’re going to need a much bigger place. Where is the house?”
She pointed out the patio door. “You know the place on the corner?”
“Mrs. Daniels’s old place?” I asked with my brow knotted. “I don’t know who owns it now, though.”
“We do!” she said, clapping again. “That’s the house we bought.”
“Wait,” I said on a breath. “We’re going to be neighbors?”
Her head nodded up and down, and I had to grasp her chin to stop it. “Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“I wanted to, but Brady said it would be better to wait just in case we didn’t get the place. He didn’t want me to get your hopes up and then be disappointed.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to be neighbors!” I squealed, grabbing her again. “Mom and Dad are going to be freaking ecstatic!”
“I hope so,” she said, holding me tightly. “We will own the first half of the block as one big happy family. At least until you move out and move on.”
I lowered myself to the couch and nodded. “Can you imagine when Mom finds out she’s going to be living next door to some of her grandkids. She’s going to freak out!”
She tipped her head to the side and shook it slightly. “When I have kids, you mean?” I nodded. “They won’t be her real grandkids, Amber,” she said on a sigh.
“Okay, I’ll let you tell the woman who considers you her daughter that she can’t call your children her grandkids. Knock yourself out, just do it when I’m not around, please.”
She gave me the har-har face. “You know what I mean.”
“I know you’re always hung up on the idea that family requires shared blood, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. My parents would have adopted you if that had been a thing when we were kids. We both know it.”
She frowned, duly chastised. “You’re right. You know I consider them my parents. I guess I just don’t want them to think they have to feel that way, too.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s an actual thing when they’ve taken care of you since you were four, Hay-Hay. That’s just something you made up in your mind to be true. If anything, they feel guilty that they didn’t do more for you during the early years of your life. If our old house hadn’t already been bursting at the seams, I know they would have. Then this happened,” I said, motioning at my leg, “and it was several years before they could even think about it again.”
She brushed a piece of hair off my face and smiled. “You’re saying I should stop being so resistant to the idea that they want me to be part of their family just like their three biological girls are.”
I pointed at her and winked. “Yes, because you already are. You’re here for every holiday, birthday, celebration, loss, and all those in-between days. Just stop fighting against the need to stay on the sidelines of the family and be part of it.”
Her hand came up to her forehead, and she saluted me. “I will. I’ll even call them tonight and tell them about the house, if you think I won’t be interrupting.”
“You won’t be,” I promised, grasping her hands tightly. “Make it a video call. They’ll be thrilled to see your face and hear your news, I promise.”
“Have you told them your news?” she asked. My eyes widened, and I swallowed hard. There was no way she could know my news. Unless someone reported to her that they saw us buying wedding bands in town this morning. I wanted to go to St. Paul to get them, but Bishop said if we bought them in town, it would make the sudden marriage more believable. We’d found the most beautiful set of turquoise and titanium wedding bands, and we swore the owner to secrecy, but I knew that would only last until the door closed behind us. The bands were simple, understated, and perfect for our situation.
“About your leg,” she added when I stayed silent.
“I told them that I had an infection but nothing else. Please, don’t say anything else to them, okay?”
