Page 16 of Without Bound
“Sorry. Kirby is our son and he was griping about sitting in the truck with all of Keyara’s belongings, so he stayed behind. He’s gonna kick himself now. We watched you two at LSU. Kirb couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve, and he used to talk about wanting to be a great catcher like Bishop Michaels.” Cameron shakes his head in disbelief and I let my eyes wander up and down the large body of Bishop.
A sheen of sweat covers his enormous arms and I inhale the scent of his sweat. It’s mixed with his body wash and he smells of musk and spice. My body tingles thinking about smelling him fresh from ashower, his chest bare with the short hairs covered in droplets of water, and a towel draped over his hips.
I squeeze my thighs together and can only cross my arms over my chest to stop my hardened nipples from showing themselves to the world. Or at least all the people that are gathered in this small room.
“Okay. It’s getting a little crowded. How about we leave y’all to settle in. Give you some time alone,” I tell Keyara and try to shove the guys out.
But, like perfect comedic timing, three more people show up at our door.
“Dayum. Ana’s already got a party going day one in the dorms.” I smack my head knowing that, though I can’t see her, that is definitely the voice of my future aunt, Vivian.
“Babe. No.” Nix shakes his head and side shuffles his way to the door. “This is Ana’s roommate's parents.”
“Oh. Oops. Sorry. I was just kidding. Hi roommate’s parents. I’m Vivian. This guy's fiancée,” she says, slapping Nix in the chest.
She pulls her hand away and her face pinches together when she feels his shirt soaked in sweat.
“We were just leaving to give them some time to unpack,” I try to explain.
“Well we stopped by to see if you five were ready to get some dinner. Luca said he was going to get us a table at Ranchero’s.” Camille smiles from where she stands and I see how it makes Vaughan light up.
“Yes, please. I’m starved,” Vaughan replies.
“Bro. You’re always hungry. I don’t know where it goes because at the rate you eat, you should be the size of a house.”
“I’m eating for three, Bishop. Geez. Rude.”
“Three?” I ask, looking at Cami. “Are you having triplets?”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “No. I am not having triplets. Just one little McCallan. Vaughan says he’s eating for me and the baby and himself. Sympathy cravings, is what he calls it.”
“Excuse my friends. They lost their manners many years ago andI’m afraid the search was called off. I’m CeCe and we would love to invite you three to dinner if you’re interested in joining us. No pressure.”
CeCe takes advantage of her growing belly and pushes her way into the room and all the men take a few steps back.
“Oh, we couldn’t impose. It seems like there’s already a large party,” Shelleen waves us off.
“Not an imposition at all. My husband is just finishing up at work, and he has their daughter with them,” she points her finger between Cami and Vaughan, which means Dagen is waiting in the wings. “And we have one more friend who will be meeting us, so three more isn’t a big deal. But again, no pressure. Only if you want to.”
Shelleen looks at her husband who shrugs in response.
“Does the place you’re going to serve margaritas?” she asks.
“Only the best,” CeCe replies with a smile.
“Well, twist my arm. I guess we’re in.”
“Great. We’re going to take these stinky men to clean up at Bishop’s house and then we’ll head over to the restaurant. Would you like us to give you directions, or we can come back this way and you can follow us?” Viv rattles off at rapid speed.
“How about you just tell us where and when and we’ll see you there.” Cameron pulls out his phone and types in the address of the restaurant and we start exiting.
“I guess we’ll talk at dinner,” I tell Keyara.
She nods and says, “Hopefully.”
We all smile and say our goodbyes and shuffle out the door.
“Thank you for a wonderful night. We really enjoyed ourselves.” Keyara’s mom stumbles a little as we exit the restaurant. “Oops,” she giggles when she catches herself.
