Voices were coming from the back of the house, and I followed Joe into the doorway of a homey kitchen, filled to overflowing with laughing, talking people. Quite possibly the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life propped up the far wall of the dining area. Long, lean legs, led to a perfectly toned V-shaped torso, with broad muscular shoulders. Add a face like something one of the masters carved on a good day, electric blue eyes, black hair falling over his forehead, and a smile that would light up New Orleans. Oh. My. Goodness. Before he spoke, I knew this one had to be Remy. Joe wasn't kidding when he said this guy must cut a swath. Good thing Joe had such a firm hold on my heart, or this man would have me sinking in sin and enjoying every second of it.
"Cher! You made it. I was just telling our friends that I've found my Stephanie." Catcalls and general raucous amusement met his announcement. Joe had called this one dead on. I locked glances with him, and shook my head at how well he knew his friend. He kissed me full on right there in front of all his friends, then turned and said, "Yeah, me too, Remy."
"Stephanie, this is Allie and Tex, their daughter Lexy. Next to Lexy is LaDawna, and that's Remy next to her. This guy here is Tyrone, and those are LaDawna and Tyrone's boys, Dante and Tyrell. Everybody, this is Stephanie. And this is our daughter, Sofia." The laughter and joking had stopped suddenly, and you could have heard a pin drop in that room. Slack jawed to a man; Joe had timed his announcement well. I smiled and gave a little finger wave, playing along for Joe.
"Oh, my God!" Allie finally broke the spell of silence and the unabashedly bleached-blonde woman engulfed me in a rib-crushing hug. "Honey, we are all just so pleased to finally meet you!" West Texas still lurked in the back of her voice, and her smile reached her eyes, completely genuine. I could see immediately why Joe admired this woman and her husband. "Good people", Joe had called Bobby. My guess was that all the people in this room qualified as "good people." Walking into that room was like walking into a warm hug after a long, lonely night. I had never felt more welcome.
In moments, I had been kissed numerous times, and Joe was being peppered with questions, one on top of the other, coming so fast there was no way he could answer any or everyone. Lexy had commandeered a sleeping Sofi, and Joe and I had crowded in around the kitchen table, embraced by the warmth that comes along with old friends of long acquaintance.
Tex migrated into the kitchen to check on his five alarm chili and pull hot cornbread out of the oven. The Coronas Joe had bought at the convenience store didn't seem any worse for the wear after being snuggled cheek by jowl in with Tex's Budweisers in an ice chest on the back porch. Beyond the windows, the world was dark and gray with a typical November storm brewing on the horizon. But inside that snug house, laughter flowed like the beer, and the smell of home cooking overrode any winter smells of ozone and rain. Since I was the newest member of the group, I had been regaled with Joe stories, but had managed to raise a few eyebrows when I added some Joe stories of my own. I have to admit, he took it in stride, only shaking his head and laughing while he cuddled Sofi as I told all his oldest, dearest friends the story of how I had locked him out of my car and left him standing in an alley in the middle of winter wearing nothing but his shirt and his socks, with his Johnson swinging at half-mast.
The other men roared with laughter, and Sofi startled awake. Since it was close to feeding time anyway, I excused myself to the living room to nurse her. We settled in on the end of the couch, and a few minutes later, Allie peeked in and asked if we minded company. I'd become pretty nonchalant about nursing Sofi most of the time, but still wasn't quite comfortable in close confines with a bunch of men I'd just met, but other women didn't bother me. I told Allie to come on in, but wasn't too surprised when LaDawna followed her in. "Whoo! Testosterone poisoning coming on in there. Those boys are going to start belching and farting in a minute, and I want out of there before it starts!" Allie and I both laughed; likely LaDawna was right.
Allie had settled on the other end of the couch from Sofi and me. She leaned forward and touched my arm and said, "Stephanie, I can't tell you how glad I am that you're here." I had learned this afternoon that Allie was a toucher. A hand on the shoulder, a pat on the back, a gentle nudge as she worked her way around the crowded kitchen. She wasn't pretty in any traditional sense. Hair bleached an unlikely shade of blonde, with a high forehead, and a sprinkling of freckles. Her smile was too wide to be fashionable, and laugh lines were beginning to collect at the corners of her intelligent hazel eyes. She wore baggy jeans and an old faded sweatshirt, comfort clearly taking precedent over fashion. Maybe that was her secret—Allie was comfortable, in her life and in her own skin. It was easy for her to make other people feel comfortable because of that.
"I have to tell you," she continued. "When we first met Joe, I had my reservations about you. Here was this sweet, young thing who was just going to sit at home and wait for Joe to sow his wild oats and come back to collect you whenever he pleased. At least that was the way Joe told it. Well, Tex and I both figured you must either be dumber than a box of rocks or about twelve years old. Next thing we knew, Joe went home on leave and came back in a cast. Seems his sweet young thing had mowed him down on the sidewalk with her Daddy's car because he hadn't called after the big night." At this LaDawna whooped.
"That was you?" she asked incredulously.
"Damn skippy," I replied.
"You go girl!"
Allie laughed as well and said, "After that, we figured there might just be a little more to this girl than Joe realized."
"Joe says you and Tex were high school sweethearts?" I wasn't too sure how much Joe had told these people about our more recent past, so I figured I'd better go slow.
"Yep. Met him at freshman orientation. We got lucky. Most people have to spend a lot of time looking for the right one, but Tex and I just knew the minute we laid eyes on each other. Unfortunately, we laid a lot more than eyes on each other, and I was expecting Lexy by the time we were seniors. Tex's momma had a fit, and my parents weren't much better. Once graduation came, we got the hell out of Dodge and never looked back."
"But things are okay now, right? I mean, it's been a lot of years, and Lexy is such a great kid."
Allie shook her head. "'Fraid not, Steph. Our people have more pride than what's good for them, and once they get up on that high horse, they're determined to beat it to death. My daddy is still convinced Tex ruined his little girl, and according to Tex's momma I'll never be anything but white trash that conspired to wreck his life. We figured early on that Lexy didn't need that, and neither did we."
Allie took a pull on her beer, and smiled a small, bittersweet smile. "It was their loss. And we made do. We learned to make our family where we found it. We got lucky. We found Bobby and Remy, Joe and Tyrone. Then Tyrone found LaDawna and they gave Lexy her cousins, and now we have you and Sofi. It's all good."
"Yeah, Joe told me about the bar where Tyrone met LaDawna. Ugliest girl contest?"
"Oh, honey," chuckled Allie, "You don't know the half of it."
"My story," said LaDawna.
"You sure?" Allie gave LaDawna a serious look.
"We family or not, Allie?"
With that, LaDawna shot Allie a challenging look. Allie shrugged. LaDawna continued, "When I walked into that bar that night, I was in pretty bad shape. I was more than two months gone with the twins, and just looking for a way to stop hurting just for a little while. You ever been there?"
Remembering my panicked embrace with Ranger when I first found out I was pregnant with Sofi, I nodded slowly, looking LaDawna straight in the eyes.
"I was a working girl then. No idea who knocked me up. No idea about much of anything. And this beautiful ebony skinned brother walks right up to me. He's got a smile that would light up the room, you know?" LaDawna's eyes got soft and dreamy, and she continued, "He says to me, 'I just bet my last hundred dollars I could dance with the ugliest girl in the room.' Well, let me tell you, I was more than a little ticked. Talk about a piss-poor pickup line!" We all laughed along with her. It was even more ludicrous because LaDawna was just as Joe had described. She was exquisitely, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Then he said, 'If I dance with you, I won't even be able to pay my bar tab. But if I don't dance with you, I'll regret it the rest of my life.' I thought I'd heard it all, but something about his face, the way he looked at me, told me he meant it. So I told him I'd take him home, and he went over and told his friends goodbye and went home with me. He never touched me that night. We just sat there and talked till he was sober. I told him about the babies, and about my past as a whore. He just said that biology didn't matter, and those were his babies now. We got married two weeks later." LaDawna brushed a tear from her cheek, and I did too.
"Wow." I was speechless. I was so glad for LaDawna that she'd gotten out before that life killed her. I couldn't help but think of Lula and how close Ramirez had come to killing my friend.
"They're keepers," pronounced Allie. She made a visible effort to shake off our semi-melancholy mood. "So how long have you been divorced, Stephanie? I still remember Joe taking off on that Harley when he heard you were getting married. Bobby covered for him at work, and when Joe got back drunk off his ass, Bobby stuck his fingers down his throat and sobered him up. Then he kicked his ass around the block a few times for scaring all of us like that. Joe took the ring he'd bought and threw it as far as he could out in the field, so we knew things hadn't gone well."
"Joe bought me a ring?" I thought I was all cried out, but obviously not. Joe and I still hadn't discussed rings, even with the wedding a week away.
Allie looked at me. "Well, I'm sure you guys will pick out something a lot nicer now. Joe wasn't making much in those days, so it's nothing fancy."
"Does he still have it?" I asked.
"No, honey, he doesn't."
I was sad all out of proportion to not having the ring. How can you miss something you never had? I'd never worn that ring; I'd never even seen it. But the idea that Joe had gone out and bought me a ring and I didn't have it left me feeling bereft.
"Steph, Tex and Remy went out and found the ring. I've got it upstairs. I don't think Joe even knows, but none of us could stand for it to just be thrown away."
"Can I see it?" Suddenly, I was overcome with the need to see the ring that a young idealistic Joe had picked out for me. In my mind's eye, I could still see the flash of the gaudy pear cut solitaire diamond Dickie had given me, glinting smugly at me in the afternoon light as I watched Dickie and Joyce in my dining room. Maybe I just wanted a different ring, a different memory, to take its place. Joe's ring.
Silently, Allie went up the stairs, and returned a few minutes later with a small square box. I opened the lid and saw a perfectly classic yellow gold band set with a modest marquis cut diamond with two smaller stones on either side. Even though the ring had been purchased years before, when I looked at the three small diamonds, I could feel Joe's lips on my fingertips saying, "You, me, and Sofi. Nothing else matters." I took the ring and slipped it on. Belatedly, I looked at Allie for permission.
"Honey," she said, "It's your ring. I was just keeping it for you till you got here."
"Seven years." I said. "I've been divorced seven years. And I almost lost Joe because I was so stupid." And the whole story came pouring out of me. God, I hoped Joe didn't mind. Somehow, I knew if anyone would understand, these women would.
When I finished, we were all snuffling and teary, but Allie kept us focused. "And now you're getting married next week. The good part is just starting, Stephanie."
"Can you guys come? To the wedding I mean? I know it's short notice, but I would really love it if you could be there. And I know it would mean the world to Joe."
"Honey, we'll be there with bells on," said Allie, and LaDawna nodded emphatically.
I stood at Allie's kitchen window, enjoying the quiet and the warm memories of the day we had spent here. I was supposed to be on a beer run to the back porch, but I'd been distracted by the blowing snowflakes outside the window. The temperature had dropped when night had fallen, and the spitting rain of the afternoon had turned into a light sound-deadening snowfall. Nothing was sticking yet, but the small ice crystals blowing gently through the air were hypnotically beautiful.
The twins had finally collapsed in a heap, too exhausted to keep moving. Since their daddy just nonchalantly covered them over with a blanket on the floor where they had fallen, I figured this was a normal occurrence. Lexy was rocking Sofi in the small den while watching a movie, and the other adults were all still gathered in the living room. The monotone of smalltalk was interspersed with occasional light bursts of laughter, and Remy was playing something quiet and intricate on his guitar in the background. I sighed contentedly. It had been a very good day.
I felt Joe's arms slip around my waist from behind, then his warm breath on my neck as he nibbled his way north. 'Perfect,' I thought, and smiled. "What are you thinking about so hard?" Joe asked.
"I was thinking I had a good day." I turned and snuggled into Joe's arms. "I'm glad you brought me. I like your friends."
"I knew you would," Joe said. He took my right hand in his left, and began slowly dancing to the quiet strains of Remy's guitar in the other room. This was nice. I nuzzled in closer, and ran my left hand up the back of Joe's head, pulling him close. My ring caught in his hair.
Joe stopped dead, and looked at my ring finger. "Where in the hell…"
I wrapped both arms around his neck. "Allie saved it for me." I nudged him. "Don't stop dancing, you were doing good."
"How did Allie get it? I remember throwing that ring as far as I could into the middle of a field."
"Remy and Tex went and found it. Allie kept it for me until I got here." Mmmm, this was really nice. Kind of like vertical foreplay with background music. I leaned up on my tip toes to plant a line of kisses along Joe's jawline. Come to think of it, I usually pay so much attention to Joe's eyes, and his ass, I think I've seriously been neglecting his jawline. Sharp and angular, just the right kind of raspy now late in the day with his five o'clock shadow well advanced. I ran the tip of my tongue all along the edge of his jaw from his chin to the bottom of his ear, then lightly ran my teeth over his earlobe, before giving it a gentle suck. There was still a lingering hint of the smell of his shaving cream up high on his neck by his ear. I breathed him in hungrily.
"I was going to get you another ring," he said.
Ring, schming. Couldn't he tell I was ready to yank him out into the snowflakes and get him naked already? I pulled back and looked into his earnest face. Nope. He was a man with a mission. Damn.
"I don't want another ring."
"I just never could figure out if I should get another engagement ring made to match the wedding set, or buy a whole new set." He explained.
"The wedding set?"
"Yeah, the wedding rings that went with the engagement ring."
"You kept the wedding rings?" I was beginning to tear up again.
"Well, yeah. I was all kinds of broken up when I threw away the engagement ring, but I still knew I was going to marry you eventually. Cupcake, don't cry. Shit, I hate it when I say the wrong thing." Joe was at a loss. "Look, we'll go to the jeweler's tomorrow. We'll pick out whatever you want. These stones are too small anyway, but it was all I could afford back then. We'll get you something really nice, something shiny and new, without any baggage, okay?" I laughed through my tears because I had a sudden flashback to Joe desperately trying to keep me from losing it when we thought Rex had been eaten by my neighbor's cat. His friend had a pet store, he'd get him to open it right now tonight, and we'd go get a brand new hamster right that minute if I just wouldn't cry.
"Joe, I don't want a new ring." He started to argue, and I gently put my fingers over his lips. "A new ring right out of a jeweler's box is boring, Joe. It would never fit us, you know? Our whole relationship is about our baggage. Everything we have is about baggage. We don't do ANYTHING the easy way, not from the very first day." Joe shook his head and I continued, "I like our baggage, Joe. It's what makes us unique. It's what defines our relationship. So no, I don't want a new generic ring that doesn't have a story to tell. I want the ring that flew through the air, and landed in a field--that was picked up by friends who love you so much they went and looked for it until they found it. And then kept it for so long." I paused. "And I want the wedding rings that you held onto all these years. The one you bought for me when we were practically kids. I want all of that—the memories, the baggage, the friends, the whole nine yards. It's us, Joe. I want us."
"So I did good?" A slow smile was working its way over his face, and he was starting to sway to the music again.
"Yeah, you did good." I snuggled up next to him, content with dancing in the kitchen.
"How good?" The slow smile had turned into the wolf grin, and as usual, that sent a flash of heat right to my doo-dah.
"Come outside and I'll show you."
Snowflakes glittered in our hair when we finally made it into the living room with the shaing-hai'd beers fifteen minutes later. My teeth were chattering, and I had a sinking feeling my wet jeans would give away our activities. Yeah, like nobody would be able to tell anyway. I've got such a poker face about these things. The one thing I had never been able to hide was my reaction to a Morelli-gasm. It got me into trouble with my mother when I was sixteen, and ever since then I might as well tattoo "well-fucked by Joe" on my forehead whenever he touched me.
I let Joe enter the living room a few minutes ahead of me, and distribute the beer. I tried to buy some time in the downstairs powder room for the color in my face to subside, but whatever it is that clues people in to my sex life with Joe, it goes beyond mere blushing. Sometimes I think he marks me as his, and that's what people respond to. Gathering my bravado together over my damp clothes, I tried to blend into the crowd, doing my best to look nonchalant.
"Melted snow on your ass, Stephanie," said Tex, conversationally. Gee, thanks.
"Cher, I keep tellin' you. You gotta let the girl get on top sometimes, 'specially in the snow." Remy couldn't wait to add his two cents.
Joe had commandeered a straight-backed chair from the kitchen, and was smiling easily at his friends' laughter. What the hell. I shrugged at Joe, then sauntered over and planted myself square on his lap, face to face, with my legs straddling his. "Yeah, cher," I said in my best come-hither voice and a really bad attempt at Remy's Louisiana accent, "Sometimes you gotta let the girl on top."
"Is that so?" The devil was dancing behind his smoking eyes, but I decided playing with fire was a good thing. Next thing I knew, Joe had grabbed me by my ass, and pulled me close. I leaned down to meet his kiss, his tongue wildly exploring my mouth. The only things still anchoring me to this earth were the feel of his hands splayed across my ass, and the suction of his lips as his mouth devoured mine, right there in front of… Oh, jeez. There were a room full of people here, all catcalling and laughing uproariously. How I had managed to forget where we were and who we were with was scary. Good scary, but scary anyway.
I decided I'd be better off to just laugh it off like everyone else, but I blushed to the roots of my hair when Joe announced a few minutes later that we needed to get on the road since the snow was starting to stick. General disbelief and a few helpful suggestions greeted his announcement, but it was all good-natured, and we said our goodbyes. Tyrone and LaDawna weren't sure when they would arrive next weekend for our festivities, but we promised them our guest room since their drive was the longest. Remy would stay in Newark with Allie and Tex. Everybody had the schedule down; complete with directions to Rossini's for the family luncheon. With remonstrances of safe driving and a promise to see everyone Saturday morning, we collected Sofi and headed out to the Explorer.
We settled Sofi in the car seat with an extra blanket, and she blinked a few times at the overhead light before settling back to sleep. Joe closed my door, then came around to the drivers' side. After he climbed in, and cranked over the engine, he turned to me and said, "I thought lunch at Rossini's was just for the immediate family."
"It is." I dared him to say anything else.
I got treated to the full-on, no-wolf, no-bullshit Morelli smile that always took my breath away. "Love you, Cupcake."
"Love you too, Joe." He might get tired of hearing me say it, but after not being willing to say it for so long when we were dating and sparring with each other, then not being able to say it when I thought I had lost him forever, I never let a chance go by without telling Joe exactly how much he meant to me.