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Chapter 10

Before they even got halfway up the walk, the door to the house swung open and three women, who were not much older than Don, came charging from the house. "You must be Madalynn," one said with a bright smile as she walked past Don and took the pie from startled Madalynn's hands before she handed it off to one of the other women. Two had long black hair while the other's hair was above her shoulders and dark brown. All three were very pretty and the other long haired woman carried the same blue eyes Don did. "I'm Diane, Donnie's oldest sister," she said as she laced her arm with Madalynn's. "Let's get you inside where it's warm." She started to pull Madalynn inside and Madalynn threw a look over her shoulder to see Don sigh before he followed.

"Di, let her go," Don said, but his words of protest fell on deaf ears while Diane ushered Madalynn into the warm house and helped her with her jacket.

"I've met a few of Donnie's girls over the years, and you are nothing like I expected," Diane said as he hung up Madalynn's jacket and Don came inside the foyer with the other two women following. "You're much prettier," she added.

"Diane, come on give her a minute to breath," Don said as Madalynn blushed but smiled at Diane.

"Lighten up Donnie," Diane said. "Take the pie from Doreen and bring them into the kitchen so we can introduce Madalynn to everyone." The woman that Madalynn assumed was Doreen, the one with the shoulder length brown hair, handed the pie to Don without hesitating and Diane once again pulled Madalynn's arm and pulled her into the living room. Madalynn heard Don sigh before his heavy footfalls echoed away while Madalynn found herself surrounded and alone.

An older man sat in a recliner and smiled at her with a somewhat apologetic smile as Diane pulled her into the room. Three other men sat on the sofa, one holding a small baby while another stood and walked over to a playpen taking a little girl with her thin black hair in pigtails on the top of her head. The three men were completely different and Madalynn assumed they had to have been Don's sisters' husbands and/or boyfriends.

"Now, we'll forgive you if you don't get everyone's names down, but let's get the introductions out of the way shall we?" Diane asked and Madalynn nodded, slightly overwhelmed. "As you know I'm Diane, the oldest of the Flack children and after me is Doreen," she gestured to the brown haired woman and Madalynn smiled and nodded her head. "Followed by Daisy," she said as she pointed to the long black haired woman whose eyes matched Don's. "Then you know Don of course."

"Of course," Madalynn ventured making Diane smile.

"The one holding the most precious little girl in the world is my husband Kevin," Diane said with a smile and the tall blonde man smiled as he waived his hand. "That's our daughter Mackenzie." At her name and at seeing a new face Mackenzie bit her lip and tucked her head into her father's neck making the room laugh. Madalynn smiled and shook her head slightly. Mackenzie did the same thing Madalynn's niece Hannah did every time she met someone new. Granted Hannah was seven, but she still ran behind Adam, Madalynn's oldest brother, or his wife Nancy whenever she was around a bunch of people she didn't know very well yet. Her nephew Evan was the same but he was around Mackenzie's age.

"The man on the sofa not holding the little drool machine is Larry, Doreen's fiancé." The husky man with short brown hair smiled and adjusted his glasses on his face and Madalynn nodded her head. "The one holding the baby is Oliver, Daisy's husband, and the baby is Joshua their eight month old."

Madalynn was good with names and she quickly took them all into memory. She just hoped that she didn't mix them up and put them to the wrong face. Everyone seemed nice and they were all smiling at her like they knew something she didn't. Without introduction, she knew that the older man was Don's father and when he stood from the chair, Don and an older woman she assumed was his mom came out of the kitchen.

"Diane, I told you girls not to attack the poor girl," she said as Don walked over and pried Madalynn away from Diane who smirked at her brother.

"Run and tell mom?" she whispered and Madalynn giggled while Don looked down at her with a mock glare. "We just wanted to introduce Madalynn to everyone," Diane said and Don's mother sighed.

"Well, you could have at least have let her get in the house first."

"It's all right, Mrs. Flack," Madalynn said as she turned her eyes to woman with gray hair who, much to her surprise given the height of everyone else in the room, stood no taller than Madalynn. "I'm glad to have introductions out of the way."

"Please, Madalynn call me Kathy and those pies look beautiful by the way," she said with a smile. "Donnie told me you made them just this morning."

"I wanted them to be fresh for today," Madalynn said and Kathy smiled at her.

"Donnie, you stay out here with your father and the boys while Madalynn helps me and your sisters in the kitchen," Kathy said turning her eyes to Don, who sighed once more and looked down at Madalynn.

"Mom won't let them be too hard on you, Mads," he whispered. "You'll do fine." Madalynn nodded and smiled up at him before he kissed her temple and let go of her. Madalynn blushed at the smile she saw on Kathy's face and the tutting from Diane behind her before she followed Kathy into the kitchen.

After five minutes of debating on what assignment Madalynn should have been given, Kathy decided she should peel the potatoes for boiling. Madalynn had no problem with her task and quickly put on the apron Kathy handed her and settled herself with the potatoes at the island while the others did their various tasks.

"So, Madalynn, how did you and Donnie meet?" Diane asked as Madalynn started to peel her first potato with the paring knife Kathy gave her.

"We actually met at a bar during a baseball game," Madalynn said. "After the game a friend of mine and I beat him and his friend at a couple of games of pool."

"Really? You play pool?" Doreen asked and Madalynn smiled as she looked at the older woman. "For some reason I don't get that vibe from you."

"I may look like a complete girly girl, but growing up with three older brothers I was a tomboy until about my junior year of college," Madalynn admitted with a quiet laugh. Diane, Doreen, and Daisy laughed while Kathy smiled as she checked the turkey.

"You've got three older brothers?" Daisy asked and Madalynn nodded.

"Where are you from, originally, I mean," Diane said. "You're no New Yorker that's for sure."

"What does that mean?" Madalynn asked laughing and Diane smiled.

"You're too sweet," Diane said and Madalynn rolled her eyes.

"I'm not that sweet, and you can ask your brother about that," Madalynn said as she pointed the knife playfully at Diane as she grabbed another potato. Diane raised an eyebrow while Doreen and Daisy laughed. "And to answer your question, I'm from Minnesota."

"That explains it," Diane said and Madalynn smiled. She liked Diane and the others. She just hoped they liked her. "So, what was it about my brother that caught your attention?"

"In all honesty, his eyes caught my attention first," Madalynn admitted with a sheepish smile.

"It's always the eyes!" Doreen said. "Or the dimples."

"His dimples got me next," Madalynn teased and laughter echoed throughout the kitchen while Kathy hung back and watched the four women with a smile on her face. "But what hooked me was him."

"What do you mean?" Daisy asked and she had four pairs of eyes focused on her.

"He's a great guy," Madalynn said with a slight shrug. "I really don't know how to explain it, he just . . . he just seems to help everything make sense."

"Damn girl, you got it bad," Diane said with a smile breaking the long silence that settled around the women. Madalynn laughed quietly while she blushed and turned her eyes to the potato in her hand. Small talk settled in the kitchen and Kathy was happy to just watch them interact.

Kathy liked Madalynn and she certainly was pretty enough, but she wasn't the type she knew Don usually went for. In Kathy's eyes that made Madalynn a breath of fresh air from some of the stories she heard from her daughters. Madalynn had been introduced to the family not fifteen minutes before and she already found a place. She spoke easily with her girls and they also seemed to like her, so, that was also a good thing about the young woman. However, she wanted to learn a little more about Madalynn before she decided if she was right for her son or not.

"Ma, I don't think I can eat another bite," Don said as he pushed his plate away from him and put his hand on her stomach. Everyone laughed while little Joshua squealed as he smeared mashed potatoes all over his face.

"Well, we've got Madalynn's pies to enjoy," Kathy said. "So, you better have some room left." Don looked at Madalynn who was seated beside him and she had been quiet for most of the dinner. As if sensing his eyes on her she looked at him and he smiled, moving his hand from his stomach and taking her left hand into his. "Diane, help me with them would you?" Kathy and Diane stood from the table and Don leaned in closer to Madalynn.

"Mads, what's up?" Don asked and Madalynn sighed quietly as she looked at him.

"I don't think your mom likes me too much," Madalynn said quietly.

"What? That's crazy," he said and she bit her lower lip.

"When we were getting dinner together, she barely said a word to me," Madalynn said. "You sisters like me, I think, and I like them; but I don't think she likes me." Their private conversation ended when Don Senior spoke up.

"So, Madalynn, what does your father do?" he asked and Madalynn looked away from her Don and at the older one.

"He's a retired sergeant with the St. Paul police department," Madalynn said and Don Senior raised an eyebrow. Everyone was silent with the exception of Mackenzie who was asking Kevin why she had to eat her green beans and Joshua who was still having a ball smearing around his mashed potatoes.

"Really?" he asked and Madalynn nodded.

"Her brothers are also in the force," Don said as he squeezed her hand and took a drink of his soda.

"So, you come from a family of cops?" Daisy asked and Madalynn nodded.

"Which explains why she's able to put up with me," Don added and everyone laughed again. Kathy and Diane came out of the kitchen pies, a small container of vanilla ice cream and a can of whipping cream in hand. Everyone eyed the pies and placed their order for the kind they would like and when Don put a piece of apple in front of Madalynn she quietly thanked him.

She was thankful that the focus wasn't on her for at least a few more seconds while everyone got their desert. But once everyone started to tuck in, Madalynn held her breath while she waited for everyone to try the pie, and when she heard a chorus of surprised 'ohs' and a few happy murmurs everyone looked at her, but Kathy was the first to speak.

"I think I'm going to have to rethink ever ordering from Chelsea's again," Kathy said. "The apple is wonderful, Madalynn."

"Pumpkin's awesome too," Diane chimed in. Madalynn laughed as everyone nodded and Don smiled.

"Told you," Don said and Madalynn nudged his arm with her elbow and he winked at her making her blush even more and smile. Even though she didn't think Kathy cared for her too much, she was happy she was there and felt more at home than she even expected.