Chapter 5: The end of the day
After this moving moment, the two young people went down to the living room to mingle with the other guests. This is how the man saw the arrival of his grandmother. He smiled immediately and hurried to kiss her.
"You must be Tani. Junior has told us a lot about you. My name is Rose. I'm so happy to finally be able to meet you," the eldest of the family introduced herself after warmly greeting her grandson. The pretty brunette was going to shake her hand, but she saw herself getting into a warm hug. She couldn't help but smile at such joviality. The kindness, good humor, and kindness of his teammate were hereditary qualities.
"I'm also very happy. Junior told me so much about you too." The trio started to chat and gradually the rest of the family arrived. Everyone catches up on each other's news, happy to meet for this annual meeting. Once everyone arrived they went to the table in a good mood.
"So, I heard that you make everyone languish by not wanting to reveal the baby's gender. I'm sure it droves your parents completely crazy," the ex-sailor smiled addressing his cousin and her husband.
"You have no idea how much they hate it and that's exactly what amuses me the most," the young woman smiled back, caressing an already very rounded belly. Everyone laughed happily. The meal had started about twenty minutes ago and everything was going perfectly. Tani had given up all shyness as they had done everything to put her at ease.
"You are really like your mother. It is crazy. Finally, if you want to end up with gifts only in green and yellow this is your problem," his father joked.
"If I remember correctly we did not want to know, for any of my pregnancies," his wife intervened.
"I don't know how you did it. It would drive me crazy not to know," his daughter retorted.
"I completely agree. I mean; indeed, I haven't had the opportunity to think about it yet, but I can't imagine not knowing. It must require incredible self-control. I'm not patient enough," the policewoman added, joining the conversation. Junior smiled at this remark.
"It doesn't surprise me that you get along so well. Even as a child you have always been the type to act head down. Fortunately for you, you think fast enough to avoid boredom," Claudia Reigns announced.
"So, you were a rebel. I never would have believed that of you Junes."
"But the Navy Seal was a daredevil and a real terror. We have to tell you about the year when we sneaked off to the forest. We wanted to explore the surroundings and I can tell you that we were not disappointed," another cousin began delighted to share happy childhood memories. For a long time, Junior, his cousin, his brother as well as two other members of their small group recount their adventures under the attentive gaze of Tani but also of the youngest. The future mother cautiously mentioned Maya's participation. Even though they had all been grieving, which had not been easy, the whole family knew that the relationship between Junior and his father was more than strained after the parole hearing.
"I hope you know that there is not anything to be proud of your nonsense," the head of the family gently reprimanded.
"As if you had not made me some jokes like that too," Rose intervened, coming to the rescue of her grandchildren. Everyone laughed and they continued to eat while talking about childhood stories. They laughed at these happy moments leaving all the pain of losing one of their behind them. At one point the two policemen exchanged a tender glance. He leaned gently and whispered a "thank you" in the palm of her ear. In return, she smiled at him then took his hand. When she intertwined their fingers, the young woman felt her heart leap faster in her chest. The duo spent the rest of the meal maintaining this physical contact.
About half an hour later, they had all finished eating. Each cleared their plate then the children went to bed, not without difficulty. After that, they more or less scattered to take dessert in the living room, chatting in small groups. In a burst of romanticism, George set off to the music and invited his wife to dance. Gradually the other couples joined them, and they all whirled more or less in rhythm, taking advantage of this simple moment of happiness. The young man, who was chatting with his grandmother, got up and invited her to join him.
"You have good taste darling. This little one is intelligent, with a good heart and very pretty so as not to spoil anything," the elder declared, smiling at her grandson benevolently.
"Granny, I already told you that we were only friends."
"I know but I am old and not spoiled. You think I haven't seen the way you look at her. Besides, you decided to bring her here and you also obviously told her about your sister. Whether you are ready to admit it or not my darling it is more than obvious that you are crazy about this girl," she exposed, raising her head to smile at him. He gave it back then looked down at the evidence.
"You know after losing Maya I didn't think I would be able to feel happy but with Tani it's ... I don't know how to explain how I feel. It is special and even in the worst moments, I feel like I could face everything as long as I have her by my side. I had never felt this before, even with Leïla. When she smiles the time stopped and I can't do without that feeling."
"It's a very beautiful feeling. Your grandfather used to do this to me. Believe me, life is too short to waste time. No matter what holds you back, sweep it and go for it."
"So you think I have my chances?" The policeman asked oscillating between uncertainty and joy.
"Of course, you have all your chances. I know there aren't many women in the Navy, but you don't have to be a genius to know that whoever watches over you so much is someone who loves you deeply," Roseconcluded in a tone that left little room for further comments.
Meanwhile, her teammate was in dialogue with his mother, watching them from a distance. The two women got along very well. Claudia was delighted to learn more about her son and his new life. Tani had never really had a mother, so it was quite pleasant for her to be surrounded as well.
"I wanted to thank you for convincing my son to come this weekend. I know it's not easy for him, even if he wants to, and I sincerely hope I can reconcile them."
"I did nothing more than any friend would have done. He wanted to come, all I had to do was give him a little help. He did the same for me and much more. You have an incredible son," the pretty brunette breathed with a slight smile on her lips. Her elder couldn't help but notice the tenderness in her words.
"Indeed, he is a good person. I know that you also accompanied him to the parole hearing. It is good that he did not go there alone. I wish I had the strength to come, but ..."
"Oh no, I understand and Junior too. I don't even dare imagine what you must have endured. Losing a child is unspeakable. It meant a lot to him that you supported him after the hearing, much more than he had to tell you," Tani confessed moved. Her interlocutor smiled at her, touched.
"Honestly, I'm not sure I understand why my son did what he did, but I trust him. Losing his sister broke something in him that will probably never come back, so if he forgave this man it was for a good reason. This little one has such a big heart. I have full confidence in him. I wish his father would see it that way," she said, surprised to feel so comfortable with her son's friend. The young woman looked at her affected by this distress but also the deep love she had for her children.
"Hey I see that you are in a great discussion I am glad to see that you get along well," Junior interrupted, joining them playfully.
"The opposite is difficult when you are in such a good company," his mother smiled.
"I came to see if I could invite my dear mom to dance."
"It will be with pleasure," she cheered taking the hand he held out to her.
"Partner, you keep me next?" He asked, giving her a beguiling smile.
"Absolutely," she said, delighted at the idea. For just over three minutes she watched her teammate dance, surrounded by his family and happier than she had ever seen him. At the end of the song, the young Hawaiian saw him move towards her. Tenderly he held out his hand. She took it and they went on the dance floor closer than ever. Their two faces were only a few inches apart. The pretty brunette had wrapped her arms around his neck when he had his on her lower back. Their hearts beat in unison. She put her head in the crook of his neck and whispered lovingly.
"It's nice to see you so happy."
"All this is thanks to you," the policeman replied in the same tone. He felt her smile against his skin.
"I did nothing more than what you would have done for me."
"Of course and even much more but that does not mean that it does not count. I am sincere. I could never have done so well since my return if you had not been there. I am more than happy to share this weekend with you. To be honest, if I asked you to come, it was also because I wanted all the people who matter most to me to be together. You make me happy Tani, more than words could express," he admitted, taking his courage in both hands. The sailor looked up and looked into her eyes, trying to convey the intensity of his feelings. By meeting her gaze, he had no trouble seeing how moved she was.
"You also make me happy," the young Hawaiian said with difficulty. On the point of kissing her, he changed his mind when he realized that the music had stopped. None of them knew how long they had been dancing. They hadn't seen the time spent in front of the magic of the moment. The duo moved away, and the evening resumed its course although the tension between the two friends did not go down. Their relationship was changing. The implications and possible consequences might be frightening, but they wouldn't change that for anything.
About an hour later fatigue began to be felt and all the guests went up to their rooms. Hand in hand Junior and Tani joined their floor under the watchful eyes of his parents, uncle, aunt, and cousins.
"Please tell me that I am not the only one to have noticed that there is much more than friendship between these two," the future mother announced. Everyone laughed at the obvious.
"Of course not, just don't get involved. Your cousin has a lot to deal with. He'll take a step forward when he's ready, which your grandmother says shouldn't be in a long time."
"So if granny says it is that it must be true," the young woman concluded, knowing the flawless instinct of their elder. Meanwhile, in the hallway, the police were still chatting.
"I still wanted to thank you for having accompanied me. It means a lot to me."
"It's normal, then until then I sincerely had a great time. You have a really lovely family," she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder, further narrowing the gap between their two bodies. The soldier smiled at her and leaned gently toward her. The lifeguard's heart started beating at full speed when she was close enough to smell his scent. With all the tenderness in the world, he placed a kiss on her cheek, extremely close to her lips.
"Good night," he whispered before turning on his heels to reach his room. His partner smiled and returned to hers still surprised by this audacious behavior. The times when Junior had been so enterprising with her were rare. Going to bed she took her phone and wrote to Quinn: "You were right, the evening was amazing. They are adorable and Junior never ceased to amaze me (in every sense of the word). I would give you details later. Thanks for this morning. " She had no idea what was going to happen the next day, but she was impatient to find out.