And Playing the Role of Herself... (37 page)

"Patricia Elizabeth, why can you not be happy for your sister?"
Trish blinked and did her fish impression again. "Mamá, I…"
"No." Sophie shook her head. "Do not
mamá
me. Sabina has embraced your Enrique with open arms…why can you not do the same? Your sister has found someone who makes her happy, and you do everything you can to spoil it. This behavior you have towards Caidence, it is unacceptable. Your father and I, we did not raised you to be this way."
Sophie could not have shocked her daughters more if she told them she was an alien raised by dingoes in the Australian outback. If the situation hadn't been so tense, it would have been funny.
Hell, it was funny anyway, but I managed to stifle inopportune laughter. My sense of humor has always been a tad off.
"You…you knew?" Robyn said faintly, her hand tightening reflexively on my hip.
I leaned into her and put my arm around her waist in support. Sophie glanced at me with a nearly imperceptible smile as she moved forward and reached up to cup Robyn's cheek, giving her a look of fond irritation. "Querida, I may not be young anymore, but I am not blind. Of course I knew. I am your mother," she said simply, as though that explained it all. "I am sorry you could not tell me."
"I…" Robyn blinked, her face still slack with astonishment. She covered Sophie's hand with her own, holding it to her cheek. "I'm sorry, Mamá. I…" she shrugged helplessly.
Sophie patted her cheek and withdrew her hand. "I know, cariño." She glanced over at me and smiled. "I am very fond of your Caidence. She is good for you."
Robyn looked between the two of us in surprise before smiling and saying quietly, "I am very fond of my Caidence as well." Her arm tightened on my waist briefly and I squeezed back.
"I know that too, cariño." She smiled at both of us and then turned her attention back to Trish, who had been watching the scene unfold in stunned silence. "And now, Patricia, you know this too. And you will treat Caidence as someone your sister cares about deeply. Yes?"
Sophie's hands were back on her hips again and her tone brooked no argument. I had to fight the urge to straighten and say "yes, ma'am!"
Trish looked down at the desk uncomfortably. "Yes, Mamá." She looked up again and her expression held a hint of what could have been genuine apology when her glance touched Robyn.
"Good." Sophie nodded decisively and moved towards the door. "Now, Patricia, you must get back to the party - there were many people asking for you, and Julian and Mark, they are fighting again. You know they do not listen to me."
"Yes, Mamá," Trish said again obediently, casting a quick glance at Robyn and I. "Rob…"
Robyn held up a hand and shook her head. "Later."
Trish nodded, and with one last look at the two of us, left the office. Sophie eyed Robyn sternly. "Elora and Will are wondering where you are - they need to leave soon and get home to the little ones. They are out on the patio now. You will bring Caidence there, yes?"
Robyn flicked a questioning glance at me, and I realized she was asking what I wanted to do. I nodded slightly and she looked back at Sophie. "Yes, Mamá."
Sophie's dark eyes watched the interaction with interest and after a moment, she nodded briskly. "I should go see how Patricia is faring with Julian…he is such a big bebé, I don't know why she puts up with him."
We both watched the door for several seconds after she left, neither of us speaking.
"Hell of a party, huh?" Robyn said finally and pulled me against her, smiling wryly and dropping a light kiss on my temple. "I'm sorry about all this, Caid…I was planning on telling my family, but that wasn't quite how I'd planned it."
"No worries." I turned fully into her embrace and gave her a quick kiss. "Never a dull moment around you, that's for sure."
She smiled slightly. "I wouldn't want you to get bored with me."
"Not much chance of that." I grinned. "You're more entertaining than a six pack of Huber and bucket full of Legos."
Her mouth twitched and an eyebrow crept up her forehead. "Am I."
"Oh yeah." I gave her another quick kiss. "That's good stuff where I come from, baby."
She smiled fully and shook her head. "Damn I love you."
We smiled at each other and then she stepped back after a final squeeze. "Come on, sweet thing, let's go meet the family." She snagged my hand, talking over her shoulder as she pulled me towards the door. "Now don't believe anything they say about me thinking I was Wonder Woman for a summer, sticking peanuts up my nose, or eating mud pies. It's all a lie…"
I laughed and followed her out the door.

I trailed light fingers along naked, still damp skin, skimming Robyn's back from the sheet bunched at her waist, up between her shoulder blades and back down, watching the dappled, early morning light play along the smooth expanse. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so happy and content, and let out a long, deep sigh, sated and pleasantly lethargic from our recent activities.
"I do love how you say good morning," I said lazily, shifting a little under her weight.
Robyn, I'd discovered, was very much a morning person, and although I hadn't been one in the past, waking up to her touch could easily becoming addicting. She was sprawled half across me on her stomach, her leg thrown over my hip and her head resting on my shoulder; I kissed her dark hair absently and continued my caress, receiving a murmur of agreement and a tightening of her arm around my midsection in response.
"I had a good time last night - thank you again for inviting me," I said after we'd been quiet for a few minutes. "I really liked your family."
Despite the altercation with Trish, it had still turned out to be a nice evening, and my introduction to the Ward family a success. As Sophie had promised, most of Robyn's family was gathered in a small, cobblestone courtyard between the restaurant and the neighboring building. After a quiet "ready?" and a smile of encouragement, she had tugged me past potted flowers, small palms and a scattering of wrought iron café tables towards a group gathered around a cluster of tables. The group had greeted Robyn with noisy delight and eyed me curiously, and so had begun my introduction to the Ward clan.
Her father Rich was tall, dark and quite charismatic, still possessing model good looks and I gathered from a few stray comments that he had been approached to run for city council in Santa Barbara and was seriously considering it. He had a big laugh and a warm smile, and showed an easy, casual affection for his daughters that caused a brief pang of longing for something I'd never have. Her Aunt Paige was Rich's sister; Paige and her husband Darrin lived in Thousand Oaks and raised Golden Retrievers for show - they were affable and hilariously goofy, occasionally breaking into song when the mood struck, and managing to sound quite good together. Her sister Lori was very pregnant and very sweet, as was Lori's husband Will; they were a quiet, gentle couple who obviously adored each other and talked about little else besides their two children and the one on the way. The final member of the family I met was Robyn's sister Diane - she had an amiable smile, a dry wit, and sharp, dark eyes that watched me knowingly from behind small, rimless glasses.
They were all striking and dark haired, friendly and gracious, and each had some feature or mannerism that reminded me of Robyn - Rich's presence, Sophie's smile, Paige's goofy humor, Lori's voice and Diane's eyes…I liked them all immediately and was pleased that the sentiment seemed to be returned.
"Mmm." She stirred against me and turned her head to kiss my chest. "They loved you, Caid." I could feel her smile against my skin. "Paige and Darrin want to adopt you. When you knew the third verse to 'You are my Sunshine', I thought Paige was going to wet herself."
I smiled. "I'll thank grandma next time I see her. I also know 'Camptown Ladies' and 'Tiny Bubbles' on the ukulele."
She raised her head to look at me. "Really?"
"Really." I kissed her. "I have all sorts of useless talents. Kazoo, skipping stones, building card houses, hanging a spoon off my nose…"
"You can do that?" she asked curiously, pushing her hair away from her face and tilting her head to the side.
"Yep."
"My, my. I'm even luckier than I'd realized," she said with a smile.
"Uh-huh." I shivered as she leaned down to kiss my neck and her hair brushed along my shoulder. "I'm quite the catch."
"No arguments here," she mumbled against my skin as she kissed along my collar bone and laid her head back on my chest with a sigh.
I resumed stroking her back, and we lay in comfortable silence for several minutes.
"I love this," Robyn said quietly, breaking the silence. "I love going to sleep with you, I love waking up with you, sharing my morning with you…"
I pressed my lips to the top of her head and tightened my arms around her. "I love it, too, baby."
She rearranged the sheets and rolled onto her back, resting the back of her head on my arm. "Morning has always been my time," she said quietly, staring at the ceiling. "That little sliver of the day that was all mine - sometimes the
only
sliver that was all mine - and I've always hated sharing it." She turned her head to look at me and reached out to trace the line of my jaw with a long finger. "Now I look forward to spending it with you. Watching you drink your coffee while you read the paper, how you chew on your lip when you concentrate," she ran her finger over my lower lip, staring at it intently. "Waiting for you to share something you think is interesting or funny…"
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I felt a little guilty for horning in on her me-time, but she also said she liked our time together…I kissed the finger against my lips and stayed quiet, sensing she wasn't done talking.
She withdrew her finger and turned her head back to stare at the ceiling. She opened her mouth, shut it, looked at me, then back at the ceiling.
I smiled slightly at the atypical display of uncertainty.
"Live with me." she said softly. She turned her head to look at me, her eyes holding both nervousness and hope. "Here, your place, some other place, I don't care. Just…" she reached out again and cupped my cheek gently. "Live with me."
My mouth fell open in shock. "Wha.."
She quieted me with a finger on my lips. "You make me happy, Caid." she said simply. "I'm happier in the last few months than I've ever been in my life, and I've realized that I'm happiest when I'm with you this way, sharing this much. Like in Florida, or at Liz's place...going to bed with you, waking up with you, spending my mornings, my free-time with you…
living
with you."
Holy crap.
She'd caught me so off-guard that I was speechless, staring at her in astonishment.
This was it. Everything I wanted, everything I'd hoped for, wished for…everything.
At my continued silence, she smiled sadly and brushed the back of her hand against my cheek before pulling her hand back. "Well…"
Maybe it was too fast, maybe we were crazy, maybe we weren't thinking this through, but I wasn't going to give up this chance.
"Yes." I finally croaked out. I rolled over on top of her and peppered her face, neck and chest with kisses. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes..."
She let out a throaty, delighted laugh and threaded her fingers through my hair, tugging my head up. "That's a yes?"
I beamed down at her, my face nearly cracking in two. "That's definitely a yes."
She smiled up at me and I caught my breath.
Whatever happened, however this all played out, whatever the future brought…it would all be worth it, just to see that smile.
End