Authors: Michelle Congdon
“Why am I finding out about this from the papers and not from my own son?” Mom grumbled through the phone receiver.
I looked around the café toward my team members waving me over. They’d already sat down at a booth, impatiently waiting for me to get off the phone and follow suit. It was our last day in Baltimore, and some of the team and I decided to get a bite to eat during the last couple of hours in the city. Oh, I understood their eagerness, but my mother was not one to be ignored. I’d let the call go to voicemail the first time, only to have her call right back.
“Mamma, you know the media. They like to make up stories,” I lied. Things were certainly heating up between Evangeline and me but not serious enough for my mom to get involved.
“Don’t you lie to your mamma,
mio
figlio
,” she started, calling me ‘my son’ in Italian as she often did. “Annie already told me about her.”
Damn it, Annie!
“I want to meet her.”
“Mamm—”
“I don’t want to hear it! You bring her over, you hear? I want to meet this young lady and make sure she is looking after my son. Are you treating her right? Not like all those other poor women. Ryan—”
“Mamma, I need to go,” I interrupted, shaking my head. “I’ll call you when I land.”
“Okay,
figlio
. But I mean it; bring her over for a visit. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I hung up and smirked as I stared at the phone in my hand.
Jeez, my mother is a demanding woman.
I joined the boys, but was no longer hungry. Instead, my appetite was lost worrying how I was supposed to bring up meeting my family to Evangeline.
****
If I thought my mom was going to drop the idea of meeting my ‘girlfriend’, as she liked to put it, I was in for a rude awakening. Not only did she pester me daily for the next couple of weeks, she somehow convinced two of my older sisters, who were flying home for a short holiday, to join in on the madness. Soon, I had no choice but to ask.
It wasn’t because I didn’t want my family to meet her, because the girl was beyond perfect. And she’d proved that the night of the charity ball. My burning star shone brightly in the elegant Alexander McQueen dress we’d picked out. Even after she suffered a minor panic attack in the car, she chose to push on, proving just how courageous she really was. I admired the shit out of her for that. But the moment Evie
really
stole my heart was when she anonymously donated two million dollars of her own money toward the children’s charity. A child born from wealth selflessly giving away money to those who needed it more; how could I possibly not fall for that kind of woman? Easy. It was impossible.
After that, it felt easier inviting Evangeline to meet the family…sort of. I’d waited until I was out of town to ask, choosing to call her instead, afraid I’d slip up telling the story I’d invented. Duke, my ‘brother’, was sick and I asked if she’d like to come along with me to see him. She’d fallen for it, of course.
The problem would be when Evangeline rocked up at my house to find that Duke, who
was
actually sick, was not my brother but in fact our family dog.
You have a few days to prepare for that apology
, my mind whispered. I nodded once as if agreeing with my own subconscious.
I thought I’d be glad to be back home. Glad to be back with Evangeline, especially after the stupid altercation with a player on the opposing team, Brian Felton, during our game the night before. But I’d spent the entire morning on the phone to my manager, Phil, listening to him drag on about why I had to start controlling my temper. None of it sank in. I was too disgruntled to listen to anything he said. I’d even snapped at Evangeline once I’d gotten off the phone. I didn’t mean to, and I quickly got out of it once she mentioned my dog, Duke. I’d almost forgotten I’d told her Duke was my brother until now. I knew I had to tell her sooner rather than later or I was going to really be in for it when I got to Mamma’s house.
After calming me down and ignoring my advances to have a quickie, Evangeline and I hit the road and made our way to my old childhood home. The faux scowls and pouts I threw her way during the drive only concealed how I really felt. And that was nervous and shit-scared that I was taking a girl back to meet my mom… Evangeline was the first girl I’d even considered it with. Apart from my sisters’ friends my mom already knew I’d slept with, I’d never introduced any kind of girl to her. Not even the girls I snuck into my room late at night during high school ever got the chance. I knew Mom was going to love her; it was hard not to.
Wait, what?!
I shook the sudden thoughts from my head and glanced over at Evangeline. She had put on her sunglasses and was looking out the window as a way to try and ignore the looks I was throwing, but I could tell from the tiny smirk on her face she was enjoying it rather than being annoyed. Turning back to concentrate on the road, I smiled.
The nerves hit me hardest the moment we drove up Mom’s driveway and I cut the engine of my Ferrari.
Breathe, Ryan, breathe.
I was thankful when Annabelle came rushing out so Evangeline never caught sight of my nervousness. I was usually good at hiding my emotions but around her, I was finding it more and more difficult each day.
“Ry! You finally made it!” Annabelle squealed.
I opened my arms and caught my little sister as she barreled into me. I kissed her cheek before she let go and made her way over to Evangeline.
“Nice to see you again, Evangeline. I’m so glad Ry got you to come!” she said. I held back a laugh as I watched Annie throw her arms around Evangeline and squeeze tight. Evangeline wasn’t expecting it, which made it all the funnier. Annie hadn’t ever liked many of the girls I’d been with, Evangeline being the exception, but then again, I’d never introduced her to any either. I never found the need to. They weren’t going to last longer than a night or two, so what was the point of introducing them to my family?
I turned away from the two when I noticed Mom rushing down the stairs. I smiled and quickly made my way over toward her, bending down to give her a great big hug.
“
Mio figlio
!”
“Mamma! It’s good to see you. Come, there is someone I’d like you to meet.” I took her hand and led her over to the girls. Even though I was happy my mom was finally getting her wish to meet Evangeline, I couldn’t help the small, worrying feeling in the pit of my stomach. What if they didn’t get along? What if Mamma hated Evie? Anybody else and I wouldn’t care, but my family came first, so if my mamma didn’t like the girl, I’d have to say goodbye. For the first time, I struggled, wondering whose side I would choose if they didn’t get along. I hoped it didn’t come to that.
My head filled with mixed emotions, I kept the smile on my face and introduced the two women. “Mamma, this is Evangeline. Evangeline, this gorgeous woman right here is my mamma, Serafina.”
Mom dropped my hand immediately and stepped toward Evie.
“Oh, my, aren’t you a beautiful thing. Much better than the way my son has described you and also the pictures I see in the paper. Come here and give me a big hug.” To my surprise, Mamma then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Evangeline’s slender frame.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Fox,” Evangeline replied.
“Please, dear, call me Serafina, or Sera for short. I don’t mind. All my kids do.”
Hearing my mom ask Evangeline to call her by her nickname was a good sign. I smiled as a great weight lifted from my chest.
“Where are the others?” I asked, unable to wipe the smile off my face as I stared at Evangeline. She wasn’t looking at me, but I knew she could tell I was.
“The girls went out to get Duke some food and more medication. They should be back any minute. The poor thing has been very picky lately, not eating his usual food and won’t touch that dried stuff anymore, either,” Mom replied, her face dropping. Oh, no, I hoped the poor little guy was all right.
I nodded in response to Mom but my gaze shifted to the house when I noticed Evangeline look over. Sitting at the bottom of the stairs was Duke.
“Dukey! There you are! Come here, boy!” I sang. Leaning forward, I slapped my hands against my legs to try and capture his attention. I managed to excite him and he came running over, as if he hadn’t just been sick for the past week. I dropped to my knees, laughing, just as he jumped up on me. “How are you, buddy? I’ve missed you. Yes, I have.” Duke licked the side of my face as I rubbed his head, and we wrestled around on the lawn. Even though he was the family dog, Duke and I had a special bond. The girls and Mom often teased me about the relationship I had with the bloodhound. I, on the other hand, loved his company. If I had an outdoor area big enough to the keep the guy, and I wasn’t worried about Mamma being alone, I’d have him live with me. You could say he was my brother of the hairy variety. That reminded me…
Shit.
I shot a look at Evangeline, who was already glaring at me. Oh, I was about to get in a heap of trouble. “So…I may have some explaining to do.” I pulled a ‘whoops’ face, but her glare didn’t budge.
“I would say more than just ‘some’.”
I gave Duke one more pat before rising to my feet. I had taken no more than two steps when my big-mouthed sister decided to get involved.
“Great, what have you done now, Ry?” Annabelle pouted, folding her arms across her chest.
“Son?” I could hear Mom but I couldn’t take my eyes off Evangeline.
Will she forgive me for this?
I guess it
was
pretty funny, but seeing as she wasn’t smiling, I don’t think she saw it that way.
“Ryan told me Duke was his sick brother. So, I came along to give him my support and because I thought Duke really wanted to meet me.” Evangeline ripped her gaze away from me to answer my mother.
Shit.
My sister burst into a fit of laughter while I could feel Mamma’s confused, questioning eyes on me. I, however, remained focused on one person. I scratched my head uncomfortably as Annabelle’s laugh filled the air.
“That is one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a long time!” she said, managing to contain her laughter. “They might as well be brothers; twins, even. They look alike and the two are inseparable whenever Ry is here.”
I shot my sister a look. She was
not
helping. I hoped she understood I was never going to take her to any more events.
“Annie, that is
enough
,” Mom warned. “Why didn’t you tell her the truth, son? Were you ashamed to bring her here? You did not want her to meet your family?”
Whoa.
She had it all wrong. “Of course not, Mamma. I am not ashamed of any of you…well, maybe of Annabelle.” I shot Annie a look, to which she poked her tongue out, before adding, “It’s complicated between us and I didn’t want to scare her in thinking my mom had forced me to bring her here to meet the family.” I noticed Evangeline pull a funny look as I said the words, but it was the truth. I
did
make up that stupid, ridiculous story just to get her to come.
Thankfully, we were interrupted by Mom’s car, driven by my eldest sister, Chiara with Gabriella in the passenger seat, entering the driveway.
I waved as the two girls jumped out and Gabby came running over, squealing, “RyRy!” I caught and hugged her while Duke bounced and barked excitedly around our feet. Out of all my sisters, I was the closest to Gabby. Our family had been through a lot because of our abusive father, but it was Gabby who’d taken the brunt of it. She stood up to him the most and as a result, my father resented her and had no qualms of showing it. “It’s great to see you, brother.”
“Likewise, Gab. It’s great to see you smiling again,” I replied, letting go of her.
“I’m leaving him, you know,” she whispered quietly. I didn’t need to ask whom she was talking about; I already knew. Despite living in different cities, and countries, our family still remained close. I was also very aware that my sisters only told me certain parts of their family issues, due to the way I’d reacted in the past. I’d only recently been informed of Gabby’s abusive husband. Why she thought to hide it from me, I don’t know, but I did lose my mind. If it weren’t for my busy schedule, I’d have flown to Seattle and kicked his ass until I broke every bone in his body. I was also disappointed in Gabby. What was she doing with a guy like that? And letting him get away with it, especially after what she went through with our father?
“You better mean it this time, Gabby. I swear to you, if I ever find out you’ve gone back to him, I’ll disown you. I mean it,” I replied in a serious tone. “And if that jerk
ever
lays a finger on you again, I’m going to make sure he never walks again.”
“Let’s not talk about him,” she answered dismissively.
I nodded. “Come, I want you to meet someone.” I took my sister’s hand and we made our way over to the others.
“Evangeline, this is the middle sister, Gabriella. Gabby, meet Evangeline,” I said once we reached everybody. My eyes landed immediately on Evie.
“Hi, nice to meet you, Gabby,” Evie responded politely, extending her hand out for Gabby to shake.
“It’s Gabriella.”
“Don’t start with that attitude again, Gabby. I’ve had to deal with your nonsense all day,” warned Chiara.
Gabby’s aggressive tone confused me and it wasn’t until Chiara piped up that I’d realized she was in a bad mood.
Great, here we go.
“What? I don’t like strangers calling me by my nickname.”
“Evangeline isn’t a stranger; she’s our guest,” Annabelle added.
“Maybe not to you, but I don’t know anything about her, so she’s a stranger to me,” Gabriella snapped back.
Why is she being like this?
“Enough, Gabby!” I growled, instinctively dropping Gabby’s hand and reaching for Evie’s. “Why are you trying to pick a fight with everyone?”
I waited for her to respond but she didn’t. It was typical behavior from Gabby to cross her arms at her chest, look pissed, and refuse to say anything. Well, I wasn’t going to have any of it, not then. I turned to Mom. “Ma, I’m taking Evangeline inside.” Then I glanced back over at my sister. “Gabby, if I hear another smart-ass remark come out of your mouth, I’ll put you on the next flight back to Seattle. You hear me?”
“Whatever, Ryan,” she spat. “I’m one year older than―”
“Well, for God’s sake, act like it!” Chiara barked. Gabriella glared at her then spun on her heel and stalked toward the house.
I held back a smile. I hated seeing Gabby upset, but it also gave me a little joy to see our quiet, easy-going, eldest sister lose her temper. It didn’t happen often, but when it did it was entertaining to watch.
“I’m sorry, Evangeline. Gabby is usually a lot nicer than this, I swear,” Chiara continued. “This whole situation with her husband is stressing her out.”
“Ara, she has always been the crazy psycho of the family,” Annie pointed out, but was quickly told off by Ma.
“That’s enough, Annie! Leave your sister alone. Why don’t we go inside and have some tea. I’d love to hear more about you, my dear. I want to hear all about how you met this wonderful son of mine.”
I shook my head, smiling. Mom was so embarrassing sometimes. “We’ll meet you all inside,” I said, tugging Evangeline toward my car. The girls nodded and made their way inside the house, with Annabelle lingering behind and offering to help. Not that I needed help carrying two overnight bags. I threw them both over my shoulders and let the girls walk together a few steps in front of me.
I went straight upstairs and told the two girls I’d meet them in the kitchen. After dropping the bags into my old bedroom, I decided to check on Gabby. I knew she’d be feeling terrible right now and I hadn’t meant to sound so aggressive toward her, so it was only right to apologize.
I found Gabby in her old room, resting against the headboard of the bed and typing away on her laptop. Knowing my sister, she’d be responding to her emails. She liked to do that whenever she was bored or frustrated. I remember once telling her it probably wasn’t the best idea to be replying to emails in a bad mood, especially if they were negative ones, but Gabby laughed off my comment.
I didn’t ask her if I could come in, and she didn’t look away from the computer screen. That was her way of saying ‘it’s fine to come in, but don’t expect me to say much’. I crawled onto the bed and sat beside her, amused by how much longer my legs were than hers. While Gabby’s reached halfway, mine were almost touching the end of the bed. I looked around her unchanged room and admired the posters of the grungy bands she loved as a teen still pinned up on the walls. When Gabby left for college, Mom had wanted to take them down and rearrange her room into a guest room, like she had done with the rest of the house. Gabby refused and demanded Ma not touch anything until she finished college and came back to collect all her things. That was almost seven years ago…