Summer Kisses (57 page)

“Your dream finally came true. Lucky St. James-Strickland as a mother. No one deserves it more than you.” Charlie’s voice quivered. She couldn’t be in a room with a crying person and not join in. “Why are you crying? You’re not a happy crier, so what’s the deal?”

The tears came faster. “I asked Will to marry me, and he wants to wait. He didn’t say no, it was more like someday.”

“If you’re questioning his love, you shouldn’t. That boy’s got it so bad for you that he moved heaven and earth to get you here. Do you really think the only reason he brought you here was for the TV show?” Betts tucked a lock of Lucky’s hair behind her ear. “I’m sure he has a plan. Have you ever known him not to have one?”

Betts had a point. Will didn’t get up in the morning without a plan.

“Honey, I can guaran-damn-tee he has a very detailed and complicated plan. You won’t be disappointed.” Betts squeezed her hand.

“Yes, you’re going to remember it for the rest of your life.” Charlie dabbed daintily at her cheeks.

Lucky flipped up the hem of her tee shirt and used it to mop her face. Wait a minute. She sat up. “You two know something.” She looked at Betts and then Charlie. “Spill.”

Her two best friends exchanged a look, and both shook their heads.

“Not a chance.” One corner of Betts’s mouth curled up.

“Not in a million years.” Charlie patted Lucky’s knee. “Trust me, he has a plan, and it’s one you will never forget. For being so uptight, Will has a romantic streak. It’s nice to see, and it gives me hope.”

“You’ll find someone.” Betts tried to sit up, but it appeared that her stomach muscles didn’t work.

“You just keep producing those beautiful babies. I’m going to need someone to dote on.” Charlie held her left hand out in front of her with the pretense of checking her manicure.

There was a huge diamond on her ring finger.

Lucky grabbed her hand. “Is that what I think it is?”

Betts struggled to a sitting position. “Tell me this is a joke and that you didn’t agree to marry that imbecile.”

“Jerome Breaux is daddy’s largest campaign donor.” Charlie admired the ring. “I only agreed to wear the ring and think about it.”

“Breaux is twice your age and looks, acts, and sounds like Foghorn Leghorn.” Betts did her best Foghorn Leghorn impression. “Well, now, I say, little lady, don’t you think that dress is a mite too short?”

Lucky put her arm around Charlie, “I love you, but you can’t marry him. He’s ridiculous and irritating, and that weird Donald Trump comb-over isn’t fooling anyone.” She inspected the ring that had to be at least five carats. “Besides, do you really want to mingle DNA with him?”

“There will be no DNA mixing. He has erectile dysfunction.” Charlie sounded so matter-of-fact.

“Oh my God.” Betts’s hand stopped midway to her mouth, her face turned the color of rice pudding, and she jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom.

The sound of retching came from inside the bathroom. The toilet flushed, the faucet came on, and Betts gargled. “I could blame that on morning sickness, but I’d be lying. The thought that you got close enough to his body to find out about his … um … little problem is making my Oreos come back up.”

“Drama queen.” Charlie slid the ring off her finger and put it into her jacket pocket. “It’s better than being alone.”

“No, it’s not. Trust me. I might have been in a dark place after Ricky’s death, but it beat a loveless marriage.” Lucky sat back. That wasn’t completely true. While her marriage hadn’t been loveless, she hadn’t been in love with her husband in a very long time. Loving Ricky as a friend wasn’t the same as being in love with him.

“Out with it. I can tell by the look on your face that you’ve just uncovered some great secret.” Charlie’s ability to read people made her perfect for politics.

“I haven’t been in love with Ricky in a very long time. I loved him, but I wasn’t in love with him.” It was a ridiculous distinction, but it didn’t feel ridiculous. Love came in many different shapes and sizes … the married kind and the friendship kind. When had hers taken a turn toward friendship?

“Thank God you finally figured it out. I was afraid you were going to hold on to your hate until you’d convinced yourself that you really were still in love with him.” Betts pointed to Charlie. “I don’t want to hear any more about Leghorn’s dysfunctions. I’m eating for two and need to keep everything I can down.”

It occurred to Lucky that they had never really talked about Ricky’s other life except to bash him and
her
. Had they known about his other family? Did she really want to know? She bit the inside of her cheek and debated. They were her closest friends, knew everything about her, and had always been there. “Did…” Her voice was rusty and unsure. “Did you know about Ricky and Rosie?”

It was the first time she’d used
her
name.

Neither Betts nor Charlie would make eye contact.

Betrayal stabbed her right in the back. They had known and hadn’t told her. Disbelief mixed with soul-sucking disappointment made her stomach drop to her knees. They hadn’t told her. She had to get out of here. Being around them was a bad idea right now—she might say something she meant but would regret.

Lucky sat up and tried to scoot to the foot of the bed, but both Charlie and Betts grabbed her arms.

“No, ma’am. You’re going to stay right here and hear us out.” Betts’s fingers dug into Lucky’s upper arm.

“How could you? How could you not tell me?” Lucky’s jaw tightened with mounting rage. Her friends … her sisters, and they had let her believe that everything was all right.

“We found out about Rosie and the girls about six weeks before the live show—”

“You should have told me.” Lucky struggled to get free, but both women were stronger than they looked.

“Cool it, Lucky, you’re going to hear us out.” When Charlie used her cool tone, people did what she asked. Out of the three of them, she was the most lethal. The woman was the epitome of cool, calm, and collected until she lost her temper. It didn’t happen easily or often, but when it did happen, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Lucky stopped struggling because she knew it was useless. She would listen, but nothing they said could make this right.

“Almost two years ago, Rosie called me.” Betts took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “She wanted money. Either I paid her one hundred thousand dollars or she went to you and told you everything.” Betts rubbed her belly absently. “I thought she was full of it, but Charlie and I agreed to meet her. She was a piece of work. I thought she was crazy until she pulled out a photo of the girls. Mandy looks just like Ricky and so does Dawnie … but Viviane…”

There was a long and awkward pause.

“Viviane isn’t Ricky’s,” Charlie finished. “Rosie had this bright idea that we cared about Ricky too. She wanted the money or she’d go to you, and she’d tell him the truth too.”

Lucky’s heart twisted with sadness. Sweet Vivi, who worshipped her father. She would have been crushed. What kind of mother would do that to her child?

“I know you’re angry, and you have a right to be, but we couldn’t hurt you.” Betts sniffled, and her voice hitched. “This was right before I found out about Tom, and I couldn’t hurt an innocent child.”

“Rosie was, without a doubt, the most worthless person I have ever met. Please remember, I’m in politics so my bar for worthless is pretty high.” Charlie arched her back, stretching.

They had barely glossed over the money. Half of Lucky wanted to know and the other half didn’t. “Did you pay her?”

If she were being truthful with herself, she’d have paid … if just to save a child from heartache. And yes, she’d have paid to save Betts and Charlie from being hurt. Sympathizing did little to diminish the pain.

“We gave her ten thousand dollars and told her to go away. If it had been just you, we wouldn’t have paid, but a child… No way, she’s innocent. Children are off-limits.” Betts sniffled. “I’m about to lose it here. I’m hungry and hormonal, and I can’t see my feet anymore, so you have to forgive us.”

“Put yourself in our place.” Charlie, always the voice of reason, folded her arms. She’d never looked more like Scarlett O’Hara than she did right now. “What would you have done?”

“God, I hate when you’re all level-headed and calm.” Lucky wanted to stay angry, but she couldn’t because she would have done the same. Today, she would have paid the full amount to save Vivi from heartache. “I understand. I’m working on forgiveness.”

Betts nodded. “Would it sway you to know that Chuckles over there went all serial killer and threatened to slit Rosie’s throat with her fingernail file? She used that I’m-southern-royalty-and-way-more-important-than-you tone, you know, the one that makes dogs heel and men cringe.”

“She lived.” Charlie pulled out her fingernail file and worked on her index fingernail. She elbowed Lucky in the arm playfully. “I also volunteered to superglue her lips shut, but she politely refused my kind offer.”

Lucky returned the elbow. This is what they’d always done after they made up. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

“I know. She looks all normal on the outside, but piss her off and she will fuck you up.” Betts returned Lucky’s elbow. “You mess with one of her friends, and she’s like a bulldog protecting her turf. I’m just glad she didn’t pee on anything marking her territory.”

“Who says I didn’t?” Charlie moved to the next nail. “One must be discreet when urinating in public.”

Betts leaned over Lucky and kicked Charlie lightly in the shin. “She makes it sound so fancy.”

Lucky sighed heavily. “I need some help with the girls’ birthday party next week. Total weirdness that they were born all on the same day. Two by accident, one on purpose, but whatever. I’ve decided on a circus theme to accommodate all the age groups. I’ve got Ringling Brothers coming and setting up three tents—all equal size so they all get the same-size party. I’ve got three cakes ordered, a guitar for Mandy, a Spurs logo for Vivi, and a Barbie cake for Dawnie. Three chocolate fountains, barbeque for Mandy’s party, fajitas for Vivi, and pizza for Dawnie. What am I missing?”

“I don’t know. How about space shuttle rides to the moon and back? When you said you were throwing the girls a birthday party in the backyard, I’m thinking a small cake, some Barbie napkins, and maybe a piñata. I’m taking Truly and Tom home
before
the party so they don’t get any ideas.”

It was a big deal, but the girls needed so much and wanted so little.

“They’ve never had a birthday party. I just want it to be special. Their life with
her
—I’m finding out—was … not so great. I know it looks like I’m trying to buy them off, but I really just want them to have a special day. Birthdays should be special.” Lucky needed her friends to understand it wasn’t about bribery, but when she reviewed the party so far, it kinda looked like bribery.

Charlie nudged Lucky with her shoulder. “I fully support your need to spoil the girls. When do we officially get to call them nieces so we can get in on the spoiling also?”

“Thank you for that. I couldn’t help but fall in love with them, but I didn’t know if you could.” Lucky had been playing around with an idea for a few days now and needed some feedback. “I was thinking … as a birthday present, I would ask if they’d like to take their father’s last name. I know it probably doesn’t mean much to them, but I’d like to offer it. What do y’all think?”

Betts raised her hand. “As the only bastard in this room, I vote yes.”

Charlie shot Lucky a look. Betts never talked about her father. In fact, they didn’t know who her father was…. Lucky wasn’t sure Betts knew.

“It’s a very sweet thing to do, but are you sure you want to go down that road?” Charlie put the nail file away. She always had hidden pockets for an amazing array of junk she carried with her. There was no telling what she’d pull out next. Once, Betts had stolen one of Charlie’s favorite suits and sown all the pockets shut. Charlie’d almost had a nervous breakdown. It had been both scary and funny to watch.

“The girls need to belong to Ricky. I want them to be able to claim him as a father. At first, I didn’t like to think about it, but he is their father, and they should have a lasting connection to him. It’s the right thing to do.” The more she thought about it, the more she wanted it for them. “Do you think… It’s stupid, never mind.”

“What? Clearly it’s not stupid or you wouldn’t have brought whatever it is up.” Charlie pulled out tiny scissors and trimmed a tiny loose thread.

“Jesus, woman. What else do you have hidden away? That’s like a James Bond suit. I’m just waiting for her to launch torpedoes out of her boobs.” Betts kicked Charlie again. “How about a sub sandwich? Have one of those hidden away? Or a cupcake? I could use a cupcake about now.”

Charlie pulled out a roll of Tums and handed them to Betts. “Snack on these.” She turned to Lucky. “Spill it.”

“Oh, cherry, my favorite.” Betts tossed two in her mouth.

“Now that the rabid expectant mother is happy, what’s on your mind?” Charlie put her arm around Lucky. “You’re not usually so reluctant to speak your mind.”

“I want them. I want to adopt them. It’s more than just giving them Ricky’s name, I want them to be mine.” Lucky said it all on one long breath like she was making a wish right before blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.

“Have you talked about this with Will?” Charlie made eye contact with Betts.

“I haven’t mentioned it to anyone. I just this minute realized that I wanted it.” She needed to talk to Will, but after the whole I-want-to-marry-you-someday thing, she wasn’t exactly comfortable talking about long-term plans.

“It’s a big step … a permanent step. You need to discuss it with Will and the girls.” Betts tossed two more Tums in her mouth.

“I hate when y’all are sensible and adult. When did we get old?” Lucky plopped back on the pillows.

“It sneaks up on you so slowly that you don’t feel a thing until it’s too late. One minute you have zits, and the next it’s wrinkles, then glaucoma, which is kinda nice since you can’t see your own wrinkles.” Betts laced her fingers through Lucky’s. “Tonight, let’s go paint the town Marilyn pink.”