Page 79 of Inside Out
“We’re horrible people,” Michele told her sister.
“The worst,” Laurel agreed. “We make babies cry.”
“Um, hello,” Rome said. “Who’s the handsome fella?”
“His name is Jacob, and he belongs to friends of ours,” Ashley explained. “They had to go out of town for a funeral, and I volunteered to watch the little guy. And now I want a baby.”
“Can we at least come in? Maybe Jacob wants to meet Julius even if you don’t,” Rome said.
“Don’t be silly,” Ashley said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment forever. Girls, get out of the doorway and let them inside. I raised you to have better manners than this. Julius, welcome to our home. I apologize for the chaos and ridiculous way you were greeted by my uncouth daughters. Rome, you can feed this little guy so I can help Ben in the kitchen.”
We followed Ashley to the back of the house where Rome’s parents, Astrid and Ben, waited for us. Rome made quick introductions before he practically elbowed his mother out of the way to get to Jacob.
“Ashley wants me to feed the baby so she can help Ben in the kitchen,” Rome said smugly.
Michele handed Rome a bottle and hovered close by like she was afraid Rome might drop him. I think she liked the idea of a little brother more than she let on. Laurel kept her distance still, but she kept glancing over at him.
“Four brothers,” Rome softly teased to antagonize his nieces without disturbing the baby.
Rome was right about his family. They were warm and made me feel very welcome. They didn’t care about the differences in our ages or backgrounds; they only cared that I made him happy. There was never an awkward silence between conversations, and their questions about my background came from a place of getting to know me. Astrid loved hearing about my days of playing in the orchestra and was excited that I’d written the score for the play.
“I cannot wait to see the production,” she said, squeezing both my hands in her frail ones.
Rome’s dad and I talked about our favorite shows on the Science channel. “Do you think there’s alien life on other planets?” he asked me.
“I think it would be arrogant to believe otherwise,” I replied.
I learned his mother also loved trying out new IPAs. “The next time you come to Columbus, I’ll take you to Carmichaels. It’s my favorite pub, and they only serve IPAs there.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I told her. She was pleased to know Rome always kept my favorite IPA on hand. “You raised a wonderful man, Amelia.” She kissed my cheek and squeezed me extra tight.
“Oh, how I’ve prayed for you,” she whispered before releasing me.
I chatted with the girls about school and their hobbies. Michele was a tennis player like me, and I was happy to hear that Laurel liked to play chess. We agreed future matches were a must. Conversation continued over brunch, and Ben and Ashley shared more about what they did.
Rome and I cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen after brunch so Ashley and Ben could kick up their feet and rest. After we finished, Rome announced we were heading back to Blissville to get ready for the next work week. I was embraced and hugged like they’d known me longer than a few hours, and returning their affection felt natural and right.
The day was as perfect as could be until Rome received a phone call from Caitlyn Simpson informing us the POS group had struck again.