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A Family Sunday

M eredith

Lockdown had been officially over for a few weeks, but rumors of a Family Sunday circulated. The Old Ladies who lived in town were pressuring Chef and any brother who would listen. They even had lunch at the diner on a day they knew Grizz would show up so they could hound him.

“I don’t understand why they keep pushing for a welcome party, when I’ve been in the clubhouse since last summer. If they just want to get together, they should. Leave me out of it,” I whispered. Pumpkin had fallen asleep, and Grizz and I were lying in bed, wrapped up in each other.

“Would you have accepted a welcome party when you first came here?” He held me tighter, waiting for my answer.

Grizz hadn’t given me a choice when they had released me from the hospital after the attempted kidnapping.

I had only agreed to staying in the clubhouse because I had thought it was temporary, that it would only be a few days, and then I would head back to my condo.

I hadn’t known then that once the gates had shut behind us, I wouldn’t leave.

The uncertainty of the early days still caused pain if I stopped to think about them.

“I hate when you do that,” I laughed into his chest. “You always put things into perspective, and nine times out of ten, you’re right.”

“It would have been a shit show, and we probably would have argued the whole fucking day. No one wants a Family Sunday like that.” I felt his chin slide across the top of my head. “I need to tell you something.” He blew out a breath before continuing. “They want to welcome the newest Old Lady.”

“I’m not an Old Lady.” My back stiffened as I buried my nose in Grizz’s chest. Any time the words came up, I immediately shut them down.

It didn’t matter what I thought or how much effort I made, until the brothers voted, I wasn’t an Old Lady.

I wouldn’t disrespect their traditions like that, even though I thought they were outdated.

“This is my fault. At first, I was busy putting out fires. You weren’t well, and all they saw was the aggression. Anytime I heard a new story, I smoothed it over so that my patch wasn’t affected. I should have just said fuck it, but I don’t know if we would have ever gotten here.”

“You said fuck it. You offered to leave with me.” I wasn’t sure how this all correlated, but I really didn’t want to rehash our history. The early days had been up and down, and I’d rather forget that hell.

“I’m sorry, baby. I should have forced them to open their eyes sooner, but I thought they would see all the work you were doing. They didn’t until they couldn’t ignore it and then scampered off to talk to each other. Right after I brought Pumpkin home, they voted you in. It was unanimous.”

“How come you didn’t tell me then?” My body shook as I tried to process my emotions.

Confusion over why Grizz had kept the vote from me.

Excited that I had actually won the vote.

Perplexed on what would happen next. My jumbled thoughts and emotions eventually settled into contentment.

We’d made it to the other side, just as Grizz had predicted.

“You have a bad habit of trying to fix things to make other people happy, and I promised you would never have to do that again. I didn’t want you to think you should have to kiss their asses for the vote, so I didn’t tell you. I thought I was helping,” he sighed.

“I won’t, but it is nice to know. There’s only one man I want to impress.” I was being honest. Grizz’s opinion was the only one that mattered.

He pulled me closer, burying his nose in my hair. “I love you,” he said. “All of you.”

“I have loved you since the night you came to my aunt’s for family dinner. If your family wants a Sunday, give it to them. If they don’t like me, we’ll use Pumpkin to win them over.”

There was no more chatter as we held onto each other tightly, falling asleep until Pumpkin cried in the middle of the night. Grizz mumbled, “Daddy duties call.”

***

“What do you need me to do?” I asked Grace, trying to stay busy. My stomach was constantly bubbling, and every bathroom run was a false alarm. All of my anxieties had picked today to come to the surface. I wanted these people to like me, or at least think I was good enough for their vice president.

“Can you grab the vegetables from the refrigerator? I bought the pre-cut ones to make it easier for the trays,” Grace answered, looking at me over her shoulder as she stood at the sink.

I said nothing, following instructions as I occupied a small corner of the kitchen island. My aunt was on the other end, slowly peeling potatoes. Pretty had already run into the kitchen once to check on the potato salad, and no one wanted to listen to him bitch and moan.

“Hey! You don’t get to sneak in here like that.”

I jumped instantly, thinking Grace was talking to me, but when I checked my surroundings, I saw Kelly had walked through the kitchen door behind me. She beelined straight towards JR, hugging the baby to her chest and kissing his head. “I missed you, Peanut.”

JR was all smiles and baby wiggles—drool running down the side of his mouth.

He’d missed her, too. Kelly dabbed his bib at the corners of his mouth, as if he was a patron at a fine-dining establishment.

Ignoring us, she spent a few more moments with JR, kissing his head before settling him in his Pack ’n Play.

Grace had been waiting for her turn and didn’t hesitate to wrap Kelly in a hug of her own. “Next time we’re on lockdown, you’re staying with us. You don’t get a say.”

Kelly hugged her back. “I missed you too, but I was fine. Sabre must have sent Count to check on me. He’s been showing up at night and following me home.”

“You sure it was Count?” Grace was skeptical, and I didn’t blame her. There hadn’t been enough brothers for outside guard duty, and whatever Count was doing was purely on his own. If I had to guess, he was protecting what he considered to be his, and Kelly was clueless about his actual intentions.

“Yes. Blue spikes. Definitely Count.” She hugged Grace tighter. “I’ll have to thank Sabre.”

Oh, sweet summer child. I almost felt bad for her, and that bit of sympathy triggered panic from within.

Watching them hug, I couldn’t help but think Grace was replacing me with Kelly.

She’d rather have a sister of her choosing, rather than the one she was stuck with.

I turned back around towards the vegetable trays, jealous of Kelly.

I caught my aunt’s eye as she watched me.

Her eyes were so similar to my own that it was the clarity I needed.

This was my paranoia talking, and I’d misread the signs again.

I needed to break this cycle, but if I wanted to extend an olive branch, I was going to have to man up.

I hadn’t given Kelly a reason to trust that my intentions were good after I’d been confrontational in the past.

“Hi,” I said, as I pivoted to face her completely. Grace had pulled back from Kelly, but she stood between us. It hurt that my sister thought I would attack first. I was through playing petty, mean girl games.

I was trying to figure out something further to say, but Kelly pointed at my hands, chuckling. “If you want to throw carrots at me, I prefer them with a dip.”

Grace shot me a look like I was losing it, and maybe I was. My brain hadn’t caught up with my body, and while I didn’t have the words to say, I had been standing there, waving carrots around. I scrunched up my nose as I quickly threw them on the nearest tray.

“I…uh…do you want to meet Pumpkin?” Way to go, Meredith. Use your kid to make amends.

“Yes, please.” Kelly clapped her hands excitedly as Grace shifted towards my aunt. She was trying to give us space but was still watching to make sure I behaved. I didn’t want to offend Kelly, but Grace had no way of knowing that.

I led Kelly to the bouncer, sitting on a blanket next to the Pack ’n Play. “Hi, Pumpkin,” I said, picking her up and holding her to my shoulder. “I have someone very important I want you to meet. Promise me you won’t dirty your diaper while she’s holding you. That’s rude.”

Kissing her forehead, I introduced the two of them. “Pumpkin, this is Kelly. Kelly, this is Madalyn, but we call her Pumpkin.” Kelly held her hands out, and I placed the baby in her arms. Kelly was a safe person. I’d been too na?ve to notice before. I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“Hi, Pumpkin,” Kelly cooed. “Where did you get Madalyn from? It fits her.”

“After my mother,” I filled in, wondering if my voice would always hiccup when I brought it up.

“May she never know what it’s like to lose you,” Kelly whispered. “I lost my mother to cancer a few years ago.”

Impulsively, I hugged her as best I could with Pumpkin in the middle. Any lingering animosity between us fell away at the shared experience. We wouldn’t be best friends, but I no longer worried I’d made a mortal enemy.

“If you need a babysitter, I can give you my phone number. I don’t mind, and we already have a system.”

“I might take you up on that.” It was the closest I would come to apologizing, but Kelly nodded her head. She understood, and we were good.

***

Plastering a smile on my face, I walked out the back door. Grace had kicked me out of the kitchen.

“They want to meet you, and they can’t if you’re hiding in here. Go,” she had laughed, flicking her wrists at me to shoo.

I should have taken her advice, but my eyes instantly found Grizz holding Pumpkin the minute I had stepped out into the yard.

My feet changed course, and I headed straight for them.

Wrapping my arms around his waist from behind, I laid my cheek against the center of his back, the skull patch scratching my skin.

“Should we tell her we’re taken, Pumpkin?” he asked the baby, ignoring me. I slid my hand underneath his t-shirt, resting my palm along his abs. “I have a wife, and if she catches you touching me like that...” He trailed off.