because it wasn’t as fancy as Joyce Alexander’s mansion.
Teddy put his hand on Romeo’s arm. “It’s your home, and it’s full of the people you care about. Of course I’m going to love it.”
Okay. If he got rewarded with smiles like that, it was worth letting his inner romantic out of the closet permanently.
They started up the walkway hand in hand, but Romeo tugged him to a halt before they reached the porch stairs. “I’ve never done this before. Brought someone home to meet the family. But, um, I’ve seen it when my sisters did, and I need to warn you. Brace yourself.” With the cryptic caveat, Romeo stepped up onto the tiny front porch, and the door opened at once. Romeo pulled Teddy in, and a Blue wave crashed over them.
To the extent he’d considered it at all, Teddy had assumed that Romeo’s relatives would be like Romeo: reserved at first, quiet. Maybe even a little awkward around others.
Wrong.
Right there in the living room, barely inside the door, a thousand people hugged him and clapped his back and shook his hand. Not just Romeo’s mother and sisters, but also spouses and an array of children from toddlers through teens. Each gave their name—resulting in a dizzying array he was never going to get right—and told him how thrilled they were to meet him. It would have been somewhat terrifying, except every one of them radiated warmth and welcome.
Finally Romeo’s mother—who’d insisted Teddy call her Wanda—placed herself between Teddy and everyone else. “Ya’ll need to move back so this boy can breathe. Let him get his coat off at least.”
Laughing, the crowd obeyed. Wanda exclaimed over the daffodils, took Teddy’s outerwear, and handed it to a gawky preteen boy, who spirited it away. Smiling, she looked Teddy up and down. “Romeo told us you’re a sharp dresser, and he was right. I’ve seen the outfits you helped him pick out too.” She shook her head. “I sure wish I had your talent.”
“But you look beautiful.” This was honest. Like Romeo, Wanda was tall and attractive. It was easy to see the family resemblance; it was clear in Romeo’s sisters, nieces, and nephews, too. Wanda’s steel-gray hair was as closely shorn as her son’s, a style that suited her well, and her aqua-hued maxi dress worked perfectly with her ample figure.
She waved away the compliment but looked pleased. “You don’t have to flatter me.”
“I promise, I never give false compliments.”
“Oh, I’m gonna like you!” She threaded her arm through his and announced, “I’m giving Teddy the grand tour. Romeo and Portia, you go in the kitchen and keep an eye on things. Food should be almost ready.”
Romeo gave a little salute and exited with his sister, the rest of the crowd dispersed, and Wanda became his guide. After dropping off the flowers on a table near the stairs, they peeked at the upstairs bathroom and the bedrooms occupied by Portia and her daughters. Then Wanda showed him around the main floor: her bedroom, another bathroom, and the kitchen, living room, and dining room. Finally they descended to the basement, part of which had been converted to Romeo’s bedroom. There was also a bathroom, laundry room, and a utility area with the furnace, water heater, and a bunch of boxes.
“When we first moved here, his sisters complained because they had to share rooms and he got his own,” Wanda explained. “He sure liked it down here, though. We called it his cave. I think it was good he had a place to escape from us now and then.”
“He needs quiet to do his work.”
Wanda smiled broadly. “He does! You already know him well.”
“He’s...really special.”
She gave him a half hug and kissed his cheek.
Teddy would have liked to spend more time in Romeo’s space, poking around his stacks of books and reading the framed certificates on the walls, but it was time to rejoin everyone else. Besides, Teddy wasn’t nosy enough to look around without permission. Not quite.
“The house is a little underwhelming,” Wanda said when they reached the kitchen and, presumably, the end of the tour. “Nothing like those fancy magazines.”
The walls in the Blue house were covered in family photos, and the fridge was almost hidden behind children’s drawings affixed by magnets. Some of the furniture was mismatched, the floors a little scuffed, the shelves packed with books and knickknacks and school trophies. It was hard to walk anywhere without colliding with someone or getting run over by a darting child.