been very calm since her time with Topanga and Lowell. I get the feeling something the former said helped calm my mother’s fears about Bronco and Elko.
“I won’t see Sidonie until Friday,” Desi says as we pull into the driveway at the Victorian.
“Yeah, but then you’ll see her a lot. We’ll be staying more in Elko than Shasta this summer.”
Despite nodding, Desi seems sad. “I had fun this weekend.”
“I know, and I’m going to miss our new friends.”
Finding her smile, Desi looks at Carina. “I’m glad Bronco is her daddy.”
“Me too, baby,” I say and stroke her cheek. “I hope you enjoy your last week of school and seeing your dad.”
Desi sighs, seeming lost. “Sidonie is my friend.”
Her blue mood rubs off on me. I’m overwhelmed with the longing to return to Elko. Mom turns to us before getting out of the SUV.
“I bet Zathura missed you,” she says to Desi, who finally smiles for real. “He’ll have a new friend soon.”
Excited over the dogs meeting, Desi calms herself and gets out. I follow her lead and smile at my mom.
“You seemed happy this weekend,” she says, and I feel all the meaning behind those simple words.
“I fell for him hard and can now see us as a family. Leaving for even a few days is so much harder than I expected.”
“This week is a way to get everything in order,” Mom says, climbing out and taking the diaper bag. “I don’t see you visiting as often as you think.”
“I’ll have to bring Desi here for her visits with Kenny. Also, she loves playing with Ramona’s boys and Goliath.” Mom and I share a smile. “Desi will want to be here.”
“We’ll see. Desi adjusts to her new situations and finds a groove quickly. She did when you moved in with me and then into the apartment over the restaurant. Once she lived here, she didn’t want to go back to the apartment. And she looked real comfortable at Bronco’s house.”
I understand Mom’s warning. Desi will be the one who pays the price if Bronco and I don’t work out.
Hugging me, she whispers in my ear, “I believe every person gets one chance at the deepest love. If Bronco’s yours, don’t let fear stop you.”
I relax in Mom’s arms, relieved to have her support. I sense not everyone will be as happy about my choice to move to Elko after two weekend visits.
Entering the house, I hear Desi informing people of our plans. “I’m going to sleep in Sidonie’s big bed, and we’re going to swim every day. She’s my best friend. Zathura and Uno are going to be best friends too.”
I walk into the kitchen to find way too many people waiting to judge me. Max stands with River, who holds Greer. Ramona and Shane each hold a son. Goliath has Kirby while Shelby rests on the floor with her dogs. Taylor and her pregnant girlfriend, Kelsi, sit at the table.
“You’re moving to Elko?” Max asks, looking nauseous.
“We’ll just spend the weekdays there once school is out.”
“For how long?”
“Until school is back,” I lie since my sister looks on the verge of tears.
The group says nothing, and their silence is a response in itself. Shelby finally stands up and walks to me. She throws her arms around my shoulders and hugs me as tightly as possible without squishing Carina.
“I demand you text me once a day. If you miss a single one, I’ll drive up to check on you. Understand?”
“Your threat is accepted.”
Smiling, Shelby steps back. “When can we come up and check out Elko?”
“In August,” I say immediately, having known this would happen.
River rests his hand on Max’s shoulder and says, “This seems quick.”
“Remind me of how long you were dating Max before she moved in here?”
“Well, there was a fire.”
“And I have a baby with Bronco. He’s missing out on time with her if I take things slowly.”
The three men want to get a bug up their butts about Bronco, but they’re all holding their own children. Would they want to be away from their kids for days or weeks at a time?
“I’m taking Carina upstairs,” I say rather than deal with them all looking at me.
Desi picks up Zathura since the little dog has trouble getting his ass up two flights of stairs to the top floor. I hear the group start whispering as soon as I’m halfway to the second floor. Even with all the change that’s happened over the last few years with this group