across my face, and I can’t believe I even said that out loud. “Well, I’ve never had one of those so…” I try to recover, but I think I made things more awkward.
“William,” Mal calls, saving me from myself as he greets his pair—partner? I’m not sure what they call each other. I make a mental note to ask the guys.
“Thought I’d come say hi before Rosa gets hold of you.” My eyes bulge out at his announcement. “Not like that, I mean, once she has you, she’s probably not going to let you go.” William winces. I think he has a case of verbal diarrhea as well. “Hell…” William brushes his hand down his pant leg and extends it to me. I accept the shake, but he pulls me in and wraps his arm around my back. After a quick couple of pats, he releases me.
I blink up at him owlishly. Did that just happen? Is it possible that he is just as awkward as I am? William's brow is furrowed as he looks down.
“You’re just standing there letting this happen?” Ares's voice floats over in our direction. I look over and see Malcolm with his hand covering his mouth, trying to hide his smile.
“Just be thankful you learned how to treat a lady from me and not him.” Malcolm chuckles while pointing at William.
“Dad, did you really just give her a bro hug?” Ares sounds positively scandalized. That’s the exact moment I can’t hold in any more of the tension. A laugh bursts free from my mouth as my shoulders shake. Leaning forward, I laugh way too hard, but it’s not just the bro hug, or his awkward words; it’s everything.
“Great, now you broke her,” Ollie chides, stepping over to my side. I swat him with the back of my hand, trying to calm my laugh, but every time I slow down, I imagine William’s face after he hugged me.
“Quit giving your papa a hard time,” Rosa admonishes, stroking her hand over William’s shoulder. He looks down at her, and any residual awkwardness disappears when he gives her a saucy wink.
Clearing my throat as the last of the giggles melt away, I meet Rosa’s gaze, and she scans my face before looking into my eyes. “You look very much like your mamma, Amanda.”
“I never really thought so, she… she’s had a tough few years.”
Rosa takes my hand in hers and her grip is gentle as she asks, “Can you tell me about her?”
I was the one expecting to ask questions, so it catches me off guard. Opening my mouth, I catch Dante’s gaze, and he nods.
Rosa insists on making eggs for the guys and me. Ares and Milo went and got a couple more chairs so we can all be in the kitchen while she prepares the food. I get my first taste of what Rosa calls a marocchino: it’s coffee with chocolate and milk. Finding out how to recreate the drink has become a new priority ‘cause, damn, it’s delicious.
Rosa pushes a plate in front of me, and the eggs are soft and fluffy with a few pieces of thinly sliced meat off to the side. As the others begin eating, she turns so her rear is leaning against the counter. “Tell me about you, about your mamma. Where have you been all these years?”
That’s a loaded question. I can’t even remember all the places we’ve lived. “We traveled a lot,” I tell her.
“Laura and her mother lived in a motor home,” Ares interjects. Rosa tilts her head as she tries to envision what Ares is talking about.
Pulling the sleeves of my shirt over my fingers, I drop my hands to my lap. I haven’t really talked about my mom much, not even with the guys. I don’t really know where to begin. “My mom, she struggled with a lot of things, and it only got worse the older I got.” I think back to the times when I was younger, when my mom would actually go out of the camper, get dressed in something other than sweatpants and a holey t-shirt.
“I can’t believe she has been running this entire time,” Rosa says almost to herself.
“Do you know why she was running, or from who?” I latch onto her words, needing to know the answers, especially if it will help me find her.
Rosa takes a deep breath. “How about I tell you about the Amanda I knew, and you can tell me about the one you know.”