straight for where Penny lurked, peeking around the corner to get a good look at the boy I'd brought with me. Colliding with her body with no concern for how much she might weigh, Rebel pressed her nose into Penny's neck and wiggled her entire butt back and forth in that way pits had that was just so uniquely pitbull. "Well, that's new," Dad commented, grinning as Penny squealed with peals of laughter and shook her head back and forth as Rebel licked her. "So are you. Oscar," he said, holding out a hand for Enzo to shake.
"Enzo," he responded. "You have a very welcoming home."
Dad scoffed. "Like a rainbow exploded in here, but I appreciate the lie just the same." A smile transformed his face as he turned his attention back to me. "You should have said you were bringing a friend."
"So Mom could make eighteen more dishes to impress him with every single recipe she has and still complain it wasn’t enough? Pass on that," I laughed. He shrugged in response, because he couldn't deny the truth in my words.
"You picked a hell of a night for an introduction, Sadie girl. Shouldn't you have started off with just Mom and me? Overwhelm him less?" Dad winked at Enzo. The two of them already conspiring with one another, minutes into the meeting, did not bode well for the rest of my evening.
"He threw me to the wolves with his family. Five sisters, Dad. Five. I have no sympathy for whatever he suffers tonight," I said, taking Enzo's hand and moving to step into the main living room where the men lurked. The women were undoubtedly in the kitchen, whispering and waiting for an invitation to the introductions like they hadn't heard Penny's shriek.
Oliver, Ethan, and Lucas all sat on the couch, looking too relaxed in a way that wasn't natural. I narrowed my eyes on them. "Haven't we outgrown eavesdropping yet? Rude."
"What?" Oliver asked. "We're just sitting here minding our own business."
"Is that why it looks like you fell onto the couch when you realized I was coming this way and you were about to get caught? I may not have kids yet, so I lack the eyeballs in the back of my head like Mom, but I know you assholes," I laughed. "This is Enzo. Save us the protective brother shit, because he'll wipe the floor with you."
Penny chuckled. "Mom says their ears will fall off if they keep eavesdropping."
"Is that my Sadie? Come help!" Mom called from the kitchen. I dropped my head to my chest, tugging on Enzo's hand to drag him to the center of my misery that was Mom's kitchen in total disarray.
"You can leave your friend with the boys," Dad said. "We won't bite."
"Can I introduce him to the gossip police first? Mom will start stabbing things if she has to wait any longer, and I don't particularly feel like dealing with the mess today."
"His funeral," Dad chuckled, dropping into his favorite recliner. Moving toward the kitchen and shoving open the door, I drew in a deep breath to steady myself. There was no Rebel to help ground me, and I realized how much I'd come to rely on her unique distraction. Wyatt and Lily had joined Penny in rubbing Rebel's tummy while she wiggled on the floor. I wasn't selfish enough to take her away from the joy of the attention the kids gave her.
"Mama," I said as I stepped into the chaotic space. Nina and Joy worked to arrange the plates on the table, Mom's fine china proudly on display. The royal blue and gold decorations on the plates stood out from across the room as the two women leveled us with wide eyes. "This is Enzo."
I kept it simple. A name introduction, rather than assigning a label to whatever we were. I didn't want to think about that given his assertion the day before that we were heading towards something I wasn't ready for. Boyfriend didn't seem to fit a man like Enzo and introducing him as my man felt too intimate. Like I'd be shouting, he fucked me on his motorcycle for all my family to hear.
Awkward as fuck, that was.
"Hello, Enzo," Mama said, stepping up to lean onto her toes as he bent down. She kissed him sweetly on the cheek, touching his other with her hand. "How do you know my baby?"
"Mom," I groaned.
"Fine, fine," she said, waving a towel in our direction. "Help us get the