Breaking Kate: The Acceptance Series (34 page)

I give her a perplexed look and she laughs. “Oh goodness, there is so much catching up to do! One last thing before we eat and we’ll have to catch up another time. Kate and Connor, you were baptized together in the same ceremony. Bryan and I are your god parents and your mom was Connor and Jake’s godmother; we’re not only bound by love but by faith. Now, let’s go eat. Start thinking of songs for karaoke over dinner. Each of us will pick five songs and put them in a bowl. We might sing them, or the other team might get to sing them, so make them good.”

As everyone heads over to the dining area, Daniel asks Linda to give us a few minutes alone. She kisses us both on the cheek as she walks away. I snuggle into him and close my eyes trying to absorb all of this.

“Are you okay, Kate? I know this was definitely not what you expected to walk into tonight.”

I lean up and give him a kiss. “I’m okay, Daniel;
more
than okay, really. I feel like I gained a family today. I’ve never really had that, you know? My dad was always cold and distant. Of course Jess and Maryanne were family, but to be truly welcomed into a fully functional family is surreal. It’s not just Connor’s family, either, but yours, too. It’s no wonder Connor and I clicked: maybe we felt the connection deep down. I can’t believe that we knew each other as kids! A part of me wonders how things would have worked out if my mom had left my dad or if she would have never let her relationship with Linda suffer. Would you and I have dated still but maybe earlier? Would Connor and I have dated or would we be like brother and sister? Would I have ever dated Michael and let him become such a huge part of my life if I already had you guys in it? I know they are silly questions because I’m so happy with us right now, but what if we could have had us sooner?”

“I had those same thoughts, but there’s really no point in thinking about it. I’m so happy right now with where we are in our relationship. For whatever reason, it was meant to be for us to meet again later in life. Maybe by doing so, we were able to bypass all the stupid teenage disagreements and fall right into the romance that will lead us to forever. Our love is undeniably strong and there’s
nothing
that will change that.” He kisses me and helps me up. “Let’s go eat so we can get the karaoke torture over with.” I can’t help but laugh at him, and Jess looks up at us.

“
What’s so funny, lovebirds? Fill the rest of us in, please.” I give Jess a look that says we’re going to have some fun tonight.

“Daniel said he wants to get the karaoke torture over with, and I think that’s funny because I
love
karaoke.” Jess has a devilish glimmer in her eye and she smirks at Daniel.

“Lighten up, sunshine, it will be fun.”

Connor pipes up. “That’s what you think. When you put Daniel, April, and me on it’s like listening to cats in heat.” Oh god, that’s so funny.

“Well, long lost brother, I would say you could be on
my
team, but since it’s a battle of the sexes I can’t help you.”

Connor leans over and whispers in my ear, “So that conversation about
fuckability seems even more incestuous now, doesn’t it?” I choke on the water I just drank; it totally went down the wrong pipe.

“I guess it depends on whose version of us you want to go by. My mom thought we would get married someday so she might have been happy for the
fuckability discussion.” Connor glances over at Jess who is rapidly talking wedding plans with April and Linda

“Well, maybe we can honor her vision with a pact. I always wanted to have one of these with someone. Let’s say if we’re single at thirty-two and we’ve been separated from those two for at least… two years—you know, long enough to get them out of our systems—we’ll get married.” I’m not sure why, but that thought comforts me for some reason.

“Deal, as long as they give us their blessings.” At that we both laugh because there is nothing that could be further from our reality than Connor and I dating and getting married.

Dinner is nice; I love getting to know everyone a little better. Even Jake is being sweet instead of his usual cocky self. He even made it a point to tell me a secret while everyone was cleaning up and getting ready to sing.

“Don’t tell Connor this because he may be embarrassed or not remember, but he cried every day for months after you were gone. After we met you, I kept telling April I knew you from somewhere but couldn’t put my finger on it. Not that I would have recognized you from that little girl, but I remember your mom she was like my second mom. I missed her when you guys didn’t come over anymore. I think that’s how Connor and I bonded after you were gone; he never wanted to sleep alone. He was used to your sleepovers. You have no idea how happy my mom is having you back. She’s going to smother you and make you her own—mark my words.”

“I like your mom, Jake; I like your whole family a lot. I feel at home here and maybe that’s my subconscious kicking in. I keep thinking, trying to remember, and I think some things are coming back to me. It just hurt so much when we stopped seeing you guys that I pushed it all down, I tend to do that. I’m good at covering my feelings and putting on a fake face. Jess hates it, but it’s just part of me.”

“Well, does your fake face apply to karaoke or are the boys going to have some competition tonight?”

“Oh, there’s no playing in karaoke; we’re going to take you boys down, sorry.” Daniel comes up behind us and wraps his arms around my waist. This is the best feeling in the world.

“Hey, it’s time; Linda went all out this time since she has a D.J. coming tomorrow for the party. The mini stage is all set up for karaoke tonight. The rules are pretty simple—each team takes a turn, and you can choose to sing solo or with a few of your group members, but
everyone
has to sing by the end of the night.”

Jess comes strolling up and pulls me away from the boys. “Be prepared to lose, gentleman, we’ve got this one in the bag.”

“Well, at least if we have to lose it will be to some hot-ass chicks, because losing to mom is going to suck!” Jake says to Daniel.

Once we sit with Linda and April and compare song choices, we’re pleasantly surprised that none of us picked the same song. April’s blushing from head to toe by some of our song choices.

“I seriously hope I don’t pick some of those songs you two threw in there; I can’t sing to save my life,
especially
those songs.”

Linda pats April’s hand. “It’s all in good fun, dear, I can’t wait to beat the pants off these boys once and for all.”

It’s decided by a coin toss that the boys will go first and we decided to go by couple status. Married, Engaged, Promised, and In Heat since Connor so kindly threw out that name for them.

Bryan is up first, and his rendition of
Achy Breaky Heart
by Billy Ray Cyrus is hilarious. The way he shuffles across the mini stage is priceless. It looks like he’s doing a cross between a country line dance and the electric slide. His voice isn’t bad, but I definitely think the dance enhances his singing abilities. Next up is Linda; she
definitely
didn’t pick one of our songs. I’m almost embarrassed to see what she comes up with for this one. She picked
I Touch Myself
by The Divinyls; April’s totally relieved that Linda got this one and not her. The boys are begging her to pick another song, saying they’ll let the rules slide this once.

“Boys I raised you better, you
know
I don’t back down. You shouldn’t have put the song in the mix if you didn’t want to chance having to hear your mother sing it.”

She doesn’t do too
bad. It’s cute to watch the boys blush as their mom serenades Bryan. Even though it’s off key, she sings it with confidence, emotion, and
lots
of touching herself, but not in a bad way.

Jake’s up next, and from the look on his face he definitely got one of the songs we picked.

“Really, girls? You really had to go there? I can’t do this one alone.”

He walks over to the boys. Bryan decides to sit this one out, but Daniel and Connor decide to suck it up and help Jake. He never does announce the song, but once the music starts playing, we can’t stop giggling. They’re singing
The Right Stuff
by New Kids On The Block. Jake takes the lead as Jordan and he really
does
have a great voice. They’re all trying to do the New Kid shuffle and failing miserably at it. I’m laughing so hard tears are streaming down my face and my vision is blurred. Connor and Daniel are so off key, and I wonder if it’s on purpose since no guys really like NKOTB. Jess looks over at April, unable to keep the smile off of her face.

“April, my Jordan Knight fantasies might have just been fulfilled. Do you maybe want to switch brothers for the night?”

April looks like she can’t tell if Jess is playing or not, but finally answers her, “Sorry, I’ve only ever had a Jordan fantasy, and tonight I plan on making it happen. Wanna switch sleeping assignments with me instead?”

“Oh, no can do on that one, girl, I’m a screamer and I can’t be within the walls of the parents’ house. Sorry.” 

I’m so glad Linda went and got a drink because I know Jess wouldn’t have used a filter and
no
mom should have to hear about her son’s screamer. When the boys step off the stage, we give them cat calls and whistles. Considering April looks like her dog just died, though, I can see this isn’t much fun for her.

April picks her song and sends instant daggers to Daniel. “Seriously, Daniel, I
never
want to see this song in here again. You’ve finally won; I finally have to sing it.” Jess and I exchange questioning looks as the boys all laugh.

Daniel slaps Jake on the back and says, “This one’s for you man.” 

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy
by Rod Stewart has never been so entertaining. April can’t sing, but the girl can dance. The best part of her performance isn’t April though… it’s watching Jake
watch
April. He’s watching her with a combination of lust and love.
It’s HOT
. It’s also very romantic. As she finishes, Jake grabs her off the stage, spins her around, and kisses her passionately.

Bryan finally speaks up, “If you two don’t stop, I’m going to turn the hose on you.” April breaks away immediately, looking embarrassed, but everyone is just smiling at them, basking in their love.

Next up is Daniel which means it’s almost my turn. When Daniel pulls his song, he starts busting up and struts to the stage. He begins tapping his foot, waiting for the music to come on. He didn’t share his song with anyone, so we’re all a little curious. Jess recognizes the beat immediately and starts whooping and hollering. Daniel’s singing
I’m too Sexy
by Right Said Fred. After about a minute, he takes his shirt off and swings it around his finger a few times, launching it right at me. He’s so fucking hot; I may not give his shirt back to him. I pull it up to my face and inhale. It smells like him and I
fucking love
the way he smells. I look up at him and he’s unbuckling his belt.

“Yeah, baby, take it
all
off. It’s the only way I’ll ever get a look!” Thank god he’s just teasing. Jess doesn’t get to see the goods, and I’m sure the rest of them don’t need to see them, either. Once the song’s over, Daniel stands in front of me patiently waiting for his shirt, but I don’t hand it over right away.

“Can I help you?” Since he’s standing above me, his gaze travels right down my V-neck shirt. I catch his eyes and see nothing but desire.

“Well, sweetheart, I think you have something that belongs to me. I could sit here shirtless all night, but your friend might take advantage of me while you’re on stage. It wouldn’t be polite for me to turn her away, would it? I mean, she
is
an adoring fan and all…” I stand up so I can go get my song and put his shirt over his head.

“We wouldn’t want you to get mauled by rabid fans or anything, so I guess it’s only right to give it back to you even if it
does
smell amazing.”

“Baby, I smell just as good and taste even better. If you’re good I might let you have a taste tonight.”
Hot damn, he’s right about that.
I push away from him to get my song—the sooner this is over, the sooner he can take me to bed.

Of course
I pick a serious song. I’m thinking Jake put this in hoping to get to sing it. There’s no way to funny this one up so I just drag the stool to the center of the stage and start singing
Marry Me
by Train. If I can’t be funny, I can at least do the song justice. I’m not one to be self-conscious, but everyone is watching me intensely. April’s actually crying, Linda looks like she
might
cry, Jess is beaming from ear to ear, and all of the boys have the same look of awe on their faces. I’m so glad when the song’s over. I’m not used to little crowds hearing me sing; it’s a little unnerving. Jess and I usually do upbeat collaborations together when we perform. Once I step down from the stage, I hear Connor talking to Daniel who is looking at me like I walk on water.

“Holy shit, dude, have you ever heard her sing like that? I mean, I
know
she can sing, but all I’ve ever heard is upbeat fun stuff. That was fucking awesome. She could seriously be on the radio now.” Daniel’s just shaking his head no because he hasn’t heard me sing like that before.