Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set (156 page)

Brent chuckled.  “She is a beautiful girl.  But no Andrea.  You may not stay with Carl.  I would never forbid you to see him, but you have been spending entirely too much time with him as it is.  And we will discuss your punishment for sneaking out the other night.”

“But Daddy, can’t you ground me after we get home?  Please.  I won’t care if you ground me when we get home.”

“Yes Andrea, we will save your grounding for when we are at home.”

“Thank you Daddy.”  Andi gave her father a huge grin.

“Finish eating sweetheart.  I’m assuming Riley has already gone ahead to meet Sophie.”

“I’ll wrap up Riley’s plate for him and send one for Sophie too, since we’ve got plenty,” Lori said.

She started to get up from the table but Michelle said “Lori?”

“Yes Michelle?”

“I’m sorry that I said those things about you and Keith.  You know that I love you both.  You’ve been such dear friends to us all these years.”

Lori smiled.  “It’s okay Chel.  I am a bit of a pothead and Keith is a cop.  A damned good one, but still a cop.”

Keith chuckled, popping the top on the second beer. 

“Thank you Lori, Keith.  For everything.  I really do like Carl.  I think he’s good for Andrea.  I think he’ll settle her down.  Your daughter has gotten quite wild lately Brent.”

Tory almost laughed because she could see that Andi was blushing.

Carl gave Andi a look.  She mouthed “I’ll tell you later.”

Lori soon came back with two foil wrapped plates.  Michelle handed them to Brent, who said “Thank you,” and got up from the table.  “Come on Andrea.”

She gave her father a pout, but leaned behind Tony to kiss Carl.  Tory heard her whisper “I love you.”

Carl whispered back “I love you too.”

Lori heard it and shook her head at Keith, who laughed.  “I’ll see you out.”

Lori followed Andi, Brent and Michelle to the door.  Keith said “You sure you don’t want a beer Tony?”

“Nah, I’ve got to be good.  I promised Tory.”

“You’re still coming to the New Year’s party aren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t miss it Uncle Keith.  Are you guys still going to visit my mom?”

“Yeah.  Your aunt told me that Monica’s nurse seems to have a bit of a crush on her.”

Tony made a face.  “Don’t remind me.”

“It would be good for your mother to fall in love again.  She misses your dad so much.”

“Why does it have to be a twenty-seven year old with tattoos Uncle Keith?”

Keith laughed.  “Because love doesn’t care about age or appearance when it comes knocking on your door Tony.  You have to learn not to turn it away.  I didn’t see you turning Tory away because she’s only seventeen.”

“That’s only four years though.  And not even four whole years because her birthday is before mine.”

“Details.  I could have let Mom turn me away from Lori because she never liked her.  Then I’d probably be alone and feeling old.  I love Lori more than anything in this world.  Except you and Carl of course.  I know that you love Tory in that same way.  I can see it when you look at her.  Let Monica be happy.  She deserves it.  Even if it is a twenty-seven year old with tattoos that finally makes her happy again.”

“I know.  I just don’t want to end up with a stepdad who’s barely older than me.” 

“Take it one step at a time son.  Get to know him.  Find out why your mom likes him so much.  Monica is a very smart woman.  She always was.  It’s been hard for her without your daddy.  You can’t stand in the way of her happiness because you don’t like her boyfriend’s age.  Because you know she’d let you.”

Tony sighed.  “I don’t think he’s her boyfriend.  Yet.”

“So see, there you go.”

Tony started to say something but Tory’s phone rang from inside her purse where she’d left it on a chair in the corner of the kitchen.  She got up, hoping it wasn’t her mother.  When she pulled out her phone and saw that it was she turned to the men and said “Will you excuse me please?”

Keith nodded and Tony said “Is everything okay Tor?”

“It’s my mom.  I gotta answer Tony.  It’s gonna switch over to voicemail.  I’m not in the mood to play phone tag with Lindsey.”

She walked out of the kitchen.  She heard Keith make a remark about her calling her mother Lindsey, but couldn’t hear Tony’s response. 

“Hello,” she said.

She slipped out the front door, at first not noticing Lori and Carl sitting on the porch swing together.  She gave them a weak smile as she dropped into a chair.  Lori held the joint she was smoking out to her, but Tory shook her head.

“Tory, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?  Didn’t I warn you about ruining your life?  Now you get engaged to that man before you’re eighteen.  Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”

Tory sighed.  She smiled up at Lori, who dropped the blanket that she and Carl had been using in her lap on their way back to the house since Tory had forgotten her jacket.  “I’m not pregnant Lindsey, I promise.”

Lori and Carl went in the house, closing the door quietly behind them.  “So what do you think you’re doing?  You could have had so much potential and now you’re throwing it all away.”

“What would you know about my potential Mother?  You’ve never bothered to pay attention to anything I’ve ever done in school.  I don’t know what the hell I want to do with my life.”

“So you think the solution is marrying some loser?”

“Tony isn’t a loser.”

“Did you not tell me that his mother is in an insane asylum?  Insanity is in the blood you know.”

“I guess I’d better watch out.  And it would come from you and not from Dad by the way.”

“Funny Tory.  I won’t let you do this.  I’ll have him arrested for statutory rape.”

“Try it.”  Tory had verified the laws and the age of consent was sixteen, or the age difference had to be greater than five years to be considered stat rape in their state.

“What makes you think that I can’t?”

“I’m not retarded Lindsey.  I can do an internet search as easy as anyone else.  You can’t charge Tony with stat rape.  Even if you could, I’d wait for him.  And I’d hate you even more after he got out of jail.”

“Do you really hate your mother that much?” Unlike the other night, Tory thought that she halfway sounded like she cared.

“I don’t hate you Lin.  .  .  I mean Mom.  But this is my life.  Dad’s okay with it.  Why can’t you be?”

“I want you to have a good life Tory.  I don’t think that Tony can give you that.”

“He can give me everything that matters because he loves me.  I think you really did love Dad.  I think you were just too afraid to admit it.  You were afraid to let everything go and let his love be enough for you.”

Lindsey laughed, but Tory could tell that there was a false note in it.  “It hardly matters now.”

“Did you tell Langston where his Jaguar is?”

Lindsey sighed.  “No, but he found it.  He showed up on Loomis’s doorstep, begging me to take him back.”

“Because he still loves you for some strange reason.  Even after you tried to take his head off with an ashtray.”

“I didn’t mean to hit him.  He’s usually smart enough to duck when I throw something at him.”

“Nice excuse Mom.  So are you going to give up on trying to talk me out of marrying Tony?”

“I suppose.  That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“It doesn’t mean I have to like you marrying that old man either.”

“Loomis is a very nice man, very generous.  He would send you to any college you wanted, even Ivy league.”

“I don’t know if I want to go to college anymore.”

“Tory, did you let that boy talk you out of it so that he could keep you in his bed all the time?”

Tory smiled.  She didn’t think she’d mind being in Tony’s bed all the time.  “It’s not Tony’s idea.  I’m still thinking about it.”

“Keep thinking.  You don’t want to end up depending on one man after another like I have.”

Tory almost let out a gasp at Lindsey’s admitting that she used men to take care of her but managed to hold it in.  “I don’t plan on letting any man besides Tony take care of me.”  Lindsey sighed.  “I don’t mean sex Mother.  We’re happy.  That’s all that matters.  We’ll figure out what we want to do with our lives soon enough.”

“So your boyfriend has no idea what he wants to do with his life either?  Oh Tory, you are in for a hard road.  I’m sure Loomis would be willing to help you some of course; and even that silly Langston, but you can’t always depend on your parents.”

“I don’t plan on it Mom, but thank you.  And Langston’s not silly.  No, I take that back.  He’s insane for still being in love with you after four years.”

“You are hilarious darling.  I have to go.  Loomis is waiting on me.  He’s taking me out to this restaurant that usually has a waiting list of years for reservations.  Of course, he’s got enough money that it doesn’t matter.”

“Oh.  Have fun.”

“I will.  Goodnight Tory.  Have a Happy New Year if I don’t talk to you again before then.”

“Thank you.  You too.  I love you Mom.”

“I love you too, Tory.  Goodbye.”

Tory almost dropped her phone.  Her mother had said the three words that probably rolled off any other mother’s tongue like nothing.  Maybe this old guy was good for Lindsey, she thought.

“Bye Mom.”

She felt tears prick her eyes as she closed her phone.  She picked up the blanket and took it back inside with her.

Tony took one look at her and crossed to her.  “Baby, is everything okay?”

She laughed and wiped her eyes.  “My mom told me that she loved for me for the first time that I can remember in seventeen years.”

“That’s so great Tor.  I told you that she loved you.”

Tory laughed again.  “It was only after she told me that we were in for a hard road if neither of us knew what we wanted to do with our lives.  Oh yeah, and after she threatened to have you arrested for statutory rape.”

Keith chuckled.  “Welcome to the family Tory.  We’re glad to have you.”

“Thank you.”

She felt like she was going to cry again and had to turn her head into Tony’s shoulder.  She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Lori. 

“We will never forget what you’ve done for Tony.  You’ve been his saving grace honey.  We were so afraid that he was never going to straighten his life out.  But he took one look at you and knew he had to do better.  We’ll be proud to call you daughter and I’m sure Monica will too.”

Tory laughed, because now she felt like she was really going to cry.  “Thank you.  You’ve made me feel so welcome.  It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like I had a real family.”

Keith’s voice was a little gruff when he said “No problem Tory.”  He cleared his throat.  “What about that cocoa you promised Lor?  Carl, go help your mama.”

Carl sighed and shoved his cell phone into his pocket, but followed Lori to the kitchen.

Tory sat next to Tony on the loveseat.  Carl returned a few minutes later with a tray full of mugs of steaming hot chocolate.  Lori followed with a huge platter of cookies and fudge.  Tory helped herself to two cookies and sat back and listened while they told stories of childhood mishaps both Tony and Carl had had while growing up.

It had turned into an easy, comfortable evening.  Tory was sad when it was time to leave.  She liked being around Tony’s family.  It felt like the first real family time she had had since her grandparents had died.

Carl had gone to bed and Keith and Lori were both yawning when Tony said “I guess we’d better head out.  Thanks guys for a great meal, and thanks for the leftovers.”

“You’re welcome.  Well if you’re leaving, goodnight.  We’ll see you on New Year’s if we don’t see you again before then.  We’re stopping in to see your mother the day after tomorrow.  I’m excited to see her since she’s doing so well.  Excited to meet this Ryan too.”

Tony made a face at the mention of Ryan, and Keith said “Remember what we talked about Tony.”

“Yes Uncle Keith.  Goodnight.  Tell the kid that I said bye and that I love the little asshole.”

Keith laughed.  Lori gave him a look.  “He takes after his father doesn’t he?”

Lori softened.  “That he does.  Goodnight Tony.  It was nice to see you again Tory.”

“You too.”

“Drive safely.”

“I will Aunt Lori.”

Tony took her hand and led her to the door and outside.  He handed her a cigarette as soon as they were in the car.  She lit it with a grateful sigh.

He laughed.  “My nicotine addict.”  He pulled out of the driveway, and drove the short distance to his house. 

“Are you too tired to make love?” Tony said, as soon as the bedroom door was shut behind them.

“I’m never too tired to make love to you.”

“Good.  Just don’t forget that when we’re married, okay?”

She laughed.  “I don’t think you’d ever let me forget Tony.”

“Nope.”  He kissed her.  “I love you Tory.  I had a really nice time tonight.”