“I know. I can’t help it. Tell them, will you?”
Presley Ann cleared her throat and took a sip of her soda. “James and Vincent had an older brother named Patterson, who was involved in a motorcycle accident…and he wasn’t wearing his helmet.”
“Oh, damn,” Samson muttered and rubbed his face for a second. “I knew him. I remember when that happened. He was a cop, too, right?”
James and Vincent both nodded, and Vincent said, “Should’ve been wearing his helmet.”
Kendry’s brother, Jared, put his arm around her shoulders as Presley Ann continued the story. “Patterson loved Leah, but his death happened before any of them got together. He was an organ donor. He saved lots of lives when they harvested his organs, including Kendry’s.”
Ivan looked out across the dance floor to Kendry. Leah’s head was nestled against his chest as they danced. Her face was a little flushed, but she was smiling as Kendry patted her back. “Oh man.” Now even Ivan’s heart was palpitating with emotion.
Presley Ann nodded. “Patterson’s heart saved Kendry’s life. And this song, “Marina Del Rey” was one of Patterson’s favorites. I asked Ethan to request it for me so they could maybe have a dance and she could listen to Patterson’s heart beating for a few minutes. I think she’s afraid to make Kendry and Jared uncomfortable by coming right out and asking to listen to it under other circumstances, but that’s kind of how we all connected. You see, they got in touch with James and Vincent and requested to meet them. During the visit, Kendry invited Leah to listen, and they formed a bond. Eventually, through that connection, I met them and fell in love with them, and…the rest is history.”
Ivan cleared his throat of the frog that had taken up residency there and said, “So Leah got together with you two afterward?”
James nodded. “Pretty much, but it was touch and go for a while. Vincent and I resembled Patterson in a lot of ways, and it took a while for her to let either of us close enough to tell her how we felt. Losing him broke our hearts, and it damn near shattered hers.”
“Oh, now what are all these gloomy faces over here for?” Leah said with a slightly roughened voice as Kendry pulled her chair out for her and James helped the petite brunette into it.
“Presley Ann filled the guys in on your history,” Cassie said. “Samson knew Patterson through work.”
“You did?” Leah asked, her face brightening up. “He was quite a guy, wasn’t he?”
“He sure was, Leah,” Samson said quietly, sounding as though he had a frog in his throat, too. He glanced at her as if checking that she was okay.
“It’s okay to talk about him, guys. I miss him every day, but life goes on.” She glanced at her sister with a raised eyebrow, and Presley Ann grinned and nodded, so Leah continued. “Matter of fact, we have a little good news to share with you.”
Cassie suddenly sat up and squinted at one woman and then the other, and then her jaw dropped. “You’re both drinking soda. Oh my God! You’re both pregnant!”
Ivan and Samson exchanged a bemused look and shrugged as Leah and Presley Ann nodded, and Cassie hopped out of her seat and hugged them both.
“That’s wonderful news!” Cassie said, her face beaming even though she was teary. “And Whit is going to be a big brother and have a little cousin, too!”
Jared said, “How is it women can tell something like that by looking at each other?”
Kendry slapped his brother on the back and said, “At least now we can tell people, too.”
The men looked on with amusement as the ladies talked to each other, conversations and questions overlapping at times. As it turned out, the sisters were both due around the same time, so Cassie insisted they let her throw them both a big baby shower closer to the babies’ arrival. Later in the conversation, Samson mentioned Cassie had been invited to perform live at Rudy’s in the spring and they’d promised to tell all their friends so there would be a good turnout.
The talk flowed until Leah tried to hide a yawn, but not before Presley Ann “caught” it and yawned as well. After they’d made their excuses and said good night, Samson invited Cassie onto the dance floor.
As she got out of her chair, she turned to Ivan and kissed him, then said, “Keep those dancing shoes warmed up. You’re next.”
He knew she meant another dance, but the way her voice went husky as she spoke and then bit her lip had him hardening in a hot second. “Warming as we speak,” he murmured and watched her lush hips sway as she walked away.