The Other P-Word(62)

"Sure."

Stevie grumbled something about sticking to a schedule and stalked off.  Mom and I laughed because my sister was a hyper A-type personality.

Damien appeared next to my mom's side. "Is it time?" he asked her.

"Past due, I think."

Evan and I both exchanged puzzled glances.

"We wanted to give you your wedding present in private," Mom explained, handing me a gold foiled envelope.

I looked at both her and Damien suspiciously before I opened it. I  walked back toward the light so I could read the legal looking paper  inside.

"I don't understand. Isn't this the deed to your house?"

"Your house now, Billie. We signed it over to both of you."

I clutched the paper tightly, blinking in both shock and confusion, but most of all … gratitude.

"We can't accept this," Evan said. "It's too much."

"We insist," Damien said. "You better take it, because my wife wants it  to stay in the family. And it's my job to make sure my wife gets what  she wants."

"What a coincidence, I have the same job," Evan said.

Damien fist bumped Evan. "Wise man."

Mom tousled my hair. "We want you to have it. We've outgrown it. You'd  never believe this, but three boys take up much more space than three  girls ever did. We need to move to a bigger place. And this house … well,  it's special to me."

"Me too, Mom."

"In fact, you can have the cat too if you want," Damien said.

My mom elbowed him. "No, they can't."

Damien shrugged, a lopsided grin forming on his face. "Worth a try."

"As I was saying, I think it's the perfect place for you two to start out and eventually raise a family."

That eventually was coming sooner than she thought. She was right about  it being perfect, because living over a bar was fine for Evan and I, but  it wasn't exactly the best place to raise a baby. We're going to have a  baby!

I looked at Evan to make sure he was on board. He smiled at me, pulling  me closer to him. He didn't have to ask me because he could see how much  I wanted it. I wanted our children to grow up in that house with its  rooms that echoed laughter, its walls full of color and most of all, the  wooden floor where I could almost name every scuff and scratch.

Evan shook Damien's hand, his voice raspier than usual. "We accept.  Thank you both very much for this generous gift and for accepting me  like you have into this family. I know there's many great memories in  that house for you."                       
       
           



       

"And now there will be new ones," Mom said.

We all hugged. Well, Damien and Evan did that weird man hug where they  barely touched, but I did a full embrace with both of them.

"How long to give someone a house? Can we throw the bouquet now before the flowers wilt, please?" Stevie yelled from the beach.

"You better go before your sister has an anxiety attack."

"Let's all go. This is the tradition I love the best," I said, taking her hand while continuing to hold Evan's.

Mom squeezed my hand. "Me too, sweetheart."

Evan and Damien looked at each other for a second. "You're a nice guy, but I'm not going to hold your hand, man."

"Yeah, I'm good too," Evan said.

Some traditions could not be broken. So the band played Single Ladies by  Beyoncé per my request. Not that there were many single ladies amongst  us.

A few of Evan's cousins and his aunt stood with Dillon by the water. I stretched my arms, grateful I could pitch like a boy.

I turned, taking a deep breath, and threw that shimmering white bouquet  into the dark night. It glimmered with promises of our love and a future  love yet to come.

Note to self, when having a wedding on the beach, don't line everyone at the bouquet toss near the water.

I overshot. We watched it drift out to sea, getting farther away.

Shit!

"Dillon, go after it," I yelled.

"I'm not messing up my hair."

"What's the matter, you afraid of the sharks, McKay?" Adam goaded. "Or shrinkage? Don't worry, I'll get it for you."

"I could beat you in my sleep, Adam."

"I don't think so."

"Can't beat me," Rick said. "I swim every day. I'm a swimmer. I'll get it."

"I hear a challenge, gentlemen," Damien, not to be outdone, added.

"It's on," Dillon said.

I didn't know how it happened, but suddenly, shoes, jackets, ties, were  coming off. In fact, all the guys stripped down until they were just  wearing pants, rolled up to the ankles. Evan included.

"Are they insane?" Mom gasped.

"You're just figuring that out?" Stevie said, as she bounced baby Bella in her arms.

Did I mention my family was crazy?

"Why do they want my bouquet? They're all married, except Dillon."

"Not the bouquet, Little Bird. They want the bragging rights."

"Should we take bets?" Stevie asked.

"Sure, get out the whiteboard."

It was close. They were all pretty damn fast in the water. If I didn't  know better, I'd say it was a school of huge fish making all those  splashing waves. The race was close, but in the end, it was the one no  one bet on who actually captured the bouquet.

We all stared as the water dripped off him and he climbed out of the  darkness into the light. He deposited the bouquet at my feet. Although I  only had eyes for my husband, I had to admit he looked like a Greek god  with his dark hair and muscular build.

"Congratulations, Derek," I said.

"Thank you." He turned back as the others were coming out of the gulf in  his wake. "See, it's all about monitoring your breath, boys. You learn  those kinds of things when you become a doctor."

He picked up the bouquet, handing it to me but I shook my head. "It's yours now."

"I just got it so you could throw it again."

"Doesn't work that way. Once it's thrown it's no longer mine."

"Then I'll give it to Dillon. I just wanted to win the race."

Indeed, he was out of breath. The swim had taken a lot out of him. Wait  until he dealt with falling in love. Now that was a real challenge. What  was it about men that made competition so appealing? Especially these  particular men.

"You got it fair and square, Dr. Wolfe, have at it. To tell you the  truth, I'm a little relieved," Dillon said, grabbing two towels off a  lounge chair for him and Josh.

"Me too," Josh said. He whispered something in Dillon's ear that made him laugh.

"I don't want it," Derek insisted, handing it back to me. "We were  talking smack. Just a joke really. A friendly competition between men."                       
       
           



       

I threw it right back at him and the poor boy caught it again. "You're  the victor of that competition. You went after the prize and you got it.  The gods of wedding bouquets have spoken. Your fate is sealed, my  friend."

Evan clapped Derek on the back. "Good luck, man. It's one hell of a ride."

"And an amazing fall," Rick said, taking Bella. He kissed Marley's head.

"And, brother, let me just say the journey is never what you expected," Damien said, taking my mother into his arms.

"And make sure you keep your sense of humor through it all. You'll need  it. She'll need it," Adam said, picking up Stevie and running off with  her into the water. Her screams turned into shrieks of laughter as he  splashed water on her.

"Who is she?" Derek asked, not looking too pleased at the waterlogged  flowers in his hand. He dropped them in the sand. "Damn, I cut myself."

Bobby picked up the flowers and threw them back at Derek, hitting him squarely in the chest.

"You dropped your pretty flowers, Uncle Derek."

"Thanks, kid," Derek muttered, clutching the flowers.

"That's the beauty of it," I said. "We don't know who she is yet, but I can tell you this, I can't wait to meet her."

"None of us can," Mom added.

"Cheer up, Doc," Evan added. "You won. That means you get the girl." He  pulled me against his chest in a possessive stance. "The next girl that  is, not this one. Never this one." He planted a kiss on my head, as if  that needed to be spelled out.

Before we had any more arguments, the music saved us, as it always did.  The band struck up a rendition of We Are Family originally performed by  another set of siblings-Sister Sledge.

Sure, it was the cheesy song they played at all weddings. But hey, I'm  the kind of girl who appreciates cheese in all its delicious forms, so  it was just perfect to me. My family must have agreed because we all  started dancing. As I looked around at these wild, passionate people I  was lucky enough to call family, dancing under the canopy of twinkling  stars in their bare feet, I figured out the one thing I'd never  accounted for. That other P-word, which meant there was always hope in  everything we did. It wasn't just passion or even purpose, although they  were important. Nope. The word I was thinking of was possibility. When  there is possibility, there is room for everything else.