6. So Rude

CHAPTER 6

So Rude

NATE

A s we approached the house, I realized Porsche and Tori hung back a few yards behind me. It didn’t quite seem right, me walking ahead and alone—that’s not how a husband and a wife should walk into a family gathering. As much as I detested this, if we were faking a marriage, then we should at least present a unified front. I stopped, letting them catch up to me. When I held out my right hand to Tori, she regarded it warily.

“Give me your hand. Isn’t that what married people do? Hold hands and stuff?” The agitation in my voice was loud and clear, although not intended. In the next breath, I tried to calm down and not to be such a hardass. “We started this thing. We’re in this together now. Might as well give them one helluva show, okay?”

She slipped her hand into mine. “You’re right, cucciolotto.” Porsche snickered at whatever her mother said.

“Coo—what?” With a wrinkled brow, I tried not to concentrate on the feel of her hand. Warm and small, like a delicate flower I needed to protect from getting crushed. Only she'd been acting like a tough girl from the minute we met, maybe as a defense mechanism, and who could blame her given the situation? She probably realized she had two choices—admit defeat and cry or stand up until the very end. I doubted she knew until now that she had such strength inside of her.

Porsche shot to my left, and put her hand in my other one, giggling. “It means puppy in Italian. Mom just called you a puppy. If we’re doing Italian nicknames, I could call you Papi. “

“We don’t need to go that far.”

“Whatever you say, Dad .” She shrugged. My gut twisted into a knot over that word. This all felt a little too much like—I gritted my teeth, my jaw set like steel—the family to tie me down that I never wanted. Exactly what I ran from in the first place when I left Kissing Springs.

Cap, wherever the fuck you are, I know I owed you, but I’m not sure I’m qualified. I’d grin and bear it in the name of loyalty and honor, but if I ever found out he’s alive, he’d definitely receive an earful from me.

We barely stepped onto the front veranda when the door swung wide open. My mother stood there, a goofy grin and tears in her blue eyes, aged a little more with a few wrinkles and some bits of silver in hair. “Oh. Tracy told me you came home. I refused to believe it until I saw for myself. Come here, my boy.”

Her arms opened wide, welcoming me. I towered over her by at least a foot as I wrapped my arms around her in a big bear hug. She must have shrunk; I couldn’t recall her being this small. No matter what I had to face today with everyone here, at least I gave my mother this moment.

“Hi, Mom. I apologize for not coming home sooner.” And I meant it, swallowing the lump in my throat. What a bastard I was for staying away. I realized that now.

“You’re here today. That’s all that matters. Oh.” She parted from me, nodding at the women on either side of me. “Hello.”

I cleared my throat and steeled my nerves, as if that’d get me ready for the performance of my life. “This is Tori, my-my wife, and uh, Porsche, my adopted daughter.” The words didn’t come out any easier than when I introduced them to Tracy.

Mom clutched her chest, her face pinking, blinking rapidly through more tears threatening her eyes. “A family? Well, it would have been nice to know.”

“Sorry. It all happened so fast. I’ve been busy.” I shuffled foot to foot under her motherly scorn. “We just popped into town for a short visit.”

“Well, you’re here now. That’s all that matters.” To her credit, she took it all in stride. Then she reached one hand to Tori, and the other to Porsche’s cheek. “And look at you two. So beautiful. Come in, come in. You must meet the rest of the Harlands.”

She particularly took Porsche arm and arm through the house, insisting she call her Grandma Harland. On the way to the back, Tori complimented the decor, an array of antique furniture Mom had collected over the years. To me, every piece we passed attacked me with a memory or two.

Then there was Dad, standing by the sliding door to the yard with his arms folded across his chest. He broke the stance long enough to shake my hand with a nod, but no words spoken, no pleasantries. His steely eyes filled with disappointment said an earful about my behavior the past few years.

We exited the house, with Mom yelling loud enough the entire neighborhood probably heard. “Everyone. Look! My little Nate is home. And he brought his lovely new wife and daughter.” She held up my hand in the air like I was some kind of Olympic winner. I felt anything but.

Cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends all crowded us to hug and congratulate us with an ongoing array of comments and jokes about me being the prodigal son returning or some similar words. My sisters and their spouses and kids held off to the side, not approaching, which worried me.

Mom beamed with pride, announcing that she’d throw us a big party. She stayed beside me for a while, then went into the house with an excuse to finish getting the food ready. Even at her own birthday she cooked, ever the consummate Southern hostess.

Tori and Porsche remained gracious under fire, but I could tell everything was starting to get a little overwhelming for them. Then Meadow and Dillon approached with Opal, his daughter from a previous marriage.

“Nate. How have you been?” He asked, about the fiftieth person to shake my hand in the span of twenty minutes.

“Good. Thanks. Say, is Robbie here?”

“He texted. Should be here any minute. It’s sort of a running joke that Prima makes him late to every event. I’ll catch you later. Right now I have a mama bear who needs a fresh glass of cold water to cool her off.”

“Hi. Welcome to Kissing Springs,” Meadow launched in when he left her side. She appeared and sounded very mayoral, despite rubbing her pregnant belly in the process. She and Jayne were best friends in school, so I hardly saw her as anything but the moody teenager she’d been then. But, interestingly, it appeared she and Dillon ended up together, despite the historical feud between the Montgomerys and the Boyds known to all who inhabited Kissing Springs. She spoke right to Porsche. “You and Opal must be around the same age. Fifteen?”

The girls eyed each other, and Porsche commented, “I love the name of the town. So cute."

“I love your name. It’s so cool.” Opal broke out into a broad smile.

“Thanks. It’s a car. I like yours, too. It’s a gem, right?”

“Yep. School starts this week, my first year of high school, and Grandma Harland just gave me a bunch of new clothes. Want to come check them out with me?”

“Sure.” Off they went into the house, giggling like instant friends, but Tori fussed.

“Uh, Porsche… But… Oh.” To me, she whispered, fretting, “She should stay where we can see her.”

Meadow cocked her head and overheard. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on them. I was heading inside anyway to sit and put my feet up for a bit.”

“I’ll come, too. I-I need to use the restroom.” Tori started after her, then, like an afterthought, returned to me and brushed my cheek with a kiss. “I’ll be back, darling.”

I blushed bright red from the touch of her lips and the entire show we put on for everyone. Then I regretted being alone long enough for my sisters and their spouses to finally pounce on me.

“You take so long to see us, then return with a family? Did it never occur to you to make us a part of your lives? We love you, and this is how you treat us?” Tracy playfully smacked my ear, but I was certain she’d punch my lights out if she could.

“Ow.” I took it. I deserved it. But her words stung me more.

“Babe, come on,” Kipp tried to subdue her, to no avail.

Still no word from Jayne, standing the furthest from me with her face cross, thumbs in her belt loops. Andrew stood loyal beside her, sipping a beer.

Tracy continued, saying plenty enough for all of them.

“Then you return today, Mom gushing all over you. But you were never here to see how much she worried sick about you. And you couldn’t even have the decency to attend your own sister’s wedding. Then again, you never invited us to yours. ” She reached up as if to sock my shoulder but I caught her by the wrist instead.

“You’ve made your point,” I seethed. I loved her dearly, but we were also the two kids who fought the most growing up. Kipp stepped closer with a warning in his eyes to let his wife go. I did, and shook my head. “Look, all of you, I apologize, okay? We’ll only be here a week, probably, then we’ll be out of your hair.”

“What?” Jayne stepped forward, fuming. “You just breeze into town, say you’re sorry, then leave again? How rude? Who are you, anyway? We used to be so close. I don’t even know you anymore. Tracy’s kids don’t even know you’re their uncle. It’s all just so sad.”

“Just lay on more guilt, why don’t you?” I shook my head, spreading my arms, and looked around. “And where are your kids? They don’t know me either. Might as well gather them all around. You can introduce me as their loser uncle.”

Jayne suddenly burst into tears, leaning into Andrew. He glared my way. “Really, dude? You gotta be so insensitive? It’s one thing to miss our wedding, but this?”

“What? What am I missing here?” I peered into each of their faces.

“They found out they can’t conceive naturally. They finished one round of IVF, but it didn’t work. But then you’d know that if you’d stayed in touch.” Tracy took Jayne to the side to console her, leaving me dumbfounded, standing there like I’d stuffed my two feet into my mouth.

Kipp stepped forward and I expected him to punch me. Instead, he said, "You look like a guy who could use a glass of bourbon. Come on. I know where your dad stashes the good stuff."

After one more look at my sisters, huddled together, clearly devastated by me, I hung my head and followed him into the house.