Chapter 3

Fiona

"You need curtains for these windows," Mom says as I dump the nachos into a bowl. "You're a single woman living alone, it's not safe."

I grab the salsa out of the fridge and pour it into another bowl as my blood pressure starts to rise.

There are people all over my kitchen and it's hard to move.

"Any pervert can be hiding in the bushes, jacking off."

"Mom!" I shout. "Please don't say jacking off."

"Yeah, I agree with Fiona," my cousin Dana says as she grabs a nacho. "You should say jerking off. It's more polite."

"Can you guys please not?" I say as I check on the spaghetti sauce. Shit, it's bubbling. "There are kids running around."

Right on cue, my adorable five-year-old Lucas comes barreling into the kitchen with four of his younger cousins following him in a line. They're all shouting as loud as they can for some reason.

"Nope!" I say as I grab his little shoulders and guide the crazy train into the living room. "There's hot things in here!"

"Oh, speaking of hot things," my cousin Caitlin says. "I met a guy!"

"Another one?" my oldest brother Marc asks as he reaches over her shoulder to grab a piece of cheese off the platter.

"Yeah, but this one is hot hot. I'm talking habanero!"

I rush over to the fridge and grab the salad.

"Promise me you'll get curtains for these windows," Mom says as I take the plastic wrap off the bowl and desperately look for the salad dressing in the cupboard.

"I promise!" I say, trying to get her off my back. I grab the platter of veggies and thrust them into her hands. "Can you please bring these into the living room for the guys?"

She grumbles as she takes another look at my bare window and then leaves with the veggies.

Hosting my family is always crazy. I have my parents, my oldest brother with his wife and three teenage daughters, my middle brother and his new girlfriend Kelly, my aunt, two of my cousins and their kids, and a few other stragglers who never seem to get invited but always show up.

It's always fun to be together and I love having a family atmosphere for Lucas, but it's exhausting when you're hosting all by yourself. Plus, it doesn't help that we're all crammed into my tiny townhouse.

"Fiona!" my brother Ryan yells from the other room as I'm looking for the salad dressing. Where the fuck is it? Shit, did I forget to buy some? "Fiona!"

"What?!" I snap as I shove my head into the room.

All the men are sitting on the couch—my dad, my brothers, my cousins. When the hell did the human race decide that men can relax in the living room while the women are in the kitchen doing all the work? I know I didn't get a vote on the matter. I'd like a revote! This is bullshit.

"How do you turn on the TV?" Ryan asks. "We want to watch the hockey game?"

"You see that big red button that says Power?" I say sarcastically. "Try pushing it with your finger. Can you handle that or do I have to do it for you?"

"I pushed it already," he says, rolling his eyes. "The screen just goes black."

"Ugh!" I say as I rush over and yank it out of his hands. It's crazy how adults can just fall back into their childhood sibling roles so easily. "You have to turn the cable box on too."

I set them up and put the hockey game on. My breath is caught in my chest until I see that the Hammerheads are playing the Lumberjacks, and then I exhale.

I didn't want to see the Hyenas on the screen. Not tonight.

"Thanks, sis," Ryan says in a sarcastic tone as I throw the remote back at him.

Shit, what was I doing? Oh, right! The salad dressing.

It's in the garage! Yes!

I hurry into the garage, winding past all of the bodies in my house, and close the door.

It's heavenly in here. I take a deep breath and enjoy the quiet for a second before I head over to the shelf and grab the Costco-sized Italian salad dressing.

"Fiona!" my sister-in-law Carrie says as she opens the door. "Where were you? I've been looking for you for the past five minutes."

"I've literally been gone for twenty seconds," I say with a huff. "What is it?"

"Lucas cut himself. He needs a bandaid."

"Oh, crap." I dump the salad dressing into her hands. "Can you set up the salad for me?"

I hurry past her, not waiting for an answer, and find my crying boy in the bathroom.

"What happened?" I ask as I close the door behind me and kneel in front of him.

He's sitting on the closed toilet, trying not to cry.

Every time I see him, my heart aches. You'd understand if you met Lucas. He's the most adorable kid with the sweetest temperament. He has these big thick glasses that make his brown eyes look enormous and his black hair is always a mess no matter how many times I comb it. He has hearing aids on both ears and a heart so big it will bring tears to your eyes.

He's the sweetest kid alive.

"I was getting my magic set ready for my big show," he says with his little chin quivering and his big brown eyes filling with tears, "and Jacob grabbed my hat and it cut my finger."

"Oh, honey," I say as I reach for him. He melts into my arms and starts bawling. "I'm sorry. Can I see it?"

He shows me the cut on his finger and I bandage it up for him. I wipe his tears and kiss him on his forehead.

"Are you ready to do your magic show?" I whisper.

He shakes his head. "I don't want to do it anymore."

"But you've been practicing all week, honey. I think you should do it."

We talk about it for a few minutes until he decides that the show must go on. But only if I agree to be his announcer.

He gets ready in his room as I head into the living room. I grab the remote and turn the hockey game off.

"Hey!" Ryan shouts when the TV goes dark. "We were watching that!"

"We have a show for everyone!" I shout, waving everyone from the kitchen into the packed living room. "Mom, are you coming?"

She's topping off her wine. Again.

"Is it going to be long?" Ryan asks as he reaches over and grabs the chips.

"Presenting," I shout in a deep voice. "The Master of Magic, The Wonderful Wizard, the one and only great Lucas The Magician!"

Everyone claps and hoots as Lucas comes leaping into the room with his plastic top hat and purple cape. I can't even. He's too adorable.

Ryan's jaw drops as he watches his nephew swinging the toy wand around with a flourish.

I got him that set for his birthday and he's been practicing for weeks. He nails every trick and I'm clapping the loudest at the end.

Everyone is loving it, except for Ryan. He's watching with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Was it good?" Lucas whispers to me after his show.

I kiss his adorable cheek and give him a hug. "It was excellent! You had everyone fooled. They think you're a real wizard."

"Oh, Mommy," he says with a grin. He gives me a hug and runs off to play with his cousins, his purple cape flying up behind him.

I push my way back into the kitchen to check on the spaghetti sauce. Ryan's new girlfriend is helping me with the noodles. I really like her. I don't know what she's doing with my brother though… Half of me wants to tell her she can do better, but the other half wants to keep her around.

"What the hell was that?" Ryan asks as he comes charging up to us.

"What?"

"A magic show?" he says with a huff. "Are you kidding me?"

"Leave him alone, Ryan," I say as I grit my teeth and turn back to the sauce.

"It was cute," Kelly says.

Ryan throws his arms into the air. "He should be playing hockey!"

"He doesn't want to play hockey," I say in a tight voice. "He likes magic."

"With his genes," Ryan says. "He should be playing hockey non-stop!"

"What?" Kelly asks, looking confused.

"Ryan," I warn with my heart pounding.

"I mean, come on!" he nearly shouts. My brother never knows when to quit. "Am I the only one who thinks this?"

"Yes!" I snap. "And we're changing the subject. Dad!" I grab my father from the hallway and pull him into the kitchen. "Tell Ryan about your new hot water heater and how they ripped you off."

"Oh, get a load of these crooks!" my dad shouts, worked up at the drop of a hat.

Ryan's eyes narrow on me as Dad gets going. I stick my tongue out at him as I leave the room.

Kelly follows me into the garage. I forgot the baguettes in the trunk of my car.

"What is he talking about?" Kelly asks as she helps me grab them. "Why hockey?"

"He didn't tell you about Lucas' father?"

She shakes her head. "He barely talks to me at all."

Then why are you with him? I nearly ask her, but then I remember how much I like to have her around and I bite my tongue.

"It was a long time ago," I say with a sigh. "I was out having fun and I met a guy. It was a one-night thing. He lived out of town."

It was also one of the best nights of my life but I leave that part out.

"I don't understand," she says with a tilt of her head. "But why hockey? Was he a hockey player or something?"

"Yeah," I say as his gorgeous face pops into my head. I don't like thinking about him. It always sends me into a hole that's hard to climb out of. "He was a professional hockey player."

"Oh," she says with her face lighting up. "Juicy. Who was it?"

I sigh as I look at her. "Harris Sutton."

"What?!" she shouts. "Harris Sutton?! Lucas' father is Harris Sutton? Wow!"

"Mom?"

My stomach drops when I hear his sweet little voice.

I step to the side with my stomach sinking and see Lucas in the doorway staring at me with those big shocked brown eyes.