We were ready to start our somewhat early dinner. I laid forks and knives on the table at each seat, mouth watering over the turkey in the middle, looking nice and buttered. Cranberry sauce, spinach dip, salads, and the side dishes all surrounded it. Delicious pie smells were wafting in from the kitchen, calling me like a mouse to cheese.
As I placed the silverware on napkins, Mom set the glasses and my aunts set the plates. I was quickly becoming distracted, watching the scene playing out in the backyard.
Although the house wasn’t very big, the backyard had always seemed the size of half a football field. The grassy lawn was perfect for getting immovable stains. The leaves had started changing colors, and were falling from the trees, which lined the full brick wall surrounding the yard.
Josh, Henry, and Zack were crawling army style through the lawn, dirt smeared on their faces. They each held an imaginary weapon in their hands. I could see them whispering instructions to each other through the open window.
Suddenly, Zeus burst out from behind the trees and onto the trampoline, shouting a war cry. Jumping high into the air, he mimed throwing things at the boys, who had issued their own battle shout and were advancing rapidly.
Zack was making machine gun noises while waving his arms back and forth.
“Grenade!” Henry yelled, taking a rock from his pocket and throwing it onto the bouncy mat.
“Surrender!” Josh yelled over and over again, making his own battle noises in between.
Zeus fell to the ground, making one last attempt to escape before Henry declared his bomb had exploded. Everyone acted like they’d been thrown back from the force, all of them falling onto their backs.
Zeus was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Henry. He straightened, pulling him clean off the ground.
“Let me go or Henry gets it!” he demanded, backing up against the wall.
“Don’t listen to him,” Henry shouted. “Take him down; I’ll do it for the team!”
Josh and Zack rushed at them, firing their pretend weapons. Zeus dropped Henry, groaning and clutching his side. He made a dash for the sturdy swing set on the far side of the yard.
“He’s getting away!” Zack screamed.
“Quick, to the fighter jets!” Josh instructed.
They all ran to the swing set, Zack and Henry taking the double swing, Josh the second single—Zeus already being in the first.
“Shoot him down!” Henry yelled.
“You’ll never catch me!” Zeus yelled back while they all began firing at him again. He jumped from his swing, flying through the air. When he landed, he fell over onto his stomach and became still.
“We got him!” Josh said triumphantly.
They all got off of their swings and went to investigate. I had to cover my mouth to keep them from hearing my laughter when Zeus suddenly came back to life and a massive wrestling match began.
“He really is something,” Mom said in appreciation.
I nodded my head, realizing she’d caught me watching.
He fit in so nicely with everyone. I didn’t know what he’d told Dad on their walk, but it was clear he’d passed the test. I could tell Mom liked him, as did the boys. There was no doubt Violet and Ashley approved of him. I’d even heard him joking with Jeremy while we were cooking in the kitchen.
It was surprising that it meant so much to have everyone like him. I knew I really liked him, and asking him to come home with me hadn’t seemed like such a big deal, It’s not like we were going to get married or anything.
As I finished setting the table, it occurred to me that’s exactly what I wanted. I didn’t just really like him—I was in love with him. I froze, watching him again as he played in the yard. He wasn’t the man I’d met at STYX. He had grown into something better, someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. His snarky side still showed up every now and then, and I loved that. I loved the way he looked at me right before he kissed me. I loved the way he treated me. I loved that he had never pushed me into anything.
He caught me watching him and gave a small smile and wink before he was tackled by the boys again. My insides warmed and I blushed.
I loved him! How hadn’t I realized it until now? He was everything I never knew I wanted. It didn’t even bother me that he’d been married before. I knew he was being honest when he said he didn’t want to be with anyone else any more.
I thought back to the dream I’d had when I spent the night in his penthouse. What if I hadn’t been dreaming and he really had said he loved me? Butterflies erupted in my stomach as I realized he might actually feel the same way about me.
“Time to wash up for dinner boys!” Violet called out the window. “You too, big guy!” she added jokingly to Zeus.
They all headed for the door, still wrestling a little. I started to feel panicked. How was I supposed to act now that I knew how I really felt? Did I tell him? Should I wait for him to say it first?
I didn’t know what to do, so I seated myself at the table. I could hear them laughing as they came through the back door in the kitchen and washed their hands at the sink.
“You have dirt all over your faces!” Violet didn’t sound too happy with her boys.
Zeus came from the kitchen laughing, stopping right outside the door when he saw me.
“Hey good lookin’,” he said softly. The smile he wore and the sound of his voice made my heart race.
“Hey,” I said shyly, feeling the blush creep onto my face as I smiled.
He stood there for a second longer, looking at me. His eyes seemed to sparkle and I couldn’t take mine off him.
“Sorry I didn’t help with the food,” he said.
“It’s fine. Mom wouldn’t have let you anyway,” I laughed. “It’s tradition for the girls to do it. The boys make Christmas dinner.”
“Sounds fun,” he said, moving from the door and taking a seat next to me.
“It is. We usually have homemade pizza. It’s Dad’s specialty. Sometimes he makes doughnuts, but not every year. He likes to keep it fresh.”
I was rambling. And saying weird things like “keep it fresh.” What if he noticed I was acting differently? My palms were sweating so profusely I had to keep rubbing them on the nice pants I’d changed into for dinner. He would say something funny, and I’d laugh unnecessarily loud.
Eventually, everyone else joined us at the table. Mom brought out a pitcher of water, and I filled my cup, proceeding to gulp it down like I was dying of thirst.
“You okay?” Zeus said, putting a hand on my shoulder, a look of mild concern on his face.
“Yeah, fine!” Did I say that too fast? How did people sit next to someone they loved and act completely normal?!
“Welcome everyone!” Dad said, rising from his seat. “I’m happy that we’re all here to give thanks together. I would especially like to welcome Zeus. We’re happy you could join us.”
“My pleasure,” Zeus said, squeezing my shoulder. I laughed nervously. I needed to keep it together!
“Jeremy, would you like to say the blessing?” Dad asked.
“Sure.” He stood and folded his arms. The rest of the family remained seated but folded their arms also, bowing their heads.
I didn’t hear anything Jeremy said. All I could think about was trying to act normal. It would be a miracle if I didn’t blurt out my feelings during the car ride home.
“Amen,” everyone said in unison.
“Let’s dig in!” Dad said, grabbing the carving knife and going to work on the turkey.
Plates were passed around and filled to maximum capacity. Laughter and small talk filled the air, along with the clinking of utensils.
“So what do you do for a living Zeus?” Ashley asked as soon as everyone had their food.
“I’m a business man,” he answered politely.
“Don’t be shy boy,” Dad laughed. “He owns a casino.”
“Wow, that’s interesting. Especially since I thought John despised
casino owners,” Jeremy joked.
“This is true,” Dad laughed. “But Zeus here explained some of it to me. He’s not really in charge of the money part of the casino. He owns the resort it’s in. Someone else handles taking everyone’s money.” He raised his fork as if toasting Zeus, chewing up the turkey he’d just put in his mouth.
“That’s mostly true,” Zeus laughed. “I have some control over money issues in the casino, but it is mostly handled by bankers. Everything goes into the vault, and the bank comes and picks it up. I do have full control over the rest of the resort, though.”
I remained silent through the conversation, my emotions making me a nervous wreck. Zeus must have noticed I was in some sort of distress. He placed his hand on my knee and subtly scooted his chair closer to mine.
“How did you two meet?” Violet asked, picking up her glass to take a sip.
“At the club in my resort,” he said, smiling at me. “I was sitting at the bar when she came up and asked for a water. We danced a little after that—“
“And that was it,” I said, interrupting him. “He asked me out on a date a little while later.”
“Oooh, what did you do?” Ashley asked.
“Uh,” Zeus gave me a confused look before answering. “I took her to a nice restaurant and art gallery.”
“I bet you loved that, Karly,” Mom said smiling.
“I did, thank you.” I took another bite of my food, not able to hide my smile at the memory of our date.
“Dating is gross!” Josh piped up, his mouth full of mashed potatoes.
“Let’s talk about something else!” Henry agreed. Zack only nodded his head, the amount of food in his mouth preventing him from speaking.
“How about we talk about the war you guys lost in the backyard today?” Zeus said while everyone else laughed.
A play by play of the battle ensued so the rest of the family could vote on who won. I remained silent, watching Zeus interact with the family. It was like he’d always been a part of it. I knew I loved him with my whole heart. I would find the right time to tell him and pray he felt the same way.
Once dinner was over, Zeus insisted on clearing the table and doing the dishes. Mom threw a fit about it, but finally conceded. He excused the rest of the family to go relax as well, but I stayed to help him.
We were gathering the last of the plates when his hand brushed mine and an extreme electric charge caused me to drop everything I was holding, one of the plates breaking as it hit the floor.
“Ouch! You shocked me good!” I laughed, shaking my hand. It was tingling like it had fallen asleep.
“I don’t know how that happened,” he apologized. “I am so sorry! Let me see it real quick.” He grabbed my hand and another shock went through me.
“Cut it out!” I laughed, my eyes watering a little. That one really hurt. It felt like what I imagined getting struck by lightning would, but on a smaller scale.
“Sorry . . .” Confused, he stared at his hand. “I didn’t shock you earlier when I touched you, did I?”
“No, but you were touching my clothes,” I said, thinking back. “It’s no big deal, really. You just have a shocking personality.” I raised my eyebrows, with a goofy smile.
Great. A pun. I was turning into him.
“Right,” he said slowly. He looked away from his hand and into my eyes, as if hunting for something there. Suddenly, he jumped up into the air, doing some weird split kick and pumping his fist.
“What are you doing?” I laughed nervously.
He broke out into the biggest grin I’d ever seen him wear and grabbed me, spinning around and pulling me into a bear hug.
“Nothing. I’m happy to be here, that’s all.”
“Zeus, I can’t breathe,” I choked out.
“Oh, sorry!” he said, releasing me immediately. “I’m sorry I shocked you too, I won’t do it again, promise.”
“Okay, weirdo,” I laughed. “Because you can actually control it!”
“Hey,” he said as we picked up the things I’d dropped, careful not to cut ourselves on the broken plate. “Do you want to go for a walk with me after the dishes are done?” He smiled, touching my hand softly as I reached for the plate in front of him.
“Sure.” I smiled, my heart seeming to flutter.
“What did you say to win my dad over? I’ve got to know. Every other guy he’s talked with has run for the hills.”
We were walking down the street, holding hands. A storm was blowing in, which was weird because the forecast had called for a clear weekend. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, and a cold breeze whispered through the houses. I’d donned a light hoodie sweater, as had Zeus.
“I told him the truth. Every single shred of it—the good and the bad.” He smiled. “At first he was quite appalled. I thought he was going to send me packing for sure. But then I told him how strong you had been, how you’d made me want to change who I was. You make me a better person. He seemed to like that.”
“I bet you laid the charm on super thick too,” I laughed.
“Maybe,” he grinned. “Then he asked me about my job and how things work. He seemed really interested in stuff.”
“Well he likes you. That’s for sure.”
“Good, I’m glad,” he laughed again. “Thank you for inviting me. I’ve had a really great time.”
“I’m happy you came,” I said softly. We’d made our way back to the house, and I stopped in front of the door. “Zeus, I—“
“Hey you two!” Violet and her family were leaving and Ashley was on her way out behind them.
I swallowed what I’d been about to admit and hugged each of them as they exited, as did Zeus. The boys made plans for their next battle, making him promise to come play again. We waved goodbye with my parents as they all drove away, going inside as it started to sprinkle.
“I’m beat,” Dad announced. “I think Mom and I are going to head to bed. You two have a nice night.”
He must have really trusted Zeus if he wasn’t going to sit up and make sure we went into separate rooms like he did last night.
They headed off to their side of the house, and we walked down the hall to our rooms.
“I guess this is goodnight.” I smiled, turning to face him. I leaned one shoulder against the wall, still holding his hand.
“I guess it is,” he said, his eyes smoldering.
His other hand found my waist as he stepped closer, filling the gap between us and pulling me from the wall. I closed my eyes and relished the heat between us as his lips found mine. He kissed me slowly and softly, with enough force to melt my heart completely. I let go of his hand and wrapped my arms around his neck. With both hands on my hips now, he pulled me a little closer and deepened the kiss, exploring my mouth for a second longer.
He pulled away all too soon, an affection I couldn’t quite understand glowing in his eyes.
“Sleep well,” he murmured, reaching past me and opening my door for me.
“You too.” I smiled and walked backwards through the threshold. I didn’t take my eyes off him until the door was closed all the way.
I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep. The rain was tapping on my window, but that wasn’t what had woken me. I could hear voices outside my room. Who was up talking?
I rubbed my eyes and yawned, trying to ward off sleepiness. It wasn’t working. I wanted to find out who was up, so I pulled myself from the bed.
The mumbling became clearer as I cracked open my door, causing me to come into the conversation mid-sentence.
“. . . need to tell her right now, you can’t wait any longer!”
I recognized the voice but couldn’t put a name to it in my haziness.
“I can’t. Now is not the time. You have to understand.” Zeus sounded a little panicked.
“We need you now. If you wait any longer, everything will be lost. Everything you’ve done won’t matter at all!”
I
was jolted completely awake as I realized who the voice belonged to. It was Jessie.
“I can’t tell her, not now! It would ruin everything.”
“Everything is ruined if you wait. Either you tell her, or I will.”
I picked up my hoodie and slipped it on over my tank top and long pajama pants. I needed to know what was going on. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door the rest of the way and stepped out into the hall.
“Tell me what?”
Chapter Nineteen