“Why not? You love gummy bears.” He laughed at me. “When you were little, you would inhale a bag like your life depended on it, and your cheeks would get so big—”
“Dad!”
“Okay! I promise not call you Gummy Bear…to your face.” I knew that was the best he could do, and he still wasn’t going to keep that promise. “Don’t glare at me. I’m so glad to be home.”
He opened his arms to me. Smiling, I hugged him tightly, feeling him squeeze back. “Ah! Dad!”
“HA!” He laughed at me before letting go. “As if your little arms could put a dent in me. Don’t you know I’m made of stone?”
I made a face at him, crossing my arms as I reminded him, “Just wait, Dad, those bones of yours are aging quickly.”
His scowled at me, his brown eyes narrowing at me. I stared back at him, and out of nowhere he stuck his tongue out at me.
My mouth dropped open; “Did you just—”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Come on, we don’t want to keep Grandma waiting,” he said, adjusting his tie.
Shaking my head, I walked down the hall with him, resting my head on his shoulder. “Dad, you’ll support me in anything, right?”
“Hell, no.”
“What?” I stopped. We’d only made it five steps.
He said seriously, “I’ll support you in almost anything but if you tell me you plan on leaving the family and joining a comic book cult, I’d smack you over the head.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Where does one find a comic book cult?”
“You laugh, but I lived long enough to know not to doubt the stupidity of some people.” He nodded to himself, and he looked like he had really thought about it.
Exhaling, I shook my head and took his arm again. “You are ridiculous, Dad.”
“Me? When you were seven you said you were going to run away to comic-con if I didn’t take you.” He chuckled, shaking his head.
I grinned, remembering. “You had fun with me! You even got into an argument with a Wookie.”
“It was a grown man standing WAY too close to you in a furry bear-dog costume. He was lucky I only used my words. And that it was me and not your mother.” He grinned. We both knew he would have found whatever my mom would have done hilarious.
Declan and Coraline, my parents, were the very definition of over-protective. When Darcy and I were little, it was the most embarrassing thing in the world. But now looking back on it was funny and sweet. They loved us, and Grandma always said Callahans love irrationally, obsessively, and completely.
“Thanks for taking me, Dad,” I whispered. He didn’t reply because we were already at the dining room. But he did look down and give me a small wink.
“Good Morning, Nana.” I moved to the head of the table, where she sat dressed in a deep velvet green sweater with white pearls around her neck and a long black pleated skirt. Her hair in short loose curls. Kissing her check, I hugged her from the side, saying, “You look beautiful, as always.”
“Good morning, and thank you, sweetheart. I’m glad to see you this morning. I missed you last night.” Her voice was sweet and gentle, but I knew from the look in her eyes that what she really meant was, ‘Good morning, and thank you, sweetheart. You skipped family dinner when I told you I wanted everyone here. I forgive you, but don’t do it again.’ Yes, one look said all that. Evelyn Callahan had raised me just as much as my parents…and unlike my parents, she very much believed in the family code. How Ethan ever got his way with her proved just how strong he was.
I gave her a pout and the best puppy dog eyes I could muster. “Nana, forgive me. I won’t miss dinner again, I promise.”
She stared briefly before the corner of her gracefully wrinkled lip turned up into a small smile. “Good. You must be hungry. I know you probably only ate junk food all night.”
“Me? Never!” I gasped, moving over to the other side of the table near my mom.
“Morning, dear.” My mom smiled so wide it looked almost painful, even though I knew it wasn’t. She sat at the left side of the table, now two seats down from the head. She was dressed in a solid dark red, one shoulder, tied-waist culotte jumpsuit and diamond earrings. Her hair straight and pulled behind her ears.
“Mom, you look hot,” I said as I moved over to her and kissed the side of her cheek, too. “Are you going somewhere?”
“I told you I booked a spa date for us.”
My eyes went wide. “Today?”
“What spa?” My father stood by me, behind her chair, kissing her cheek as well before taking a seat ahead of her. “Because you don’t look like you need to go the spa.”
“Urgh, Dad!” Darcy cringed as he came in after us, though I was sure he’d already been here. He said good morning to our grandmother before moving to sit beside me. “Could you not give Mom eyes while I’m trying to get food? I’d like to have an appetite this morning.”
“I’ll give your mother eyes whenever I damn well please, and you’ll live with it.” He smirked, sipping his water from the glass. “Be lucky I’m not—”
“Declan,” Nana called out to him.
He looked to her and smiled. “Yes?”
“Please spare us the details. We get it. You love your wife.”
“Apparently everyone is just jealous of us this morning, Ma Beauté,” he said to my mother, making her laugh and shake her head at him.
“Morning!” Uncle Neal’s voice boomed as he came
