He was serving a life sentence for Teresa's murder, with additional sentences stacked on top for kidnapping Pete and Marilyn and for everything he'd done to Stevie. He'd also confessed to the murder of his father, Fat Fred. The only way Dwayne Gardner was leaving prison was in a coffin.
Eli's partner got up from the picnic table where he'd been sitting, talking Harleys with Fitz, and hobbled over to the ice chest to get the old man another soda. Frank Dicenzo was still a partner in the shop. He came down to work a couple of days a week to give Eli some time off, not in any hurry for the buyout. One of Frank's daughters had recently married a boy interested in engines, so he was working there now, and Stevie spent as many hours at the shop as Eli would let him. Business was good.
Fitz still had to use a cane to get around since his stroke. His right foot never had come back completely, but otherwise he was back to normal. He'd retired, sold his shop and moved in with his daughter. Since she lived in Wheeling, West Virginia, it meant he was closer than before, so Eli and Fitz got to visit often.
Family was important to Eli. He'd started seeing the therapist who'd been recommended for Stevie. Both of them came home touchy as old bears some days, but it seemed to be helping. It had Eli talking about looking up his mother, finding out how she was, what had happened after he left. Maybe even talking things out.
And that had Marilyn thinking about trying to mend fences with her own mother. She hadn't spoken to her since that morning after she got out of the hospital. Mom was the lone holdout in the family. Even her sisters had come around.
Sue, Trey and their youngest were here already. Kate should arrive any minute. In fact, her car was squeezing into the last inch of space on the driveway now. Marilyn waved and started down the steps to greet them. Halfway down the walk, she stopped, stunned. Her mother was getting out of the back seat, holding a pound cake.
"Mom?" Marilyn looked over her shoulder at Eli, who turned his spatula over to Joey and came trotting across the lawn to join her.
"Here." Mom thrust the cake at Marilyn, who handed it to Eli, who handed it to Sue, who faded discreetly away.
"I...Mom." Marilyn couldn't believe she was here.
"I accept your conditions," Mom said.
Conditions? Marilyn frowned. Oh, right. That morning, the last time she'd come over, Marilyn had said Mom was welcome only if she didn't make nasty comments about Eli or Pete. "That includes Stevie, too, Mom."
"You think I would insult my own grandchildren? What kind of person do you think I am?"
Marilyn blinked. This was her mother?
Mom took a deep breath. "I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry."
The demons must be having one hell of a ski party. It had to have frozen over down there for those words to be coming out of her mother's mouth.
"I wanted to keep you from making a mistake," Mom went on, "but--but I was the one made the mistake. I was wrong about you, Eli. You--you're a good man, and you make my Marilyn happy, even if she is robbing the cradle. At least you're married now, thank God. So--so I'm sorry. Thank you for inviting me to the party."
Marilyn shot a quick glance at Eli. He must have done it, because she sure hadn't.
"So." Mom nodded her head, a single brusque motion. "Now. Can I please meet my new grandsons?"
"Sure." Eli slung an arm over her shoulders. "They're right over here. Hey, Steve! Pete--there's somebody I want you to meet."
One more reason for Marilyn to love him. As if she needed any more.
The sun was already down behind the western hills, the sky holding its light despite the deep shadows on the ground. Marilyn's shorts were still a little damp from all the flying water balloons she and Eli had failed to catch in their towel during the volleyball game. The older kids had gone to see a movie and the younger ones were out front playing "dark tag," some form of tag-cum-hide-and-seek one of them had invented.
The adults were sitting around in lawn chairs and on blankets, telling stories and laughing, snacking on the last crumbs of dessert. Marilyn stood by the ice chest, the last soda in her hand, and realized she didn't see Eli. She put the can back in the ice water and looked around the yard. Had he been roped into Pete's rowdy game?
She started toward the house to look for him when she spotted his silhouette against the light streaming out the back screen door. He was sitting on the steps.
"Hey, handsome." She nudged him with her elbow when she walked up.
"Hiya, gorgeous." Eli caught her hand and pulled her down to sit between his knees on the step in front of him. He folded his arms around her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her in the ticklish spot just under her ear.
"Whatchadoin' sitting here all by yourself in the dark?" She paid him back by blowing in his ear.
"Just..." He sighed, a long sound full of contentment. "Being amazed, I guess. I never knew I could be this happy. Me. Eli Carl Court. I had to sit down over here and let it soak in."
Marilyn rested her head against his chest behind her. "You
