by Lucy Score
He listened for her footfalls behind him and grinned when she caught up with him. “So, you ready for Luke to come home?” he asked. “Next week, right?”
He saw the sparkle in her eyes. “I’m trying not to think about it too much, so only every half second or so. We didn’t have much time before he left, but I still feel like I’ve been missing a limb—no offense—for the last six months. I’m excited and terrified and everything in between.”
“Terrified?”
“Our relationship has lasted seven months. Six of those, he was on the other side of the world. What if he doesn’t like me anymore? What if everything is different? What if I can’t handle the reason he didn’t tell me about Karen?”
Aldo stopped, put a hand on her arm.
“What’s wrong? You need a break?”
He smirked and meant it. “Do I look like I need a break?”
She gave him a slow appraisal. “No,” she decided. “You look like you could breeze through a half marathon if you wanted to.”
“Damn right. And stop worrying. You two have what it takes to make it.”
“I love you, Aldo.” The out-of-the-blue statement hit him like a fist to the chest. He stared dumbly at her.
“Not like that,” she corrected, rolling her eyes. “You’re the closest thing to a brother that I’ve ever had, and I love you.”
“Well, shit. I love you, too, Harpsichord,” he said, gruffly.
“Don’t say it because I said it.” She punched him in the arm.
Aldo retaliated the way any good big brother would and put Harper in a headlock, ruffling her hair. “I didn’t, dummy. You’re the little sister I never wanted.”
Laughing they worked their way back up to speed. “So are you planning to surprise Luke when he comes home?” Aldo asked, enjoying being diabolical.
Harper snorted. “Can you think of anything he’d hate more? No. In fact, he told me he doesn’t even want me to meet the bus. He wants to meet me at the house.”
“You know why he wants it that way,” Aldo reminded her. Thinking of Karen. Of that day. Of the years that followed.
“I do. But it still hurts my heart to think of him coming home with no one there to greet him. It’s been so long. I don’t want to waste the time it would take him to drive home. Ever since he told me that he’s coming home, every second feels like half an hour. I just want him here. I want to look into his eyes and…”
The sun was peeking over the trees as they broke through the woods. A lone figure in camouflage stood facing them, his back to the lake and the sunrise.
“No,” Harper gasped. “I…”
Captain Luke Garrison opened his arms, and damned if Aldo didn’t feel himself get a little teary-eyed as he watched Harper run into those arms. They collided in mid-air. Luke boosted her up and wrapped his arms around her.
Aldo heard the first sob from Harper, and then they were kissing. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a shot of them, backed by the sunrise. Their new beginning on the horizon. He gave them their moment until it looked like their moment might turn X-rated and cleared his throat as he walked up.
“You guys are ruining my view of a perfect sunrise,” Aldo teased.
Luke let Harper slide down to the ground but kept her anchored to his side. And Aldo knew his friend was in love.
“You knew, and you didn’t say a freaking word!” Harper reached out to smack Aldo in the arm.
“Surprise!”
“Thanks, man,” Luke said, stepping forward to wrap Aldo in a one-armed hug.
Aldo clapped his best friend on the back, and then they were hugging. The crushing embrace of brothers. “You look good, Moretta,” Luke said, pulling back to ruffle Aldo’s hair.
“I feel good. Check out the hardware.” Aldo tugged up his pant leg. He saw the hard swallow, the tightening of the jaw, and knew Luke was struggling with memories.
Aldo clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, I’m good. I’m better than good.”
Luke gave a tight nod and then pulled him back for another hard hug. “I’m sorry, man,” he whispered.
Aldo smacked him on the back of the head, joining the manly battle against tears that threatened them both. “Shut up. There’s nothing to be sorry for. Asshole.”
Luke gave him a grin and a shove. “Dick.”
Toying with his victim. Aldo wobbled, flailing his arms, and when Luke reached out to steady him, Aldo danced a little jig. “Psych! Solid as a rock. Thanks to your girl there.”
Luke reached out to Harper, and she snuggled into his side. “She took good care of you?” he asked.
“She even got me a woman.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Don’t make Gloria sound like a prostitute!”
Aldo checked his watch. “Love to stay and chat, but speaking of my woman, she’s waiting for me. That gives you two about forty-five minutes before you have to be at the diner.”
“The diner?” Luke gave Harper a confused look. Understanding dawned bright in Harper’s eyes.
“Oh, you’re good,” she said. “Does anyone else know?”
Aldo winked. “Nope.” He tossed Luke a set of keys. “Your truck is in the lot on the other side of the trees.”
“How did you get his truck here?”
Aldo shrugged. “Gloria and I stole it from the garage last night. You’re one sound sleeper.”
“You riding back with us?” Luke asked.
“Nope. Gloria’s waiting with my truck. I’ll see you soon. Glad to have you home, Luke. Later, Harpsichord!”
And with that, he loped off toward the parking lot and his own beautiful girl.
67
“How did it go?” Gloria bounced up and down next to his truck in sweats and a winter coat. Winter was coming. The crisp, frosty morning felt like it was practically here, but she was too excited to hear about Luke’s surprise to wait in the warm cab.
Aldo jogged up and surprised her by picking her up and swinging her around in a dizzying circle. He kissed her firmly on the lips, and she invited his warmth to steal over her. Sweaty, happy Aldo was her favorite of all the Aldos. He was particularly irresistible.
“Love is in the air,” he pronounced, kissing her again before setting her on her feet. “They’re coming to the diner for breakfast.”
“Oh! Good! Wait, what about Joni?” Gloria asked, pausing mid-celebration. “Luke doesn’t know Harper knows about Karen. He doesn’t know that Joni and Harper are friends.”
Aldo shook his head. “Luke’s got to face the past sooner or later. Otherwise there’s no going forward. Harper’s his chance.”
“I hope they can survive this. They’ve both been through so much already,” Gloria said, worried.
Aldo settled an arm around her shoulders. “Sometimes you just have to believe that love will win.” He passed her his phone. “And love looks a lot like this.”
Gloria glanced at the picture on the screen of Luke and Harper’s embrace. “Oh, wow. You definitely need to save that for their wedding.”
His laugh boomed out over the empty parking lot. Aldo kissed the top of her head. “I’d take you back to them, but if I was reading the signs right, they’re getting naked in the woods right now.”
“We’ll give them some space.”
Gloria was practically giddy. It felt like Christmas morning watching the Garrison clan settle in for breakfast without a clue of what was about to walk through the diner door. Aldo kept shooting her knowing looks while he carried on a conversation with Luke and Sophie’s brother, James.
Sophie and Ty were wrangling Josh, who kept diving for the maple syrup. “The last thing you need is a pint of sugar,” Sophie told her son. Uncle James snuck another puddle of syrup on Josh’s plate every time Sophie turned her attention elsewhere. Claire and Charlie were arguing over whether Charlie could have a chocolate milk or if he should get the healthier orange juice with his egg white omelet.
“The woman will make me a vegan before I’m dead,�
� Charlie complained.
The diner door opened, and Gloria dug her hand into Aldo’s thigh. “Sorry I’m late!” Harper called cheerfully. “Do we have room for another?”
Claire was the first to notice the man behind Harper. “Oh my—”
Sophie shrieked and climbed over Ty and Josh. Claire shoved back her chair, almost tripping Sophie as they fought to get to Luke first.
“For Pete’s sake, you just saw the girl two days ago. What’s all the…” Charlie trailed off, turning in his seat.
Gloria’s throat tightened, and she blinked back tears.
James jumped into the action, hugging his brother as the diner patrons broke out into applause.
“Best surprise ever,” Gloria whispered to Aldo. He laced his fingers through hers and brought their joined hands to his lips.
“Second only to Ivan the Terrible,” he corrected.
“Of course,” Gloria scoffed. “But I don’t think Luke is going to go home and wreck the house and wake Harper up at four in the morning by jumping on her face.”
Aldo rubbed the faded scratch on his cheek. “I don’t know, they might be into that kind of stuff.”
Charlie was hugging Luke now as his wife and daughter cried happy tears next to them. Gloria nudged Aldo. Joni was standing, hands folded in front of her. She saw the flash of shock pass over Luke’s face when he spotted Joni waiting to greet him. His gaze flew to Harper’s face and back to Joni.
Gloria held her breath, and then Joni opened her arms to embrace Luke. Gloria could feel the riot of emotions crackling off of Luke. Then he was putting his arms carefully around Joni and Harper was tearing up.
“All good,” Aldo whispered to her. “They’ve got this.”
But Gloria wasn’t so sure. Harper’s love was written all over her pretty face. But when Gloria looked at Luke, his expression was unreadable.
68
“Don’t be nervous,” Aldo coached Gloria.
“Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about?” She sounded like she was being strangled.
Gloria was gripping the door handle and Aldo’s hand with white knuckles. She wasn’t fooling him at all. Sara Parker had issued a summons to dinner—which included Aldo’s mother—and Gloria was freaking out.
It was adorable.
Sure, dinner with the parents was a big deal. It meant that Sara Parker was ready to take this relationship seriously. But Aldo was ready for the challenge. He planned to turn on the charm and win Sara over with his thoughtful hostess gift and his obvious feelings for her daughter.
Gloria, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to jump out of the truck window.
“What’s the thing that’s scaring you the most right now?” he asked, rubbing a thumb over hers.
“If I say it, you’re going to think I’m a big, dumb baby.”
“How about I promise to think of you as a petite, pretty baby?” he offered.
“I’m twenty-seven years old, and I still want my mom’s approval,” she confessed.
“I will get you your mother’s approval if I have to steam clean her carpets every month for the rest of her life,” Aldo promised.
Gloria graced him with a laugh. “It’s not you I’m worried about. Hello, war hero, business owner, all-around great guy. It’s me that needs the approving. I spent a lot of years letting her down. I’d really like to turn that around.”
“Need I point out that you chose the war hero, business owner, all-around great guy to bring to dinner. I think that says a lot about your taste, maturity, and good sense.”
“I don’t want her thinking I’m making a mistake or moving too fast,” Gloria said, and he felt the nerves in her words.
“Glo, look at what you’ve done with your life in the last seven months. You’re a miracle, and anybody would be proud of you.”
“Thank you. I’m sure it will be fine,” she lied.
Her thoughts were clearly a mile away, probably running through every possible negative scenario that could happen.
Aldo laughed and squeezed her hand, not buying her bravado for a minute. “How about I promise to keep my mother in line, and you handle yours? Divide and conquer.”
Gloria nodded. “Okay. We can do this. It probably won’t be terrible. I mean the food will be good at least, even if they hate each other and get into a screaming match over European soccer teams.”
“Does your mom watch soccer?” Aldo asked.
“No.”
Aldo laughed.
She was quiet for another minute and then said, “We should have brought Ivan. He could have distracted them from fighting with total house destruction.”
They picked up his mother, who insisted on sitting in the back seat and then complained the whole way to Gloria’s mother’s house about the lack of leg room. Gloria, trying to be accommodating, rode the rest of the way with her knees in the dashboard.
“Ma, shut up,” Aldo told Ina in the rear-view mirror.
“I bet you don’t talk to your mother with such disrespect,” she sniffed to Gloria.
“Her mom doesn’t have the manners of a child raised by wolves,” Aldo pointed out.
“What’s in the bag?” she demanded, rooting through the gift bag Aldo had on the floor behind his seat.
“Get out of the bag, Ma! It’s for Gloria’s mom.” Gloria looked surprised and delighted.
“Why don’t I get a present?” his mother pouted.
“Isn’t being my mother gift enough?” Aldo joked.
His mother thought that was pretty funny and laughed the rest of the way to their destination.
The introductions went well, in Aldo’s opinion. His mother didn’t say the f-word, and the fashionista Sara didn’t make any comments about or stare too long at Ina’s God-awful gravy-brown sweater and matching polyester pants.
They were on a first name basis, and there was alcohol. Aldo considered it a win.
It was time to turn up the charm. “Mrs. Parker, Gloria tells me you make a mean margarita,” Aldo said.
“Call me Sara. And yes, I do,” she said, eyes twinkling as she winked at her daughter.
They made a picture, Gloria and Sara together. Both dark hair and dark eyes, the same smile.
Aldo handed over the gift bag. “I thought these might come in handy next time you’re mixing.”
Eagerly, Sara unpackaged the glass set. He’d found the handblown bubble margarita glasses in the window of a gift shop when he was rushing between meetings. He’d been ten minutes late to his appointment with the architect, but Sara’s approving look made it worth it.
Gloria stood on tip-toe and kissed his cheek. “Nice going, kiss ass,” she whispered. She was relaxing, finally. Trusting him not to let her down.
He poked her in the ribs, and Gloria laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’m a catch,” he whispered back.
“A very nice gift,” Sara decided. “We will see if you are also a very nice man.” But the twinkle told Aldo which way she was leaning in that judgment.
“You got a lotta color in here,” Ina announced at full volume, carrying her glass of sangria into the living room. Of course, anything a shade deeper than beige was a lot of color for his mother’s tastes.
They dined on pork chops, colorful vegetables, and wine around Sara’s round table. Music, something bright and Latin, played in the background.
Aldo felt a foot on his shin, and Gloria sent him a slow wink. She was relaxed and enjoying herself. He loved seeing her this way. Carefree and happy. He wanted more nights like this, more dinners like this. More of everything with her.
“So, Sara, what are a couple of hot single moms like us doing dateless on a Saturday night?” Mrs. Moretta wondered at stadium volume.
“Sometimes the world makes no sense,” Sara pointed out, topping off Ina’s glass of wine.
“Maybe we should sign ourselves up for that speed dating thing down at the lodge next week?”
Aldo insisted on helping clean up while Gloria
showed his mother the flower garden in the backyard. He could sense his mother’s garden envy and prayed she’d hire a professional with a rototiller this time instead of enlisting him to expand her own flower beds.
Sara took the plates he rinsed and stacked them neatly in the dishwasher. “Thank you for helping with the cleanup. I can’t decide if you’re polite or just kissing up.”
He really liked her. “Let’s call it a combination of both.”
She picked up her wine and sampled it. “I like your honesty.”
“I love your daughter.”
Her smile was slow and knowing. “Good. You will marry her and make sure she is safe and happy for the rest of her life then.”
“That’s where my head is at,” Aldo acknowledged. Saying the words, admitting what he really wanted, felt…good. He’d been dancing around it long enough.
Sara gave him another hard-won smile of approval over the rim of her glass. “I hope she doesn’t make you work too hard for it.”
“I can be patient,” he said. And he would.
“Thank you for showing my daughter what a real man is,” Sara said, pressing a quick kiss to both his cheeks.
He felt himself flush at the praise.
“Now, pour yourself a little more wine and go kiss my daughter in the dark. Give her a little romance.”
69
“If he had an older brother, I would take him dancing. Does he have an older brother?” That was how Sara Parker gave Gloria her blessing on the subject of Aldo. And Gloria—between busy work hours and long, cozy nights with Aldo—breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew it was silly to be an adult and still crave her mother’s approval. But seeing as how she’d done nothing but disappoint the woman for a decade, it felt like a very large, very satisfying win.
Especially since winning involved having a mysterious date with Aldo tonight. He’d given her no details, only the instruction “Prepare to be wowed.” Gloria couldn’t be giddier if a litter of puppies appeared at her feet.
