what about the signed jersey?
you didn’t really fess up. Fartie did it for you.
VIOLET
i’ll provide a signed jersey if i lose this season
that will be my punishment
GARETH
also atomic wings
VINCE
you can’t get out of eating the atomic wings
FART SALAD
wings will happen. no one can escape the wings.
NOURI
sorry sis. atomic wings got your name all over them
Maya says no niece pics until you call
VIOLET
i’m sorry, is this a hostage situation?
Still, I knew I could never win against Maya. As I pulled away from the drive-thru, I dialed Maya.
I got no hello from her, instead a, “Is my favorite future brother-in-law back?”
That stirred up a handful of conflicting emotions. I emitted a groan. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Did you get in a fight or something?” My niece, Zahra, babbled in the background.
“No fight. It’s just complicated. But my Zahra isn’t. What’s my girl up to?” I was scrambling for a change of subject, and I was always invested in any Z developments.
“Stop distracting. Can you start from the beginning? Why is it complicated?”
I glanced at my GPS. I was three minutes from the smaller airport the team flew out of. I had neither the time nor the emotional energy to give her the whole rundown: the assault, the books, the fake dating. “We’re just taking it slow, but now it’s on a public stage.”
“That’s not taking it slow!” Nouri piped in from the background.
“Tell my brother-in-law to shut up,” I said to Maya.
“Let me talk to my sister,” Maya scolded him. “Okay. I’m not going to hound you about whatever mischief you made last night, but are you having fun with him? Is he making you happy?”
I let that question sink in and stopped myself from running a red light. What we were doing was fun, yes. Having him back in my life was fun. But trying to sort out whether it was all a good idea was not as fun. I kept it simple. “It’s nice to have him around. You know how he is.”
“A total sweetheart in a dreamboat’s body? Yeah. I know how he is.”
“Hey,” Nouri chimed in again.
“You’re a dreamboat too. Will you seriously leave me alone? Take the baby!”
