Adam&Audrey

Rule #14: Best Thing I Never Had

“Adam,” she squealed, coming over to give me a huge hug, walking past Audrey and Rickie who were in an intense discussion about Rickie’s accounting job in the US. She wasn’t much shorter than I was, so when I grinned I got a mouthful of brown hair. The sacrifices I make for this overly-sweet woman.

Audrey noticed Maria as well, and then the girls began a squealing fest, making me back away to give them some privacy.

My eye caught my mom and Mrs. West speaking in hushed voices in the kitchen. Frowning, i walked over to them. “What happened, guys?”

Mrs. West looked up at me, her brown eyes wide as she repeatedly wringed the dishcloth over the sink. “We just got a call. The House apparently did manage to make contact with Granny’s fam-family,” she choked out, her face contorting at the word ‘family’. I knew how she felt. We were granny’s family. “Apparently they want to make a contribution to the services.”

My hands curled into fits. “Over my dead body,” I said. I don’t care if I was being insensitive to the circumstances, but whoever these strangers were, they were no relation to Granny.

“Too late,” my mom sighed, rubbing a hand over my shoulder. “They’re coming to stay here. In fact, they’ll be arriving in,” she checked her watch, “in two hours. Right before we head to the funeral home.”

They were coming here?

“We should get cleaning and begin setting up the guest rooms upstairs. We’ll figure out the rest later, when we get back from the cemetery,” Mrs. West said. There was a tired look in her eyes. I moved my arm around both women’s shoulders and pulled them in an ‘it’s okay’ move. “Don’t stress too much. You’ve got Audrey and me here now. Even Rickie and Maria are bound to help. Two hours? Pfft. Us Finches and Wests are going to get this done in no time.” Behold motivation.

The two mothers gave me grateful smiles before their eyes sparked. Uh-oh.

“Right. So, Adam, would you mind vacuuming the upstairs floor and also down here? Then you can take the basement as well.”

I groaned internally. Dammit, they were using the Mama Bear face. You do not say no to the Mama Bear face. “Alright.” I gave in.

The vacuum was in the storage room beside the internal garage entrance. I was dragging the cumbersome thing out when I was approached by Rickie.

“Adam.”

Rearranging my features into a serious face. I turned around. “Rick.”

We stared each other down, before breaking out into wide smirks and Rickie laughed out loud as he grabbed me in for a hug. “How you doing, bro?”

“University, you know the drill.”

He nodded sagely. “I do, I do. And how’re you handling Audrey?” he asked, raising an eyebrow knowingly.

The words got stuck in my throat as my mind drifted to last night. No, that’s forbidden territory. “She’s fine.”

He raised the other eyebrow. “Meaning you either slept with her or her best friend.”

My jaw dropped. “Rickie!”

He laughed out loud as was his custom for every small thing. “I’m kidding. It’s clear that it’s not fine, though. I won’t pry, I won’t pry,” he said quickly, raising his hands as I opened my mouth to protest. “However, just use protection, okay? Even though I know that in nine months I won’t be regretting not using it.”

My jaw remained open. “Maria’s-Maria’s pregnant?”

Rickie nodded, looking the happiest I’ve ever see him. His chest puffed out and his handsome face stretched out into a wide smile. “Yes, yes she has the devil’s spawn spawning within her.”