Katherine and I went upstairs to get away for a little bit before the barbecue went into full effect. My phone buzzed, and I looked at it. My mom was now sending me text messages. Great! I tossed my phone aside on the bed and started kissing Katherine along her neck.
"Who was that?" Katherine asked, looking at my phone.
"That's what you're worried about when I'm kissing you so assertively?" I asked using the words that she had said to me not so long ago. Katherine rolled her eyes and gave me a look. "It was my mom. Are you happy now? You ruined the moment usually, that's my job."
"Your mom? What does she want?"
"Nothing. That's not true. Money. Which I'm not giving her. We aren't that close." I said, lying down beside her on the bed.
"I get that. I'm not close with my mom either." Katherine said, twirling the length of my hair.
"But you threw her that party."
"I didn't want to."
I sat on my side and looked at Katherine, "Then why did you?"
"It's complicated," Katherine said, sitting up and moving to sit at the bottom of the bed. I didn't know what to say. I knew all about complicated moms, but instead of voicing my thoughts, I just wrapped my arms around Katherine's neck and kissed her ear.
"Well, whenever you're ready, maybe you can tell me about your complicated relationship with your mom. If you want." I said, not wanting to push her.
Katherine tilted her head back and poked out her lips. I leaned my head down and kissed her sweet lips. "Be my wife?"
I smiled. "I'll have your kids, but only if you let me pay for something to help out around here. People will start talking." I whined.
Katherine brushed her hair behind her back, "And what will they say?"
"I'm using you for your money. You're using me for my body. I don't know, but people will talk. I want to pay for something. Anything." I further complained.
"Not that I care what people say but fine. If it pleases you, you can pay for all the house supply, and we'll split groceries. Deal?"
I smiled happily and got up to kiss Katherine on the lips, "Deal."
Back downstairs outside the house in the backyard, the BBQ was fully underway. The chef was done with the burgers and hot dogs. The shrimp pasta, baked mac and cheese, and baked beans were ready to in three separate bowls. There were cookies and brownies by the juice and soda. There was a pool with a slide and toys in the water. The chairs were set around the backyard within a tent to keep out the bugs. The tent was so big it covered everything but the pool.
Ryan's kids were beautiful. There were his two sons and his youngest, a girl. R.J was the oldest at eighteen, and he couldn't get enough of Isabella. Isabella kept telling him to get her a drink running from him every time he left. There wasn't that much of an age difference between them. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw them kissing at the end of the barbecue. Then there was Jeremy who loved science and was on one of the laptops that Katherine had using some sort of software I knew nothing about. Katie, the youngest at twelve, adored Muse and kept feeding him bits of her meat.
"Sorry, Victoria," Mia said, coming over and bending down to hug me.
"I'm sorry too. You and Adonis are a cute couple."
"I know, right." Mia boasted not being able to take a simple compliment, but she was my main girl. Katherine pretended not to listen and gave Mia the side-eye when she went back to sitting beside Adonis. I don't think Katherine liked Mia very much. I chose not to ask her about it. If she didn't bring it up, I surely wasn't about to. I wasn't about to dig my own grave if I didn't have a ladder to get myself back out.
"I'm keeping your dog," Katie said, picking Muse up.
"Oh no, you aren't," I said.
"Oh, yes, I am. I'm naming him, Gizmo, and he's mine."
"Ryan, come get your kid. This one right here." I said, facing him. He was busy making out with his wife a few inches away from us underneath a tree.
"Daddy, come get this fatty. She's trying to get my dog."
"Fatty!" I shouted ready to bring me her over my knee and spank the hell out of her. "I'll show you a fatty," I said, chasing her around the backyard. Poor Muse leaped out of her hands and ran to hide under Katherine's seat.