"Hey sleeping beauty," he greeted. I offered a tiny smile, but even moving the muscles in my face made my head hurt.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. Zac shook his head and moved from the chair and climbed up on the bed beside me.
"I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have been there." he disagreed.
"You couldn't have been," I protested. He looked at the ground.
"I should have gone to get you." We were silent for a moment, then I put my hand over his.
"Don't worry, Zac. It's only a few cuts and bruises," I assured him. Zac frowned at me.
"And a concussion," he continued.
"And one major head ache," I added. He smiled a little, and I smiled back. "There's that smile. I love your smile, Zac. I don't like it when you're sad."
"You scared the hell out of me," he admitted. I smiled.
"I know."
"And you're proud of that because...?" he trailed off leaving his sentence unfinished. I suppressed a giggle and rested my head against his shoulder.
"Don't make me laugh, it hurts," I told him.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. We laid together for a while, until I started falling back asleep. "I guess I'll go now. You need your rest."
He leaned down and gave me a soft kiss, and I smiled.
"Sleep well."
"Oh, hey," I greeted quietly. He smiled knowingly.
"What were you just doing?" he asked. I blushed and looked away.
"Nothing. Why?"
"Oh, no reason. I could have sworn that I felt a pair of blazing blue eyes boring a hole into my face, that's all," he answered simply, turning on his side with his back to me. I moved over and rested my chin on his bare shoulder.
"Okay, so I was watching you sleep. You make it sound so gruesome," I complained. He smiled and reached his arm back to play with my hair. "So, what are we going to do today?"
"Oh, nothing…" Ike trailed off, dragging his finger down off the tips of my hair and down my arm.
"Isn't Jessi coming home from camp today?" I reminded him. A thoughtful look crossed his face, and then he smiled innocently.
"No?"
I laughed at him and sat up, wrapping the sheets around me in the cold room. I shivered. "Good God, it's like a refrigerator in here. Who turned up the AC?"
Ike shrugged, sitting up also and swinging his legs around to the edge of the bed. "Maybe we forgot to turn it off yesterday," he offered, squinting in the sun's light to look for his jeans on the floor. I pulled on my bathrobe and walked barefoot into the bathroom. My hair was a mess, and I still had some of my makeup on from yesterday. I set about washing my face and brushing my hair and teeth while Isaac went downstairs to turn the air conditioning off. Once I was finished, I threw some clean clothes on and joined Isaac down in the kitchen. He had just finished pouring two bowls of Cheerios and was reaching for the glass jar of orange juice in the refrigerator. I went around the island in the kitchen stood behind him, snaking my arms around his waist. He chuckled softly.
"What's all this about?" he asked. "You're not sucking up to get money out of me, are you?"
I gave him a fake smile. "No, I don't need your money, Hanson." I replied. Then I sighed and rested my head against the back of his shoulders. "I just need you."
Isaac set the juice down and turned around to engulf me in his warm arms. "I need you too," he whispered against the top of my head. We stood like that for a moment longer before I pulled away and smiled up at him.
"I guess our cereal is getting soggy," I said sheepishly. We sat across from each other at the table and ate silently. I flipped uninterestedly through the stack of mail that I had neglected the day before. Just as I was prepared to shove the stack aside, a return address on the last envelope caught my eye. I grabbed it hastily and pulled it onto my lap, out of Isaac's view. He hadn't noticed anyway, whereas he was busily reading the morning's newspaper.
"It looks like Bush is keeping his promises about education funding," he stated, not necessarily to me but rather as thinking out loud. He continued reading for a moment before peeking around the page at me. I smiled. He smiled back. "Are you hiding something?"
"Me? No," I answered seriously. Isaac shook a finger at me playfully.
"Secrets don't make friends," he said, disappearing behind the flimsy newsprint again. I stirred my soggy cereal for a moment before discreetly stuffing the letter into my pocket.
"Got everything?"
"Yeah, I think so," I answered, trying to sound unsuspicious. She took my hand as we walked down the stairs to her front door. I put my arm around her and kissed her forehead. Will leaned against me for a moment before tilting her head up and looking at me. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but decided not to and closed it again. "I'll call you later."
"Yeah."
I lowered my head and kissed her before leaving the house. Curiosity had struck, and somewhere in the back of my mind I was fuming. What did that envelope contain that would cause Willow to hide it from me? What could provoke such a reaction from her? Who was it from? I knew it was really none of my business, and if it were important, Will would tell me when she was ready. But still, I couldn't help but wonder. I had about an hour before I had to go pick up Jessi at the airport, so I went to my apartment and took a quick shower.
The airport was noisy and crowded, and I was anxious to get my sister and get out of there. The moment Jessi came into my view, I smiled and hurried over to her, wrapping her in a big hug. She talked excitedly about her time at camp, all the new friends she made, and the horses. I listened quietly as we drove throw the streets of our city towards our house, my mind still on the letter tucked hidden away in Willow's drawer.
"Ike? Hello?" Jessi asked, touching my arm and bringing me out of my thoughts. I turned to her with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry Jess, what did you say?"
"I asked how your summer classes were going," she repeated.
"Oh, they're going fine. We're on break this week for the Fourth, but everything is going well."
Jessi gave me a strange look. "Is everything okay at home? I mean, you're acting so distant. What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," I assured her, backing my words up with a genuine smile. "Everything is fine. We're all excited to have you home. I think Avie is more anxious to have you back than she was to have mom and dad back."
Jessi laughed. "Yeah, I missed her too. It was a nice vacation, but I'm so used to my family that I can't stand not being near everyone."
"Well, we all missed you too. And we've got some exciting news to give you. But I'll let Taylor spill the beans," I told her with a little knowing smile. Jessi looked at me curiously as I pulled the Xterra into my parents' driveway.
"Yeah well, try and work some of your magic on my parents. They, unfortunately, are not so lenient," she responded. I kissed the top of her forehead.
"Don't worry. It can't be that bad."
"Oh it is. Trust me, it is. I'm their only daughter. My father isn't about to give me up without a fight," Meg revealed. I smiled at her.
"Well, I'm prepared to put up a fight for you," I promised her. She smiled back and rested her head on my shoulder, then snuggled deeper into the down comforter covering us. I put my arm around her shoulder and closed my eyes, reveling in the warmth that radiated from her skin.
A few minutes later, her breathing was deep and even, and I knew she had fallen asleep. I opened my eyes and watched her for a moment, then looked around the room. Everything I saw simply screamed "Megan," from the bright blue, faux fur frame on top of her dresser surrounding a picture of us last summer, right down to the icicle Christmas lights that dangled from the corners of her room. The walls, painted a pale blue, displayed a beautiful cloud scene, and the east wall with the windows had pale yellow rays of sun mingling with the wisps of white. The clouds had been her idea, and the painting we had done together a mere year or so earlier than this moment. I looked back down at Megan again and smiled at her sleeping form, letting my eyes trace her frame through the thin bed sheet that covered us.
She awoke an hour later and we stayed in bed until it was nearly time for the clock to chime twelve noon. Her parents had gone to her aunt's house for the remainder of the week and weekend for the Fourth of July holiday, leaving Megan alone in the house. She jumped at the chance for us to spend time alone together, and thus there we were. Meg sighed contentedly and watched her fingers entwine with my own.
"Are you nervous? About being married and living on your own and everything?" she asked thoughtfully after a quiet moment had passed. I shrugged.
"No, not really. I mean, I'm close to my family and everything, and I'll miss them something awful, but I think I'll survive. I really won't be alone, though," I reminded her, looking down at her softly, "because you'll be there."
"You bet I will," she answered, grinning up at me. I closed my eyes and kissed her lips, reveling in the love that I felt between us; the one true emotion that I felt kept me living from day to day. Minutes later, I remorsefully left the comfort of the blue and white checkered sheets for the warm confines of the shower. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the gentle massage of the streams of water beating down onto my shoulders and back. By the time I finished, Megan was already dressed and had made the bed. She offered me a sly smile when I exited the bathroom with a towel around my waist, my chin length blonde hair still dripping. I gave her a curious look.
"What's that look for?" I asked. She shook her head.
"No reason." She leaned up and brushed her lips faintly across mine, distracting me from her wandering hand. I felt the knot of the towel fall loose and I grabbed it instantly before the soft beige cloth could fall. Meg smirked innocently and stepped away while I feigned a shocked expression.
"Tsk tsk, Megan. That was sneaky," I commented, tucking the towel back in place. She blew me a kiss and turned to go into the bathroom to clean up while I got dressed. "So, um, what are the plans for the day?" I asked, ruffling through the duffel bag of clothes that I had brought with me.
"Nothing much. I was just gonna see if Willow, Reagan and Jessi wanted to go dress shopping. I have to give the dress shop my requests for dresses at least 4 months in advance," she answered. "I don't even know how many bride's maids I'm going to have."
"Well, you've got your sister for one. How many do you think you should have?" I asked, pulling my clothes on. Meg stepped into the doorframe and watched me as she ran a brush through her fiery red hair.
"I don't know. Five maybe? Six?" she guessed. "How many did your mother have at her wedding?"
"How am I supposed to know? I didn't come along until a few years later," I replied. She gave me a blank look and I grinned widely at her annoyed glare. "I don't think she had any. She and my dad had a small little service, just them and their parents and closest friends."
"Well, that's a big help." Meg sighed in frustration. "Forget the dresses. Let's go hire a wedding planner."
"If that's what you want, darling," I told her, going over and putting my arms around her waist. I rested my forehead against hers for a moment and our eyes met. Then I shook my head, causing tiny droplets of water to go flying in every direction. Meg groaned at me and pushed me with a playful smile before retreating back into the bathroom.
"Well, aren't we just as snug as a bug in a rug?" he asked in a feminine voice. We groaned at his attempted humor and realized that it was going to be a very long ride to Kansas City.
"Oh my Lord, I can't believe you're here!" she shrieked. Diana handed Jessi the Tupperware containers of food that she had brought and ran forward to envelop the other woman in a hug. Isaac whispered to me that she was his Aunt Laura, his uncle's wife. After they embraced, they turned to look at everyone else. Laura's eyes lit up when she saw Walker holding Zoë and she opened her arms for the little girl. "You've all gone and grown up on me in the past year, haven't you?"
Her eyes scanned the rest of us and landed on me. Confusion clouded her eyes momentarily, until Isaac spoke up. "Aunt Laura, this is Willow. You remember me telling you about her, don't you?"
The smile returned to her face as she nodded. "Oh yes, I do remember. I was just a little surprised that's all. I wasn't expecting you to be this pretty, is all."
I felt the blood rise in my cheeks and I looked at Isaac uncertainly. He beamed and squeezed my hand. Laura already knew Megan and Reagan from previous family get-togethers that they had attended. After giving the rest of the Hanson family hugs, minus Mackie since he was still in Virginia, she lead us all into the through the house to the backyard. Already there were hoards of people. I had realized that Isaac has a large family, but this was certainly not what I was expecting. A group of children screamed by me, stopping only momentarily to grab Zoë and drag her off with them. Diana, Laura, and Walker dispersed into the many adults that situated the back yard. Zac, Isaac, and Taylor all looked around at their familiar family members while Reagan and Megan tried to pick out people they knew, and I felt overwhelmed. After a few awkward minutes, I found myself standing alone on the back porch.
"Great, thanks Isaac," I grumbled under my breath, trying to pick him out of the crowd.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" a man with a thick foreign accent turned to me, surprised to see me standing alone by the steps. I smiled politely.
"Oh, no. No, I'm sorry. I've just… lost my host, that's all," I explained. He smiled warmly at me and I suddenly didn't feel as awkward. "But, that's okay. I'm not too concerned."
He moved to sit on the steps and motioned for me to do the same. "Forgive my rudeness. My name is Marc," he told me, offering his hand.
"Willow," I replied, slipping my small hand into his and shaking.
"So, you are not a family member?" he asked, choosing his words carefully. I couldn't tear my eyes away from his face as he talked, trying in vain to place his accent.
"Um, no. I'm a friend of a family member," I answered. Friend? Where did that come from? Isaac and I were practically sleeping together, and I classify him as a friend? I cleared my thoughts when Marc smiled at me again, and I decided that his smile was worth my full attention any day.
"Me too. I am in the country on business and staying with Mr. and Mrs. Lawyer," he explained. I gave him a strange look and he pointed across the yard at Laura and a man I assumed was Diana's brother. I nodded and turned back to him.
"What business are you in?"
"I do a multitude of things back in Europe," he said simply. I waited for a moment, anticipating a more detailed explanation. Instead, he merely took a sip from a large, blue plastic cup in his hands. I laughed after a few seconds.
"Is that all?" I asked. A slight blush crept over his cheeks.
"I don't want to bore you," he answered. I shook my head, urging him to continue. "Well, I own a mill near my home in Italy that produces the finest fabric in all of Europe and sells to only the highest quality designers. I own a vineyard in the south of France and make the most elite wines in the country."
"Wow, that's impressive," I responded. He was Italian. I chided myself for not recognizing his accent sooner. He smiled shyly and stared down into his cup. "You sound like a very busy man."
"Not extremely. I have a lot of people helping me," he corrected. He glanced up at me for a moment, his eyes shining. "I prefer to leave the business up to my dearest and closest friends, which allows me to be here in America"
"So why are you here?" I asked. Then I bit my lip and laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, forgive me. I feel as though I'm asking too many questions."
Marc laughed off my apology, his face lighting up. "No, no, don't worry. I enjoy talking with you. I'm actually here on legal business." He paused for a moment, looking out across the yard and the myriad of people. "I was in New York for a while, working with an old friend of mine. I owe him a few favors, and he needed help getting his law firm back in the business. I have a degree in law, and I was putting my knowledge to use."
I froze suddenly and he looked at me oddly. "Willow? Is something the matter?"
"This old friend wouldn't happen to be Samuel Carter, would it?"
"God, Ike, you gotta hear this. Scott brought a tape of his band, and they're great. Maybe we can convince Island to sign them," he suggested, thoughtfully. I looked at my brother in disbelief, backing away from the three of them. Taylor reached out and touched my wrist.
"Hey man, what's up? You look lost?"
"No, it's just-"
"Hey, who's that?" Zac interrupted, pointing over at the side of the house. Scott, Tay, and I looked in the direction of his finger and sighed when I saw Will. Then I saw the guy she was talking with. Well, flirting with, it appeared.
"Oh, him? He's a friend of my mom and dad's. He's from Italy. Conroy? Yeah, Marc Conroy," Scott answered. I saw Taylor glance at me out of the corner of my eye, and I looked back at him.
"What? Why are you looking at me?" I demanded , sounding harsher than I meant to be. He shrugged.
"I don't know," he mumbled. I turned away from him again and watched Willow talking with Marc What's-His-Name. I felt something unwanted rising within me, something burning and uncomfortable. I turned on my heel and stalked away, searching for something to do or say to get the feeling to go away. I was jealous. I didn't even know this guy, he didn't even know me. I know that Will and I had grown so much closer and that she'd never do anything to hurt me, or at least I hoped she wouldn't. Nevertheless, dammit, I was jealous.
"I don't know…" she started. I gently squeezed the top of her arm, then ran my hand up and down over her shoulder.
"Why not? It's the perfect place. My entire family is here," I pressed on, giving her a longing stare. She looked around at the people, the little kids screaming and running around the yard, and the boombox that was pelting out bad 80's music (by choice of my mother's brother, I assumed). When she looked back at me, she nodded. I grinned and pulled her into a hug, then kissed her.
"Baby, you're the greatest. This is gonna be the best. Any event that brings yet another beautiful woman into our family is cause for celebration," I told her. Meg smiled and clasped my hand tightly in hers. "Let's go tell Aunt Laura; she's got quite the mouth and will rumor this thing all over the yard within about 2 minutes."
Boy, was I right. The rest of the afternoon was filled with words of encouragement, squeals of delight, and hugs from aunts and cousins that knocked the wind out of me. By the time evening was upon us, I was starting to wonder if announcing our engagement at a family party was the smartest move. Megan leaned heavily against me as we made our way back towards the car. She smiled sleepily at me as I held the door open for her, and then rested her head against my shoulder once we had settled into the back seat.
"Tired?" I asked her. She closed her eyes and nodded silently. I put my arm around her and held her closer to me, then kissed her forehead. Within minutes, she was asleep.