“Thanks,” I say, getting a warm feeling all over. “I like you guys too. And I think we are hitting it off. I mean, he’s not the guy I thought he was.”
“He’s a good one. Sure, he’s had his issues, but that’s all in the past now. He grew out of most of them. He’s never gonna drive a minivan, right? He’s always going to have the bikes and he’s always gonna do the tats. But even though his name is Vicious, he’s not vicious to the people he loves.”
“Yeah. I know all that. I kinda wish I had told him when I first found out I was pregnant. But…” I shrug, even though she can’t see me. “Things are going great right now. Maybe this was just how it was meant to be?”
“Exactly. No regrets. No one has time for that. You two are different people now. You were very young when you first met him, and he wasn’t exactly father material back then. But he is now. I can just tell he adores Vivian. And Vivian adores him. She talks about him all the time. You too, so—”
“Oh, I’m not jealous. I mean, maybe I was at first.”
“I totally get it. If someone suddenly appeared in my life and started changing everything, I’d resent it too.”
“But they are good changes, I think.”
“I think so too.” We both pause to smile. At least I do. Then Ronnie says, “Do you want me to chase down Vivi so you can talk to her?”
“No, I’ll call again later this afternoon.”
“And you’re coming to the pool party on Sunday, right?”
“I’m actually really looking forward to it.”
“Perfect. Well, go slay that test and we’ll talk again later.”
“Thank you, Veronica. For everything.”
“Hey, that’s what family is for.”
And then we say goodbye and hang up.
But I just stand there stuck on the word ‘family.’
I never thought I’d have a family like this. Not even when my parents were alive. We were tight, but our family is small. No aunts or uncles. No grandparents. The relatives I did have when I was small all passed away in my early teens. So it was mostly just the three of us and then four when Vivi came along.
But Vic is a package deal. His family is huge. Just the immediate family consists of fourteen people. God only knows how many others are lurking out there.
Plus there’s always those friends who count as family. These people must have a lot of friends. There’s no possible way they don’t. Everyone knows them, so at the very least they have hundreds of close acquaintances.
And I will get to meet them all if Vic and I are together. I will get to have Christmas with these people. Everything will be a big deal. Birthdays, holidays, hell, there’s probably a reunion too.
I’m just entering the lecture hall where my final is when my phone buzzes a text. And when I look down at the screen, I see that it’s Vic.
Good luck today, he says. See you at eleven-fifteen.
I actually sigh as I slip into my seat and put my phone away.
I don’t know how I got so lucky, or what I did to deserve this total one-eighty in my life, but I haven’t felt this happy and optimistic about things since… well. It’s been a very long time. Long before my parents died and we lost the farm.
I never imagined I could start over again with school.
I never even thought I’d have another boyfriend, let alone be dating my daughter’s father.
And I never expected all these new things would make me so happy after all the tragedy I endured last year.
Life is good.
I love it.
I love everything about it.
My test goes as expected and I’m handing in my paper at five minutes after eleven. I figure if I get outside a little early, I can meet up with Vic and avoid the girls. But when I get outside, I realize that is a fantasy.
No Vic, thank God. But all three girls are waiting for me.
“There she is,” Ella says, sneaking up to me and then pinching my cheek.
“Our little girl is all grown up,” Rina teases.
Luu smirks at me knowingly. “You came out early to avoid us, didn’t you?”
“No,” I deny.
She narrows her eyes at me and whispers, “Lies.”
“You guys, please don’t embarrass me.”
Ella clicks her tongue. “Now why would we do that?” She and Rina high-five, then giggle like idiots.
“Seriously. This is our first real date.”
Rina snorts. “Says the mother of his child.”
I give up. They are having way too much fun with my love life at the moment so there is no way to fight this. “Fine,” I say. “I will introduce you when he gets here.” All three of them clap. Even Luu. “But you have to be on your best behavior.”