"Alison! There you are! I was wondering what happened to you!" She comes around the counter and pulls me into a hug. I know I'm stiff against her, but I'm a little taken aback.
"Hi, Camilla. It's nice to see you."
"I'm so glad you're here," she says, turning towards her mother. "Mom, this is Alison. Ali, this is my mother, Vivian."
She comes towards me, and I expect her to offer her hand. Instead, she too pulls me into a hug. She smells of expensive perfume and flowers as she lets me go.
"Alison, it's such a pleasure to meet you, darling." Her grin is reminiscent of her sons’.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Landry."
"It's Vivian, please. Or Vivi. Some of my friends call me that." She turns away and picks up a pie server. "Would you like something to eat? If you've been here with these boys of mine all day, I'm sure no one has thought about feeding you."
I laugh. "I actually had Hillary's House deliver some things for lunch earlier. When Lincoln and Ford started fighting over a piece of cold pizza, I had to do something."
Camilla rolls her eyes. "They're animals. But I love them."
"I can see why. You all have a fantastic family."
"Thank you," Vivian says, beaming. "My boys are raucous and rowdy and loud as all get out, but they're good men. I'm pretty proud of them."
"I would imagine so."
“I met your son earlier. He’s such a doll. So polite and well-mannered, and he seems to have taken up with Lincoln.”
I laugh. “Yes, he loves baseball, so Linc is pretty much his idol.”
“They’re both good boys,” she nods. “Maybe they can keep each other out of trouble.”
She holds my gaze for a long second, before turning to her daughter. "Camilla, go in and see if the guys need more coffee, please."
Camilla grabs the pot and heads into the dining room. Once she's gone, Vivian turns to me.
My throat tightens immediately because I know this about to get real.
"Tell me about you, Alison."
"I . . . uh . . . well, I grew up here." I feel my face turn beet red. "I like to read when I'm not at work." Oh my God, I’m so awkward.
"Where do you work?"
"I go to school and work at Hillary’s House downtown."
“Well, you have won the heart of my oldest son and get the stamp of approval from my exacting daughter, Camilla. And I don't know which is harder to accomplish," she winks. "I know it's too early to welcome you and your son to the family, but I’m glad to have you here for this momentous occasion.”
She comes around the counter again and pulls me into another hug.
Barrett
I GAZE AROUND THE LIVING room, a sense of pride washing over me like I've never felt. It's not just pride, but a sense of contentment, a sense of everything being right in my world.
Lincoln and Sienna are sitting on the floor, Huxley between them, watching the television. Ford is standing behind the sofa, his hands on the back of the furniture right behind our parents' heads. Graham is pacing one side of the room, fielding calls and texts as the night draws to a close. Camilla sits on a chair by Graham, watching everyone warily. And I sit on the love seat, Alison at my side, waiting for the results in what's being said to be one of the closest gubernatorial elections in state history.
Graham stops walking and his eyes snap to mine. "They say we have it, Barrett." His tone is hesitant, yet optimistic. He fights a grin, but his eyes give him away. "The last three counties to report are in the north, but I just got off the phone with our guy up there, and he says the early numbers are strong. Real strong, Barrett."
Camilla claps her hands. "I knew it!"
&nbs