Rebirth (RAW Family 3)

My son was so pure of heart it slayed me sometimes. I was doing my best to teach him the declining art of the gentleman. He hated the dance lessons I forced on him, but I swore he’d learn the basic waltz, and for the most part, we had fun while doing it. I tried my best on the manners front, but, well, he was Twitch’s child, so I did what I could with that.

I don’t know how long I stood in the kitchen, looking out through the large bay window in the family room, but when I saw a silver sedan pull up, my heart stuttered. I put a hand to my belly in a weak attempt to stop it from fluttering around as it was.

My heart began to race.

What if she didn’t like me?

Oh, no.

What if I didn’t like her?

Ah, crap.

Too late. The tiny ginger-haired woman dressed in black jeans and a white blouse was already halfway across my front lawn. Her massively oversized sunglasses made it hard to make out her features. And then the doorbell rang.

I counted to seven before I opened the door and stood there silently. When the little American woman removed her sunglasses, revealing striking blue eyes and a smatter of freckles across her nose, I was surprised. She looked nothing like Twitch. I couldn’t help the sudden irrational disappointment I felt.

But then she smiled, and there he was. “Lexi?”

I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t. I tried hard to stop it, but I couldn’t.

Putting a hand to my quivering lips, my vision blurred as I cried in complete silence, nodding.

The little woman’s face crumbled and she came forward, wrapping her arms around me, hugging me a long while. When she pulled back, her own lashes were wet, and I let out a soggy laugh. “Hi.”

She swiped at her cheeks before she choked on her own laugh. “Hello.”

Managing to get a hold of myself, I blew out a long breath. “Well, that didn’t go how I planned it.” An embarrassed chuckle bubbled up my throat. “Please, come in.”

Somehow, the unexpected outburst of emotion on both parts forced a connection between us, and I immediately felt at ease with this woman. I walked into the kitchen, twisted back, and asked, “Coffee?”

Manda dropped her satchel onto the floor and sounded almost relieved, pulling out a chair and sitting on it, and the at home gesture made me like her even more. “You’re an angel.”

“Funny.” I grinned as I put the coffeemaker on. “That’s what your brother used to call me.”

Strangely, she said, “I know.” But when my puzzled expression landed on her, she immediately amended, “I mean, so I’ve heard.”

Okay, then.

As the coffee machine was filling, I felt a little awkward. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go and cry on you out there. I guess I was a little overwhelmed.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “You don’t look like Twitch, but when you smiled...” I shrugged. “For a second, I saw him in your smile.”

Manda’s face softened. “You must have loved him very much.”

I poured the coffee and spoke quietly. “I never stopped.” When I handed her a mug, bringing over the sugar and creamer, I told her, “I didn’t know he had a sister. He never mentioned you.”

She kind of looked embarrassed. “He didn’t know. I’m sure that under the circumstances, he wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with us anyways.”

Whoa. “What do you mean?” And more importantly, “Who is us?”

Manda smiled tightly, before explaining, “I have a brother named Giuseppe. We call him Zep.” She bit her lip. “He and Tony were born only days apart.”

And it all made sense.

My brows rose. “Oh.”

Manda laughed under her breath. “Yeah, exactly. So Zep and I have the same mother, but Tony’s mom, I never met. I heard she was a jerk anyways, so when I found out she died a few years back, it was like ‘good riddance.’” She paused. “Zep never felt the need to go looking for our brother, but I did, for a very long time.” She looked dejected. “I just found him too late.”

That was sad. I was sad for her.

My voice was kind. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, sipping her black coffee. “Thank you, but it’s okay.” She smiled. “I found you and—” she looked at me hopefully. “—my nephew.”

As if I were going to keep A.J. from this sweet woman. “He’ll be home in an hour.”

Manda looked momentarily jubilant. “I bought him a little present.” Then she seemed nervous. “I hope he likes it.”

“I’m sure he’ll love it,” I replied, but I decided to be honest and did this cautiously. “I didn’t tell him about you. He’s going to be surprised.”

Manda and I talked a while. She told me about her husband, Evander MacDiarmid, and when I asked why she didn’t keep the same name, she told me her father had insisted she keep her own. I wasn’t sure why, but it seemed important, so I dropped it. When I asked about Antonio Falco Sr, Manda’s face lit up as she spoke about the older man.

“He’s the sweetest man you’ll ever meet. I swear to God. He really wants to meet you, but—” She shrugged lightly. “—he didn’t know if he’d be welcome, so I thought I’d come alone and gauge how you felt about that.”

Meeting Twitch’s dad? Oh, wow. This was intense.

Why was I so anxious about that? “I think I’d like that.”

Manda beamed, but she kept a soft tone. “I’ll let him know.”

Before I knew it, an hour had passed and we were minutes away from Molly bringing A.J. home. I felt the need to warn Manda. “A.J.’s going to be home any minute now, which is why I need to explain to you that A.J. sometimes talks about Twitch in the present.”

When her face took on an expression of pure confusion, she asked, “How so?”

I ran my finger along the edge of the wooden table. “It seems A.J. has been imagining his father has been visiting him at night.”

Manda’s face paled. “Really?”

I know. It was weird, but I couldn’t help but defend my son. “He’s grieving, Manda.”

At my short statement, her expression softened. “Of course. Thanks for the heads up.”

I smiled tightly. “No problem.”

The awkward encounter passed the moment the front door opened. Manda stood, looking out into the hall, and we heard Molly say the same thing she said every school day afternoon. “Okay, bud. Shoes off. Bag away. I’ll get you a snack.”

Without even peering into the kitchen, A.J. ran past so quickly he looked like a blur. “Hi, Mum!”

Manda’s brows rose as she turned to me, smiling, and I shook my head in return, grinning. “Hey, honey. Can you come in here when you’re done?”

Molly stepped into the kitchen, looking from Manda to me, and when I made a face, reminding her not to be so rude, Molly sighed, walking forward and watching the other woman cautiously. “I’m Molly.”

Manda smiled. “Manda. Nice to meet y

ou.”

Molly looked Manda up and down. “I’m A.J.’s nanny,” is what she said. What it sounded like was, “I’m A.J.’s detail, and I don’t want you messing with him.”

So Molly was a little protective. It was one of the things I loved about her.

When the little monster slid into the kitchen in his socks, he smiled at me a moment before he looked up at Manda, his eyes roaming her openly, guardedly.

Her smile widened and her voice turned wistful. “Hello, A.J.” When he didn’t respond, she turned to me and spoke whisper soft. “Oh my God. He looks just like him.”

I know. It was overwhelming sometimes.

“Come here a sec,” I said, and when he approached slowly, I bent at the waist, put my hands to his shoulders, and said, “I want you to meet Manda.”

Polite as he could, A.J. uttered a quietly shy, “Hello.”

Manda knelt down in front of him. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you.”

A.J. squinted up at her, confused. “You have?”

She nodded gently. “Yes. You see, I’m....” She licked her lips, looking mildly unsure of herself.

When it looked like Manda had lost herself, I took over. “You remember when I told you that you didn’t have any real aunts or uncles?”

A.J. nodded.

I put my lips to his ear and mock whispered, “I lied.”

A.J. spun on me. His brows rose so high they almost touched his hairline, and he looked positively dumbstruck. He whispered back, “You lied?”

A soft laugh left me. “Not on purpose, baby. I didn’t know about your aunt Manda.”

A.J. faced her and muttered a disbelieving, “You’re my aunt?”

Manda swallowed hard. “Yes.” Then she gently explained, “I’m your father’s sister,” and A.J.’s head all but imploded.

He stood staring at her, unblinking. He did this a long while, and when he made no move to say or do anything, I snuffled out a soft laugh. “Are you okay, bud?”

He shook his head, and when I laughed, Manda smiled kindly. “I brought you a gift.”

Well, that snapped him out of his stupor.