Bandages Read online

“Mom,” Kate huffed, but she didn’t dare to glower at her mother.

  “What? I told you the same thing when you complained about Raymond’s family trying to chase you off. I told Kimber the same thing when your father was trying to run Jarred out of here because he wasn’t Christian.”

  Katrina chuckled. “I was the only one that didn’t require this little pep talk?”

  “Just remember it when Eddie, Sabrina, and Wayne start dating,” Alicia said. Katrina laughed again as she nodded.

  “Where is Wayne, anyway?” Nicole asked, hoping to get off the subject of her ring.

  “He’s been asleep for about an hour now,” Katrina replied. “This is his usual nap time, so that’s good. I don’t have to worry about him staying up extra late tonight, as long as I don’t let him take another nap after he wakes from this one.”

  “So, you’re not engaged?” Jody asked with bright eyes and a smile practically beaming at Nicole.

  Nicole smiled back. “Nope, not engaged. Engaged to be engaged maybe.” With luck, that’d be the end of the matter for now.

  ***

  “What’s going on over there?” Dane asked Philip, Eduardo, and Benito, nodding toward the picnic table across the yard. She sat by them at the now abandoned card game. Raymond had gone over to help Jarred clear the grill.

  Eduardo, Katrina’s husband, chuckled. “I guess you’re the guy in your relationship if you missed the female version of the Bat signal.”

  Dane only arched an eyebrow. What the hell? I feel like I should be insulted.

  “Somebody said the word ring, so we’re guessing you bought Nikki a ring,” Benito, Nicole’s grandfather, said.

  Philip’s head snapped to the side as he stared at her with wide eyes. “Whoa, you’re engaged to Nikki?”

  Dane shook her head. “No. Not an engagement ring. It was a promise ring.”

  “That explains why they haven’t come over here to talk to you,” Benito said with a shrug. Then he looked her right in the eye, almost like a warning. “They will be bugging you about marrying her.”

  She nodded. “I will one day. I just need to mature some more. Gotta get to a better place.”

  “You’ll know when your ready,” he assured her with a warm smile. She nodded, believing he was totally right. “And don’t let anyone try to talk you into doing it before you’re ready. Nikki’s a special girl and she deserves the best.”

  “Yes, sir,” Dane completely agreed. She definitely wouldn’t ask Nicole until she felt totally worthy of her and also completely comfortable with herself. She still had a journey ahead of her, but she’d get there. She knew that because of Nicole.

  “Hey, Danny, you brought your guitar, right?” Philip suddenly asked with hope in his eyes. There was another nod and he grinned. “Cool, I’ve got mine, too. We can jam and you can see how my lessons are going.”

  “Okay, but just to warn you, once those boys see me with that guitar, they’re gonna want in on the action.” She pointed over at her nephews.

  Philip just shrugged before going off to get his guitar. Dane groaned as she climbed to her feet to fetch her own instrument. She barely had her hand on her guitar case before her nephews were in her face.

  “Are you playing? We’ll play, too.” Luke pointed to himself and his brother.

  “Yeah, I’ll play the drums.” Thomas threw his hands up.

  “And I’ll be the lead singer and play the guitar,” Luke said.

  Dane smiled. “Okay, but I gotta play the guitar too, and so does my friend Philip.”

  Luke nodded in agreement and Philip found himself the member of a band by the time he returned. He was a good sport, even though he didn’t know he was part of a game Dane often played with her nephews.

  “One, two, three, four.” Thomas banged together the drumsticks he traveled with. Dane was sure he’d end up an actual drummer as he got older. Thomas played his pretend drums, while Philip played his real guitar, and Dane followed his lead.

  Luke squinted as he watched the pair playing the guitars and his little brow was so furrowed Dane wondered if his forehead would drop off. For a moment, Dane thought Luke would object because he didn’t know the song. Instead, he didn’t try to sing, but played his air guitar with them. Dane laughed a little, glad Luke was so cool about things.

  ***

  “What are they doing?” Kimber asked, nodding toward the band.

  Nicole smiled as she noticed the scene. “Oh, that’s their band. The boys love music as much as Danny, so she plays this little pretend game with them like they’re a band. They seem to love it.”

  “Indeed they do, if the little one carrying his own drumsticks means anything. I’m glad Philip’s getting the chance to play with Danny. I don’t know who this guy is that gives him lessons, but every time Philip comes home, he has some crazy story about Danny in high school,” Kimber said.

  “Danny actually went to high school?” Kate sneered.

  “Be nice,” Katrina scolded her older sister.

  “Is his guitar tutor an old high school buddy?” Kimber asked Nicole.

  Nicole shook her head. “He’s someone she knew while she was in high school, but he didn’t go to school with her.”

  Danny had gone to an alternative high school and was a loner even there. She didn’t know or interact with many of her classmates. During her teen years, all of her “friends” were older musicians who respected her musical ability and vice versa. The musician she referred Philip to knew not to tell him about any of her wilder exploits as a teen, but was free and clear to tell whatever embarrassing tale came to mind.

  “So, what type of stories does Philip come home with?” Kate asked, undoubtedly hunting for ammo to use against Danny to prove her point that Danny wasn’t worthwhile.

  “Oh, just like she knocked herself out stage diving once. She somehow managed to completely miss the crowd,” Kimber told them, earning a laugh from the ladies, except Nicole.

  Nicole couldn’t laugh. She knew the audience would probably have been quite sizable for one of Danny’s performances. Likely, she had been so high she couldn’t hit a single person in a crowd. Sighing, her eyes went to her lover, and she decided she didn’t want to hear any more unintentionally sad stories involving her lover.

  “You should see Danny and Luke freestyle. He’s adorable,” Nicole said.

  Katrina clasped her hands together and grinned. “Oh, God. Can you get him to do it, please?”

  “He’s a huge ham. All you have to do is ask. There’s not a shy bone in that kid’s body,” Nicole said with a fond smile. It’s probably a Wolfe family trait.

  Sure enough, right after the band finished playing, Nicole called Luke over for him to do a freestyle rap. His face lit up, and he called Dane over to do it with him. Nicole noticed her grandmother, aunts, and cousin all gave Luke an odd look as he referred to Danny as Dane and didn’t attach aunt or any variation of the title. He barely got started before Haydn charged over, yapping at Danny.

  “Oops. Time to feed the pup,” Danny realized and then she checked her watch. “Time for you little guys to eat, too.” She ruffled the top of Luke’s golden head.

  Haydn got his first taste of people food that day, sharing some hotdogs and burgers with Beanie. Nicole made a plate of food for Thomas while Danny took care of Luke. They sat to eat with the boys and Haydn curled up at their feet when he was done. The boys, however, were off as soon as they finished and pulled Danny with them. Nicole tried to ignore the looks as she cleared their plates.

  “You really need to have some babies,” Alicia said with a sparkle in her brown eyes.

  “Danny’s really good with them, so you’d both make good parents,” Kimber concurred. There were nods and even Kate couldn’t disagree.

  Nicole shook her head. “We’re not going to have kids anytime soon, so just stop, Grandma.” She could see herself having a child with Danny, definitely, and she hoped it was in the future. But, it was something for years down the line.r />
  Alicia smiled and shook her head. “I can’t do it. I really think you’d enjoy having a family. I’ll let it go for now, though.”

  “Why do Danny’s nephews call her Dane?” Katrina asked.

  “That’s how she was introduced to them by her brother. It’s complicated,” Nicole answered. The entire Wolfe family is complicated. “The important thing is that they like her and she likes them, not what they call her. It’s good they want to be around her.”

  A teasing glint flickered through Kimber’s eyes. “Sure you don’t want kids now?”

  “How’s school going?” her grandmother asked to save her eldest grandchild.

  Nicole’s mother couldn’t take it anymore and got up from the table. Nicole followed her mother with her eyes, momentarily, but she didn’t say anything to Kate. Her mother disliked her partner and the fact that she was going to school for a chemistry degree, but she wouldn’t change either of those things. So, her mother was just going to have to stay upset or get over it. Nicole was done kowtowing to her parents as she had done her whole life.

  “School’s fine. I just started two new classes. I’ve got twelve credits already,” Nicole answered her grandmother’s question. “Jody, how’s school for you?”

  Jody sighed dramatically, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. “It’s harder than you told me it would be, Nikki.” The adults chuckled, knowing Jody wasn’t serious.

  Jody was a freshman at a local university. She wasn’t sure what she would major in, but they all knew it’d end up being something with computers. Jody was into computers like Nicole was into chemistry. The thing that Jody had on her side was that her mother was more laid back than Nicole’s mother. Jody would not be pressured to follow in Kimber’s footsteps.

  ***

  Dane found herself inside, watching football with the guys. She didn’t know much about football, but Benito had taken it upon himself to educate her on his favorite sport. Philip was his assistant in that regard, as he also enjoyed football and wanted Dane to like it, too. Football was the sport of choice for all family gatherings, so Dane figured she needed to learn it if she wanted to be accepted.

  “So, who’re we rooting for again?” Dane chuckled to let them know she was joking. She earned a playful swat from Benito.

  Benito wagged a stern finger at her. “Just pay attention.”

  Dane laughed, but obeyed. She had plenty of serious questions that were handled by every guy there, including Eddie when he wandered by every now and then. Part way through the second quarter, Thomas staggered in and fell asleep on her lap. Not too long after that, Nicole came in. She took a picture of the scene with her phone before she said anything.

  “Danny, it’s time to go, so we’re not late,” Nicole said.

  Dane frowned and checked her watch to see her lover was right. Her frown deepened. She was having a good time and she wished they could stay a little longer. Her desire must have been written all over her face, because green eyes softened.

  “We’ll come back soon, sweetheart,” Nicole promised.

  Dane sighed, but didn’t argue. She rose to her feet, careful of Thomas. She had to give the boy to Nicole, because there was no way Nicole would allow her to carry him. Goodbyes were said as they collected Luke and Haydn. Eddie and Sabrina were near tears that their playmates were leaving.

  “Luke and Thomas will come back soon, okay?” Nicole assured her cousins.

  That didn’t work and Katrina had to go save her niece from her children. With Katrina’s help, Nicole and Dane were able to escape, even though it was hard to get Luke to leave. By the time they pulled up to the house, Adam was already there, pacing by his car, and it wasn’t even six yet.

  “You’re early.” Dane scowled as they unloaded from the car.

  Adam looked sheepish, but that didn’t move her. She hated when he loomed, as if she couldn’t be trusted with the boys. Of course she wasn’t alone with them, so it was like he didn’t trust her or Nicole.

  Ever the diplomat, Nicole chimed in as she gently pulled the still sleeping Thomas from the car. “You missed your boys, didn’t you?”

  He smiled. “I did.” He turned his attention to Luke. “Hey, buddy, ready to go home?”

  “No, I wanna go back and play with Eddie, Sabrina, and Beanie again!” Luke actually stomped his foot.

  Dane blinked. Who is this kid? She was used to her nephews being well behaved and fun loving. She never saw them throw a real tantrum, and she wasn’t in the mood to see it either. She rubbed the top of Luke’s head to calm him down.

  Nicole smiled softly. “He was having a lot of fun with my little cousins and their dog.” She handed Thomas over to Adam.

  Adam nodded while Dane stayed back. She was tempted to say something nasty to her brother for showing up early, but she didn’t want to curse him out in front of her nephews. So, instead, she gave Luke a hug farewell and ruffled his hair.

  “See you next weekend, guitar hero,” Dane said to the little boy. Luke was clearly unhappy, but he nodded and tried to give her a smile.

  Adam said his own goodbyes before taking his sons to his car. He and Luke waved as he pulled off. They were gone before Nicole and Dane got to the front porch.

  ***

  “You okay?” Nicole asked Danny. They were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie. Danny was uncharacteristically quiet during the very cheesy horror movie.

  Danny thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about how much fun today was. Hanging out with the boys and with your family is so normal. I love it.”

  Nicole smiled. “I’m glad you like being around my family. They like you a lot.”

  A small smile settled on Danny’s face and she nodded a little. “I can tell, and I like them. Your grandfather’s great. I’ve never really had a grandfather, so having him like me is really cool. I just really enjoyed today.”

  Nicole wrapped her arms around her lover and pulled her closer. “That’s great. So, we’ll go to Sunday dinners more often, okay?”

  “Okay. No problem. It’ll be a new thing for me.”

  Nicole sighed. She hated that so many things she took for granted—loving family, grandparents, and family dinners—were novelties for her girlfriend. She wanted Danny to experience as many normal things as possible.

  “Hey, did your grandma and aunts think your ring was an engagement ring?” Danny took Nicole’s hand and played with her ring finger for a second.

  Nicole glanced down at Danny’s hand. “They did. You saw them mob me?”

  “Yeah, and the men folk had to explain to me what was going on.” Danny chuckled.

  “I explained it’s not an engagement ring, but they want us married with kids, like now.” Nicole grinned.

  Danny laughed. “Kids? I only just got qualified to take care of a dog and that’s only because you’re here.”

  Nicole rested her head on Danny’s shoulder. “Do you want kids?”

  “Never thought about it. Do you?”

  “I do. I want at least two. But, I’m not in a rush and we can talk about it seriously later on, when you’ve had time to think about it. I already told you, I want to get married before I have kids.”

  Danny nodded. “Sounds good. Right now, I just want to hang out with you, Haydn, and the boys every now and then.”

  A smile settled onto Nicole’s face. She felt the same for the moment. She also wanted to help her girlfriend experience a few more normal things in life before anything else. Danny needed some of life’s simple pleasures and Nicole consciously decided right then and there to make that happen as soon as possible.

  Heavy Metal Poisoning

  “Who’s a good boy? Huh? Who’s Dane’s good boy?” Dane asked Haydn, as she leaned down to detach his leash from around his collar. He licked the end of her nose and nuzzled her cheek. She grinned and rubbed him down.

  Haydn was four months old. She and Nicole had owned him for two months. He was their proud, happy b
undle of energy and a bright spark in their lives. He wiggled against her, as she petted him lovingly.

  Dane continued to grin. “Let’s go brush your coat. You’ll like that, won’t you? I know you will. Then we’ll start dinner, so our girl Nick will have dinner when she comes in.”

  Haydn yapped in what Dane took as agreement. She was so happy to finally have her cast off, from when she was hit by a car a few months ago, and be able to do simple things with Haydn. She’d had her cast off for a couple of weeks and before being able to do things with Haydn, the new freedom had allowed her to do a number of things with Nicole. Of course, being intimate with Nicole was the best thing, but taking care of Haydn ranked high on her list of things to do. She had always wanted a dog, and Nicole had fulfilled that desire by getting her precious white shepherd pup as a birthday gift. He turned out to be a gift for both of them. Haydn brought the couple closer and that only made Dane love the little guy more.

  “Guess we can get you a treat too, since you were such a good boy,” Dane cooed.

  She hung the leash by the door and Haydn barked again. She couldn’t help leaning down, petting his head. He rubbed his head against her hand and barked in approval. As they moved toward the kitchen the phone rang. Dane glanced at the caller ID on the living room phone and rolled her eyes.

  “It’s Christine again, Haydn. Think I should take her call this time or just wait until Chem notices she’s called like eighty times and asks me if I want to get the number blocked or something?”

  Haydn responded with another yap, which Dane decided meant she shouldn’t answer the phone. She brushed the pup’s fur and gave him a treat before leaving him with a toy to chew on. She and Nicole had found out the hard way that he was in a chewing phase and had rushed out to get him plenty of toys before he ruined the coffee table and his own mouth from biting hard wood.

  She showered and went to start dinner with the puppy keeping her company in the kitchen, as he rolled around with his toy. Everything was almost done by the time Nicole entered the house. Dane poked her head out of the kitchen while Haydn charged the door.