“No. But there’s not just me. There’s my entire family. Even if I stay here—”
“If?”
“Although it’s highly likely that I will stay . . . my family will never be far away. In other words, I don’t come unattached. The Jean-Louis Parkers never do.”
“I’ll put up with yours if you put up with mine.”
“What’s wrong with yours?”
Ricky walked over to the window and motioned Toni over. He pushed the window open and she leaned out. Together they watched Dee-Ann, Sissy Mae, and Ronnie Lee loudly sing “Rocky Top” to Brendon and Mitch Shaw.
“What’s wrong with that . . . other than they are supremely out of tune.”
“The Shaw brothers hate that song. A hate so strong, mind, that it’s almost become a living, breathing thing. Which is why the females are singing it to them.”
“Because the brothers hate it?”
“Yep.”
“That seems cruel.”
“Yep.”
“Yet highly amusing.” She pointed over to Kyle. “See how swollen his head is?”
“You mean that lump?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Yeah. I see it.”
“He got that from Oriana when she physically attacked him with one of her toe shoes.”
“Again?”
“Do you know why?”
Ricky cringed a little. “He called her fat?”
“No. This time he told her she had a man-jaw.”
Ricky laughed. Hard.
“Yeah,” Toni went on, also laughing. “And Oriana didn’t appreciate that, so she hit him with her toe shoe. Actually . . . she beat him with her toe shoe, which is vastly different.”
“I don’t know.” Ricky looked back and forth between the two families. “ ‘Rocky Top’ . . . toe shoes? ‘Rocky Top’ . . . toe shoes?” He shrugged and looked at her. “I really can’t decide.”
They leaned back in, Toni smiling up at him. “Look, if you think you can handle this level of crazy—”
“Handle it? You’ve met my mother. I’ve been living this all my life.”
“Then I’m in.”
“Better be. Because I am really liking that apartment of yours.”
“I’ve noticed you’ve made yourself quite at home.”
“Why should you get all the closet space?”
“Yes. I know you need room for your many Tennessee Titan hats.”
“You don’t have to be jealous of my hats; you know I’ll get you one.”
Chuckling, Toni went up on her toes, looked him in the eye. “I love you, too, Ricky Lee Reed.”
“Good.”
She kissed him and Ricky hugged her tight, pulling her close into his body, returning that kiss.
“Thank you,” she finally said when she pulled back a bit, their arms still around each other.
“For what?”
“For everything. But mostly for your amazing patience.”
“Well”—Ricky shrugged—“it’s like I told ya from the beginning, Antonella . . . if you wait long enough, the entertainment comes to you.”