The Slow Burn (Moonlight and Motor Oil #2)(119)

“It’s okay,” Izzy said.

“Totally okay,” Addie said.

“So, well . . . while Harley sorts himself out, tell me about you. You girls sure dress real nice and those men you were with . . . I just, you know, I’m older, and um, well, I guess your stepmother, but . . . uh, wow.”

Izzy and Addie started laughing.

Goddamn fuck.

They were gonna have to put up with that ass.

He looked to Johnny.

Johnny looked to him.

“Beer?” Tobe asked.

“Bourbon,” Johnny said.

“I’ll get it, you stay,” Toby offered.

Johnny nodded.

“I’ll take some bourbon too,” Deanna called.

That was probably the only thing that could make Toby smile.

He gave that smile to Deanna.

Then he moved to get bourbon as well as wine for Addie and Izzy.

Because he reckoned, twenty-five years to catch up on, this was gonna take a while.

“So,” he heard Fonda say as he walked out, “two sisters, two brothers, I think that’s all kinds of sweet. When Harley found out, you know, when June’s attorneys told us who would be coming with you to the reading, he was worried about you two, you know, ’cause he just kinda does that, but I told him . . .”

Yeah.

Fuck.

This was gonna take a while.

Probably years.

And yeah, they were gonna have to put up with that ass.

But at least Fonda sounded like she was cool.

And Harley Aubrey sounded like he’d spent that last twenty-five years walking through hell.

Which meant at the end of Addie and Izzy’s journey, they could come to terms with the fact they’d had Daphne, they’d had each other, they’d had love, their place, their people, their family.

With as little as they had, they’d had it all.

They had it better than their father.

Far better.

And the thing of it was, they knew that all along.

And so did Harley Aubrey.

So Tobe was actually feeling sorry for the guy.

Yeah.

Shit.





Let Her Fly

Addie

Two Months Later . . .

TOBY WOULD TELL me after, it wasn’t what they’d first planned.

They’d done a switch up.

Though Izzy had started that.

So when she walked out of the mill and down the stairs toward the chairs set out in the grass to where Johnny was standing, under the arch close to the creek with Toby and his friend Ben behind him, me and Deanna across from them, she had hold of Charlie’s arm.

But as Izzy had planned, Dave joined them at the top of the layout of chairs.

And she held on to both as she walked down the aisle.

Incidentally, she did this walking right by without looking at the couple three rows up from the back.

Our father and his wife, Fonda.

This wasn’t a slight.

It was just that she only had eyes for Johnny.

What she didn’t know, was that Lance, Dave Junior and Mark would help their mom up from her seat at the front on Johnny’s side so she could stand by Johnny in the final steps Izzy took toward her future husband.

All Izzy, she had no clue what was going on, but she didn’t look freaked or confused.

She just gave Margot a serene smile.

She’d been just like that for weeks.

Then again, she’d really always been like that.

But Margot came forward, and Charlie and Dave did not put Izzy’s hand in Johnny’s.

And I could tell from Johnny’s face this wasn’t what he expected either.

The men gave Izzy to Margot.

And it was Margot who put Izzy’s hand on Johnny’s.

And then, I hated to admit it, but I lost it, though fortunately somewhat quietly, when Margot wound Mom’s braided leather headband around their hands.

I looked to Toby.

He winked at me.

He was in on this shit.

God.

My beautiful man.

It was Johnny who said, “No,” when Margot gave Izzy away and started to turn from them.

He wrapped his fingers around Margot’s that were over both of their bound hands.

Izzy did the same.

“Please stay,” Johnny whispered.

Margot peered up at his face only a moment before she nodded.

Thus Margot stood there holding their hands together over Mom’s braid the whole ceremony.

I knew it cost her. She was thin. Didn’t walk much anymore or stand long.

But she stood through that, tall and straight.

She only slid away to lean on David, who’d slipped up to help her back to her seat before they were pronounced man and wife and Johnny kissed his bride.

It was the most profoundly beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

Until five weeks later.



David was no spring chicken.

But he carried her up there.

He put her in and strapped her in.

And we all stood in the grass, watching as he leaned over her and spoke.

Then we each got turns.

And when I walked up, she lightly touched my hand and asked quietly, “Is my scarf tied tight, child?”

I checked the beautiful, voluminous scarf that was wrapped around the pretty fluff of white hair that had grown back.