“There are not many times I will say no to you, but this will be one of them,” he said firmly.
“Okay…no Chuck E. Cheese. Next year, we can look at one of the bounce house places or something.” She took a sip of her wine to hide her smile. She placed it down on the table beside her. If she had conceived, a full glass probably wouldn’t hurt, but she didn’t want to chance anything. “Did you see…I think that was your uncle…who tried to steal the two shrimp skewers off the grill?”
“Which one?” he asked.
“That one with the very bad toupee.” Giggles bubbled up.
“Ah…that’s Uncle Martin. He’s been wearing that same toupee since about 1989.”
Tachina burst out in laughter. She couldn’t hold it back.The man’s toupee was jet black while the hair at the sides and the back was silver.
“Well…he reached for the skewers, thinking no one saw him. He picked them up and must not have realized they were hot. He dropped the damn things on the ground.” She giggled. She held her hand to her chest to try to remain calm. “I thought he would have abandoned them, but he swooped down and picked them up and put them on his plate.”
“That sounds about right. Uncle Martin is probably the most frugal man I have ever met. He was the main one taking leftovers home,” Vic said.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I did see him arrive with his own take-home containers.” Tachina was laughing so hard she had tears running down her face. She had been shocked to see him with the containers. The man had even loaded them up then made another plate and sat to eat it with his wife.
“Again, not surprised, and he probably got those from another party and washed them out.” Vic shook his head. He had a wide grin on his face as he spoke fondly of his uncle.
They went back and forth about their family members and their antics. It was good to see their families come together and have fun.
Sydney’s unexpected arrival had put a slight dampener on Tachina’s mood, but she’d soon pushed the woman outof her mind. She wasn’t going to bring her up to Vic either. The woman was like a buzzing gnat on a picnic day: annoying and one would want to get rid of them. Sydney always did hover over Vic whenever Tachina was around. But today had felt different. Her arriving to a party she was not invited to was intentional. If desperation was a perfume, Sydney wore it as a signature scent.
Tachina wasn’t sure what bothered her more—Sydney sliding into the party or the tight twist in her stomach when Vic had accepted the gift for their son. He hadn’t encouraged anything, at least not from what she’d seen. But she knew women like Sydney. They sniffed around not because they were welcomed, but because they were going after something they wanted.
The woman definitely wanted something. A second chance with Vic?
They fell into a comfortable silence. Vic stood and came to stand in front of her. He offered out a hand.
“Dance with me,” he said.
She blinked then stared at the hand before her.
“Now?” Her voice ended on a squeak.
“It’s been an eventful day entertaining our child, his friends, and our families. Now we deserve some fun.” The intensity in his eyes burned bright. He patiently waited for her.
She took his hand.
The music was slow, soft, and her body fit against hisas if they were made for each other, like two pieces of a puzzle. His palm settled at her waist, warm and firm. She slid her arm around his shoulders before she realized she’d moved. They swayed, barely moving, yet somehow her heart was racing as though she’d just completed a marathon.
It felt like a memory from the future. One of those moments where people admit to knowing everything had changed at a certain moment.
That moment was now.
And it scared her.
She stiffened, unsure what was happening between them. She pushed slightly at his chest.
“Vic—”
“What are you running from?” He didn’t let her go. He held on to her tighter.
Her breasts were crushed against his firm chest. She had to fight back a moan that threatened to spill from her. This felt too right. She hadn’t meant for things like this to happen.
“Nothing. I just?—”
“Why are you shaking? What’s the matter, Tachina?” His voice dropped low when her name rolled off his tongue.