The Magnolia Chronicles: Bonus Chapter
Rob
“So, here’s the thing,” Magnolia said as she merged onto the highway.
I stroked Gronk’s back. We’d made it one block from the house before his panting and whining in the backseat became too much. That was how he came to be perched on my lap and checking out the scenery on I-93. “There’s a thing?”
“There’s always a thing,” she replied. “That’s the thing about me. There’s always a thing.”
“I’d never thought to put it so succinctly.” I glanced over at her but she didn’t notice. She was busy driving like she couldn’t spare a glimpse and that seemed like a fine reminder that Magnolia went deep. She might have fourteen different thoughts going at once but she was deep in them.
There was always a thing.
I was coming to find I quite liked that about her. “Okay,” I said. “What’s the thing for today?”
“Well, there are a few of them,” she said under her breath. “First of all, my brothers.” She gave a great sigh. “They’ve been known to have some fun at these family dinners.”
That didn’t sound so bad. “What kind of fun?”
She snickered. “Remember how I told you my mother invited some dude from an online dating app to Sunday dinner once?”
“Yes,” I murmured. That was either an expert level move or the definition of feral, and I was still split on the difference.
“Well, my brothers had a lot of fun with that guy. He didn’t know what hit him.”
“Are we talking about a flag football game with some unnecessary roughness or what? Just tell me what I’m walking into and whether the dog will protect me.”
“The dog barks and that’s the extent of his protective response. He’ll also scratch at shins and ankles.”
I peered at Gronk. “Sounds like I’m on my own.”
“You’re not,” she said quickly. “And I doubt this will be anything like it was when—dammit, what was his name?”
“I’m taking it as a good sign that you don’t remember.”
“No—I mean, yes, sure—but it’s that my brothers were…god, how do I explain this? They were messing around, calling him Titus or Targaryen, and I’m not sure I caught his actual name in that mess. I was also busy glaring at my mother the entire time so I was only half-listening.”
I gave a strangled laugh but I wasn’t worried. I’d survived in a frat house with sixty abysmally behaved brothers for three years and worked with hooligans cut from the same rowdy cloth every day. Hell, I was one of those hooligans. I could hold my own with Magnolia’s brothers. I’d be fine.
“What else? What’s the other thing?” I asked.
“Oh, right,” she murmured to herself. “My mother can be a little—” Magnolia paused, her lips parted and her head tipped barely to one side as she passed exit after exit. Eventually, she continued. “Much. She can be a little much.”
“Yeah, so can I. Have you forgotten how we met? How I started things?”
With a shrug, she replied, “It could be said that the way I continued things was a little much.”
“And thank god for that.”
Had it been literal fucking torture to carry on a relationship with this woman while Brock did the same? Yep. Would I have wanted it any other way? You could bet your ass I wished Brock had never entered the picture. All of that was true and at the same time, I knew this was the way it was meant to be. This was how I was supposed to fight and fall for Magnolia. This was how it was supposed to go down for all of us.
So, yeah, I was thankful as fuck that Magnolia was a little much.
“I’m looking forward to it,” I said.
“Okay, that’s very polite and all, but I need you to know my mother can get carried away. She’ll invite you to one event or another at her church and by invite, I definitely mean she’ll corner you and make it impossible to say no.”
“Sounds like every private wealth manager I know.” I scratched behind Gronk’s ears. “You know I’m not fresh out of the sandbox, right? I’ve been known to close a deal or two in my day. I dare say I closed you, Miz Maggie.”
She laughed. “I think I closed you.”
“If that’s your version of the story, I can stick with it. But don’t worry about your family, love. I’ve got this.”
“I just don’t want you to run screaming.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I said with a quick glance in her direction. She didn’t notice. Her concern was adorable. Really adorable. As if it was possible for her hyper-involved family to scare me away. If her friends—and the other fucking guy she’d been dating—hadn’t accomplished that, nothing would.
I could handle this. A mom who operated on meddle level one hundred. Some ball-busting brothers. I had this under control.
And I had the dog. That had to count for something.
***
Magnolia’s parents lived in an old house in a section of New Bedford that treasured its old houses but unlike all the other manicured homes on the street, this one had a slightly different feel to it. There was no single thing that made it stand apart but a collection of small things that added up.
An overabundance of blue hydrangeas hugging the house. They seemed determined to block the windows and choke the front walkway. A pair of long, raised garden beds packed tight with tomato cages and zucchini trellises. A few too many trees and rosebushes along the perimeter, too many flower pots around the front door. And then there was the older Subaru wagon with no fewer than twenty bumper stickers on the back end, all in the vein of “Save the Bay” and “Follow Me to the Farmers Market!” and “Water is Sacred” and “Feel the Bern.”
When Magnolia noticed me reading them, she said, “Yeah. Like I told you earlier, my mom can be a little much but at least she’s upfront about all of it.”
I couldn’t explain why all of this—the bumper stickers, the tomatoes, the overgrown bushes, the promise of a family certain to give me a hard time—was so damn charming but I couldn’t hide my grin.
“What’s that about?” she asked, pointing at my smile.
“Nothing at all.” After setting Gronk on the ground and twisting his leash around my wrist, I grabbed the wine and flowers I’d brought along. Like I’d said, I knew how to close a deal or two.
“Something,” she said as she turned toward the walkway.
“Wait a second,” I said, tucking the bottles under my arm and beckoning her closer. She shifted back, her gaze questioning, and that moment of confusion was just enough for me to pull her in and seal my lips to hers.
I’d been doing this for months—dragging her close, shutting her up with a kiss—though it felt different today. It wasn’t about stealing moments with her anymore. It was about keeping them.
As I twisted my hand around her hair, I was fractionally aware of passing cars and slamming doors. Aware in a completely unconcerned sense, one that allowed absolutely no room for thoughts or propriety or decency or—
“Uh, Maggie. The neighbors are staring.”
“Mrs. McCafferty has her rosary beads out.”
Brothers.
Magnolia pulled away from me with a surprised gasp and when I pivoted toward the voices, I found a pair of men eyeing us. The resemblance between them was clear though they were as different as their vehicles—the vintage Porsche and the gleaming black truck.
“Oh, hey,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Linden, Ash.” She gestured to each. “This is Rob.”
The men traded a glance.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said.
Linden stared at Magnolia. “Mom didn’t say anything about this.”
With a sheepish look, Magnolia glanced to the ground. “That’s because she doesn’t know.”
Oh, shit.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I really need to understand the logic behind this,” Ash said.
“I didn’t want Mom going nuts over this,” she replied defensively. “I just wanted it to be a regular Sunday dinner.” When the three of us only blinked at her, she continued, “And, honestly, it’s only fair considering some of Mom’s shenanigans.” More blinking. “And she told me last month to bring Rob home whenever I was ready.”
Linden studied the six pack in his hand. “I did not bring enough beer for this.”
I held up the bottles. “I brought wine.”
Ash nodded. “Smart move.”
Linden pointed to the house. “Can I go in first? I want to get a good seat.”
Magnolia glared at her brothers. Triplets, man. They were a hoot. “Yes. Fine. Go. You should only hope I am this kind and accommodating when you two bring people home.”
Ash scoffed. “Like I have time for that.”
Linden clapped his brother on the back. “Like I have any interest in that.”
They marched inside, leaving me and Magnolia alone once again. I ran my hand over her hair. “You could’ve mentioned this was a surprise.”
“I was going to. It was on my list of things to explain.”
“Ah. Another thing.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Are you upset?”
I smoothed the crease between her brows with my thumb. “No. But you gotta let me be a co-conspirator. We’ll have more fun that way.”
“Fun,” she repeated. “Yes, let’s hope this is fun. If it isn’t—”
“There’s a cute dog and booze. We’ll manage.”
We entered through a side door around the far end of the driveway, and stepped into the kitchen. Ash and Linden were tucked into the breakfast nook while an older woman who looked astonishingly similar to Magnolia chopped a cucumber at the countertop.
The door banged shut behind us and Mrs. Santillian glanced up with an expectant grin—until she spotted me and her eyes popped wide.
“Hi, Mom,” Magnolia said. “I want you to meet Rob Russo.”
There was a split second where I didn’t know which direction this was headed. The lady had a knife and I didn’t doubt she could debone me if given the chance, and if I’d brought someone home without proper notice, my mother would’ve sent me out back to dig myself a grave.
But then the shock wore off and her eyes turned warm. She dried her hands on a dishtowel and came to me. She plucked the flowers and wine bottles from me, dumping them into Magnolia’s hands with little care, and took me by the shoulders.
“Rob,” she said, staring at me intently. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s about time I put a face to the name.”
“Don’t think I told you his name,” Magnolia murmured.
“All the same,” Mrs. Santillian said. “You’re here now. Do you like halibut? Of course, you do. You’re a growing boy.”
“And all growing boys who are also in their late thirties like halibut,” Magnolia said under her breath.
I shot her a teasing grin before saying, “I love a good halibut. Thank you for having me, Mrs. Santillian.”
“Oh, please call me Diana. Only my students call me Mrs. Santillian and we’re not in school today.”
“Diana,” I said with my winningest smile.
“Now, how did you two meet?” She tapped her forefinger to her lips with a glance between me and Magnolia. “I can’t seem to remember Magnolia telling me that little detail.”
“She wants to know whether she can claim credit for this match,” Magnolia said. “And the answer to that is no, you cannot, Mom.”
“This was worth the drive down here,” Linden murmured.
“It really was,” Ash agreed.
“We met several months ago,” I said, searching for the most palatable way to explain that I’d wanted to use her daughter as a fucktoy to burn away all memory of my last relationship but had since evolved from that viewpoint. “We started out talking. Just as friends—”
Linden rubbed his palm over his face. “If he says with benefits, I’m not going to be the one to explain that to Mom.”
Magnolia threw a dishtowel at her brother. “Shut the hell up.”
Diana wagged a finger at her. “There is no need for language like that.”
“We started out as friends,” I repeated, “even though I was very impatient and didn’t want to wait. Somewhere along the line, things changed and I’m happy I made the cut.” With an easy shrug, I added, “I have been bribing Gronk with some primo dog treats so I can’t say I’ve been playing it entirely fair.”
“I’ll allow it,” Linden said.
“Isn’t that precious!” Diana cooed. “If you’re on Gronk’s good side, you’re on mine too.”
Magnolia busied herself with putting the flowers in a vase and filing the bottle of white wine away in the fridge, occasionally glancing over at me with a knowing grin while her mother peppered me with questions. She wanted to know about my family, where I was from, how I liked New England compared to New York.
When those matters were suitably addressed, Diana hooked a glance at her daughter, saying, “I wish I’d known you were bringing a guest, Magnolia. I would’ve had an extra place set at the table.”
Magnolia pointed at the pile of plates and cutlery on the countertop. “You haven’t set the table because you make the boys do that and I didn’t get any notice about Trevor—”
“Troy,” Ash interrupted.
“Are you sure? It’s not Truman?” Linden asked him.
Ash shook his head. “Troy.”
“Troubadour,” Linden replied.
“Telemachus,” Ash said.
“Tommy boy,” Linden said.
“Toulouse,” Ash said.
“Enough of that,” Diana snapped. To Magnolia, she said, “I would’ve appreciated some notice, if for no other reason than making sure I had enough for an extra guest.”
Magnolia folded her arms. “Enough? Really? Not sure that one holds up, Mom, seeing as you always cook enough to send the three of us home with several days’-worth of leftovers.”
“No leftovers for me, thanks,” Ash said. “I’m traveling for an audit all week.”
My ears perked up at that. “You’re in auditing?”
Ash shrugged. “Financial accounting, audits, taxation.”
“Investment banking,” I said. “You’re based out of Boston, I assume?”
Behind me, I heard Diana whisper to Magnolia, “He’s a banker?”
Ash nodded. “Yeah. My office is near Copley. Where are you?”
“Financial district,” I said. “State Street.”
Linden glanced between me and Ash. “Oh. What a wonderful development. Another money guy at the table. Thank the gods for beer.”
Ignoring his brother, Ash studied me for a thoughtful moment before saying, “Any ideas what the Fed will do to interest rates next month?”
I dropped down to unclip Gronk’s leash. “I have a few ideas, yeah, but most of them are wishful thinking.”
Diana snapped her fingers at us. “We don’t talk business at dinner.”
Ash gestured to the breakfast table. “It’s not dinner yet.”
“It will be soon enough. Go set the table,” she ordered. “We’ll use the nice glasses tonight. Okay? From the china cabinet. And the nice cloth napkins too. Take your brother with you.” Gronk chased after Ash and Linden as they exited the kitchen. “Magnolia, set out a bowl of water for the dog. He must be dying of thirst after the drive down here.”
“Already did,” she replied as she came up beside me. “Where’s Dad?”
“At the golf course,” Diana said. “Something about getting in an hour at the driving range. That was two hours ago.”
Magnolia met my gaze with a cheeky grin. “Anything I can do to help?” I asked.
“Heaven’s sake, no,” Diana said.
“I don’t mind being put to work,” I said. “I’m sure there’s something I could do for you.” Magnolia rolled her eyes at me. I gave her a wink. “Closing the deal,” I mouthed to her.
“You could help Magnolia pick some parsley from the garden,” Diana said. She pointed to a basket by the door. “I’m not sure if there’s any more Mexican oregano but if you see any, grab a few sprigs.”
Magnolia looped the basket’s handle in the crook of her elbow and gestured for me to join her outside. I followed as she meandered through the garden, watching as she studied the leaves and flowers in the beds. My gaze traced the line of her legs as she walked, the curve of her hips as she kneeled down to snip some greens.
She reached back, her hand waiting for mine. I took it, stepped closer to her. “What should I be looking for, love?”
“Some privacy,” she said with a laugh.
I leaned in, pressed my lips to the back of her neck. “We’ll get enough of that later tonight.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want some right now,” she replied. “This is stressful for me, you know? You’re amazing and they adore you, and everything is great, but this whole thing is a lot.”
I wrapped an arm around her waist, nestled her backside against my front. “How can I make it less stressful?”
“You can’t,” she said, laughing again. “But there’s a spot in the back there, behind those trees, that’s almost completely hidden. If you wanted to—”
“If you think I can fuck you behind a tree and then take you inside to sit through a meal with your parents and brothers, you are very confused about several things. I don’t know how to fuck you politely, my love, and it will show.”
A deep throat clearing sounded behind us. Then, “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Carlo Santillian. Magnolia’s father. And who are you?”
Where was the dog when I needed him?
“Oh my god,” Magnolia whispered. “Oh my god.”
With a resolute nod to myself, I stepped forward and extended my hand in the man’s direction. “Rob Russo, sir.” He regarded me and my hand with an impatient glare that suggested I really shouldn’t talk about my carnal knowledge of his daughter while on his property. Not unless I wanted to see what he could do with his nine-iron.
Fair. That was fair.
With a slight eye roll, he took my hand and gave it a quick shake. “Walk inside with me,” he said. “My wife won’t holler about me being late for supper if she’s busy being polite to you.”
I shot Magnolia a tight smile as I marched back into the kitchen, Mr. Santillian hot on my heels. As expected, Diana was this close to railing at her husband but choked it down in favor of asking me whether we found any of the oregano she wanted.
Magnolia entered the kitchen behind us, the basket filled with herbs and her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. She swatted my ass as she passed by, mouthing over her shoulder, “You’re trouble.”
I nodded because she was right. I’d been trouble from the start. Instead of copping to that, I whispered, “I love you.”
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