“Really?” Robbie said, as he washed his hands and picked up his wine glass. “Because I believed her in a hot second when she said you got knocked up by golden boy Jack Paulson.”
Penny aimed daggers at their sister. “God. You have such a big mouth, Felicity.”
Oh shit, here we go.
“He was going to find out anyway,” Felicity said. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“The big deal is Jack’s married and it was a one-night, stupid, drunken mistake.”
“So no one knows but…us?” Robbie said. “How scandalous. Does Jack know?”
“Yes,” Penny said, her voice lowering. “But that’s it. He refuses to tell Mary Beth yet, and had a fit when I said I wanted to tell Ma and Pa. So for now, it’s easier with the families so close to just—”
“Lie?” Robbie offered.
Penny smacked him in the arm. “I’m not lying, I’m just—”
“Omitting the truth?” Felicity suggested.
“You need to keep a lid on it,” Penny said to her. “I don’t want to be the focus of any more gossip than I already am.”
“Umm, newsflash,” Felicity said. “Unless you go into labor this weekend, you’re not the one who’s going to be under scrutiny for the next three days. Robbie and his married couple are.”
“Felicity,” Robbie said, and when everyone in the room stopped and looked at them, Robbie realized how loudly he’d said that. “I…I don’t know how many times we have to have this argument. I won the karaoke challenge last year. Don’t even play.”
Priest’s eyes narrowed as he toweled off his hands, and Julien grinned. There was no way in hell they believed that bullshit story for a second.
But then Robbie’s ma—God bless Ma—walked back into the kitchen and said, “I think Robert’s right, honey. He did that peppy little song about calling someone—what’s the name of it again? It was stuck in my head for days.”
Valerie put her hand on Priest’s bicep. “‘Call Me Maybe.’ He was obsessed with it.”
Robbie arched an eyebrow at his touchy-feely sister. “Well, he’s going to be calling you never, Val. So hands off.”
Valerie hugged Priest’s arm, and Robbie rolled his eyes as she began humming the song, and when the rest of his sisters started to sing the chorus, Robbie’s heart lodged in his throat.
If Priest and Julien weren’t both standing there staring at his blushing cheeks—and insane family—Robbie might’ve gotten a good laugh out of his sisters singing around the kitchen like they used to when they were teenagers. As it was, he wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
“You suck,” he told Valerie, who winked.
“As do you, I’m sure.”
“Valerie,” their mother said as she opened the fridge. “That’s no way for a lady to talk.”
Robbie grinned triumphantly, and thought he was off scot-free until their ma grabbed some butter and turned to pin him with that stare of hers. “Or young men, for that matter.”
Robbie’s eyes shifted to Julien, who was washing his hands at the center island as he mouthed cheeky, and Robbie’s legs suddenly felt unsteady.
“Ugh,” Penny said, recapturing everyone’s attention. “That song is like the plague—utterly contagious.”
Valerie started laughing, and then turned to gaze up at Priest. “And I don’t do it half as good as Robbie.”
“I’m sure he’s something to see,” Priest said, and when he turned his eyes on Robbie, it was all Robbie could do not to grab hold of the counter to keep himself upright.
Okay, Julien and Priest needed to get back to work and stop looking at him, because they were making him forget his brain and how to do simple things like, you know, stand and…talk.
“He showed us his rendition of a certain Starship song,” Priest said. “Maybe we can convince him to show us this one too.”
“Oui,” Julien said, “Starship has never sounded so good.”
Robbie was about to mention one other time a Starship song sounded pretty amazing, in a horrible way, when his mother hugged him into her side.
“He always was the little performer, weren’t you, baby?” she said. “Dressing up in my high heels and your sister’s skirts. He really was quite pretty.”
“Was? Thanks, Ma,” Robbie said, shaking his head. “And I don’t think they need to know all of this.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re still pretty. And I always thought you and Felicity would’ve made a fabulous little pop group.”
“Oh my God,” Robbie muttered, his cheeks now burning with embarrassment. “Kill me now.”
As the loud rumble of a truck sounded, everyone in the kitchen fell silent as Robbie and his sisters looked toward the back door. Ma put the tub of butter on the kitchen counter and squeezed Robbie’s arm.
“Right,” she said, and aimed a smile at Julien and Priest. They were also staring at the back door, their smiles from a moment ago having been replaced with serious expressions, because the final Bianchi had just arrived home. “I’m going to go out and help your father. I trust you can all look after our guests.”