A little while later, Felix’s cousin Hudson wandered over with his girlfriend, Darci. He handed me a drink that seemed an overly vibrant shade of green.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Appletini shooter,” Darci said with an excited grin. “Otto said it’s the only thing you guys drink back home.”
Hudson looked like he was going to wet his pants laughing while Otto snickered from the other side of the bonfire. I took the glass and lifted it in tribute to both of them before tossing it back.
“Now can someone please get me a goddamned beer?” I asked after swallowing the tart shot.
The crowd around the fire roared with laughter, and I noticed Arthur enjoying himself with Grandpa and Doc’s only great-grandchild, Pippa. She was sitting on his lap while he tried blowing bubbles from a cheap bottle of bubble soap into the night air.
The Texas weather was mild, and the bonfire chased away any lingering evening chill. I looked around at the casual interactions of the Wilde family, hoping it was the first of many to come. Felix and I would have to find a way to stay close to these wonderful people despite the distance between our homes.
“You’re thinking awfully hard over there,” Felix said softly beside me.
“You have a wonderful family, Fee. I just hope I can offer you enough to make it worth moving so far away from them,” I admitted. “I see now why you never really left.”
He looked around at his family and took his time answering.
“No. I never really left because I was scared. I grew up thinking the media would take advantage of me. I thought there was nothing redeeming about them.”
“I can definitely understand why you thought that,” I said gently. I wasn’t sure if he knew Grandpa Wilde had told me the story of how he came to leave his mom.
“But I’m beginning to see it a little differently now, Lio,” he said, looking up at me in the firelight. The golden tones danced with shadows on his face, and it made my heart thump in a goofy rhythm. “When I saw you on television, I thought about how you were using the power of the press to control your story. To take charge of your public perception and make sure the people who matter, the people of Liorland who count on you, know the real you. They can see you speaking on that screen and know your truth. That’s powerful, Lio. And I never realized that part of it before.”
I tightened the arm I held around his shoulders and squeezed him tighter to me. “I’m starting to realize that also, baby. It’s up to us to control the narrative. So much of leadership these days is setting a good example and a good tone for the country. Lead by example. It will make all the difference if the people can hear it directly from me.”
“Did I tell you how proud I am of you, Lio?” His eyes shined in the light from the bonfire.
“You did. But without you, I would have still been trying to stick to my stupid plan of being something other than myself.”
He leaned in for a kiss, the lightest brush of lips against mine before there were catcalls again.
“Get a room!” The shout permeated the night.
“Get the video camera!”
“Get used to it,” Felix shouted back with a laugh.
Everyone was having a good time until I noticed Grandpa Wilde straighten up and reach for Doc’s hand. One by one, everyone seemed to stop laughing and turn toward the house. It wasn’t until Felix went completely stiff in my arms that I turned to see what it was.
The infamous Jacqueline Wilde.
I didn’t even realize I’d attempted to turn Felix into my chest until I felt him resist me.
“It’s okay, Lio,” he said quietly. “She’s my mother.”
Doc spoke up. “Felix, why don’t you take Lio and—”
“It’s fine, Doc,” Felix said with determination.
“But she might tip off the press about Lio being here,” he warned.
I could see the blood drain from Felix’s face. “Oh shit,” he said, glancing up at me. “He’s right, go back to my place. Otto can show you how to get there in the dark.”
Otto moved around to lead me off, but I stayed where I was. “I’m not hiding anymore where Felix is concerned. If Jackie chooses to make a big thing of it, Felix and I will deal with it. Together.”
Felix began to shake his head in disagreement, but I stopped him with both hands on his shoulders.
“Look at me. We are together now. Please don’t send me away because you think you know what’s best for me. What’s best for me is being with you. Do you understand that? I want to be with you. That starts now.”
“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he muttered, pulling me toward the farmhouse.