"Yeah, Sam and I were five or six when we finally met Dad." Even so, I sort of agreed with Vivie. Once my mom and dad's orbits had collided again, it seemed like we came together as a family quickly.
"I know. You've said it before. I just find it hard to believe that once Mom came back to New York, the two of you weren't back in your happily ever after mode." Vivie chased a cherry tomato from her salad around the plate with her fork.
"It took some time. And definitely some work,” my father said.
My mother nodded. "Having an attraction, or even loving someone, doesn't automatically make for a good relationship. Your dad and I had to come to terms with our past. We’d had misconceptions about what happened when we parted. We had to learn to trust each other again, which meant starting over. In fact, I might even describe it as starting from a negative position because going into it, I'd been angry at your dad."
My dad squeezed her hand again. "And I'd been angry at your mom. You have to really open up your heart and be willing to risk getting hurt to get what your mom and I have."
Vivie scoffed. "We all know Sam walks around with an open heart on his sleeve."
I nodded in agreement as I sipped my wine. "But Kate doesn't. We can't blame her, considering what Sam did five years ago. But that wasn't all she had to endure emotionally. Apparently, her grandfather had disowned her, and while she had a brother to help her, she’s stubborn enough that she was going to fight her way through the world, and that made her harder."
Vivie slanted her gaze at me. "How do you know so much?"
"I was in California a lot as Sam and Kate were going through all their shit."
"Well, it sounds like Kate has come around. And they're having a baby. I hate that they won't be here for Christmas, but Sam promised that they would come for a visit soon." My mom sighed, clearly feeling happy for Sam, Kate, and the baby, while also sad that she wouldn’t see them on Christmas.
"Yeah, you just have to make sure Sandra and Chelsea aren’t here at the same time,” Vivie warned, finally stabbing the tomato and popping it in her mouth.
After dinner, Vivie asked me if I wanted to go down to the theater room and watch a movie with her. It was something we regularly did, so I agreed.
I made the popcorn and met Vivi in the theater. She was sitting in one of the reclining chairs and I took a seat next to her.
She reached over and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Do you think Sam and Kate are going to be like Mom and Dad? I mean, do you think they're going to make it?"
I shrugged. "I hope so. I haven't seen them together since they reconciled. When I left last time, he was the one who was done with her. But I hope so."
Vivie opened a can of spiked seltzer while I twisted the top of my beer off.
"What about you? I never see you dating anyone,” she said, sipping her drink.
"I date on occasion."
She smirked at me. "That's not dating, Max. You're such a player, and nobody even knows it."
I shrugged. "There's something to be said for discretion." I thought about how I'd been having an affair with Amelia, who happened to be my wife, and no one in my family knew it. A tinge of guilt settled deep in my belly, but it wasn't enough for me to confess.
"You don't want to fall in love, do you?"
I furrowed my brows as I looked at my sister. "Why would you say that?"
She wiped condensation off her seltzer can. "I don’t get the feeling you’re playing the field until the right woman catches your fancy. I think you're with a woman when the urge strikes you, and the rest of the time, you want to be alone. Why is that?"
I leaned over, bumping my shoulder against hers. "Since when did you become a psychologist?"
"I'm not. But that doesn't mean I don't know my brothers."
"What about you, little sis? I don't see you pulling out the bridal magazines."
She laughed. "I'm only twenty-two. I think Mom and Dad would have a cardiac arrest if I tried to settle down now."
"Still, you could be dating. There should be some handsome, smart guy sitting in this seat instead of your big brother."
She shrugged. "I was dating someone, but I don't know..."
I turned my upper body to face her as worry grew. "What happened? Did he hurt you?"