Later that evening Liesl smiled nervously as Apolonia reached for her hands and then tugged her into a tight hug, rocking her back and forth excitedly. “Um, okay, wow. Hi.”
“Hi!” The woman smiled back, “you look gorgeous. I’m so sorry for last night. Everything was a shit show, wasn’t it?”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she shook her head refusing the apology.
“Yeah, it was the giant doofus’ fault for forgetting who the most important person was,” Enia smirked as she smacked her brother in the back of the head as she stepped to hug Liesl. “Though we did all get caught up in the drama of the McGraths. Sorry, Liesl. We let you down. I promise to be a better sister to you.”
Her words stunned her, and she blinked but before she could respond Goncalo was moving.
Goncalo stepped up, his arms wrapped around both her and Enia. “Welcome to the family, Liesl where the men are hotheads, and the women are worse than the men.”
She giggled as he kissed both her cheeks and helped her to her seat, doting on her and reminding her of how much she missed her own dad. “I thought you all handled yourselves well.”
They all looked to Isaias with raised eyebrows, and she had sinking suspicion he had not told her something vital about the evening before. “What did I miss?”
Isaias cleared his throat, shooting daggers at his family. “I didn’t do anything.” He waved at his mother and sister, “they simply took exception when Torrie McGrath told them not to get too attached to you because you would be her daughter again soon.”
“She said what now?” Liesl groaned wondering how much more drama the McGrath clan could possibly start.
Enia shrugged, “Mom and I were at the bar, and she approached all pouty. One of the other women complimented her on her new daughter-in-law. We all knew it was not heartfelt and mom and I snickered a bit. She got mad. She said Merlin made a mistake, but he was rectifying the issue and it was only a matter of time before everything was back to the way it was, and you were back on the arm of the right man.”
She muffled a curse against her palm as she closed her eyes, “why can’t they let me go?”
“Because you’re amazing,” Enia grinned. “Anyway, mom said you were on the arm of the right man and commented how excited she was to bring you to the next family reunion to show you off since you’re Isaias’ perfect match. Torrie took offence to this and said you were far too smart to take up permanently with the likes of the Machado family. Mom found the comment rude and told her all the money in the world wouldn’t make you go back to the cheating man-whore who fucked his own sister-in-law. Then she dumped a glass of wine over her chest for good measure.”
“No!” Liesl’s eyes bugged at the comment. “Apolonia!”
“She had it coming.”
“This is why we don’t attend these things,” Isaias laughed under his breath. “We don’t really mix well with old school money. We’re not very classy.”
“Anyway, she got all flustered because her dress was expensive or something so I told her she could have her husband expense it to Isaias when he met with him Monday morning and Isaias would make sure to add the amount to the severance package he was going to get.” Enia giggled. “It had the entire gala buzzing.”
“Holy shit,” Liesl sat back in stunned amazement. “You didn’t hold back?”
“Nope.” Apolonia winked at her. “Don’t come for my family and think I’m not going to strike back,” she lifted her wine glass as if in a toast, “and you my sweet child are my family now.”
She felt her cheeks staining with the comment and smiled at her, “thank you.”
“Oh, it was my absolute pleasure. I’ve never understood a woman who could mindlessly follow their husband’s leads. If my husband was into doing anything which would make me ashamed, he’d have my foot in his ass.”
She giggled at Apolonia’s words, “is this so?”
“It is.”
“Thankfully I have more common sense than most and I know better than to behave like an amoralistic asshat.” Goncalo grinned at her before sipping his own wine. “We might not have the old-world money Isaias mentioned but I have ethics, compassion and empathy, unlike your last father-in-law.”
“I can’t believe he put recording devices in your apartment.” Isaias grunted his complaint.
“Yeah, what’s with that?” Enia asked. “Has he always been a freak or is this new?”
She shifted uncomfortably, “the very first time I ever met Trent I went home to my brother and told him I wasn’t sure about Merlin because his father was a creepy bastard. He had his eyes on my body and Torrie didn’t seem to notice at all and Merlin looked everywhere but at his father’s gaze. I went out with them many times over the years and never, in all of this time, did I ever see him look at anyone other than Torrie and thought maybe I was being sensitive. He never flirted with anyone or got fresh with anyone. Yet one Christmas he had too much eggnog and tried to kiss me under the mistletoe. Another time at a family dinner he squeezed my knee under the table but then apologized later and said he had gotten confused as to who was sitting on his right and meant to squeeze Torrie’s knee. Another time,” she wriggled with the memory, “we did a family vacation to Mexico, and we didn’t know he was in the suite and Merlin, and I were um, being intimate and he sat on the sofa waiting for us to finish but he had an erection,” she whispered as the entire table was riveted with the story. “He was really drunk and when Merlin realized he was there and asked him what the hell he was doing he said he got confused over which room he was in and ended up on the sofa unable to get himself back out the door. He said he was trying to sleep it off but then he cracked a joke about how Merlin clearly didn’t know what he was doing and suggested I try the old man to see what a McGrath man can really do. Merlin took him back to his room and put him to bed.”
“Oh, fuck no,” Isaias ground out furiously, “he’s been lusting after you all this time and Merlin didn’t put an end to it?”
“Trent overindulges with alcohol on such a rare occasion and like I said, he never was inappropriate with anyone else I knew of.”
“He’s been secretly in love with you for years,” Isaias sputtered angrily.
“He probably has shoes older than Liesl,” Goncalo said with an exaggerated shudder. “I mean, you’re pretty Liesl but yuck. He’s my age and you’re only a baby.”
She giggled at his words, “good to know you find me repulsive.”
“Extraordinarily repulsive,” he cracked the joke with a wide smile, “not enough alcohol in the world.”
Isaias shook his head, “very funny, Dad. Anyway, let’s change the topic to something more pleasant. Liesl, tell my family about how you’re painting your grandmother naked.”
Enia’s face dropped in horror. “No! Did you have to see her naked body? I would rather die than see my grandma naked.”
“The human body is a beautiful thing and hers is no exception,” Liesl laughed “yes, I did see her naked. What I was not prepared for was her telling me she got a Brazilian and how much my grandfather preferred a bush.”
“Oh my god!” Enia was roaring now with the story, gripping the edge of the table as she laughed loudly.
Liesl couldn’t help but join in on the laughter, leaning into Isaias who had dropped his arm over the back of her chair.
The rest of the evening was filled with loads of laughter and Liesl feeling a very real sense of belonging with the Machado family, just as she had when she’d met Joaquim. She never wanted this feeling to end.
