by Meika Usher
“Oh, for sure.” She reached for the cards James dealt her way. “I love Go Fish.”
“You have no weapons on you, right?” I murmured, earning an acidic glare.
“Ha,” she replied, crossing her legs beneath her. “Very funny.”
“I’m just saying. You’re a sore loser. James is a sore loser. Someone’s about to cry or get stabbed, and if I can prevent that, then—”
Birdie cut off my smart-assery with a finger jab to my armpit. I yelped and squirmed away, prompting Cora to tighten her arms around my neck and squeal.
“Children,” James chided, amusement in his eyes as he looked at me. “Are we ready?”
Cora leaned forward, a braid smacking me in the face. “Do you have any fives, Daddy?”
James thumbed through his cards. “Go fish.”
Birdie straightened her own cards, then tilted her head our way. “Do you have any...sevens, Cora?”
“Aww,” Cora groaned, reaching down to pluck a card from my hand and give it to Birdie.
Around us, the rest of the room filled back up with its usual chatter, and I relaxed into the game. Round and round it went. After a couple hands, Birdie leaned over to whisper in my ear.
“I think your brother’s cheating.”
“Oh, he definitely is,” I whispered back, watching as James shuffled the cards. “He hates losing.”
“Hmm,” she replied as James began dealing the next hand. “Let me handle this.”
I had no idea what she meant, but as the hand progressed, I figured it out. While I didn’t particularly care that James had a burning need to win, Birdie did. And she’d had it with the losing. Cora and I watched as they went back and forth, asking each other for cards, leaving us completely out of the loop.
“You got any kings, James?” Birdie asked, leveling her blue eyes on him.
“Not a one,” he replied, holding her stare.
“Uh-huh,” she murmured, tracing over the edges of her cards with a fingertip. “Except that you totally do.”
“You are incorrect.” He tilted his chin. “No kings.”
She looked at the matches laid out before them. It was dead-even. The round was winding down. “You asked me for a king earlier.”
At that, he flinched. “I do not recall that.”
“Right before I handed over that there two.” She pointed to a pair of twos on the floor. “You asked if I had any kings.” Leaning forward, elbows on her knees, she added, “I’m gonna need that king, James.”
James pressed his lips together and breathed through his nose. I watched in fascination. The entire room watched in fascination. Was this it? Was this the first moment in Kim family history that James would admit defeat?
Silence descended. The two stared at each other for a long moment. No one else moved. No one dared. Even the ever-bustling Cora stilled in her place on my back. I looked from Birdie, who had one brow quirked and a challenging gleam in her eye, to James, who looked so very ill at ease. And I was loving every second of it.
Just when it seemed neither one would cave, James exhaled, one giant gust of defeat. “Fine, okay,” he growled, tossing a card down onto the floor. “There’s your king.”
“Why, thank you,” Birdie said sweetly, picking it up to pair with her own king. Then, she sat the cards down before her and smiled serenely.
Around us, the room erupted in cheers.
“Finally!” Aidan whooped. “Finally, someone gets him to admit defeat.”
“You’re good,” Sarah chimed in, her face pink with amusement. “I like you.”
Birdie shrugged off their praise and extended her hand to James. “Good game, man.”
He looked from her face to her hand, and I thought he wasn’t going to shake it. But then, he nodded, shoulders sagging. “You got me,” he muttered, taking it. “Good game.”
“Does this mean you’ll let me win, too?” Cora asked, her cheek smooshed against mine. And I swore I could see the inside of my brother’s head explode.
“Dinner is ready!” Ma called, saving James from answering.
One by one, everyone filed into the dining room, ready to feast. Birdie and I hung back, and, once we were alone, I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me. “I think you just became a legend in the Kim household,” I said, winding my arms around her waist.
She lifted her face to mine, eyes sparkling. “Hey, you said it. I hate los—”
I kissed her before she could finish. Couldn’t wait any longer. And when she kissed me back, when her fingers threaded through my hair, when her sigh filled my mouth, something inside me clicked. Like a puzzle piece, or...the last piece of a super complicated Lego set. And it felt...right.
When we parted, she placed a soft hand on my cheek and, judging by the look in her eyes, she’d felt it, too. “Happy birthday,” she whispered, her thumb tracing over my bottom lip.
“All right, you two,” Aidan called. “Ma won’t let us eat till you’re in here.”
Birdie laughed and took my hand, pulling me toward the dining room. And, as we walked through the doorway to find my family surrounding the table, busily chatting and dishing out food while our fingers were still linked, the thought rang loud again.
The last Lego piece had snapped into place.
40: Birdie
Years of game nights at Sunny and Ben’s had prepared me well for my introduction to the Kim family. Wiping the floor with sore losers was kinda my thing, after all, so defeating Nate’s older brother was easy-peasy.
What wasn’t easy was...well, everything else.
Walking into that dining room was like walking into a lion’s den. If the lions were overprotective mamas and nosy brothers and squealing toddlers, anyway.
I’d spent my afternoon at Rusty’s talking to my client—a twenty-something marine biologist named Ashlee—about tonight. And as I stood there, in the doorway of Nate’s mother’s dining room, our conversation replayed in my head.
“Meeting the parents is a big deal,” she’d said, watching as I began coloring in the purple octopus on her shoulder. She’d originally asked for a super simple seahorse from my flash book, “because ocean.” But as we talked more, I learned that seahorses weren’t actually her thing. I pulled out my personal sketchbook, then, an idea hitting me.
She fell immediately in love with the creepy purple creature on the page. And, man, was I excited to give this guy life on her skin.
I was excited to do something original for a change.
“Like, a really big deal,” Ashlee continued, and I refocused my attention back to our conversation. Oh, yeah. Nate’s parents.
“I know,” I said, ignoring the somersaulting in my stomach. As if I wasn’t already nervous about tonight. I glanced up, catching Ashlee wince. “Doing all right?”
“Oh, I’m good.” She smiled brightly. “You, on the other hand, look terrified.”
“Nah.” I returned her smile, and my own felt a little forced. “I wouldn’t say terrified.” I paused to wipe excess ink from her skin. “Anxious, afraid, apprehensive, maybe. But not terrified.”
Ashlee laughed. “You do realize all those words mean the same thing, right?”
“Shh.” I leaned back over her shoulder, narrowing my eyes on the tentacle in progress.
“You ever met parents before, Bird?” The question came from Julian, who’d been blatantly eavesdropping as he hunched over his client’s back. “I feel like you haven’t.”
“You would be correct,” I muttered, not looking up.
Julian let out a low, long whistle. “Good luck with that.”
Now, as we hovered in the doorway, watching as everyone filled their bowls with delicious-smelling food, I knew they were right. This was, in fact, a really big deal.
I glanced toward Nate’s mom, who stood at the head of the table, talking in Korean to her husband. She was the one to win over, I could tell. And...what if I didn’t? What if she didn’t like me? What if my entire relationship with Nate hinged on wh
ether Mrs. Kim approved or not? That...that was a lot of pressure.
“Shit,” I whispered, feeling my feet root to the ground
“It’ll be all right,” Nate whispered back as he tugged my hand, pulling me into the dining room. “I apologize in advance for anything anyone might say,” he murmured into my ear, pulling out a chair for me. “They sometimes forget how to behave like civilized humans.”
“Heard that,” Aidan said, grinning from his place to my right. “And it’s true.”
I glanced his way, lifting a brow. “Rumor has it, it’s your fault I’m here in the first place.”
“Correct.” He shrugged unapologetically. “I can guarantee it won’t be as bad as the first time I brought Davis home, though.”
Nate hissed in a breath as he filled a bowl and placed it in front of me. “God, I hope not.”
“Wait, what happened when you brought Davis home?” I looked from Aidan to Nate. “And should I be worried?”
Nate shot Aidan a shut up look. “No, no. It’s gonna be fine,” he said, but his eyes flickered with concern. “I’m sure it’s gonna be fine.”
But as he said it, he didn’t even sound like he believed it.
“So, Birdie,” Nate’s mother started from her end of the table, and both boys straightened. “Tell us. How did you meet my Nate?”
My stomach clenched as everyone’s attention shifted to me. Showtime. “I—”
“Birdie and I have known each other for years, Ma,” Nate answered for me, taking my hand under the table. “She’s Sunny’s sister.”
At that, Mrs. Kim’s face lit up. “Oh, I love Sunny!” she said as she picked up her spoon. “Did you know that, for years, we all thought Sunny and Nate were—”
“Ma,” Nate cut in. “Come on.”
“I’m just saying,” she continued, blinking innocently. “You two spend an awful lot of time together.”
“Yeah, well, that’s kinda what happens when you’re cowriting a comic book,” he grumbled as he picked up his spoon and tapped it against the rim of his bowl.
I tossed a mischievous grin to Nate, then turned to Mrs. Kim. He was probably gonna kill me for this. “I know what you mean, Mrs. Kim. All the late nights and shared hotel rooms?”
Nate made a strangled sound and I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. Mrs. Kim nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Who can share a hotel room with someone as handsome as my Nate and not want to—”
“I think we’re done with this conversation,” Nate said before his mother could finish. “I think we’re super done with this conversation.” His cheeks had turned that adorable shade of red they always did when he was uncomfortable. And dammit if I didn’t want to snuggle the ever-loving shit out of him right now.
Turning away, I picked up my spoon and shifted my focus to the bowl before me. “This looks delicious,” I said, taking in the bright array of vegetables and beef atop a bed of rice. My tummy rumbled.
Mrs. Kim straightened in her seat, pride shining on her face. “Thank you,” she said, pushing her blue-framed glasses up her nose. “Have you had bibimbap before?”
I nodded. “It’s one of my favorites,” I said as I started mixing everything together. “One of my roommates in Budapest was Korean, and she’d cook for us all once a week.” I reached for the gouchujang sauce. “I also really love jeyuk bokkeum.”
“That’s my favorite,” James said around a mouthful of rice. “Ma’s is the best you’ll ever have.”
Passing Mrs. Kim a smile, I said, “I’m looking forward to trying it.”
Beside me, I could feel Nate relax the teensiest bit. So far, so good.
As everyone dug into their food, conversation drifted around us. Cora began a tale about her friends from school, and Davis leaned down, listening intently. James’s wife chatted with Aidan about a TV show they were both watching. I lifted my spoon to my lips, feeling the knot in my stomach ease for the first time all day.
“How do you feel about children, Birdie?”
The question came from Mrs. Kim—of course it did—and I turned her way so fast I almost got whiplash. “I’m sorry?”
“Nate isn’t getting any younger, you know. He should really be thinking about children soon. Especially if his...” she glanced at the kids, “downstairs isn’t working properly.”
“Ma!” Nate said. “Inappropriate dinner conversation.”
She simply shrugged. “I’m just expressing motherly concern,” she said idly, digging her spoon into her bowl.
“There’s no reason to be concerned about my downstairs,” he growled back.
“You know? I was also very concerned about the condition of his downstairs.” I chimed in, ignoring the feel of Nate’s glare on my face and added, “But I am pleased to report that everything is just fine. Better than fine, in fact.”
Aidan snorted. Sarah slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. Mrs. Kim beamed. “Oh, good.” She nodded, lifting her spoon to her lips. “Good, good.” She chewed her bite, a speculative look on her face. Once she swallowed, she spoke again. “How many grandbabies will you give me, then?”
Nate choked on his bibimbap. To Mrs. Kim’s right, her husband shook his head and spooned another bite into his mouth. Everyone else sort of...leaned in, awaiting my answer.
I shrugged. Might as well roll with it. “Oh, maybe six?” Glancing Nate’s way, I stifled a smirk. He’d gone from tomato red to beet red. And I enjoyed that way more than I probably should. “Or eight. Definitely not seven, though. I was the last of three, and I always felt just a little left out. Even numbers are better for that, I think.”
Mrs. Kim nodded. “Aidan always wished he had a younger sibling.”
“Yeah, because these jerk wads would ignore me all the time,” Aidan said, waving a hand toward James, then Nate. “I don’t know how many times I stood all by myself on the sidewalk, watching them ride off on their bikes without me.”
“Aww, dude.” I bumped my shoulder against his. “I get that. My brother and sister never let me come on their adventures.”
Aidan looked at his husband, then, face serious. “We are not having an uneven number of babies,” he said. “Everyone needs an adventure buddy.”
Davis laughed then threw his arm over Aidan’s shoulder, dropping a kiss on his forehead. “You got it, babe.”
Mrs. Kim nodded approvingly, then leaned toward her husband, murmuring softly. Everyone else broke off into their own conversational words.
“Really?” Nate muttered my way. “Was that necessary?”
“Hey man,” I whispered back. “Just trying to get in good with your mother.”
“And you thought talking about our future children and my...downstairs was the best way to do that?”
I gestured toward Mrs. Kim, who was chewing happily on her dinner. “Seems to have worked.”
Aidan leaned forward to peer around me, looking at Nate. “Hey, at least she didn’t ask how the dirty business worked with you two.”
I gasped, putting a hand on Aidan’s arm. “She didn’t.”
Aidan nodded solemnly. “Sure as fuck did. I’m surprised Davis stuck around after that.”
At the mention of his name, Davis slung an arm over the back of Aidan’s chair. “Please. If anything was gonna scare me off, it would’ve been the way you sleep with your eyes half-open.”
“Yeah? Well, at least I don’t sound like I’m competing in a NASCAR race when I snore,” Aidan shot back, and the two grinned like doofuses at each other, turning me all mushy on the inside.
I turned to Nate. “I will no longer discuss your downstairs with your mother,” I said, dropping my spoon to rest my hand against his cheek. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right,” he said, kissing my palm. “I’m sure there are many more awkward conversations to come.”
I nodded, my tone serious as I replied, “Hazard of dating an Oliver, I’m afraid.”
Nate smiled, his eyes softening behind his glasses. “You’re worth it,”
he said before turning back to his food.
As he dug into his bowl, I smiled to myself, his words radiating inside me like a mid-summer bonfire. You’re worth it. I glanced over, studying his profile as he chewed. You just might be worth it, too, I thought. And then I waited. I waited for the heavy dread I’d felt every time something threatened to stick around for a while.
It didn’t come.
I sank back in my seat, surprised.
Unnerved.
And...just a little bit okay with it.
41: Nate
We made it through the rest of the meal with little to no further embarrassing moments. Ma seemed to have gotten what she wanted with Birdie’s confirmation that there was nothing wrong with my “downstairs,” and moved on to much less traumatizing commentary. Like the time I tried to get my high school to start an apocalypse survival course.
“You and Sunny,” Birdie had said with a roll of her eyes and a hint of a smile. “One and the damn same.”
I shrugged unapologetically. “I just wanted my fellow classmates to be prepared.”
Birdie then proceeded to tell the entire table about the time Sunny helped her move in college, and how she’d spent the entire day talking zombies with Birdie’s college boyfriend. “Long story short,” she finished. “Apparently, zombie insurance is a thing.”
By birthday cake time, Birdie had the entire table eating out of her hand. Cora had migrated from her place a few seats down to perch on Birdie’s knee, and even James had given up the bitter loser act to converse with her. She was charming and funny, and brash as hell, and not a soul in the room had been able to resist.
Including me.
Especially me.
Ma disappeared into the kitchen to get the cake and I turned to watch the very intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors that Birdie and Cora were engrossed in. Birdie was unexpectedly amazing with the kids. She hadn’t even recoiled in horror when baby Isaac offered to share his mushy, disgusting food with her over dinner. She simply leaned in and pretended to take a bite.
This woman was a goddamn enigma.