Mated by eXtasy Books (best book club books for discussion .txt) 📕

Ferric wasdevastating. His mom hadn’t been able to wait to dump him at ourdoor because her new husband didn’t want him in the home. Francoisand I certainly wouldn’t give him up without a fight.

“She can’t do that, canshe?” I asked Francois.

“No.” He frowned. He’d beendoing that a lot today. “I’m not going to lie to her, but I’ll takemy time and I’ll tell her in my own way.”

“I’m not going back there!”Ferric suddenly shrieked.

“What’s going on?” Momasked.

I was certain I saw Larsunbutton his black vest to get to his gun. Oh, man, that’s all we need.

“Nothing’s going on,”Francois said.

“I’m not going back,” Ferricsaid, his voice tiny.

“Of course not,” his fatherresponded. “Your home is with us. Right, Mingo?”

“Right.” I rushed forwardand hugged our kid. “I can’t imagine our home without you. Andbesides, who else would play golf with Mr. Leonard everyFriday?”

Ferric grinned. “Nobody. He’s such asore loser.”

“Exactly!”

My mom stepped in, taking Ferric intoher arms.

“I just got him, Mingo.Nobody’s taking my only grandson away from me.”

Ferric’s smile widened. He sure got awhole lotta crazy love from us. He soon forgot all the family dramawhen we told him to pick out another game.

Francois must have sensed my lingeringdesolation because he hugged me at the checkout line.

“He’s okay, baby, kids areresilient.”

“I won’t send him back tothat horrible man,” I said.

“Honey, I’ll have Shenice’shusband fed to crocodiles before I let him anywhere near Ferricagain.”

“I’m going to hold you tothat, Francois.”

He smiled. He adored having Ferric inour lives as much as I did. And to think that not so long ago Ididn’t even know the kid existed. Francois had fathered him soShenice could have her long-cherished baby, but over the years,she’d drifted away from him and he’d allowed it, throwing himselfinto work.

As Ferric had grown, Shenice struggledwith him. Her recent marriage had proven to be the deal breaker,but I just could not understand why. Like I said, Ferric was asweet, smart kid. He was no brat. He’d made a big impact on ourlives. My mom adored him and he’d made fast friends with awonderful group of guys on the North Shore. Most were the offspringof surfers, but the irony was that we lived in the best big-surfterritory in the northern hemisphere, but Ferric and his newfriends were brainiacs with a yen for knowledge.

I’d been cautiouslyagreeable to having him move to Hawaii with us, until I actually methim. Then, every shred of doubt I had evaporated. I loved him andwanted him to be happy with us. Until today, he had been happy andthe guilt ate at me.

“Sweetheart, stop it,”Francois suddenly said.

“What?” but I’ve never beenable to hide my emotions. Every last thought must have been easyfor Francois to read.

“What happened was not yourfault. I don’t blame you and I thank you for not trying anyheroics. I’m just pissed as hell that I wasn’t there. And I wantyou to know, I’ve offered a reward for these assholes. I’ll get‘em. You’ll see.”

We’d hardly talked about what happenedwith the carjacking. We’d had no privacy apart from our quickie.His words soothed my jangled nerves however and I felt much betteras we went off in search of pineapple-fried rice.

We allowed Ferric his fun with his newgames as we hunkered around a round table at the Butterfly Chineserestaurant. It was much nicer than some of the places my mom and Ifrequented, but we were all ecstatic with the menu.

Our family members were partial toteriyaki chicken, bean curd with snow peas, shrimp in lobstersauce…my mom was mad about scallion pancakes and we ordered loadsof chow fun.

“You people can eat,” Larssaid.

“We’re Hawaiian,” Mom said, stopping thewaiter to order a plate of coconut shrimp. “You’ll have to comevisit us,” she said, batting her eyelids at Lars.

“I’ll do that,” hesaid.

Holy shit. That’s what Hawaiineeded. A genuine Italian Mafioso with animprobable name.

Ferric stopped playing oncethe food arrived, but he ate with one hand, clinging to his newGame Boy. I knew how he felt. I couldn’t bear to see him lose thisone, too. He was not a greedy or spoiled kid. He never asked foranything. We always had to guess and to ask what he wanted. He wasunusual in that he took care of all his things. He loved everythingwe’d given him from his bedroom furnishings to hisAloha wear.

Francois seemed distracted as we ate.He paid for the meal and when Lars dropped all of us off at themotel, he waited until the man’s SUV was out of sight before hespoke.

“I’m passing on the job Ipicked up here. I’m taking you both to the Caribbean for a fewdays, then I want us all to go home.”

Ferric and I looked at eachother.

“Cool!” we said inunison.

“What about me?” Mompouted.

“This is a family vacation,”Francois said. “It wouldn’t be one without you.”

She flushed with joy. “Can I inviteLars?”

“No!” the three of usshouted.

“Well! I was justasking…”

We’d booked three rooms atthe Best Western. Mom wanted to watch movies in her room and Ferricopted to join her. Unbelievably, they were still hungry and afterloading up on vending machine junk from the hallway, they watchedthe Twilight movieswhilst Francois and I got naked in our room.

He’d called our house sitter and friendMax, who was looking after our cats as well as keeping an eye onMom’s house, as well as Leilani and Mele’s home, too. He told Maxwhere to find all our passports. Max said he would FedEx them to usstraight away. I would need that passport for ID purposes anywaysince my driver’s license had been stolen. I wouldn’t be able toget on a plane anywhere without identification.

Not for the first time, I was gratefulto live with a resourceful, smart guy.

“We’ll have them in themorning,” Francois said, joining me for a quick shower. “It’s agood thing Hawaii’s six hours behind us. He can overnighteverything to us.”

“How are the kitties? Did hesay?”

“He said they follow himeverywhere.” Francois grinned. “Our whole family is nuts, you know,even our animals.”

I squeezed some plumeria body shampooonto his wonderful, dark-coffee colored skin. I loved the contrastin our coloring. I splayed my hands across his broadchest.

“Would you have it any otherway?”

He grinned down at me,