Late Night Conversations

"You can't be serious?" Mrs. Ramos asked in disbelief.

"Oh, he is," Miranda sighed dramatically. "And Davey still insists on teasing me with it every time we looked at the stars."

"Okay, so I might have done it a couple of times," I retorted. "But not every time. That's impossible! I've never met someone so star crazy in my life."

"You didn't seem to mind it though." I guess it was my turn to be teased by Renzo. He really was feeling better now that he saw his mother. "You two were outside staring up at them and talking most nights after the rest of us went to bed."

"Not true," I joked. "Miranda was looking at the stars. I was mostly looking at her."

"Hey man! That's my sister. Don't be gross!" I liked this side of Renzo. I hadn't seen it much before. I decided he was going to make a fun brother-in-law one day.

"Are you all done now?" Mr. Ramos asked, clearly amused, but also worried about his wife. We fell silent because he was their father and had a legitimate reason for his concern. We'd kept Mrs. Ramos standing outside by the curb long enough. She needed to rest.

Mr. Ramos tried to lead his wife away once more, but again, she refused, looking at Miranda and me instead.

"My husband told me about you two, but I guess a part of me needed to see it for myself." She looked at her daughter and smiled. "I guess your crush on him four years ago paid off in the end." Now I knew where the Ramos children got their sense of humor, but my girlfriend answered seriously.

"It's wasn't a crush mama. It was love at first sight." Her earnest tone made me feel warm all over.

"Was it the same for you, David?" Mrs. Ramos was watching me carefully.

"Yes and no," I smiled, remembering. "Certainly, not four years ago. She was just a kid back then, but I will say that the moment I laid eyes on her this visit, there was definitely something there." Miranda and I exchange a look. I thought it was innocent enough, but apparent her father didn't.

"By the way, where exactly did David sleep while he helped out?" I'd like to think he was joking, but I wasn't sure. Miranda was certain he wasn't.

"Oh papa," she sighed, clearly feeling that he'd ruined the moment. "Davey slept in my bed, where else?" I thought that was kind of mean...and funny, but it wasn't my place to get between the two in this. Thankfully, my mask helped hide my grin.

Miranda then turned to me as her father sputtered. "Davey, take the kids to Gramsy's. I'm going to help momma settle in. I'll talk to you in the morning."

I nodded, but waited as each kid said their goodbyes to their mother and father. Mr. Ramos wasn't sick, but his kids hadn't seen him in a long time either.

"Momma, I can't wait until you can cook again. Miranda burns everything." Renzo couldn't help get one last dig in, but his sister chose to ignore it. He grew serious and added, "I'm glad you're home. I love you. You too, Papa."

"Be good," Mr. Ramos smiled.

"I love you too," his wife added.

"I'll make sure we save some pasta for you. I know you both like it almost as much as me," Sophie said, teary eyed, but not crying yet. "Maybe Gramsy will show you how to make it too, once momma's better I mean. I love you both so much!"

"You too pumpkin." Mrs. Ramos was holding on, but it was a close thing.

"Enjoy your pasta making party!" Miranda's father was grinning, trying to keep everyone from losing it.

"Papa? Mamma?" Poor Matteo was lost. There was no way he was going to accept us leaving them to go to Gramsy's house. I took him off of my shoulders and hugged him tight, offering what comfort I could.

"Who's my big man?" Mr. Ramos was trying to help, but it obviously wasn't working.

"I love you, my little angel!" His wife sounded almost as choked up as Matteo. It was a tossup over which of the two would start crying first if I didn't do something quick. I knew that at least Sophie would follow suit if they did.

"We'll see you soon!" I threw out the words as I led the others to Gramsy's so quickly that even Renzo had to jog to keep up.

"So, David didn't really sleep in your bed, did he?"

I was betting that at least half the reason why Mr. Ramos asked the question was to distract his wife. Of course, the other half was something else altogether. I grinned, but was more than a little disappointed that we were too far away by the time Miranda answered. I doubt she'd clarified that she'd been in their room based on his expression.

"Don't worry," Renzo said as we neared Gramsy's house. I guess he'd noticed me glancing back at them. "They both like you." It was a nice thing to say, but Renzo being Renzo, couldn't resist adding, "Well, as long as Miranda stops teasing papa soon. Otherwise, I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you."

"Very funny," I said dryly, putting Matteo down because we reached the door and I didn't want to chance bumping his head as we walked through. The first thing he did was pull off his mask. I didn't blame him. I took off mine too. Renzo did the same.

"What's funny?" Matteo asked, recovering far faster than I expected. I gave Renzo an annoyed look, but he was clearly unfazed by it.

"Yeah Davey, what's so funny?" He deadpanned.

"Funny? What did I miss?" Sophie added, apparently not paying attention to the conversation until that moment.

She saw that we'd removed our masks and did the same. I collected them all because we'd need them again over the next few days if they wanted to see their parents again. Besides, they were a gift from Gramsy.

"First one inside gets to help break the eggs for the dough!" I decided that in this case discretion was definitely the better part of valor. Meaning, I sure as hell wasn't going to try and explain to the two youngest Ramos children.

They thankfully forgot their questions in their excitement as they remembered they were going to help Gramsy make pasta. They rushed into the house.

"Just remember smart ass," I grinned, once it was just Renzo and me. "You will be bringing home a girlfriend eventually, and I'll be there. Waiting."

"I could live with that, but mostly because you make Mira happy." He obviously chose to ignore the implied threat, but more important, Renzo was giving me his approval in his own way. "And at this point, you're already part of the family. Even papa knows that when he's not letting Miranda drive him crazy with her teasing."

"Thanks." I wasn't sure what else I should say. Renzo saved me from having to come up with something.

"Besides," he began with a smirk that didn't bode well. "At least you're better than Anthony."

"There is that," I laughed, happy for the subject change despite his teasing. "It was the whole 'Mandy' thing, right?"

"Yeah, that was the reason." Renzo didn't quite roll his eyes, but it was a close thing.

"I mean, did her not know Miranda at all?"

*********

"They kicked me out!"

"What?" I asked, trying hard not to laugh at Miranda's indignant expression as she all but stomped across her front lawn toward me. She was wearing a pair of blue capri pants, a peach shirt and sandals.

The weather had shifted again and it was warm and a little muggy today. Gramsy had decided it was a good day for a car wash. My grandmother smartly left this chore to me and the kids. I was rinsing the front of her car with the hose while they soaped the back.

They already had three sponge fights. It took me threatening them with the hose to end it each time. I was betting that was only going to work a couple more times at most. I had hoped we'd get the car done first before it broke into a free-for-all water fight, but what were the odds?

"Papa and mama," Miranda clarified. "They kicked me out of the house!" Her parent had been home for less than a full day.

"Seriously?" I couldn't stop the laughter that followed. "What did you do?"

"It's not funny!" Mira snapped as she arrived and stood next to me watching her brothers and sister play at washing the car. "And I didn't do anything."

"They just told you to get out?" I had a hard time believing that.

"Well," Mira began reluctantly. "Mama caught me glancing out the window at you all and told me it was time I had a little fun. Papa added that he wouldn't mind if we decided to wash their cars too."

"And that's kicking you out?"

"I told them that I was perfectly happy inside with them." Miranda frowned, obviously still concerned for her parents. "I helped them settle in yesterday, but there's still so much to do. They're both exhausted, but they're too stubborn to let me take care of them. I tried arguing. That's when they kicked me out. They said I couldn't come back in until dinnertime."

"Did you ever think, that maybe they just want some time to themselves?" I was teasing Miranda to help her calm down, but she was obviously taking me seriously. "They have been cooped up in the hospital for a long time."

"Momma loses her breath too easily for them to do much more than hold each other." I got the distinct impression that she was talking to herself rather than me until Miranda looked at me and added, "On the other hand, now that you mention it, they did seem to be in a rush to get me out of the house."

"Falling asleep with you in my arms would be more than enough for me. Frankly, it's a dream of mine."

"That's sounds lovely," Miranda responded with a slow smile. She also took my free hand in hers. "I've missed you."

"Same here." It was the truth despite us being away from each other less than twenty-four hours. I stopped spraying the car and took a moment to steal a quick kiss. We couldn't do more than that with the kids so close and us standing on my grandmother's driveway.

"So, what's on the schedule for the rest of today?" I was happy to hear Miranda sound more like herself.

"Well, I promised Renzo I'd let him pitch to me," I answered with a smile. "He really is starting to get good. I hardly get any new bruises these days."

"Papa will be happy to hear that." Her smirk was perfect as she delivered her one liner. I loved my girlfriend's sense of humor.

"I'm sure." My tone was just as dry as hers. "Oh, and Matteo found a box in the basement of little metal cars he's desperate to explore. Gramsy says they're called matchbox cars. I looked it up and they're actually worth a lot, or they would be if they weren't so beat up."

"Tell the truth," Miranda teased with an oddly tantalizing smile. "You can't wait to play with them."

"True," I admitted with a laugh. "You should see some of them. They're pretty cool."

"What about Sophie? What did you promise to do with her?" Miranda knew me too well to expect I hadn't included her little sister, but she was wrong in this case. Well, sort of.

"Nothing," I groaned as I remembered. "But it's not my fault, and honestly, I'm not happy about it."

"This should be good." Mira was watching me, grinning in anticipation.

"What kind of girlfriend takes enjoyment at her boyfriend's pain?" My tone was one of long suffering. I should have known better.

"The only kind you're ever going to have again," she retorted, making me laugh despite myself. "Now stop stalling."

"Gramsy mentioned to Sophie how Lisa and I used to put on plays when we were younger," I grumbled. "Your little sister spent this morning beginning her great masterpiece. She's drafting me into helping her act it out. Sophie insists she needs to finish it tonight so that the two of us to practice by ourselves in the morning. Apparently, we need to be ready to act it out in the yard after dinner for everyone."

"Sounds like fun." I could tell from Miranda's expression that she felt the same way about the idea as I did. That didn't stop me from trying to slough it off on her.

"You're welcome to take my place," I offered with a hopeful expression. "Lisa used to make me do it when we were kids. I hated it!"

"Sorry, I need to do laundry tomorrow night." Her excuse was offered a little too quickly in my opinion for it to be anything but exactly that, an excuse.

"Coward!" I snapped, making Miranda laugh and shake her head. "Oh, and ask your father if we can borrow his tent. Sophie won't let me see her play until its done, but she insists we need it to make her play 'work'."

"Sounds like someone is hoping for some more smores."

"More likely, some singing. This is your sister we're talking about, not Matteo." Although I thought my logic was sounds, my girlfriend gave me a look and I second guessed myself. "You might want to send over the ingredients for that as well."

"Hmm," Miranda said thoughtfully. "It's supposed be hot tomorrow too, but it should be nice once the sun sets. Maybe I can convince papa and momma to join in. They would like that."

"So would the kids," I smiled, liking the idea. "They want to see your parents again. If we put your father on one side of your mother and you on the other, you can intercept any of the others making a beeline for her."

It was right about then that I noticed two things. First, said kids had gotten quiet...too quiet. The second was that Miranda had turned and faced me somewhere along the line instead of facing Gramsy's car. Big mistake.

I glanced past Mira for a moment and saw her three siblings sneaking toward us. Renzo was holding the bucket of soap and both his little siblings carried dripping sponges in their hands. I quickly shifted my eyes back to Miranda's. I supposed a good boyfriend would have warned her, but I decided it was perfect acceptable to stay silent. After all, she was the bait and if I warned her the kids would hear.

"Sounds risky," Mira frowned, but then shrugged. "We'll do the same thing we did yesterday. We'll leave it up to them."

"I like that idea," I said agreeably as I stepped back from her. Miranda saw and frowned, but only for a second. Her eyes grew big and she wiped around a moment too late. The kids attack on their older sister was merciless.

I tried to help my girlfriend. Honest. I used the hose on her sneaky siblings, but they seemed not to care this time. Unfortunately, Miranda herself became collateral damage during my hose counterattack. It was a shame too because she'd somehow been able to avoid the bucket and one of the sponges.

"You jerk!" Miranda cried as I soaked her top. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the view.

I was silently congratulating myself on my efforts when I made a critical mistake. I forgot that although my girlfriend was an eighteen-year-old beauty, she was also still the same girl who's told me once, 'A little hip check never hurt anyone.'

The bucket was on the ground now and no danger. I'd been watching the kids, figuring one of them was going to try and hit me with a sponge. I wasn't expecting to be tackled to the ground by the love of my life.

Miranda lay on top of me and pressed her body against mine, making sure to get me wet. That's when I made my second mistake. I got distracted. Can you blame me? Mira's body was something else and whether she was doing it on purpose or not, I couldn't help enjoy the feel of against me.

Renzo took full advantage and ripped the hose from my unresisting hand. A moment later, I was as soaked as the others. Maybe more so. Well, except for Miranda. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close as her little sibling 'rained' down upon us.

Matteo took it a step further and jumped on us, not caring that Renzo still had the hose on us. Sophie couldn't resist doing the same once her little brother had.

"Hey! You're getting in the way!" Renzo cried in annoyance at his little brother and sister as he shifted closer to try and get a better angle at Miranda and me.

By that point, my girlfriend and I were face to face. Mira was still beautiful despite her hair being as soaked as the rest of her. I might have tried to steal another kiss, but it was impossible with Sophie and Matteo jumping on top of us.

Besides, we had another one of those moments where we knew what each other were thinking. Renzo literally squawked in surprised as we moved in unison and grabbed his legs, pulling him down with the rest of us.

"Tickle Monster!" Sophie crowed and dove for Renzo.

I frowned at my girlfriend. Miranda shrugged, clearly not knowing where her little sister came up this new game. That didn't stop her from crying, "Tickle Monster!" and attacking the older of her two brothers. Little Matteo was too busy laughing to get the words out, but he was definitely trying to help his sisters.

Poor Renzo didn't have a chance...not that he was the only one laughing. We all were. In my case, it was because in that moment, everything was right in the world. The best part was that I knew that as long as I had Miranda in my life, there's be plenty of other moments likes this one.

**********

"I forgot how good one of these tastes!"

Mrs. Ramos was sitting in a chair, well wrapped and clearly having a good time watching her children's antics as she enjoyed her smore. She'd only been home two days, but already looked much better. I wasn't sure how much of it was her feeling better physically and how much of it was having her family around her.

Mr. Ramos was sitting on one side of her and Miranda on the other like Mira and I discussed when she came up with the idea of them joining us, but so far there hadn't been a need for them to do anything more than enjoy the night along with the rest of us.

The younger kids were behaving because we'd warned them that if they didn't then their parents would have to go back home. Honestly, they were just happy to be able to spent time with their mother and father.

"They're my favorites!" Matteo glee at his announcement caused a smile of pure content on his mother's face. I was sitting between him and Mercedes.

"Sophie, be careful or you're going to lose another marshmallow to the fire." Gramsy was sitting on the other side of Matteo, between the two youngest Ramos children. Renzo sat next to his little sister and father.

"I probably shouldn't have added quite so much charcoal to the fire." I'd done it because I wanted to make sure Mrs. Ramos didn't get a chill, but that meant the coals were now awfully hot. You had to pay attention because your marshmallow would burst into flames if you got too close.

"Thanks, Gramsy," Sophie said, lifting her stick a little further away from the grill. "I had fun doing the play. Maybe I'll write another one for tomorrow."

"Oh no!" I cried a little too quickly. The little girl looked at me with her big, innocent looking eyes. "Um, don't get me wrong. It was great! So were you, but I'm retiring from acting. Besides, it's supposed to rain tomorrow."

"You weren't that bad," Miranda laughed.

"That's love talking," Gramsy interjected. "Grandson, you are good at many things, but acting isn't one of them." The Ramos family seemed shocked by my grandmother's comment. As her neighbor, they knew Gramsy was a direct woman, but it was even truer when she was dealing with family. They'd get used to it eventual.

Of course, some of their reaction might have been because she threw out the 'L' word. That was just Gramsy for you. She wasn't going to a pussyfoot around an issue. Miranda and I loved each other. What was the point of acting like it wasn't so or hiding the fact?

"Right?" I agreed with a laugh, deciding to push through the momentary awkwardness.

"Don't worry, Sophie. I'll help you with your next one." Renzo offer surprised me, but thinking about it, I realized it shouldn't have. He was a good brother.

"Thanks!" his little sister beamed.

"Why don't we sing another song?" Miranda suggested. It was getting late and the night was almost over, but the Ramos kids clearly didn't want it to end. "Mama can't join us yet, but I bet Papa knows a song we can all sing together." Apparently, she was still annoyed with her father a little bit and had decided to put him on the spot.