Free Come Fly With Me by Sandi Perry Page B

straightened up and took a deep breath, “Excuse me, Allison, I didn’t mean to sound so critical.”
    Annabelle stepped into the circle, "That's right, Mama, you meant to sound only moderately critical. Now, now, let’s all be friends.”
    Allison noticed that they were suddenly surrounded by what she assumed were all the Coventry women and their spouses. She was grateful for Alex's steady presence at her side, as if to signal his allegiance to her.
    "This is Annabelle and her husband Chase," Alex said.
    She smiled and nodded as a headache began to form.
    "Over here are Mirabelle and Wade, Sara Belle and Beauford, and rounding it out are Bella Sue and Brett."
    There were varying reactions to her being there, ranging from warm acceptance to
    downright suspicion. Allison was unprepared for Alex's response, which was for him to take her around by the waist and declare in a loud voice. "And I expect you all to make Allison feel the full heft of your southern charm. Be sure and keep your fangs retracted throughout today's festivities—or y'all will have me to answer to."
    Allison turned to look at him, so touched was she by his protectiveness. She took in his strong profile, the uncharacteristic force of his words and said, "Thank you, Alex. I'm sure there's no need to resort to threats. Right?" She said that last word as she looked out onto the hushed group.
    They all seemed to rouse from their silence at the same minute and shouts of "A pleasure to meet you! How do you know Alex? You're so lovely!" wafted over her in a hurried acceptance. She did her best to respond and noticed that at one point Alex had slipped away. She wasn't pleased to be left alone in a bayou full of gators masquerading as his family. She spotted him off to the back of the yard, organizing the older children in a touch football game and excused herself, walking over to the white-wicker gazebo at the end of the yard to take a rest and watch him interact with the children.
    They seemed to be enamored of him. She knew he was a novelty because he didn't get back home often, but the relationship appeared to be genuine and warm. She envied his ease with children. She generally froze around kids; she never knew what to talk them about or which activities were age-appropriate. Alex had the kids arranged in teams. She had to stifle a laugh; he seemed to be taking the game very seriously. He had a whistle clamped between his teeth as he gesticulated wildly at the ad hoc group. If he weren't head and shoulders above them, she would have mistaken him for one of the kids. Allison closed her eyes to take in the last rays of sunshine. Even the birds chirped greedily, as if aware that this unusually warm day of Indian summer was about to end. She sensed someone coming up from behind and opened her eyes in enough time to see Wade step in to sit across from her on the opposite bench.
    "Hey," he said.
    "Hi."
    He gestured with his head at the sisters all gathered, setting the table for dinner, "It can be overwhelming."
    "And very beautiful," she smiled.
    "From a distance, yes," Wade replied.
    "When I go out to eat, I make it a point never to look in the kitchen," Allison said.
    "Is that because you don't care what goes on behind the scenes; or you care so much, you'd never eat out again?"
    "The latter—most things don't fare well under a microscope," she said.
    "So, after this birthday party, I'd say the odds would be pretty strong you'd hightail it out of here and never come back," Wade laughed. "You see Annabelle and Chase over there? That was a shotgun wedding. Annabelle was pregnant with Seth; he's playing quarterback, right now."
    Allison followed his head as it swiveled from Annabelle to Seth, tall and awkward, throwing the ball on the other end of the backyard.
    "Chase and my father-in-law barely talk. Chase resents that he was forced into marriage, and Horatio resents that he couldn't keep it in his pants. Apparently Chase still has a hard time keeping it in his