“Pretty sure I got everything you can give me.” He leans down and kisses me, and then I hear Chris.

“Stop playing tonsil hockey with Vivienne and come sit with us.” I look at him and roll my lips.

He grabs my hands and brings me to the table, but I walk to the kitchen instead and find Angela putting things in the dishwasher.

“I can do this,” I tell her. “Why don’t you go sit with the boys?” I look at her, and she looks down and then looks up at me.

“Nah, I’ll give them their alone time. Yanni lives for these moments,” she says as I help her fill the dishwasher.

“I always wanted a girl,” she says. “I mean, your sons are your sons. But your daughter, she usually stays with you.”

I nod at her. “My mother says that all the time.”

“I always worried about Mark all alone in the city,” she says, and I look over at her while I rinse out a glass and put it in the dishwasher as she puts the food away. “I would sit and wonder what kind of woman would he pick.” I don’t say anything. I just look down.

“I know that you wanted better for him,” I tell her. “I’m not the innocent little girl who mothers want for their sons. I am my own person. Independent,” I tell her. “I have my own money, so I don’t need a man for that. I have a career that I’m proud of, and—”

“Do you love him?” she asks me, coming to stand next to me.

“Yes.” I look down and then look up at him. “I told him that I would leave him if you don’t approve of me, and I will.”

“What? Why?” she asks, shocked.

“Because you’re his family, and he loves you guys more than anything,” I tell her. “And I’m never going to get in the middle of that. I won’t have him choose.”

“You would do that, wouldn’t you?” she asks me softly. “Just leave him.”

“It would kill me but …” I look over at the guys through the doorway into the dining room and see Mark throwing his head back and laughing while his father laughs and looks at his sons. “I would do it.” I look back at her and try to blink the tears away.

“Good news,” his mother says, coming over to me and putting her hand on mine. “We approve,”

she says, and I smile, but the tear comes out anyway. “How could we not? Look at my boy,” she says, pointing at Mark. “You helped make him happy like that.”

I look over, and he catches my eye and sees that I have tears. He gets up right away and comes in almost like he’s ready for war. “What happened?”