Kansas Twang and A Summer Thang.

Lucas Ray McFierce

James eyes twinkled with satisfaction across from me at brunch. He and Jake were making small talk with Rick, who wouldn't let go of his fiancee's hand. Mia was laughing next to me about Momma's knowledge of abbreviations, and acronyms. Momma was frustrated with her "sending machine" and didn't understand what people were trying to tell her. 

"What does . . ." Momma pulled out her phone. "The letters X and D together mean?" she asked, her face distraught.

"It's a smiley face mom," Katie answered, rolling her eyes.

Momma frowned. "Why are people sending me smiley faces?"

"You made them laugh." Mia said, grinning. "Who sent it?"

"Oh, I don't remember. I've been getting those silly texts for a while now, and I just--they annoy me!"

Mia laughed again, all but cackling in her attempts at calming down.

Katie stared down at her lap, and then glanced up at Mom, Dad, then back down.

"Who ya textin', there, Katie?" Rick grinned at our youngest sibling, and she sighed, setting her phone back into her bag and apologizing to mom. 

"Who were you textin'?" Rick repeated.

She shrugged, and shoveled food in her mouth. The scarlet on her cheeks was obvious that she was either embarrassed to have everyone look at her, or she was texting someone of the opposite sex. Someone mom would most likely raise a hassle about.

"Was it a boy?" his eyebrows rose up and down while he and everyone else (under fifty) grinned at her.

Momma gasped. "Katiebug! Was it a boy you were talkin' to? Ohhh! Sweetie, what's his name? Do I know him?"

The brunette teenager sighed and slumped in her seat. "His names Austin." She blushed but then quickly threw in, "we're just friends."

Momma ignored her. "Is he the one who went to the fair with you?"

She shook her head. "No. That was Karl."

My mom sighed. "I can't wait for your wedding, Ricky. If you guys need anything, you know I'll be right here. Oh, and I'll need so much to cook for all these people . . ." She trailed off while her eyes trailed to my dad. He gave a put out glance to Momma. 

"I'll help ya."

"Me too," I chimed in. Truth was, I hadn't spoken a lot since that damn kiss yesterday. It'd been great, yes. Fantastic, even. It was weird being around James now, though. What does one say after that? Thanks for making my lip bleed from biting it so hard? 

"Yeah, I'll help too," James pushed out through a gross bite of sausage and pancakes.

Momma laughed. "Well by then you two will be on your way to marriage too!" She giggled to herself while Mia patted my thigh. 

Mia was married at twenty, and Rick was now just twenty five and engaged, but mom gave him more slack. He was her only boy, and, quite honestly, he was very spoiled. Though, Momma was known to get on him about starting a family, it definitely didn't happen as often as, say, me.

"Have you two talked about marriage?"

I was really hoping she was turning around and talking to a family behind our table . . . but I knew she wasn't.

"Please, mom . . ."

She huffed. "You've got to start a family some time!"

I held back my words. 

The table was quiet and tense for a long, awkward moment before James said, "We're waiting for marriage."

My mom gasped and everyone at our table mentally face palmed themselves. "Why would you do that?"