I could feel panic rising in my throat
Annie was hives from head to toe, but they were fading, and she was uniformly covered in white salve and makeup.
My father was in the living room, watching television. He turned the sound up and hunkered down in his chair.
I looked at Diesel. He was rocked back on his heels, smiling. "Go ahead, honey," he said to me. "Tell them the happy news."
"I’m getting to it," I said.
"What?" Grandma wanted to know. "What?"
"Diesel and I have decided to get married… today."
My mother went white and made the sign of the cross. "Holy Mary, mother of God…"
"What about Joseph?" Grandma asked.
I could feel panic rising in my throat. I looked to Diesel for help.
"He’s out of town," Diesel said.
I inadvertently made a sort of strangling sound. "Ulk."
"It was all I could think of," Diesel whispered. "I’m not good at this crap."
My mother sucked in some air. "You’re pregnant," she said.
"No!"
"Isn’t this fab?" Valerie gurgled. "Two new babies!"
Now my father was on his feet. "Babies? Who’s having babies?"
"Stephanie," Valerie said. "She’s going to have a baby, and she’s getting married."
My father was confused. He looked around the room. No Joe. No Ranger. His eyes locked on Diesel. "Not the psycho," he said.
Diesel blew out a sigh.
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