The park near the river was one of TJ’s favorite places, which was why we were there. If I had my way, we’d be at the pub, digging into some fish and chips while Tao and I had some beer and listened to music. TJ liked it there too. Since they often had live music, TJ could feel the bass and the drums, and sometimes he'd ask me and Tao to try to describe the music.

Tyson didn’t like us going there, though. He said it made TJ self-conscious. I thought he was wrong, but I was the sister, not the parent. Once a month, we did a family thing, and everybody took a turn picking where we’d go, and this was TJ’s month. Next month was Mom’s, then mine. I’d be shot down if I suggested the pub even then, so I needed to come up with an alternative.

“You look glum, sweetie.” Tao nudged my shoulder just as a ball came flying our way.

We both ducked and covered our heads. When we raised them, TJ was running up, laughing and pointing at us. I stuck my tongue out at him while Tao signed that maybe he couldn’t catch a ball, but he could pick TJ up and duck him in the river. Tao's grandmother was deaf so even before he'd moved in with us, he'd known more about sign language and deaf culture than most hearing people. I knew that was one of the reasons my parents had accepted him. Now, he was almost as fluent as I was.

“You don’t scare me,” TJ signed.

Tao scowled and started to get up. I laughingly hauled him back down as TJ whooped and took off, running back to Tyson. Tao trying to be angry or scary never failed to make me laugh.

“Want a refill?” I picked up our cups and shoved to my feet.

“You going to brave the match-making attempts?” He gave me a teasing leer.

Mom had already been at it, telling me, then him, that we really should stop trying to pretend we were just friends. Tao had playfully told her he was waiting for her to wise up and leave Tyson. I’d been more blunt, telling her I was just using Tao for sex. She thought I was joking, but after a lifetime of getting comments that became less subtle with every turn, I was fed up with trying to explain us.

“I’ll just tell her you met the love of your life,” I quipped. “You’re meeting him tomorrow to start making wedding plans.”

“Don’t.” Tao looked at me, eyes going wide as he tried to figure out if I was serious. If Mom pushed me hard enough, I might do it, just to get some peace. I’d done crazier things.

“Hey, for all you know, he could be the love of your life.” Ruffling Tao's hair, I turned away and walked off while he shouted threats after me.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m shaking in my shoes.” I was laughing when I came to a stop by the picnic table where my mom was sitting, watching Tyson and TJ throwing around a football. She caught sight of my smile and arched a brow.

“You look happy.”

“I’m amused,” I signed as I spoke so she could read my hands and lips. “With that idiot, Tao.”

Her gaze slid to him, and I saw the speculation there, could see the thoughts forming.

I frowned. “Don’t start, Mom. Not again.”

“I just want you happy…both of you. You’re so good together.”

“Because we’re friends.” Anger tried to rise, but I pushed it down. “Can’t we go one day without you trying to force this? He and I are never going to fall in love.”

I didn't even want to try to explain how I wasn't looking for love anyway. That would lead to me having to tell her why, and that wasn't a discussion I wanted to have. We avoided all mention of my biological father unless absolutely necessary.

Looking away from her was petty, but I didn’t want to get into this debate again. I took the bottle of pop from the table and refilled my drink, then Tao’s. I looked up as he sat down next to where I was standing, and prepared myself for a volley of comments meant for both of us.

To my surprise, he looked over at her without looking at me. “Did Allie tell you I’m meeting a new guy tomorrow? I’m kind of nervous about it. I like him a lot. That usually means things will go straight to hell.”

Mom looked from me to him, not saying anything for a moment. When she finally responded, it wasn’t with words. She reached over and covered his hands with hers and squeezed. No matter how frustrated I could get with her for trying to push Tao and me together, for the usual mother-daughter issues, I knew I was loved, and that she loved Tao too. That made everything else seem insignificant.

A moment later, TJ collided into me, his arms going around my waist in a tight hug. “Can you and Tao go around the park with me? Dad’s too tired.”

“Sure.” I smiled at him and glanced over at Tao. Up for a walk?

* * *

“She’ll get the point, sweetie.” Tao and I watched as TJ bent over the railing, staring down in the churning waters of the river. “Sooner or later.”

“You think?” With a dry laugh, I shook my head. “I’m starting to doubt it. She’s been at this since we were teens. And she’s getting worse.”

“It’s because she wants to see her baby settled down and happy, producing cute little babies that she could cuddle and spoil.” He wrapped his arm around me and hugged me. “That’s all. And you know we'd make adorable babies.”

“I know she wants what she thinks is best for me.” I crossed my arms over my chest as a sharp wind came blowing off the river, threatening to cut right through me. I snuggled back closer to Tao. He was always warm. “I bet if TJ was my age, she wouldn’t nag him like this.”

“Daughters are different, I think.”

With a glum sigh, I said, “Maybe. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. She still pops her head into my room when I'm getting ready to go out, you know that?”

A bright laugh bounced out of him.

“So glad to know I amuse you.” I tried to free myself from his embrace.

He tightened his arms around me and kissed the top of my head before releasing me. I stomped away, unable to figure out why my mood was so dark.

“It could be worse, Allie,” he said as he followed me.

“Yeah? I guess. She could try to put me on curfew.”

“No.” His voice was serious enough that I stopped and looked at him. “She could be like my parents. Just write you out of her life because you didn’t fit the image she had in her head.”

“Well, damn.” I sighed as I hooked my arm through his and tugged him along with me. “You have to go and make me look and feel like a bitch.”

“You’re not a bitch. Well, you are, but you’re my kind of bitch.” He kissed the top of my head again before disengaging our arms. We moved to bracket TJ as he continued to lean over the railing and stare down at the ducks that had come over to beg for food. “You’re just feeling stifled. You’ve got a right to it. I know you want to stay and help out, but at some point, you need to look at moving out on your own. They’ll do okay on their own, you know.”

“It’s not that I don’t think they can do okay without me. I just feel like…”

I paused to answer TJ's question. “Sure, you can feed the ducks.”

I pushed a dollar’s worth of coins into his hand and listened as he fed them into the machine behind us. I continued my conversation with Tao. “I know they can do fine without me, but it’s not like I’d be leaving to go off and actually do something. It'd be different if it was school or moving in with a boyfriend. Explaining to my mother that I just want to go…it makes me sound like an ungrateful brat. She sacrificed so much for me.”

“She didn’t sacrifice anything, Allie. She loves you. That’s what moms are supposed to do. She wants you happy. I think if you told her you wanted to find your own place, she’d surprise you.”

TJ joined us again, duck feed spilling out between his fingers. He’d fed all the quarters into the machine, and instead of taking his time, he wound up like a world-class batter and let it all go flying. As it went everywhere – including in my hair – his laugh bubbled out, and I grinned.

“Yeah, maybe. But really, Tao. Why would I give this up?”