Tanalei stirred the pot of homemade spaghetti sauce.
"That smells good," Niall said as he entered the kitchen. He hopped onto the counter, grabbing a bag of chips.
She smiled at him. "I figured everybody will be jet lagged so why not a home-cooked meal."
"Are you nervous?"
"About?" She added a dash of seasoning.
"Meeting Harry's mum."
She stilled. "No. Why should I be?"
He laughed. "I live in the same house, Lei. I see the three of you." He popped a chip in his mouth. When he swallowed, he continued. "He's talked to her every day since we landed in the States and has talked about you nearly the whole time. You should have heard him when your sons were here."
She bit her lip. When the front door banged open, she let out a sigh of relief. She and Niall met everyone in the living room. Three little girls, three teenagers, two twenty-somethings all added to the noise that the five guys usually made. Niall and Liam had dove into the crowd, hugging and tickling all the girls.
"Hello." Tanalei turned to see two good-looking women behind her. The one with light highlights held out her hand. "I'm Trisha, Zayn's mum."
"Tanalei," she introduced herself, shaking her hand.
"Zayn was right. You really are lovely."
She blushed. "Thank you."
"I'm Anne, Harry's mum," said the lady with dark hair. "Let's get the introductions.
"Do it," Louis said next to her ear, causing her to jump. "Whistle."
She did. Everyone froze and looked over at her. "Group together in your families," Louis instructed. Two groups of girls formed, leaving a blond by herself.
"This is my daughter, Gemma," Anne said, crossing over to the lonely blond.
"My daughters, Doniya, Waliyha and Safaa," Trisha pointed out her children from tallest to shortest.
"And these are my sisters," Louis said. "Charlotte, who we call Lottie, Felicite, then there's Phoebe and Daisy."
"This is Tanalei," Harry said, coming up behind her. "She also goes by Lei."
She took a quick head count. "I don't think we have enough beds. The master bedroom has a queen size bed. One room has a double bed while the other has four bunk beds."
"We'll get it sorted, dear," Trisha said.
"This is absolutely wonderful," Anne said. "And you actually made it? It's not from jars?"
"I swear we gained five pounds in two weeks," Liam said.
"Thank God we work out," Zayn said.
"You were right about the beds," Gemma said.
"What are the arrangements?" Tanalei asked.
"Anne and Gemma are in the master bedroom," Louis answered. "The three youngest are in with the bunk beds, while the other three are in the other room. That leaves Trisha and Doniya."
"Y'all can have my room. I can sleep on one of the sofas."
Several voices rose in protest. Zayn got up, returning shortly with three straws.
"We're comfortable with each other, yeah?" She nodded. "Why don't you sleep with either me, Liam or Niall?" Louis and Harry sent up the biggest protest.
"Um. You and Liam have girlfriends. Wouldn't it be weird?"
"You're family now, Lei," Liam said. "If it makes you that uncomfortable, whoever gets the short straw has to sleep with one of the others."
She shrugged. "Alright, I guess."
Liam and Niall pulled their straws at the same time. The Irishman had the shortest. Teasingly he waggled his eyebrows and blew her a kiss.
"Zayn said your sons came for a visit this past weekend," Trisha said.
Tanalei nodded. "My brother and his family brought them for a visit. They had so much fun. They're drivin' my ex crazy, they won't shut up." She took a sip of wine. "I wished we could have filmed in Atlanta though."
"Being away from them for a long time is hard," Anne said.
"It is," she agreed. "This is the first time I've been away from them so long. Only a week here or there. Oh, and a month with their dad in the summer."
"I saw Torn Apart on the flight over," Gemma said. "I thought it was brilliant." She toasted Tanalei with her wineglass.
"Thank you. Since I've been doing this movie, it's been getting' reviews, both good and bad. My Twitter has been blowin' up." She shrugged. "I just wrote it to get my feelin's out about my divorce." Both mothers raised their glasses in sympathy.
Doniya, Zayn's oldest sister, joined them. Drifting into silence, they watched as the boys entertained their little sisters. Niall began strumming Sister Christian on his guitar and singing.
"I love listening to them sing like this," Doniya said.
"They do this every day. Harry and Louis especially," Tanalei commented. She didn't see Anne or Gemma glance at her. Her attention was on the group.
"So," Gemma began. "What's going on between you, my brother and Lou?"
Tanalei paused, looking over at the younger woman. "Nothin'." She glanced at the bathroom where Anne was showering. She had come in to get some clothes, but decided to wait and talk with Harry's sister.
"But you want something to, yeah?"
"Y'all know about them?"
"It's the best/worst kept secret."
She bit her lip then shook her head. "They're too young. And it's two of them."
"They're over 16. Plenty old enough. They haven't been virgins for several years." She paused. "Do you need permission? I approve."
Tanalei shrugged. "I'll think about it."
"She's a lovely girl," Anne told Harry.
"Isn't she?" He couldn't take his eyes off of Tanalei as she played with Phoebe, Daisy and Safaa in the pool. Louis, Liam and Niall played soccer while Gemma and Doniya laid on lounges. Lottie, Fizzy and Waliyha were inside watching a movie. Zayn and Trisha were cooking.
"Harry," he turned to face his mother, "be careful. I don't want any of you to get hurt." He bit his lip and nodded. She sighed and sat back. "I saw the pictures of her kids you posted. Beautiful boys. Walking into a ready-made family will be difficult. Especially with four boys."
He scrunched up his face. "Four? Mum, she only has two. The younger two were her nephews."
"Oh. Well, the advice still stands."
"You are more than welcome to stay with us when you visit this summer," Anne said as she hugged Tanalei. "Your boys will have a great time."
She nodded. "I'll have to talk to their daddy. They'll be excited."
"Karen and Jay are looking forward to meeting you," Trisha said when her hug came. "Maura is too. The five of us get together every month for a weekend."
Tanalei hugged each of the girls before standing before the older sisters. They shared a three-way hug.
