Chapter Two
Bella
"Ma, we're here!"
"Jesus, Tiny," I grumble, shooting a dirty glare in my overgrown husband's direction. "Do you have to shout at the top of your lungs every single time we get here?"
"Good question." His dad materializes from the living room to the right, scowling. Before Cormac can even say anything, Gideon pops him across the back of the head, making me giggle. "Stop yelling at your ma like you were raised in a goddamn barn, boy."
"Jesus H. Christ, Pops. Stop fucking doing that, will you?" Cormac growls, turning to scowl at his dad as he reaches up to rub the back of his head. I swear, they look just alike, Gideon is just older. If Cormac is going to look like him in thirty years, yay for me. My father-in-law ages like fine wine.
So does my husband. I'm a lucky girl.
"I wouldn't have to keep doing it if you'd learn some manners. But even at your big old age, you're still an overgrown little boy who never learned to use his inside voice." Gideon's expression softens as he slides an arm around my waist, pulling me into a hug. "Hey, sweetheart. It's damn good to see you again."
"You too." I squeeze his waist while Cormac scowls at us.
"Stop hugging my wife."
"Kindly fuck off, son," Gideon retorts cheerfully. "She likes hugging me more than she likes hugging your annoying ass."
Cormac growls at his dad, plucking me out of his arms. "You have your own wife," he mutters like a petulant little boy instead of a fify-six year old man, which just makes his dad laugh at him. "Go annoy her and leave mine alone."
I swear, my husband is a crazy person! We've been married for twenty years already, but he still gets all growly and grumbly whenever Gideon hugs me. Actually, he gets all growly and alpha whenever anyone with a penis hugs me. It's ridiculous.
I'll never tell him, of course, but it's kind of sweet too. Even after all this time, he's still possessive as hell. I kind of hope he never stops being that way with me. It's one of my favorite things about him.
"Bella, you're here!" His mom, Kenna cries, appearing at the top of the spiral staircase with a bright smile on her face. She practically races down, her silver hair bouncing with every step.
Cormac holds his arms out for his mom, but she nudges him aside to throw her arms around me in a big hug.
"What the fuck?" Cormac mutters, consternation stamped across his face. "What am I? Invisible or some shit?"
I bury my face in his mom's shoulder, fighting a giggle. She does the same thing every single time and ignores him to hug me first just to mess with him. I think he's on to her, but he lets her get away with it because it makes us both happy to annoy him. He's spent long enough getting on our nerves. It's our turn.
I plan to annoy the hell out of him over the next few days, and I have a feeling I won't be the only one. With his entire family in Nashville for the annual reunion, I'll have plenty of allies.
The reunion is honestly one of my favorite parts of the year. His family is loud and chaotic. Spending time with them is always a riot. And it's not even Cormac and his cousins that are the problem. It's his dad and uncles! The older they get, the more ornery they grow.
"I missed you so much, sweet girl!" Kenna cries, squeezing me tight. "How are you? How are my grandbabies?"
"I missed you too. And we're all really good," I promise, pulling back to smile at her. "Mom and Dad are going to drop the kids off in a little bit so they're here for dinner. They took them shopping."
"Oh! Mac and Jenna should stay for dinner, too. We'll have plenty of food."
"My dad mentioned a play or something they're supposed to attend tonight, but I'll let them know they're invited."
Kenna bobs her head in a nod before reluctantly releasing me and turning to peer up at Cormac. "You grew taller since I saw you last time, baby boy."
"Ma." He grins at her, pulling her into his arms to kiss her cheek. "You saw me last month."
"And you've grown since then."
"His big ass head grew since then," Gideon mutters, making me giggle.
"You're one to talk, motherfucker," Zayne Carmichael says, appearing in the kitchen doorway with a beer in hand. He nods at his younger brother, smirking. "Your big ass head belongs in a goddamn circus at this point."
"I swear to Christ, I don't know why we invite you to this thing, Zayne," Gideon mutters, scowling at his older brother. "You were an accident. Ma and Dad only kept you because no one else wanted you. That barely makes you family."
"And she was supposed to swallow you." Zayne shrugs, taking a sip of beer. "But here we are, motherfucker." His gaze drifts in my direction, his expression softening. "Hey, sweetheart. You still putting up with his bullshit?"
"I'm this close to leaving him for you, Uncle Zayne." I hold my thumb and forefinger an inch apart, earning a broad grin from him and a rumbling growl from Cormac. Obviously, I'm never leaving my husband for his uncle, but I love the way Cormac's eye twitches when I say it. And I especially love the things he does to me in private to remind me why I'm never leaving him. I love the man like crazy. Every possessive, dirty inch of him.
"That's my girl," Zayne says, chuckling.
Cormac immediately wraps his arms around me, pulling me up against his chest as if to ensure I can't go anywhere. "Uncle Zayne, do not make me come over there," he growls at his uncle. "I will hit an old man, and then Aunt Emma will be pissed."
"No, she won't," Emma says from somewhere behind her husband. "Bella, please run away with my husband. I need a vacation."
"The hell you do, lamb," Zayne growls at his wifed, his eyes narrowed in her direction. "You're never getting rid of me."
Emma pushes her way under his arm, huffing. "I know. I've been trying since I met you, Zayne Carmichael." She rolls her eyes, glancing at me. "I even tried leaving him at the grocery store a few times. I didn't even make it to the register before he tracked me down."
"I've tried that too," I whisper. "Leave him in the cookie aisle next time. It'll take him longer to realize you're gone. It's what I do with Cormac when he's getting on my nerves."
My husband looks at me with wide eyes. "Is that why you're always fucking running off at the grocery store?"
"I'd lock you in the freezer for five minutes of peace if I thought you could be trusted in the darn thing but you're like a feral manchild who never learned self-control so I do what I have to do." I shrug. "It keeps you alive, Tiny."
Cormac's body vibrates as laughter rumbles from his lips. "Jesus, Mischief. You're savage."
"She's married to you." His mom swats him on the arm. "We all know how you are. She's gotta do what she's gotta do, Cormac Carmichael. And don't you be giving her grief about it, either."
Cormac shakes his head, glancing at his dad and Zayne. "How the fuck do these reunions always turn into them piling onto us?"
"Speak for yourself," Gideon mutters. "I'm a well-behaved husband."
"Please," Kenna snorts. "You're the biggest pain in my a C"
Gideon's hands come down on her waist, his lips landing against hers before she can finish that sentence. She flings her arms around him, kissing him back as if that's precisely what she wanted.
I laugh quietly, resting my head against Cormac's chest as I watch the two of them. They've been married for decades, but they're still crazy about each other. Zayne and Emma, and Zion and Kenzie are the same way. I can't freaking wait to have the same thing with Cormac when we're their age.
"Where the fuck is everyone else?" Cormac asks.
"Out back," Gideon murmurs. "The kids wanted to play in the pool, so your cousins are out there refereeing. And Zion and Ciaran are out there, losing their shit over Ivy's man."
"Ivy has a man?" Cormac's eyes widen.
"Yep. Austin Eller."
"The wide receiver for the Tennessee Turbulence?"
"That's the one."
Cormac whistles, arching a brow at his dad. "And you aren't out there helping terrorize him?"
Gideon shoots a furtive glance at his wife and then quickly shakes his head. "Absolutely not. Ivy is a grown woman capable of making her own choices."
"Right," Cormac says, drawing the word out so his dad knows he's full of shit. And then he chuckles, brushing his lips across my temple. "You want to go say hi, Mischief?"
I nod eagerly. We see Callum and Hope every day, but it's been months since we last saw most of his cousins. And I'm dying to meet Ivy's boyfriend. Her mom, Waverly, has told me all about him. She loves him even though her husband, Ciaran, is not on the same page. Honestly, the men in this family are all ridiculous so I'm not surprised. But if Ivy needs reinforcments, I'm on her team. So is every other woman in the family.
The men may think they're the bosses around here, but we know better. Ivy doesn't have anything to worry about today.
"We'll be out in a minute," Kenna promises as we head that way hand in hand.
"See you out there," Cormac calls back only to wait until we're around the corner to pin me against the wall. His steely gray eyes lock with mine, a soft growl rumbling on his lips before they crash down on mine. "You're lucky we still have people to greet, Mischief. If we didn't, you'd be on your knees right now, apologizing for fucking with me."
"Don't know what you're talking about, Tiny." I bite his bottom lip. "Maybe you should put me on my knees to refresh my memory."
He runs his hand down my side, groaning before he squeezes my hip. "Tonight," he breathes, a promise vibrating on his tongue. "I hope you can be quiet while I'm fucking you so hard you feel like you're going to break."
"I can't," I gasp. He knows I can't!
"Guess I'll have to gag you then." He nips my bottom lip, squeezing my hip again.
I moan softly, heat flowing through me in waves at the thought of him gagging me. Good lord, I might not survive dinner.
"Wicked, wicked man," I grumble.
"Damn straight." He chuckles, peeling me away from the wall. "You made me that way."
I huff at him and then smile. I'm pretty sure the man was born wicked, but if he wants to blame me, I'll let him get away with it. I'm the one who benefits, after all.
"I love you," he murmurs.
"Love you too." I smile up at him. "But you aren't going to terrorize Ivy's boyfriend, Cormac. I mean it. He's probably stressed enough meeting everyone. I will never have sex with you again if this reunion ends with Ivy's heart broken because you guys can't play nice."
"Hey." He brushes his thumb along my bottom lip. "This is one time I can safely say that I have no interest in causing problems, Mischief. You know I'll never stand in the way of love."
I exhale a breath because he's right. If there's one thing that my giant husband never messes with, it's love.