Chapter 34
“Can we stop at Henderson’s?” Rory asked, noting that it was almost six in the morning and the little dinner/convenience store should be open by now.
At least, she thought it should. Granted, it had been more than ten years since she’d been allowed within thirty yards of the store, but she was pretty sure that it still opened early and closed late.
Connor took a left on Long Pond Road, pissing her brothers off if the sound of their horns blaring was any indication. They weren’t happy that Connor was going with her. They were also pissed that their pathetic attempts to get rid of him had failed.
They’d yanked the battery out of Connor’s truck along with the spark plugs, a few hoses, and let the air out of his tires, probably thinking that would stop Connor from coming with them.
Just in case that didn’t work, they did the same to her Jeep and explained with smug smiles that they only had room for one more passenger. It was an amateur move.
She knew that Connor really didn’t want to spend the day with her brothers and she really couldn’t blame him.
Even though she wanted him there, wanted to spend a whole day away from work with him, she’d understood and was willing to go without him.
Just as she opened her mouth to let him off the hook, he flipped off her brothers and set to work.
It wasn’t exactly surprising to discover that Connor kept spare parts in his garage.
She did the same thing. They’d screwed each other over enough in the past that they were pretty much prepared for anything and everything.
“Do you want to go to Henderson’s or do you want to hit McDonalds, when we get to the highway?” Connor asked, gently caressing the back of her hand with his thumb as he took a right at the lights.
“McDonald’s is a half-hour away,” she pointed out, starting to feel giddy at the prospect of going to Henderson’s for the first time in years. It used to be her favorite store as a child and she’d missed going there every Sunday for a stack of pancakes, bacon, and hot cocoa.
As much as she would have loved to blame Connor for getting banned from her favorite store, she couldn’t.
Getting banned from Henderson’s had been one hundred percent her fault.
Then again, the ban probably would have been shorter if Alex, her boyfriend at the time, hadn’t decided to get in her face and call her a fucking bitch for getting him tossed out as well.
That’s not what pushed Henderson into banning her for life, though.
It was Connor grabbing Alex by the throat and shoving him into the shelves of penny candy that got them the lifetime ban, which had been lifted for a probationary period a week ago.
In fact, every ban and restriction in town had been lifted.
People were still placing bets on them, but at least they could now go wherever they wanted to without having to worry about restrictions.
They hadn’t had much time to enjoy the bans being lifted, but they had managed to grab dinner at O’Malley’s last Tuesday, a place neither of them had been allowed to set foot in for the past five years.
They’d even gone grocery shopping together.
Granted, on both occasions, the managers had assigned someone to watch their every move and follow them, but still, it was progress.
“You just want to see if Henderson still has those little chocolate balls that you used to love, don’t you?” Connor asked, chuckling softly as he pulled into Henderson’s cracked parking lot.
“No, I’m just hungry,” Rory said, only partially lying because she planned on getting three bags of those delicious little chocolate balls and eating every last one of them.
“Uh-huh, sure,” Connor said, smiling that sexy smile of his as he handed her two twenties.
Frowning, she asked, “You’re not coming in?” and nearly cringed at how needy she sounded. She wanted to share this with him and enjoy visiting her favorite childhood store with him.
“Sorry, baby,” Connor said, leaning over and kissing her, “but someone has to keep your brothers from going in there and getting you banned again.”
She looked past him to see Craig’s truck parked next to them and when she saw the anticipatory gleam on her brothers’ faces, she realized that Connor had a point.
They’d hound her in that store and do their best to talk some sense into her, which of course, would annoy her and cause her to do something stupid like get banned again.
“I won’t be long,” Rory promised with a pleased smile as she climbed out of the truck and made a beeline for the old familiar white door that used to welcome her as a child. Bryce almost managed to cut her off, but Connor was there a split second before her brother could reach for her.
Knowing that she probably only had a few minutes before her brothers managed to plow past Connor and start the next round of lectures, she quickly made her way through the old country store.
She ignored the curious looks watching her every move and focused on filling her handbasket with chocolate balls, a bag of freshly made donuts that were still warm, ordering two hot cocoas, grabbing some penny candy, a few small white boxes of fruit-filled pastries, a couple of waters, and a bag of homemade mini peanut butter cups, Connor’s favorite, and quickly paid.
“You better watch your back, bitch,” Johnny said, stressing bitch when she opened the door and stepped outside.
As soon as her brothers spotted her, they backed away from Connor who did an amazingly wonderful job of keeping her brothers off her back.
Then again, judging by the murderous glares that her brothers were sending Connor, they’d probably forgotten all about her and gotten carried away with another one of their threat sessions that were more annoying than anything.
“Are those donuts for us?” Brian asked, shifting anxiously as his greedy eyes locked on the bag in her hands.
“Nope,” she said, smiling when her brothers turned murderous glares on her. “I’d hurry up if I were you. They only have two bags left,” she lied, knowing that it was the only way to get rid of them.
Her brothers stood there a moment longer, obviously struggling with the need to keep a close eye on the two of them as the scent of warm donuts surrounded them. In the end, the donuts won and the shoving match began. They didn’t stick around to see who won.
“Are you okay?” Rory asked as she handed Connor a warm donut a few minutes later, noting that he looked sad again. That expression was becoming more common these days and it was breaking her heart.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Connor said, forcing a smile as he accepted the donut.
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Rory said, hoping that she’d kept the disappointment out of her tone as she said it. She wanted to go. She loved her family and missed them, but she loved Connor more and didn’t want to see him like this.
Connor shook his head. “No, it’s fine, Rory.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.
“Yes.”
She almost asked if this was about Andrew but decided that she didn’t want to spend their first real day off together fighting.
With the way that Andrew was acting, she knew that it was only a matter of time before they came to blows over what to do.
Until then, she just wanted to enjoy her time with Connor.
He really was a scrawny bastard, Connor decided as he climbed out of his truck, and for the second time in his life, found himself surrounded by Bradfords.
They were everywhere. Most of them were eating, but a lot of them were setting up the neighboring sites that they’d reserved for the reunion with grills, dozens of them, coolers, tables, a volleyball net, more food, and…
Was that a butcher setting up near the grills?
Judging by his collection of knives, his apron, and the fact that the short, pudgy man was definitely not a Bradford, he would have to say yes.
It was definitely going to be a long day, Connor thought as he walked around the truck to help Rory out.
He had the door opened and was reaching for her when he suddenly found himself picked up and moved aside like he weighed nothing.
It was a bit unnerving, but not as unnerving as the wall of muscle that suddenly came between him and Rory.
He heard an excited squeal the same time that he saw Rory’s arms wrap around the bastard’s neck. The man pulled her out, returning her hug as he turned around and placed her on her feet next to Connor.
“How’s it going, Jason?” Connor asked, pleased when Rory released her hold on her cousin and wrapped her arm around his.
Jason grinned, looking a hell of a lot happier than he had the last time he’d seen him a few weeks ago.
The man had missed his wife and it had taken its toll on him.
By the time the week was over, Jason had been exhausted and his appetite had been pretty much nonexistent, making everyone worried.
It turned out that the lovesick bastard missed his wife and couldn’t sleep without her.
Connor was glad to see Jason back to being Jason.
Sure, the man embarrassed the living hell out of him and would annoy the shit out of anyone just for the hell out of it, but he genuinely liked the asshole.
“It’s good to see you, Connor,” Jason said, reaching over and shook his hand.
“Didn’t think we’d be seeing you here today.
Thought my cousins would make sure that you…
that you…” Jason broke off, frowning as he scented the air.
“Is that cinnamon, sugar, and fruit filling that I’m smelling?
” Jason asked, turning his back on them and focusing his attention on searching through Connor’s truck.
Connor was already stepping back and taking Rory with him when several large men around them suddenly stopped, sniffed the air and growled out, “Cinnamon donuts.”