Chapter 3 #2
“Okay,” another kid yells back. I watch as a boy almost as tall as Slider comes jogging over.
He’s got red hair and a smattering of freckles on his face.
It’s his blue eyes that capture my attention.
They’re so beautiful they almost take my breath away.
Those eyes remind me of a man that I really fucking need to forget …
I shake my head. Sure, Torch said Hunter had a kid named Ty. Still, the chance of Slider’s best friend from the baseball team being Hunter’s kid has to be minimal. Right? I’m just being silly.
“Aunt Beau, this is my friend Ty. He’s on the baseball team with me.”
“Hey, Ty.”
“Hey,” he responds. “Is this your car?” he says, his gaze roving over Amie.
“Yep, this is Amie. She’s my baby.”
“Aunt Beau painted her,” Slider proclaims with pride, making me have to smother out my chuckle.
“No shit?” Ty says with a whistle.
“Told you,” Apex mutters as if shit and fuck are curse words in the same scale of bad. I mean, to me they are, but if I had a kid, they wouldn’t be for him or her.
“Whatever,” I mutter, not going to argue about it. There’s too much testosterone around me.
“Is this your meatballs, Beau?” Apex asks.
“Yeah,” I confirm with a laugh because he’s lifting the aluminum covering off the top to inhale.
“Beau Harper, will you marry me?”
“Apex, stop with the joking,” I chastise, reaching back into Amie to get a huge bowl of my potato salad, giving that to Ty. I get another huge pan out and hand this one to Slider.
“Please tell me this is all mine,” Slider begs, making me laugh.
This pan has a plastic lid on it that he can see through.
I hadn’t planned on making chocolate lasagna.
There’s already birthday cake, but I know Slider loves this stuff, so on a whim I made it.
Now, I’m glad. Besides, I don’t cook often—even if I do enjoy it.
There’s just no point because it’s usually just me.
“Well, you have birthday cake too, but I figured you might want some of this.”
“Screw birthday cake,” he mutters.
“I’m not joking, Beau. Marry me. I’ll make you happy and you can wear those damn shorts and cook for me, and I’ll be very happy,” Apex starts again.
“You can do better than me,” I tell him, shaking my head.
“The fuck you say,” he growls.
“Apex, you have women begging for you to give them the time of day. Plus, they’re gorgeous.”
“And none of them could hold a candle to you, woman.”
“You are hot,” Ty says, joining in.
“I’m not—”
“They’re right Aunt Beau, plus you have a sweet ride.”
“Not to mention your ass,” Apex grumbles.
“If you all don’t stop, I’m taking my food and going back home,” I warn, reaching one more time to grab my baked beans and handing them to Callum.
“And if you don’t stop, Apex, I’m going to knock your head in,” Callum growls, entering the conversation. Apex frowns and walks over. Slider and Ty join him, with Slider giving me a grin. “Anything else in there?” Callum asks.
“Just the pasta salad, I can get it,” I tell him, kissing his cheek in thanks. I grab my bowl of pasta salad and lock Amie up. I start walking up to the shelter with him. “What’s got into Apex?” I ask warily.
“Word has gotten around,” Callum answers sounding annoyed.
“What word?” I ask, my forehead crinkling in confusion.
“That you might have come out of retirement.”
“Retirement? Callum, are you speaking in riddles?”
“They knew you’d sworn off men, sweetheart. They all heard that message loud and clear. You were untouchable. Then, they heard through the smalltown grapevine that BB spent the night with you and since you’ve not been seen with him since, they figure you’re open game now.”
“You’re kidding me,” I gasp, feeling my stomach drop to my feet. I can’t be positive because I don’t have a mirror, but I’d feel safe in saying the color is leaching from my face too.
“Nope. Apex has always been interested, Beau. You could do worse if you are looking to get out there again.”
“Callum, he’s like you. You both are like my annoying brothers. Heck, all the boys are.”
“Not sure some of them would agree. I’m damn sure Apex wouldn’t.”
“Then, you should spread the news that BB was a night of too much top shelf Tequila—not to be repeated.”
“I can do that,” he mutters as we make it to the shelter.
“Obliged,” I answer at once.
“Of course, you might have every man here and in the five surrounding counties bringing you a bottle of tequila and asking you out.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, thinking this occasion calls for a very, very bad curse word.
“Maybe the whole damn state and not just five counties,” he adds.
“I’m starting to think I shouldn’t wait to see if Slider likes his gift that we fixed up for him and just leave now,” I grumble.
“Well, honey, brace because it’s only going to get worse.”
“How could it possibly be worse?” I ask him as we stop just outside the large shelter. My gaze moves over the tables, and I freeze when I find deep blue eyes staring straight at me.
“Ty’s dad? That would be BB.”
“Motherfucker. Fucking Fuck,” I growl under my breath—pouring everything I’m feeling into those words while wishing I was anywhere else.
Damn it.