27. Pecker
Chapter 27
Pecker
“I'm so excited!” Sophia claps her hands and jumps to her feet.
She hasn’t mentioned the house since Wes made a comment about it when we first met. I was beginning to wonder where her head was with it. Is she excited or dreading it, but I just got my answer.
I don’t know how I'm going to do it, but I need to figure out a way to move here. I can't take Sophia away from her family. Not when she’s been so happy since we arrived. If I thought she could light up a room before, I was wrong. She’s practically illuminating every room she walks into now.
Sophia takes my hand and threads her fingers through mine. She peeks up at me with a sweet smile on her face, but I can see the hesitation. She’s worried about me. She probably thinks I'm going to bolt.
“Peck, this is Charlie and Wyatt’s house.” Wes points to the house directly across from his and Blake’s. I wonder if they planned it to fit exactly between the two families’ houses. I'm sure they did. They’re too detail oriented for that to be an accident.
Sophia’s house is next to Charlie’s, closer to Wes’ house than Blake’s. He twists the knob on the front door and I'm shocked when it opens easily. I thought it would be locked. I’d be worried about something getting stolen or someone getting in here.
“The gate keeps people out. The entire property is fenced in. We couldn’t take chances with Wyatt living here, especially with Jax and Cody moving here soon. There are too many fans who would do anything to get to them,” he answers the question I didn’t even get a chance to ask.
We step inside the house and glance around. It looks like it’s the same set up as his house, but the inside is laid out slightly different. This one is more open and has bigger windows, making the space appear larger.
“I love it, Daddy,” Sophia whispers as she roams around the bottom floor.
She lets out the loudest squeal I’ve ever heard and races out of my sight. My brows crinkle as I try to figure out why she’s so excited. I don’t want to chase after her, but I like having her in my line of sight at all times. I got so used to watching her with Jimmy being a threat.
“She saw the chandelier.” Wes smirks. “She’s always begged us to put a chandelier in the dining room, but Addi didn’t want one. I think she picked this one out when she was around nine years old and has been telling me since then how much she wanted it in her dining room when she moved out.”
“How’d you find the same one? They still make them?”
“Nah, they stopped making it only a few months after she saw it. I ordered it the day she found it. I’ve been storing it at the warehouse we use for Kasey Construction since then.”
“Why?”
“Because it was something she loved. She made me promise I’d give it to her when she grew up, and there’s no way I was breaking a promise to my little girl. As your kids get older, they get less excited about things you can give them. They realize they can buy their own things and they don’t need you anymore. She’s already grown and doesn’t need me, but it makes me feel a little bit better that I can give her something she’s always wanted.”
“What else does she want?”
“Well, her and Charlie always dreamed of living on Mulberry Lane with houses next to each other, so I made it happen. She’s always dreamed of finding the perfect man for her and raising a family here.”
“I guess you haven’t made that happen yet.” I chuckle.
“Nah, but I think she’s working her way towards it.”
“She wants a bakery,” I whisper, watching my girl glide from one space to another.
“She does. I don’t think she’ll be happy until she has one. She’s stubborn enough to make it the most popular bakery around too.” Wes nods.
“She’s amazing.”
“At what?”
“Everything.”
Wes chuckles and shakes his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man this in love. It’s nice to know it’s directed at my daughter.”
“I can't keep her away from here, Wes. She can't live in Maple Springs. She won't be happy.”
“Not long term, but she’s happy right now. What’s going through your head?”
“I'm trying to figure it all out. I'm not against moving. I didn’t live in Maple Springs a year ago, I moved there to help Sydney after her husband left her. But how do I leave my sister when she still needs help?”
“I don’t know… Can you let Soph go though?”
“Not a chance in hell.”
“Then you talk to her and figure it out. Discuss it with your sister and have a game plan. How much longer she’ll need you close by? There’s always an answer, but sometimes it takes time to find it.”
“Yeah, but how much time is she going to give me before she moves onto someone else?”
“You obviously don’t know my daughter well enough.” Wes chuckles like I just told him a funny joke. “You have a while, Peck. You don’t need to worry about that for a single second.”
“How many bedrooms, Daddy?” Sophia comes back over to us.
“Five. Do you need more than that?” He arches a brow.
“No. Is it the same setup as our house?”
“Yes. I need you to pick out paint colors while you’re here, and flooring. I think we should have the place finished in the next month or two.”
“Perfect. So, I can go back to Maple Springs for a while.” She grins at me.
“Yeah, I’ll let you know if it’s going to take longer. There are two books on the counter. One with paint options and one with flooring. You can take them to the house and take your time picking them. I'm not reflooring anything so make sure you like it.” He points a finger in her direction and her cheeks pinken.
“I won't do it again,” she groans. “But what if I don’t like the paint? Can we repaint?” There’s so much hope in her voice and I know Wes won't tell her no.
“You’re allowed two rooms to be repainted. That’s it. But I'm serious, Soph. If I put down floors and you decide a week later that it doesn’t match your furniture, I'm not redoing it.”
“How many times has she done that?”
“Only once!” Sophia hurries to answer me before Wes can.
“Twice.”
“You didn’t even have the floors finished the second time. It doesn’t count.” She rolls her eyes like he’s being dramatic.
“Soph, I had one row of tiles left to lay. I thought Blake was going to murder you.”
“He loves me too much to get mad at me.” She sticks her bottom lip out in a pout and wraps her arms around Wes’s waist. “Thank you, Daddy. I love it.”
“Anything for my princess.”
“So, when are you proposing?” Wes asks in his gruff voice.
We just finished dinner and are relaxing on the deck while the girls are inside talking and laughing. I can see Sophia from where I'm sitting. She hasn’t stopped smiling all day.
“Who said I was proposing?” I arch a brow, but it’s almost impossible to keep my lips from turning up at the corners.
“You didn’t have to say it. This one made the same face when he was planning on proposing to Charlie.” Wes points to Wyatt, who’s smiling like an idiot.
“Is that because they have the same face?” Blake smirks, tipping back his beer.
“It must be a family trait,” Wyatt adds, making everyone chuckle.
“I don’t know. We’ve been dating for a little over two weeks. I figured it was too fast to propose now.”
“Do you love her?” Blake asks.
“More than I ever thought possible.”
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?” Wes asks.
“Yeah, I do. When we walked through the house, I kept picturing coming home from work and seeing her dancing around the kitchen with a baby on her hip. A few kids running around the living room. The place would be a mess, but everyone was happy. I can't get the image out of my head.”
“Then don’t drag your feet.” Wes lifts his beer to his lips and tilts it back. He never takes his gaze off of me and I swear the man can see straight through you, seeing everything you think and feel.
“You want me to propose?” I blink in surprise. There’s no way he’s giving me permission to marry his daughter the day after we met. That’s crazy.
“I want my daughter to be happy.” He shrugs like nothing else matters in life.
“I’ve had to listen to so many conversations about how great you are, man. She’s head over heels for you and I'm thrilled she found someone who isn't in professional sports.” Wyatt grimaces at the thought.
“Why?”
“Most of them are man whores. They don’t really care about her, but they see a cute girl like her and they want to pounce. You should’ve seen how many of the guys were falling all over themselves to get Charlie’s attention. I had to threaten bodily harm to keep them away until I could convince her to give me another shot.” He shakes his head.
“I literally fell all over myself the night we met.” I chuckle, thinking back to the night. It feels like it was years ago, not a couple weeks. “She wasn’t impressed. I honestly don’t know how I got a chance with her. I probably looked like an idiot. I kept telling her how pretty she was and was making the dumbest comments.”
“It’s the abs.” Wyatt lifts his drink and takes a sip before continuing. “I started to feel bad about myself when she kept talking about some shirtless picture she found on social media. It’s why she always went after the guys on the Pythons and Pit Bulls. Charlie was talking my ear off about it that night. Soph isn't shallow, but she wants a man who’s in shape. She’s really active and she wants her boyfriend to be active too. She also told us how you walked with her around Colt’s property and how sweet you were. And the number of calls we got after she spent the night hanging out with you?” He blows out a breath and shakes his head. “I'm glad it’s the off season for me because they stayed up for hours talking. Pecker’s so sweet. He’s so hot. He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met. He protected me, ” he mimics the girls and grins.
“She wears her emotions on her sleeve and always has. She’s not going anywhere, Peck.” Blake clasps me on the back. “You better buckle up, because that girl is going to give you a run for your money. She’s the best, but she’s a handful.”
“Nah, she’s calmer with him. She doesn’t feel the need to impress him or beg for his attention. I never thought I’d see her find a man who makes her feel like she’s enough. It’s nice to see her just be herself.” Wes gazes through the kitchen window, watching his wife and girls with Kennedy.
“Does she not feel like enough?” My brows draw together. She’s perfect, how does she feel like she isn't enough for someone.
“She’s always struggled with it,” Wyatt says softly. “There’s no explanation for it that I know of, but I think she’s always felt like she was competing with the rest of the girls and Charlie.”
“Charlie’s a hard woman to follow in her footsteps. She’s incredible and has the biggest heart,” Blake agrees.
“Sophia’s incredible too,” I defend my girl a little too strongly.
“I wasn’t saying she isn't.” Blake smirks, holding up a hand to stop me from getting too riled up. “I’m just saying it’s hard to live up to that. She’s done it, but I don’t think she sees that. Then there’s Emma and Isabella. They’re best friends and thick as thieves. Cody told us they got more attention from the guys at school because they’re blonde and all the guys liked blondes. I think there have been little things said and done by others to make her feel like she isn't what they want.”
“I hope I make her feel like she’s enough,” I whisper, watching my girl again. It breaks my heart to hear she’s been thinking this for years.
“You make her feel like she’s perfect, Peck. She feels like she doesn’t have a single flaw with you. In two weeks, you’ve given her this confidence she’s never possessed. Sure, she faked it for the longest time, but now it’s genuinely there and I have no one except you to thank for that. You’re a good man, Peck, and you protected my little girl with your life. As far as Addi and I are concerned, you have our blessing.” Wes pats me on the back and stands to his full height.
“Are you finally going to let me help with the gingerbread house?” Blake scrambles to stand too.
“Is it really a house?” Wyatt quirks a brow. “It looks more like an estate.”
“Just wait until Linc gets here to work on the landscaping and Cole gives me the ginger people.” Wes smirks.
“And this year, the house is getting furniture, floors, everything.” Blake spreads his hands through the air like this will be the most magnificent thing in the world. Honestly, I think it might be. I can't wait to see the finished product.
They head inside and a few minutes later, Linc and Cole climb the steps to the deck and sneak in the backdoor. They both wave to us, but they’re giving us some alone time.
“How do you like Mulberry Lane?” Wyatt asks.
“It feels like it belongs in a fairytale.” I chuckle. “Like this place shouldn’t exist, it’s too perfect.”
“Blake was part of a program with foster kids. He was a big brother and I was his little brother type deal. When he first brought me here, I didn’t believe it. I swore it was too good to be true. It took me a long time to trust anyone, but Charlie wiggled her way under my skin and settled right in my heart. She wasn’t going to let me go no matter how hard I fought.” He glances through the window and watches his wife for a few seconds.
Charlie and Sophia are dancing around the kitchen, spinning each other in circles. Sophia gets dipped and when she tries to do the same to Charlie, she shakes her head and points to her baby bump.
“When Blake adopted me, I felt like the entire world was handed to me on a silver platter. It took me a while to really accept this was life because I felt like it was a dream.”
“I can't imagine thinking of this many people as your family.” My gaze bounces from one house to another.
When Sophia introduced me to everyone, it took hours. They all welcomed me with a hug and took time to get to know me. There were no surface level conversations, these people wanted to get to know the real me. It was terrifying, but also exhilarating. They care about each other so much, it’s astonishing.
“You haven’t even met Uncle Mason or Uncle Jesse yet. Or Zoey’s family and the other cousins. There’s still so much family to meet. I got so used to this and when it was ripped away from me, I didn’t think I’d survive,” Wyatt says softly.
He looks like he’s lost in a memory and I debate on whether or not I should ask questions. But if we’re brothers, I should know a little more about him. If he doesn’t want to share, he can tell me that too.
“What happened? There have been a few comments made about something happening between you and everyone here.”
“Let me tell you a little story about my relationship with Charlie Robinson and how it turned my life upside down more than once.” He settles back and gets comfortable. I have a feeling this is going to be a long story. “It all started when I asked Wes if I could marry her. I think I was around eleven or twelve years old the first time I asked… more like begged him to let me.”
“What did he say?” I chuckle.
“He told me I couldn’t marry her when I haven’t dated her. When I asked if I could date her, he said not until she was eighteen. That’s where the story really begins…”
Wyatt goes on and on for so long. His story is shocking and I can't believe they’ve been through all of that. I assumed they’ve always been together and their lives were as perfect as the street they grew up on, but that isn't the case at all. Their relationship is a testament of their love for each other.
He’s just wrapped up his story when my phone rings on the center of the table. Sydney’s face smiles back at me and I sigh. I know I need to answer her. She’s worried she’s messed everything up for all of us.
“Would you like to meet your sister?” I motion to the phone.
“Yeah, I’d love to. Can I answer it and see if she realizes I'm not you?” He grins.
“Yes!” I happily hand over the phone and watch as he accepts the call. She doesn’t waste a second.
“Bradley Pecker! What the hell? Why haven’t I gotten a phone call from you? It’s been like thirty hours. Do you have any idea how hard it was to not call you? I practiced a lot of self-restraint. I even contemplated driving to Philadelphia!”
“You should’ve.”
“What? You want me to drive eight hours because you don’t know how to answer a phone?” She stares at him like he’s crazy.
“Well, you would’ve gotten your answer sooner. Eight hours is a lot less than thirty.” He lifts his shoulder in a shrug and I can see she’s about to lose it. It’s entertaining when it’s not me she’s glaring at like that.
“Pecker! That’s ridiculous!”
“It would’ve been nice to meet my sister too.” Wyatt’s smile grows when Sydney opens and closes her mouth several times. Her brows are drawn together tightly as she stares at him. I can tell she doesn’t believe him. “It’s nice to meet you, Syd.”
“You’re screwing with me,” she says slowly, not sure if she even believes herself. “Stop it, Peck.”
I take the chair next to Wyatt and bring my face into the frame. Sydney lets out the loudest gasp I’ve ever heard and covers her mouth.
“Stop yelling at me. I was getting to know Wyatt. I thought you’d be happy I smoothed over your mess.”
“Wyatt…” she whispers as tears well in her eyes. “Holy crap, you two look like twins.”
“That’s what we keep getting told.” Wyatt chuckles. “It’s going to make things awkward if Peck and Sophia get married.”
“Why?”
“Hold on…” Wyatt stands up and opens the back door, he calls Charlie and Sophia out, then takes his seat again. Charlie of course is on his lap just like she always is. Sophia settles on my lap and I wrap my arms around her waist. All four of us are in the frame so Syd can see us.
“I don’t even know what to say,” she whispers. “It’s like you’re clones of each other. Are you sure you’re not screwing with me, Peck? Are you somehow duplicating everything?”
“Should we get Jax and Cody to come over and really mess with her head?” Wyatt smirks.
“Who are they?”
“My twin brothers,” Sophia laughs. “Syd, this is my sister, Charlie! She’s pregnant with your niece or nephew!”
“I'm going to be an aunt?”
It hits me with her comment, she isn't an aunt yet. I’ve been an uncle for so long, but she’s never had that. She was only seventeen when she got pregnant with Danny. I was shocked when Rob stood by her and they got married as soon as they turned eighteen. She made me an uncle when I was only fourteen years old.
“Maybe we can come visit you after the baby is born. As long as Sophia doesn’t mind us crashing at her house.” Charlie smiles.
“I’d love it. I need all the baby snuggles!” Sophia curls up on my lap, laying her head on my chest.
“Really? You’re willing to come all this way with a newborn?”
“We’re both off until the end of February. Even with a newborn, it’s probably easier for us to come to you,” Wyatt says softly. “We want to meet Danny and Bree too. Plus, I have a feeling Sophia isn't moving home without Peck, so I’ll want to see my other sister too.”
Wyatt grabs Sophia’s ankle and squeezes it. I love how close they are. After hearing Wyatt’s story, they went through a horrible rough patch, but it’s great to see them close again.
“I’d love to meet all of you… I'm sorry you found out the way you did. I feel terrible. I didn’t know you were Sophia’s brother-in-law. She said your name was Wyatt, but I didn’t make the connection.”
“You have no reason to apologize. I'm not sure there’s a good way to break it to someone they’ve been adopted twice.” Wyatt chuckles. “Charlie made me realize it doesn’t matter where I came from, only where I'm going to from here. We’re all good. We’re family and there’s always extra forgiveness there.”
I hug Sophia a little closer and grin down at her. I don’t know what I did to deserve such an incredible woman with an equally as amazing family, but I'm glad I did.