20. Eyes Like A Hawk
20
EYES LIKE A HAWK
T he following Thursday, Coy’s phone rang and he noticed it was Spencer calling.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” he said to his best friend. It was the first they’d talked since Angel’s mother knew they were dating.
“The same,” Spencer said.
“Where are you right now?”
It was eight in the morning and not when Spencer would normally call.
“Sitting in the airport,” Spencer said. “Not how I wanted to spend my holiday. My flight got canceled yesterday and I’m stuck in Chicago. Or I was last night. I came in early to see what my chances are of getting a flight home earlier today, but I’m sure I’m out of luck on a waiting list. And today of all days, we know what the chances of that happening are.”
“If it weren’t a holiday I’m sure I could have sent one of the helicopters to you,” he said.
Spencer laughed. “Too rich for my blood.”
Coy often forgot that he could just call up a helicopter whenever he wanted. But being stuck in an airport, though not wonderful, wasn’t the worst thing either.
“Have you tried renting a car?”
“Do you know how horrible it will be driving home today?” Spencer said. “Might as well just pray for the best. All I know is I better get one hell of a bonus out of this deal at work if it closes. Everyone else was able to get home on time, but I had to stay for another meeting with a later flight.”
“Which was canceled,” he said. “But you made it to Chicago.”
He knew Spencer had been in California again. “Yep. I have zigzagged a few places with layovers to get here. My flight is supposed to leave at noon, but I know another is taking off at ten. Fingers crossed someone won’t make it.”
“My guess is you’ll be sleeping most of the day when you get home,” Coy said.
“That is the plan. I don’t understand how anyone can handle traveling like this.”
“You knew going in it was a possibility,” he said. “You wanted corporate law in a big city.”
“Maybe I’ll consider Boston next,” Spencer said. “Is your Dad hiring?”
Spencer was laughing. They’d always joked about those things. But his father used Bond Law. Hailey Bond-Knight represented all the Bond businesses or her firm did for minor things.
“I could put a good word in for you with my cousin Hailey if you want,” he said. Though right now the last thing he needed was Spencer this close to Angel.
He was going to have a hard enough time today keeping his emotions and actions at bay with his girlfriend in front of his family.
His mother had eyes like a hawk.
Bode was normally clueless. He wasn’t so sure about Sam and Amanda. If they were going to be paying much attention or not.
“I’m good,” Spencer said. “But if I change my mind you’ll be the first to know.” There was a pause and he heard something over a speaker and then a buzzing on Spencer’s phone. “Shit. I’m getting on an earlier flight. I just got a notification to go to the gate. Must be my lucky day.”
“Good,” he said. “Glad to hear. Just send me a text when you’re back.”
“I’ll do it when I land,” Spencer said. “Because once I get into my place I’m crawling into bed.”
He hung up after that. It was a good thing the call was interrupted so he didn’t have to feel too guilty that he was withholding his dating status from his best friend.
Spencer hadn’t even asked about Angel this time. Could be that Spencer was so busy at work and they were texting more than talking. They went through phases like this so he didn’t think anything of it.
He decided to go work out. He wished that Angel were here and that they’d go over together, but they decided it was best if she went alone so no one thought anything of it.
She’d spent Friday and Saturday night here last weekend and she was going to come back here tonight and stay for a few days too.
Maybe they were moving too fast, but it felt right.
He just had to figure out when to let everyone know.
Though he wasn’t in a hurry to tell Spencer, he would if she wanted him to.
He wanted to be able to go out with her and share the news, but he also knew that it could be somewhat messy at work.
She’d told him a few times, that he was the boss, no one would say anything to him. It was always the woman that got talked about behind her back or the crap thrown at them and judged.
He couldn’t argue that because he’d seen it too.
After he killed enough time, he texted Angel at eleven that he was heading to his parents’ house now. His mother had said she’d have snacks out whenever everyone showed up, but they were eating around two.
Angel texted back she’d be there at noon, that she was going to work out right now. They could have done that together, but he kept that comment to himself and replied he’d see her soon.
“You’re early,” his mother said.
“I was just sitting around,” he said. “I thought I could help you without my brothers getting on my case for sucking up to you.”
“I always enjoy the help,” his mother said.
“Put me to work,” he said, grinning.
“Gladly.” She put a bunch of vegetables in front of him with a knife. “You can cut these up.”
“You’re not worried I’m going to cut myself?” he asked. He remembered this conversation with Angel. It seemed everything made his mind go to her.
“If you do, then I didn’t teach you well,” his mother said, smirking.
“You taught me the best,” he said. “Where is Dad?”
“I think he’s in his office looking a few things over, but I told him he had to stop when people started to arrive.”
“He doesn’t consider me people,” he said.
“I do too,” his father said, coming into the room. “Just because you’re the single one doesn’t make a difference. How’s business going?”
His father had helped set up the practice for him, just like his father had some kind of stake in all the businesses his sons had and he did with his brothers.
They were close and shared it all.
Though his brothers didn’t have anything to do with his practice. That would have been silly.
“Busy,” he said. “And I don’t feel as if I’m drowning now that I’ve got another dentist. Wish I could have found someone years ago.”
“If you had then you wouldn’t have had a need for Angel,” his mother said. She was smirking at him and it made him nervous.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your mother is being nosy,” his father said.
“Not nosy. I see what I see.”
“What is it you see?” he asked. His mother hadn’t seen him and Angel together once since the first time he brought her here for dinner to introduce them.
“Your mother thinks Angel has a crush on you,” his father said. “I told her no one has a crush at that age.”
Coy laughed. What else was he going to do? He wasn’t going to admit they were dating without clearing it with her first. He didn’t need her walking into that.
“I’m not sure about that,” he said. “She’s known me for half her life.”
The minute those words were out of his mouth, he realized it was true.
They had known each other for half her life. Jesus.
It just made him more of an idiot to not see things.
He was seeing it all now though.
“You two do seem to get along well. Maybe this island is finally going to hit my last child.”
“There she goes again,” Drew said, walking into the kitchen. He hadn’t heard his brother enter, but Liam came running over and jumping up to get picked up.
“Hey there, kiddo. What’s going on?”
“I want to stay at your house again.”
“You do,” he said. “When?”
“Tonight,” Liam said. “Can I stay tonight?”
Fuck. That would put a wrinkle in his plans, but he couldn’t say no to his nephew either.
“Sure,” he said.
“I told you Coy wouldn’t have plans, Amanda,” Drew said. “She got mad at me for packing Liam’s bag and putting it in the car. No way he’s going to want to go home to get his stuff after he knows he’s going to your house.”
“Cool,” he said. “What do you want to do tonight?”
“Movies and candy,” Liam said.
Amanda cleared her throat. “I brush his teeth well,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“Is Liam staying at Coy’s tonight?” Bode asked, walking in with Gemma in his arms. His niece was only seven months old. He had a crib at his house and did have Gemma one night too. Though Liam was much easier in his mind.
“He is,” he said. “Why?”
“I wanted Gemma to stay tonight too with you. No reason both your brothers couldn’t get a night without kids.”
“I’ll take Gemma tonight,” his father said, reaching for his granddaughter. Everyone knew how much their mother wanted a little girl, but it was his father that wouldn’t let Gemma go to anyone other than him when he was around.
“That worked out well,” Bode said. “Free night.”
“You’re horrible,” Sam said.
“And we get to be horrible together with no one waking up for a bottle,” Bode said, reaching for his wife.
Sam laughed and all Coy could think was that he’d wanted what his brothers had found for so long and could finally be getting it.
And no one knows.
“Before Angel gets here,” Amanda said, “I’ve got some news.”
He looked at his sister-in-law. “What’s going on?” his mother asked.
“I’m pregnant.”
His mother and father moved over to hug their daughter-in-law. “I’m so happy,” his mother said.
“We’d like to keep it quiet,” Drew said. “All things considered.”
Coy knew why. Not many did. Amanda had miscarried last year and had also lost another child years ago before she met his brother.
Liam had been a miracle baby to Amanda, as she feared she wouldn’t be able to get pregnant or even carry to term.
“I told Drew this is our last shot. I don’t want to think anything bad, but I can’t go through it again...” Amanda said.
“Nothing is going to happen,” Coy said. “I can feel it. When are you due?”
“May twenty-third,” Amanda said. “So not as far along as when I would have liked to say something, but I think we figured, just as I said, this is it. We want the immediate family to know regardless.”
“It’s all going to be just fine,” Sam said. “Please let us know if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” Amanda said. “I wanted to let you all know before anyone else got here.”
“Angel wouldn’t have said anything, but obviously we won’t talk about it again. She’ll be here around noon.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Bode said.
“Why?”
“Because Mom talks about her as if she walks on water. We all know how close you are with Spencer, so I’ve got to imagine it’s a weird situation.”
He frowned. “Weird how?”
“Boys,” his mother said. “Bode, not now.”
“What am I missing?” he asked.
Drew started to laugh. “Mom has these ideas about you two. She’s been talking about it since Angel accepted the job.”
“Ideas of what?” he asked. Jesus, this was making things even harder.
“That it’d be so sweet if you somehow ended up with your best friend’s sister,” Amanda said. “I do find it kind of nice and romantic too.”
“Don’t be a dick to her today,” he said to his brothers. “I mean it.”
“I’m not going to be,” Bode said. “I’m getting it out of my system now before she shows up.”
“If your mother doesn’t smack you for being a jerk,” Sam said, “I will. Don’t embarrass her.”
“Geez,” Bode said, smirking at his wife. “I didn’t know I was going to get ganged up on.”
“You have to be like me,” Drew said. “Just sit back and watch the show.”
“Easy for you to say,” Coy said. “I’m the one starring in it.”
He heard his father cough and his mother look away.
Thankfully Liam started to tug him toward the toys and he got pulled out of the kitchen, not even finishing up his duties to help his mother.
Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. “I’ve got it,” Coy said. “I’m sure it’s Angel.”
He ran to the front. “Hi,” she said when he opened the door.
“Play along,” he said.
“What?” she asked quietly.
“Liam is spending the night tonight. Sorry. I couldn’t get out of it.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “We have the rest of the weekend.”
“Good,” he said. “And I’ll explain more. Just play along if Bode is a dick.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “You’ve always said he busts on you. I’ll be fine.”
There wasn’t much more he could say without his family wondering what was taking so long.
He grabbed the tray of cookies she brought again that she’d picked up at Hadley’s last night after work and went to the back of the house.
“Everyone, this is Angel. Angel, my brother, Bode, and his wife, Sam, and their daughter, Gemma, in my father’s arms. Drew is over there next to Amanda and here comes Liam to get me back to the cars.”
“It’s so nice to meet everyone,” she said, walking around the room and shaking hands.
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Drew said.
“Oh,” she said.
“Yeah,” Bode said. “My mother. She likes to talk and dream.”
“Bode,” Sam warned.
“What?” Bode said. “I’m not lying. It’s all the truth. She was like this with Drew and me too.”
Coy turned to look at Angel and saw her eyes get big. “My brother is being a jerk. You know they like to bust my ass.”
“Boys,” his mother said. “Behave. I mean it. Not another word, Bode.”
“Fine,” Bode said. “What’s it like working for my baby brother?”
“He’s easy to work for,” she said. “I hardly ever see him.”
Everyone laughed and Coy wasn’t sure what that was about, but it seemed like he was going to be the center of attention today whether he wanted it or not.