Chapter 37
37
Grayson Hawk
“I’m not nervous,” Skye assures me when walk up my father’s driveway. Tori snickers behind her and she throws a glare in her direction.
“No you aren’t nervous, you’re petrified,” Tori taunts. “Like you’re being led to a gruesome death.”
“Shut up.” Skye doesn’t try to deny her sister’s words, but her grip on my hand tightens.
“He’s gonna love you.” She glances over at me, worrying her lip. Lifting my free hand I place it beneath her chin and lift. Pressing a soft kiss to her lips Tori groans and makes gagging sounds but we ignore her. We are both so used to her comments and teasing that it doesn’t even penetrate the bubble we are in. “My dad is the most laid-back guy I know. He’s looking forward to meeting you both.”
“You should have warned him about Tori’s attitude.”
“I don’t have an attitude,” she scoffs and this time both Skye and I look at her like she’s got two heads. “Please you two are ridiculous. I’m pleasant, you’re the ones with the attitude. I’m a ray of flippin’ sunshine.” She moves past both of us and this time I chuckle.
“Sunshine my ass, more like a storm cloud,” I holler after her and what does my Tori do? She flips me off just as the front door comes open and there in the threshold stands my father.
“The birds are flying high today,” he says with a chuckle and Tori’s feet falter as she skids to a stop.
My father is not a small man. He’s six three, a little broader than me, and the permanent scowl he wears would make most think he’s an ass. But truth be told he wears his heart on his sleeve.
“No worries, kid.” He waves her forward. “Nine out of ten times I’m flipping him off when he turns his back too.”
“Hey.” I throw my free hand up in the air.
“Hey what, you could piss off a saint on a good day.”
Tori points to my dad but looks back at me. “Oh I like him,” she declares. “We’re gonna have a good time making fun of you.” Then she swivels back around, walks up to my dad and offers him a hug. “Hey Pops, you got any Cola?”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad smile so big. “Loaded up the fridge with it, and grape Kool-Aid too.”
She lifts her hand to offer him a fist bump and he reciprocates before she moves into his house like she’s been there a hundred times.
“I warned you,” I say to my father while leading Skye toward the steps.
“You did.” He nods still smiling. “But I have to say you didn’t warn me about the beauty of this one.” He reaches out and pulls Skye from me dragging her to his side.
“I did too,” I declare. “I told you that the night she walked into Ruby’s she knocked the wind out of me. I told you that her beauty isn’t only on the outside, she gorgeous through and through.” Skye tucks her chin toward her chest and I see the redness settling in her cheeks.
“Listen to him.” My father leans in closer to Skye. “Getting all mushy on us.” He gives her a side hug, then turns with her in his hold, leading her inside.
“I’ve been asking this knucklehead to bring you girls over for days,” he announces. “I threatened to show up at your place unannounced to introduce myself wearing pajamas and that got his attention.”
“I think that would have been cool.” Tori is sitting at the table drinking a Cola and shuffling a deck of cards.
“If you saw his idea of pajamas you wouldn’t think so.”
“They can’t be that bad.” She shifts her gaze to my father and he shrugs.
“I could be boring and wear the solid colored pants, the blue or the green, or I can stick with my patterned ones and let my inner child live free.”
He shrugs.
“There is something very strange about a grown man wearing flannel pajamas with Snoopy, SpongeBob, and Tasmanian Devil prints.”
He glances at Tori and then Skye and they both sell me out faster than I can blink. No hesitation, they both shrug and offer him a smile like it is completely normal.
And just like that, my dad has stolen my girls.
“Full house.” Tori lays her cards down on the table and both Uncle Issac and Dad gawk. “Read em’ and weep, suckers,” she mocks them with a pout and I’ll admit I feel proud.
“You storing a spare set of cards under the table kid?” Uncle Issac asks, shaking his head in disbelief.
“It’s called skill.” She shrugs.
“It’s called cheating,” Uncle Issac bounces back and Tori doesn’t even react. No smile, no frown, nothing she stares him down instead.
Uncle Issac watches her, she watches him like some standoff, each waiting for the other to buckle.
I hate to tell Uncle Issac, but Tori can do this shit all night. I’ve been right where he is on the opposite end of the look, and it can make a grown man wiggle around nervously.
“I win,” she states.
“You cheat,” he counters and Tori’s nostrils flare.
“Tori,” Skye starts toward her sister and Aunt Sheri is the one to stop her.
“Don’t you dare take away that girl’s fun,” she tells Skye with a laugh. “Or ours,” she adds with a wink. “Issac has never been good at losing. He gets all butt hurt when he’s a full grown man but losing to a teenage girl, oh sweetheart this is about to get entertaining.”
“Scary.” Skye cringes. “It’s going to get scary.” She turns her pleading eyes to me. “She cusses when she gets frustrated. She’s a full-grown sailor man wrapped in a younger girl package.”
I chuckle at my woman, because she’s about to lose her shit she’s so terrified of what Tori may do.
“You lost,” she says these words slow like she is trying to be sure he hears her clear and gets it. “Cough up the dough, Gramps.”
Skye covers her face and sits down in the chair.
“This is getting good.” Scarlett tosses a handful of popcorn into her mouth and gets comfy watching her dad face off with Tori.
“Double or nothing,” he offers and Tori laughs.
“I’m pretty sure that will only lead to another and then another. Before you know it I’ll own your house, and that pretty blue truck outside. Can’t drive it now, but in a couple years I’ll be sure to drive by your cardboard box and give you a little double tap and a wave.”
The sarcasm and the mouth on this kid never stops.
“Better ask your better half over there if she minds a new roomy, because I’ll let her stay but you’ll have to go.”
Uncle Issac glances over at my father who has already tossed in his twenty in surrender and is simply enjoying the show.
“Where did this kid come from?”
“You better chalk this up as a loss.” Dad smiles proudly at Tori and I see her give him a thumbs-up behind Uncle Issac’s back.
“You in on this?” he asks my dad.
“Nah, I’m just a better loser than you are.”
“What’s it gonna be Gramps, twenty bucks or the deed to your house and title to your truck?”
“Gramps? Hell kid I’m younger than him,” he tells her, pointing to my father.
“Seriously?” she asks, her brows furrowed like he must be joking. If there is anything Uncle Issac hates more than losing it’s being called old. The man is vain.
“Yeah, seriously,” he tells her, still looking around the room for help. No one even moves.
“Sher,” Tori hollers out to my aunt, shortening her name like they are bff’s.
“Whatcha need, sweetheart?”
Uncle Issac gawks at his wife. “This kid is anything but sweet. She is the devil.”
Tori grins. “We may want to go into the salon for a touchup, his gray is showing.”
Uncle Issac’s hand goes to his head, running his fingers through his hair. Yes, he does it and I love that Tori targeted his gray.
“Sheri.” He says his wife’s name and we all try to hold it together but it’s impossible. She looks like she is about to explode.
“Simmer down, fella.” Tori waves her hand at him. “You keep acting like that you’re gonna shit a brick.”
“Oh my God!” Skye mumbles and Aunt Sheri rubs her back.
It’s chaos, complete and utter chaos, and I fucking love it.
“Those little veins on the side of your head are gonna explode.” Tori points and gives him a look of concern. “Have you checked your blood pressure lately?”
Scarlett loses it, doubled over in her chair laughing.
“Assholes.” He stands up and grabs his wallet, tossing a twenty on the table which Tori happily takes. “You’re all a bunch of assholes.”
Uncle Issac pushes his chair back and spins on his heels. “I need another beer,” he mumbles as he walks away.
I turn back just in time to not only see my father fist bump Tori, but Aunt Sheri and Scar too. Just like that Skye and Tori have been accepted into the family.
Though Skye looks mortified, I know on the inside she is laughing too. Who wouldn’t, we’re always trying to get a rise out of Uncle Issac and it appears that Tori is now the reigning champion.