Chapter Sixteen
Cameron
“I’M SO NERVOUS,” Tess hissed, wiping her hands on her jeans.
I grinned, pulling a T-shirt over my head. “Why are you nervous?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re joking, right?”
“Baby, it’s my brothers, and a very feisty, friendly, and totally lovable baby sister. They are gonna love you.”
“How can they love me when you’re only dropping the knowledge of me on them today?”
“Hatch has known about you for weeks.”
She rolled her eyes. “From the little I’ve gleaned about your family dynamic, he sounds like the easy going one.”
I let out a snort. “You’ve gleaned that, have you?”
Tess scrunched up her nose. “Am I off base?”
“So far off base, you’re not even in the ballpark,” I said, kissing the scrunch right off her face.
“Oh, lord, if Hatch isn’t the easy going one, then I’m screwed.”
“No, you’ll be fine.” I chuckled. “Cullen’s the sweet one. Cade’s the one you gotta watch out for.”
“But Hatch is sweet too, right?”
I smiled, wrapping my arms around her. “Uh, no.”
“What?” she squeaked. “You made him sound like a hero!”
“Well, to us, he is.” I linked my fingers behind her back and tugged her closer. “He fought to keep all of us together after Mom died and Dad got sent up. But I’m gonna be honest, he’s the sergeant of a Motorcycle Club. His name is short for Hatchet Man. Sweet isn’t in his DNA.”
She blew air out through her lips. “I’m not confident this meeting’s going to go well, Bugs.”
I laughed. “You worry too much.”
“You worry too little,” she lobbed back.
I kissed her gently just as my doorbell pealed. “Ready?”
“Not even a little,” she breathed out.
I grinned and headed to my door, pulling it open and my brothers and sister pushed through like a pack of wild animals, all talking at once.
“Where the hell have you been?” Cade demanded.
“You were supposed to be home yesterday,” Hatch said at the same time.
“You promised dinner,” Cricket pressed. “Just the two of us.”
Cullen was the only one who waited for the rest to stop speaking. He was also the one who closed the door and pulled me in for a hug. “Hey, little brother. Good to have you home.”
“Um, who are you?” Cricket demanded, and I slid past my siblings to rescue my woman.
“This is Tess,” I provided.
Tess gave them a little wave and a tentative smile. “Hi.”
“Didn’t answer the question, though, did she?” Cade said.
“Cade,” I warned.
“Just statin’ facts, little brother.”
“Tess is my fiancé,” I said.
“What the fuck?” Cade growled.
“Watch your tone, brother,” Hatch said.
“You’re engaged?” Cricket squeaked.
I took Tess’s hand and she gripped mine back like a talisman. “We are.”
“The woman you met five minutes ago is gonna be your wife?” Cade said quietly, and Cricket immediately slammed her fist into his crotch.
“Ow! What the fuck, Cricket?”
“Sack tap for being rude,” Cricket hissed.
“I’m marrying Helena,” Cullen said. “And I’ve known her for less than two months.”
Hatch nodded. “I’m also gonna put a ring on Maisie’s finger and we’re barely at the six-month mark.”
“Might I point out, you connected with Navy barely six weeks ago,” Cricket said.
“I’ve known that woman since high school,” Cade said, his legs still crossed.
“You’re hardly reliable, Cam,” Cade said, and I felt Tess stiffen.
“How is he unreliable?” she asked. Her tone was quiet and gentle, but it also had a bit of an edge to it.
“Well, in case you weren’t aware, our brother fucks his way through the phonebook, so to speak.”
Another hit from Cricket had his knees hitting the floor but before I could say or do anything to address his insult, Hatch had wrapped a hand around the nape of his neck and dragged him out the front door.
“Give me a second,” I said to Tess, then jabbed a finger at my remaining siblings. “Be nice.” I faced Tess and squeezed her hands. “I’ll be right back. You good?”
She nodded and I stepped outside.
* * *
Tess
This wasn’t going well. At. All.
“Um, well, so…”
“Okay, look,” Cricket said. “Ignore Cade. He can be a dick. Seriously. I don’t know why because he’s actually squishy once you get to the heart of him, but I think he’s on his period.”
“He and Navy had a fight,” Cullen provided.
Cricket gasped. “Seriously?”
Cullen nodded. “Heard him arguing with her over the phone earlier.”
“Oh. My. God,” Cricket breathed out. “That explains everything.” She faced me again. “Cade and Navy were high school sweethearts and she moved away, and then we moved up here and he lost his ever-blessed mind, then Mom died, and Dad, well, I’m sure Cameron has filled you in on all of that.”
I nodded.
“So, if Navy’s pissed at him, then he’s probably totally melting down and when he melts down, Cameron gets the brunt of it, because Cameron always gets the brunt of it.”
I cocked my head. “Why?”
“First of all, he’s the youngest boy. I mean, Cade’s afraid of Hatch, and he wouldn’t fucking dare do anything to the widower, and I’m the baby and the girl, and you’ve seen what happens when you fuck with me, so...”
I frowned. “I do not like that.”
“Oh, nobody likes it, especially Cam but he handles it.”
I crossed my arms and thought to myself, I wonder how Cade would react if he knew I could field strip, clean, and reassemble a Glock-9 while blindfolded in forty seconds, before using that very same weapon to get off eight center mass shots and three head shots on a target twenty-five meters away.
“Some things are going to change around here,” I bit out.
Cricket’s face lit up like a pinball machine. “Oh, I love you already.”
Cullen pulled me in for a gentle hug. “Sorry our brother was a dick. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” I gave him a tentative smile. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“I’m good.”
“I’ll take some wine,” Cricket said. “But I’ll get it. Can I pour you some?”
I nodded, following her into the kitchen.
* * *
Cameron
“Are you on your fuckin’ period? What the fuck is your issue?” I demanded as I stalked toward my brother.
Hatch laid a hand on my shoulder to keep me at bay. “Give it a beat.”
“Hatch,” I bit out.
Hatch turned to Cade. “But seriously, Cade, what the fuck?”
Cade motioned toward me. “He’s been unreliable, missing for days, completely blows off work and any responsibility handed to him, and we’re supposed to polish his knob because he brought some girl home?”
“That’s the last time I allow you to speak about Tess disrespectfully,” I growled. “Next time you do it, you’ll be drinkin’ your meals through a straw for six weeks.”
Hatch sighed. “Alright girls, you’re both pretty, how about we all just cool our jets and pretend like we’re all brothers who actually love each other.”
“Seriously, Cam, where have you been?” Cade asked, although, his tone was softer.
“If you come back inside, and promise not to piss on the rug, I’ll get you a bag of frozen peas for your nutsack and Tess and I will explain everything.”
“Who the hell is this Tess—”
I shoved him as a warning to watch his tone, then we walked back inside and I wrapped an arm around Tess’s waist. “You good?”
She nodded giving me a squeeze, then I asked my family to gather in the living room.
“Thank you all for coming,” I said. “Tess and I—”
“I swear to god, if this is an Amway presentation,” Cade started.
“Cade, shut the fuck up!” Hatch snarled, while Cricket shifted a little closer, her fist raised to strike.
Cade placed the peas center mass over his dick as if to protect the family jewels, and Cricket scowled at him. “First warning, big brother. Don’t piss me off again.” She faced me again. “Continue.”
“So, like I said, Tess and I are engaged and so I guess wanted y’all to know that.”
Tess sighed. “What I think Cameron is trying to say is, I’m sure you have a lot of questions and we’re here to answer them.”
“Where the hell have you been?” Cade started.
“Where did you meet?” Cullen asked.
“How did you meet?” Cricket asked.
All talking at once.
“One question at a time?” Tess suggested. “Maybe we raise hands?”
Cricket’s hand shot up and she made sure she hit every one of our brother’s faces as she waved her hand repeatedly in the air like one of those inflatable tube men you see in a used car lot.
“Yes Cricket?” I said.
She slapped Cade one more time as she lowered her hand. “I would like to know how and where you met.”
“Funny you should ask that, sissy.” I cleared my throat, scratching the back of my neck. “I guess you could say we met at work.”
“How the fuck is that even physically possible?” Cade demanded.
“Not our company so much as the company.”
Tess chuckled. “Good one, Bugs.”
“Thank you, I thought that was pretty good myself.”
“What the fuck does that even mean?” Cade bit out.
“Look, I’ve been working another job for the past few years now, outside of our construction business.”
Cade sighed. “Are you telling me you’ve been moonlighting?”
“No, it has nothing to do with building or anything like that,” I said. “But it does explain my absences.”
Hatch waved his hand. “It’s okay, Cam, just tell ’em.”
I exhaled. “Okay. Tess and I met while working on assignment for the CIA.”
“You’re doing construction work for the CIA?” Cricket asked.
“No,” I said. “What I’m telling you is that I’m in the CIA.”
A deafening silence filled the room for about three seconds before uproarious laughter filled the space.
“No, seriously,” I countered, but no one was listening.
Tess shoved two fingers into her mouth and let out the loudest whistle I’d ever heard, and the room was silent again.
“Aw, man, I didn’t know you could do that,” I said. “I’m so jealous.”
She grinned. “Let’s focus.”
“Right.” I turned back to my family. “Tess and I are CIA officers.”
“Okay Johnny Utah,” Cullen retorted.
“That was the FBI, dumbass,” Cricket said.
“Look, what I’m trying to tell you is important,” I continued.
“Holy shit, you’re being serious,” Cade said.
“I am.” I nodded. “For the past four plus years I’ve been working with the CIA, first as a recruit, then a trainee, then as a field officer.”