Chapter 43
43
CADENCE
" I t's rock-fucking-solid," Nick says shaking the thick ropes attached to the large inflatable movie screen. "It's not going to fly away."
"To be fair," Jonas says, clearing this throat. "The other one didn't fly away either." Nick glares at Jonas, then flips him off. Jonas just stares at him impassively.
"What happened to it?" I ask. I know, but I want to hear it again.
"Look. Shit was happening," Nick says, propping his hands on his hips. "We needed to get to the club and check on you, Princess Cady."
He's teasing, but I don't mind princess, at all. I'll be the ass kicking princess any day. "So you….."
"So I stabbed the fucking thing," Nick mutters. "It was dangerous. Right? I had to do it. It couldn't be left alive to fuck with people."
"Right," I mumble through my laughter. "It was a public service."
Nick waves his hand at me, and heads over to Nan and Connie, who are wearing matching flowy caftans. They are so alike it's scary. In my mind, scary good, but Nick looks a little wary as he approaches them.
I lay back on my lounger, loving the still warm breeze on my skin. It'll be dark soon, and I'll gratefully snuggle under a blanket with my guy, but for right now, I'm savoring it.
And there really is so much to savor. The rooftop pool shimmers in the dusk light. There's laughter all around me as the people I've come to love like family finish inflating their floaties and argue over snacks. Somehow they've managed to get a popcorn maker up here, the kind they have at the movie theater, so every one in a while, when the breeze shifts, I get a whiff and my stomach growls.
And of course, the puppies pen’s is out here so they can watch the movie too. Little Mia Sofia Miles is damn convincing. One word from her, and her Daddy (officially now) carted everything up here. Those puppies are spoiled rotten, and I love it.
"Careful, Nan!" I call out as Jonas and Nick help my grandmother onto a massive round float. Jonas has her in his arms like a bride. She's clutching a margarita in one hand, and the bottom of her caftan clutched in the other. "It would be easier if you let Nick hold your drink."
"No fucking way," Nan retorts, as Jonas lowers her gently onto the floaty. She wiggles, passing her drink to Connie who’s already settled, then carefully crawls into the lounge seat next to her. "That boy will drink it. Guaran-damn-teed."
Connie nods in agreement, raising her own glass. "She's right. The boy is a mooch."
Nick gasps dramatically. "Connie! Nan. Both of you? I'm hurt."
"Notice he's not denying it," Connie says to Nan. Nan nods, cheers Nick with her drink and takes a big sip, smacking her lips after. Nick laughs, looking all kinds of happy, then grabs another floaty.
A very large shape gets between me and what's left of the sun. "What do you think?" Maverick asks, grinning down at me.
God, the man is all golden retriever energy tonight, and I can't get enough of it. "I think it looks perfect." And it does. The lounger he's carrying is massive, looking more like a couch than an air mattress. It has a full back rest and an attached footrest. "Are we ready to do this?"
"Hell yeah, we are."
We move to the steps lining one end of the Olympic sized pool, and Maverick floats it holding it with one hand, his other one supporting my elbow as I climb in. I flip over, scooting to give him room, then hold my arms out for the blanket and snacks he tosses at me.
"Okay," he says, letting go. "Here I come."
I'm prepared for it, but I still let out a squeal as he dives onto the floaty, making the whole thing tilt precariously. I clutch the bags of chips tightly to my chest, because…priorities. He freezes, letting it settle before he flips over. He does it so slowly I have plenty of time to admire the way the muscles in his arms and chest bunch as he supports himself. He shouldn't ever wear a shirt again. He should be just like this…at least when I'm around. I don't want some other woman getting to appreciate all that is Maverick Walker.
"This was a great idea," he says grinning as he eases into place next to me.
"It is a great idea. What are the chances we all stay dry the whole movie?"
"Is there a less than zero? If so, then that. That's the chance."
"Fair. So I guess the better question is, who's going to get wet first?"
Maverick eases his arm around my back, pulling me into his chest. In the month since he shared what happened to his mom, and why he reacted the way he did, things have been pretty damn perfect. Yeah, there's been little annoyances, but we've been able to talk through most of it.
I'm still working at the club, but the security is even tighter than before. When I do have a shift, Mavrick is likely to show up, but I don't mind. It gives him peace of mind.
Honestly, I'm nearly ready to let the job go. I care too much about him to make him worry. And yeah, he's not worrying as much. Intellectually, he gets that what happened to his mom won't happen to me. The odds are astronomical, as Jonas so thoroughly showed him with a full graph and PowerPoint presentation. I may have asked Jonas for some help, but man, he went above and beyond.
But I'm ready to let the job go for me, too. Because I have the nest egg I promised myself, and now, I'd like to just…live. I want to spend time with my boyfriend. I want to spend time with Nan. And I don't see the point in working myself to the bone just to prove my independence.
Because that's been a big adjustment too. I've never been this taken care of in my life. Yeah, Nan and Grandpa took good care of me, but as an adult, I've paid my own way. Yet now I have this incredible man that looks at me sideways if I try to pay for anything. Groceries, a coffee, a pack of gum…anything.
And I love it. And I can tell he does too. It makes him happy to take care of both of us, and after all the time I've spent being the one taking care of everyone else, I’m not going to fight it.
"Well, I think that's a sucker bet," Maverick muses, pressing a kiss to the top of my head then pointing across the pool at Colton. "Cause that fucker's going in, guaranteed."
"Lord. You're right. There's no way he's going to make it through a whole movie on that thing." Evie and Mia, who’s wearing a purple life jacket, are happily ensconced on their own bright pink floaty already, munching on popcorn as they watch Colton attempt to maneuver a giant inflatable bull into the water. I press my mouth against Maverick's shoulder laughing as Colton does some sort of two step wobble. You can almost see him calculating how to mount the thing. "How's he going to get up there? Do you think he'll go with the run and jump or is he going to try and climb up."
Everyone around the pool's gone silent, and I'm certain there's more than one bet being made.
"I hope like fuck he doesn't jump," Maverick says, sitting a little straighter. That would be?—"
Colton jumps. He lands on the back of the bull, wrapping his arms and legs around it. Maybe he sticks the landing. I don't know. Because I, along with everyone else already in the pool, are screaming, doing everything we can to stay afloat as the giant wave picks us up and hurls us to the deep end of the pool.
"Son of a bitch," Maverick says, pulling me tighter. I lose one bag of chips, but lunge for the other and managed to snatch it before it hits the water. Once the chips are safely tucked between us, I immediately search for Nan. She can swim, I'm not worried about that. But I'm worried about her getting jostled.
Thankfully, she and Connie are giggling, riding the waves up and down. They clink their glasses together, and throw them back, tipping sideways into each other. "Do you think they're already drunk?"
"They were pre-gaming in Connie's apartment. I guarantee they're drunk."
My mouth drops open. "You're serious? Oh my god. I knew they were spending more time together, but I didn't realize the kind of shit they were getting into. I thought it was just an occasional game of poker."
"I think they passed poker a while ago. Nan's been taking Connie to the community center to 'flirt with the geezers' as she put it. And they've been having lunch together nearly every day."
"How did I not know this? Why does my grandma tell you all this stuff?"
Maverick winces. "I'm nosy as fuck. Honestly, that's why. I can't stop myself from asking questions, and talking to everybody." The way he says 'talking', makes it obvious, to me at least, that it's not just conversation. There's a lot more to it.
I pin him with a suspicious look. "You have a network of spies."
To his credit, he doesn't try to deny it. He thinks about it, but then gives me the truth. "Um…Yeah, I have a network of spies."
"Huh. Well, maybe I need to ask more questions. And I think I love that Nan and Connie are so close. Not the drinking part, but she deserves a good friend. And maybe Connie needs a friend, too."
"I think she does. She talks to her board and checks in on her company, but I think most of her grandsons are scattered."
"It's tough that her family is— wait, her company? She runs a company?"
"Yeah. She has a board in place, but she's the sole owner. I'm not sure, but I think she's still the largest steel producer on this side of the country."
The largest steel producer? The woman is rich. I guess I knew that, considering she lives here, but I think she's RICH rich. She's also currently stuck on her back, both thin legs in the air, snorting with laughter as Nan tries to help her right herself.
"How many billionaires are in this pool right now?" I ask slowly.
As I suspected, his finger points at Connie as he says "one', then continues counting. But I stop paying attention as it becomes obvious that Connie and Nan, both laughing hysterically, are sinking. And they're both holding fresh margaritas. "Who the fuck gave them more drinks? I mean, we're right here. Did you see who did it? Did David Blaine swoop in and poof, make margaritas appear."
"I don't know…wait. Does their floaty seem…not right?" Maverick starts wiggling out of his spot. "Nan. Just stay there. We'll come get you." He looks like a toddler trying to get off the couch, on his stomach, wiggling his way into the water.
"Nan's sinking!" I yell to anyone in our vicinity. It's getting a little urgent, Nan and Connie are standing on the floaty now, submerged up to their thighs - God that happened fast - and all the men are starting to look pretty worried. Nan and Connie are still sipping their drinks. "Nan what happened?"
"Connie brought her sparkly, pokey cane on the floaty. Did I ever mention she's a little light in the attic?"
Connie chokes on her sip of Margarita, then laughs hysterically. "I am woman enough to admit that was an unfortunate decision." Then they clink glasses again. They are so drunk.
Ransom hops into the water, and he and Mav make it to the women as the water hits their waists. Thankfully, they can touch the bottom as they battle back the white plastic of the float, ballooned around them, to reach the women. There's an intense negotiation, Connie and Nan waving their arms dramatically, and then together Nan and Connie turn, and sit.
Nan on Ransom's head. Connie on Maverick's.
On their heads.
Like, using them for stools kind of sit. Their soaked caftans are draped over the men's shoulders.
Maverick and Ransom are now blind as fucking bats.
And Connie and Nan still have their drinks in their hands
"Marco," Nick yells from the steps. The rest of the men, even Colton, are in the water too, guiding Maverick and Ransom to the steps. They form a sort of human chain, guiding them carefully through the water. Yeah, there's snickering, and some high fives for Connie and Nan, but none of the craziness that I would normally expect from them. "Marco."
Actually, that's not fair. I would expect exactly this, because all of the men are super protective of the women and the kids, and the last thing any of them would want to do is jostle Nan and Connie, making them fall. Why did they sit on their heads though? What kind of logic is that?
Finally, they make it to the stairs, and Nick's there to help them down as Maverick then Ransom tip forward slowly, letting the grannies set feet down on the step, as they rise back up, the caftans tug at them, until they finally pop out from underneath.
"What a wonderful ride!" Nan exclaims.
Connie chokes on her drink again, then plops down on the step, in about six inches of water, and coughs out "That's what she said."
Mavericks wide, stunned eyes meet mine, and he slowly backs away, finally turning to swim back to me. "They are terrifying. Where the fuck did she learn that?"
"Why the fuck did they sit on your heads?"
Mav plants his hands on the side of the floaty, and does a slow, careful push up, hello gorgeous muscles, as he answers. "They said they didn't want to get any wetter. We suggested they sit on our shoulders, but they said that would be indecent. And that their hips had taken a pounding over the years and don't spread very well anymore."
It's my turn to choke, then collapse on my side, laughing hysterically. "We're going to have to keep an eye on them. They're dangerous."
"Don't I fucking know it," he grunts as he finally wiggles back into his spot. "Now come here woman and warm me up." He tugs me, squealing, into his arms, pressing me against all that wet skin. The sun's gone, and that warm breeze isn't so warm anymore. But my man is really fucking hot, so pretty quickly his warmth soaks into me. He reaches for the blanket, and carefully spreads it over us and I snuggle in until my chin is just touching the edge.
"Do you think we'll actually put a movie on?"
He scans the pool, at all of the men and some of the women who are off their floaties now, playing a game of keep away with what looks like a big waterlogged sun hat. "Not very likely. Mia and Jonas picked the movie, but it doesn't look like either one of them care right now."
He's right. Jonas and Janey are playing keep away. So is Evie. And up on the pool deck, still on the floaty, is a deeply asleep Mia. And right next to her? Micah and Holly's baby.
And stretched out on the pool deck, head laying on the floaty, gazing contentedly at both of them, is Ransom.
"You're right." I whisper it for some reason, probably because it seems wrong to disrupt the kids. But the kids have obviously figured out how to sleep through anything, which is an absolute necessity in this family. “But it looks like everyone's having fun anyway."
"How about you and I make our own kind of fun?" Mav's voice has gone deep, and growly, and my body immediately perks up.
I snatch the edge of the blanket and tug it up over the top of our heads. "What did you have in mind?"