Chapter Seventeen #3
"Do you have any of those wee-wee pads I gave you for the puppy left?" Savvy asked, smirking. "I think you might need to set one under your ex-boyfriend when they all walk through the door."
To that, Becca snorted, her family's support helping stem the flow of grief for the time being.
"Come over here, honey," Helen invited. "Help me make the stuffing. I'll even share some of the fancy chocolates Reagan brought for me.
I stood there, running the whole ordeal through my head as the women got back to work, feeling just the tiniest bit of envy for what they all had.
This giant group of men who would literally stand by to silently intimidate a guy for one of their girls.
Men who, I was sure, would do a lot worse than silently intimidate if it was asked of them.
That was something I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around.
I had a father, but he was never the protective sort, and certainly not the super masculine sort.
My brother generally thought issues of the heart were none of his business.
He'd never threatened a guy who'd screwed me over. That just wasn't our family dynamic.
I loved my family.
But a small part of me was a little bit in love with this family too, with the love they so clearly had for one another, with their over-the-top bluntness, their open affection, their fierce protectiveness.
Feeling overwhelmed, I silently backed out of the kitchen, made my way down the hallway, and let myself out the front door.
"Reagan, isn't it?" another of Nixon's brothers greeted me. This one had knowing eyes as well, but there was no amusement in them, no triumphant smiles like Atlas had shown. This one was older too. Likely the oldest. Kingston.
"Hey Kingston," I greeted him, sending him a somewhat tired smile, feeling oddly drained.
"You look like you need a drink," he observed. "I heard they were planning a neutering ceremony in there. Not that the ass doesn't deserve it, but I get that it might have been a bit much for a first introduction."
"It was really sweet, actually. You know, that fierce protectiveness. Becca is really lucky to have that."
His eyes, already sweet, went softer at that. "Yeah. This is a great family. We're so lucky they took us all in as a package deal when Mark claimed Scotti. What can I get you to drink, sweetheart?"
"If there is a bottle of wine open..."
"Always," he assured me, giving my shoulder a little squeeze before dipping inside to fetch it for me.
"Hey," Nixon's voice joined me a moment later. "You okay?"
"Sorry. I will go back in there in a minute and play my part," I told him, taking a deep breath.
"That's not what I asked, Reagan," he clarified, moving across the front porch toward me.
"I'm fine. That is just... it is a lot of love to take in," I told him. "It's actually a little overwhelming."
"Yeah, I get that," he agreed, dropping down onto a rocking bench, patting the space next to him. "I came from a close-knit family to begin with, but that was a lot for me in the beginning too."
"Those women are a—“
"Trip?" he filled in before I could find the right word.
"That works," I agreed, nodding.
"I think Peyton and Krissy would be fast friends," he mused.
The thought hadn't occurred to me, but he was right. "I didn't realize there was a biker in the family."
"This incestuous town," he said, shaking his head.
"Autumn and Peyton are sisters. When Autumn shacked up with Eli Mallick, Peyton got pulled into the fold.
She ended up shacking up with a Henchmen.
So now he is part of the family too. Savea is Peyton's best friend.
She became family as well. Then she and King finally got their heads out of their asses and started something up. "
"I think Helen likes me," I told him, voice a little small, finding it actually mattered to me that the matriarch of this crazy, amazing family liked me.
"I voted yes on the ball chopping," I added, smiling a bit at how that sounded, sure I never could have imagined those words would ever come out of my mouth.
A low chuckle moved through Nixon at that. "Yeah, that'll do it," he agreed, putting a hand on my thigh just above my knee, giving it a squeeze. "Wouldn't have thrown you into a lion's den if I didn't think they'd be nice to you, babe."
"Sure you would have. You wanted Helen to let you eat."
"Well, that is true," he agreed, not even bothering to look apologetic. "Did they put you right to work?"
"Well, when they learned I didn't really have any cooking skills to speak of, they let me stand by and soak up the atmosphere instead."
"You can't cook at all?"
"I mean... I can feed myself if I need to," I said, shaking my head. "I make a mean sandwich. It could win awards."
"Yeah? Don't tell them that. They'll have you making them for the next event."
"I really like them," I admitted.
"I do too," he agreed, his hand giving my thigh another squeeze. Then staying there.
I knew I should have told him to move it, or crossed my legs so it would fall.
Something. Anything. Because I needed to remember that we were playing at a date.
Nothing more. It could never be more. Even if my lips were still tingly and swollen from his hungry lips earlier.
Even if that pulsing sensation was coming back full force once again.
"Atlas and Kingston know."
"Yep."
"That doesn't worry you?"
"King minds his own business. I'll probably get a lecture later about not fucking clients. And then will have to remind him that you’re not a client. It will be fine."
"And Atlas?" I asked, remembering the glee that seemed to be in his eyes.
"Atlas will get his rocks off by ribbing me about this shit for the next year or two."
"They won't tell your other brother? Or your sister?"
"As you can see, Rush is wrapped up in his flavor of the week," he said, jerking his chin toward another guy who looked just like Kingston, Atlas, and him, who had his arms dangerously low on the back of a woman wearing a second-skin kerchief dress.
"And Scotti, well, she's probably just happy I found a woman who could stand my presence for an evening.
She's going to let it drop at that, so she doesn't run you off. "
"You're really not that bad," I told him, shaking my head, wondering who made him think he was so unpleasant to be around.
"I can be."