Chapter 24 #2
“Oh,” Rory said with a smile. “Shay,” he said to Kate. “He’s not just a gamer, he’s the game master. Worked remotely for Mackerel Entertainment on expansions for Blitz Battalion when he was fifteen. Used his dad’s name and social security number to get hired.”
“He’s cool! He knows all the game hacks. So can you ask him if he’ll answer a Halo 5 question?”
“Nah, if the game’s too much for you, play something easier.”
“I might be able to help them,” Kate whispered to Rory.
“Go ahead.” To his nephew, he said, “Take her.”
The boy looked skeptical but waved for her to join them.
Once they were settled in, they very quickly changed their assessment of her. Gaming had been a big part of her life once… until she’d found the grown up games she wanted to play.
When Rory stood in the doorway with a drink in his hand, his nephews razzed him.
“She’s good, Uncle Rory. Better than you.”
He ignored them, focusing on Kate instead. “You don’t have to stay in here. If you get bored come out.”
“Do you want me?” she asked, setting the controller down.
“Always.”
The boys exchanged looks. They were old enough to sense what that ‘always’ meant.
“But you can play a little longer if you feel like it. I’ll have a last drink with my brothers.”
“Okay,” she said, picking the controller up again.
Rory left and she played for another forty minutes.
She bumped into Rory next when she was coming out of the bathroom. “I stole some Motrin from the medicine cabinet,” she confessed. “This bra is too tight,” she whispered.
“Want me to take it off you, kitten?”
“Did you call her a kitten?” one of the four-year-olds demanded, causing Kate to jump in surprise.
Rory was unfazed. “Go play,” he said, pointing.
“Kate, come with me,” she said, holding out a small hand.
“No,” Rory said. “She’s gonna stay with me for awhile. Go on.”
The little girl pouted, but eventually wandered off.
“Are you okay?” Kate asked.
“Never better,” Rory said.
“She wasn’t happy. She’ll probably tell everyone we were mean to her.”
“No one would buy it. I spoil all of them. And you’re the sweetest thing in this house, bar nothing.”
“You seem a little—” she put a hand on his face.
“Drunk?”
“A little,” she whispered.
He winked. “We’ve had our fair share of Scotch the past couple of hours. The McLeod brothers and brothers-in-law are big into toasts, especially when I bring a couple hundred-dollar bottles of Lagavulin with me.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun.”
He yawned. “What I’m having is the urge to lie down with you.”
“Are you sober enough to navigate? I can drive.”
“Yeah, I guess you could. I was gonna call for a car.”
“Oh, there you are!” a group of women crowded into the small hall. “We decided that we’ll put the boys on air mattresses in the basement and Kate can stay in Stacia’s room with her.”
“No.”
“Rory, there’s no reason for you to stay in a hotel. You’ll stay here, you can drink as much as you want with the guys, and we’ll get to know Kate. In the morning, Cookie will make breakfast and while you’re sleeping in, we’ll show Kate Baltimore.”
“That’s so nice of you,” Kate said gently.
“But no,” Rory said.
“Rory, why do you have to be difficult?”
“Born that way.”
“Kate, tell him you’d like to go shopping and get a pedicure and have fun with the girls tomorrow.”
Kate bit her lip.
Rory smirked.
“I’ll go if you really want me to and if Rory says it’s okay,” she offered, unsure of how to proceed without making someone upset.
“Right,” Rory said, shaking his head.
“Don’t be a jerk, Rory. Mom wants us to take her, and we want to take her. Let us. She’s been entertaining the kids all day while you’ve been drinking with the guys. Maybe Kate would like a day to have fun.”
It was then that she realized that the women had been drinking cocktails and were quite drunk, too. They’d all begun to talk over each other. Kate was having trouble following.
Finally Rory spoke, which was a relief. “You say that like you have any idea what’s fun for Kate. Don’t assume you know what she wants. You don’t.”
“Why? Because you haven’t told her yet? You can be such an overbearing jerk, Rory.”
“Can I say something?” Kate whispered.
“Yeah, what do you want to say, kitten?”
His calling her kitten sent the women into another spiral of fury. Their raised voices brought a bunch of the men up the rear into the small space.
“Too many people,” she whispered, retreating behind him into the bathroom and trying to draw him with her.
Rory, however, did not move an inch.
The group seemed to have some idea of following her, but Rory put an arm out and blocked their way.
“No way. You’re not going to crowd her,” Rory said.
One of the women tried to pass, but he caught her arm and held her. This infuriated her, but he didn’t move or let her go.
“I’m just going to talk to her!” she yelled right in Rory’s face.
Kate sucked in a breath and held it. She could not believe anyone would dare talk to him that way.
“No,” Rory growled. “Back up,” Rory told his sister.
She raised a hand. Kate froze. But several people pulled the woman back before her palm connected. The hall cleared instantly.
Kate emerged again, stiff with nervousness. “I wish everyone wasn’t so upset.”
“They’ll be fine,” Rory said. “Drunk and rowdy, that’s my clan. They’ll sleep it off. How are you, kitten?” he murmured.
“Ok. Ready to leave.”
Rory’s brother Garrett appeared at the end of the hall.
“What the hell, Rory? All they want is to take her to some stores.”
“Enough already,” Rory said. “Kate doesn’t want to go. If she really wanted to, I’d let her go, but she doesn’t.”
“You’d let her go? What’s up with that? You say stuff offhandedly like that, and it makes us wonder—”
“What?” Rory challenged.
“I don’t know.”
“May I say something?” Kate asked again.
“Of course, Kate. Christ! You don’t have to ask permission,” Garrett snapped impatiently.
Kate winced. Rory caught it, and his expression hardened.
“Watch your mouth when you talk to her,” Rory said, suddenly very serious. He put his body between Kate’s and Garrett’s. “In fact, take a walk, Garrett.”
Garrett glared. “Let her say what she wanted to say, and I will.”
“Do not square off with me, Garrett. You’re not Stacia. You, I will knock on your ass.”
“Please,” Kate whispered, sliding an arm around Rory’s chest.
“No, Kate. No one’s gonna bark at you.”
“He didn’t mean it. He’s just worried that maybe I’m a girl in over my head. You’re very intimidating, Rory. I don’t think he meant to raise his voice. I’m sure he was trying to help.”
A little of the tension eased.
“Garrett, I can see why Rory loves you all so much.”
“C’mon, Kate,” Rory said with a scowl, but Garrett actually smiled a little.
“It’s true, Rory. I think your family would do what they thought was right even if it meant getting into a battle with you, which no one sane ever would.
It’s honorable, even if they’re wrong.” She gave Garrett a sheepish expression.
“I don’t care about shopping or getting my nails done.
I don’t drink Cosmos or listen to Taylor Swift.
Basically, the only thing I really like is being with your brother. ”
Garrett looked startled.
Rory laughed.
“It’s so sweet of the girls to offer to spend the day with me, but if it’s really about me having the best time, they should leave me with Rory.”
After a moment, Garrett said, “I guess that answers that.”
Rory was silent.
“Now the big question is, if you’re going to a hotel, who gets custody of the Lagavulin?”
“Asshole,” Rory said.
“Oh good, me,” Garrett said with a wink. Then he disappeared and the hall was quiet and empty, except for the two of them.
“Was that okay? I know you could’ve handled it… I just thought it would be good if they understood.”
Rory pulled her in front of him. “Was that true? You don’t like shopping and all that?”
“Well, it was true that I like it less than spending time with you.”
He raised a brow. “So you admit you lied. You’re a really bad girl, kitten.”
She stared into his eyes. “When I’m less sore, I guess you’ll have to teach me a lesson.”
He kissed her, then ran his tongue over her neck to her ear. He bit her earlobe gently and whispered, “The blood in my veins, baby. I swear it.”