Chapter 10 #2
“I know, right? Anyway, I need to get out of here. There are so many people outside that there’s probably a line outside the bathroom door,” I exaggerated as I put my sunscreen away. I leaned closer to the mirror and checked my teeth before I asked, “How do I look?”
“Happier than I’ve seen you in years.”
I glanced over at the screen and saw Tansy nodding in agreement, so I asked, “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Tansy insisted. “In the last week or so, you’ve really bloomed.”
“Bloomed? Oh, good grief,” I muttered. “Anyway, love you. Gotta go!”
I slipped my phone into my bag and threw it over my shoulder as I left the bathroom, surprised that there wasn’t actually a line of people waiting. There were just so many people outside, and from what I understood, every one of them was a member of Crow’s close family.
All of his siblings were here with at least a dozen or more cousins, uncles, and aunts.
I’d seen his parents from a distance while we were eating and unfortunately hadn’t had a chance to thank his grandmother for the wonderful meal, but I planned to ask Crow to take me over to speak to her before we left.
The walls on either side of the bathroom door were covered in framed pictures of all sizes.
I couldn’t help myself from being nosy and taking a look.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been standing there and was so focused on trying to find Crow in all of the photos that I didn’t even realize anyone else had come in.
“That picture was taken soon after we moved in,” a woman explained from just a few feet away. I glanced over my shoulder, and she smiled softly before she walked closer. She pointed as she said, “That’s Hawk, Crow, Phoenix, Zoey, Zane, Brighten, and the baby is Lark.”
“At first glance, they look sweet and innocent, but if you look a little closer, you can sense they’re all trouble,” I said as I turned to smile at the woman. I stuck my hand out and said, “I’m Darcy Middleton.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Darcy. I’m Summer, Crow’s mom.”
“I’ve met all of your children, and I have to say that you look nothing like I imagined.”
Summer’s head tilted to the side before she asked, “How’s that?”
“They’re wilder than any family has a right to be, so I assumed that you’d either be Atilla the Hun or curled up in the fetal position somewhere. I was definitely not expecting a beautiful woman who doesn’t look old enough to have kids that old and seems like she doesn’t have a care in the world.”
Summer hooked her arm through mine and said, “I know you’re full of shit but keep talking.”
I laughed before I told her, “I’m serious. I don’t know what my mom would look like now, but I’d like to imagine that she would look as happy as you do.”
“You lost your mom?”
“When I was ten.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, honey. It must have been so difficult to go through your teen years without a mom to help guide you.”
“Guide you? If I remember correctly, you looked into different ways to commit the girls every time one of them reached puberty, and then, when you couldn’t do that, you tried to figure out how to get yourself committed,” a gorgeous woman covered in tattoos called out from the bar that separated the kitchen from the sunken living room.
“No one gives me credit for keeping the two of you alive through puberty so you could usher in another generation of stubborn, crazy, hormonal teenage girls who drove both of you insane.”
“I give you all the credit, Shannon, because I’ve lived with your son for years now, and I still wonder how you managed not to kill him.”
“Darcy, let me introduce you to some of the women who helped me raise Crow to be the astoundingly handsome man he is today.” The women smiled as Summer introduced each of them.
“That’s my sister-in-law, Addie, who’s married to my highly annoying brother, Atlas.
The mouthy one is my incredibly irritating sister, Willow, and that’s our mom, Shannon. ”
“It’s nice to meet you!”
“You came with Crow, didn’t you?” Shannon asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I didn’t realize he was seeing anyone,” Addie said with a frown.
“Oh! We’re not . . . He’s not my . . . I mean, Crow and I aren’t dating.”
“You’re not?” Summer asked after I stammered my way though my explanation. “You’ve been spending so much time together that I just assumed that was the case.”
“He’s a great guy, but I’ve sworn off men for the next year.”
Summer barked out a laugh before she said, “I’ve been doing that for years, but somehow Bird always seems to drag me back.”
“As if you put up much of a fight,” Willow teased.
“If you don’t mind my asking, why have you made that declaration? It seems so extreme,” Addie pointed out. She blushed before she smiled and said, “I know better than to ask something like that. I apologize.”
“I mean, nothing horrible happened, but it could have. Actually, Crow rescued me, and the day after that is when I made my vow.”
“How did he rescue you?” Shannon asked.
I explained what I remembered about that night, and Willow frowned before she said, “Those girls should know not to leave a woman behind.”
“In their defense, we were all drinking, and I’m sure I insisted that I’d be fine,” I said.
“I realize now that wasn’t the case, but you live and learn.
Thank God the lesson wasn’t traumatizing.
Crow stepped in and put a stop to whatever nefarious plans the asshole I was with had made, and then he took me home, put me into bed, and even left a glass of water and some painkillers on the nightstand for my inevitable hangover before he left. ”
“God, I love that boy,” Willow said proudly.
Summer smiled as she said, “He’s a good one.”
“He’s wonderful,” I agreed. Even I could hear the dreaminess in my voice. I cleared my throat before I told them, “We ran into each other again after he and Griffin rescued the puppies.”
“The ones he tried to pretend were coming to live at your house?” Addie asked with a bark of laughter.
“Yes,” Summer answered with a frown. “That little shit almost had Bird believing that we were gonna house three more wild ass animals that will chew up the furniture and ruin every rug in the house.”
“Hell no,” Shannon agreed. “That’s what grandchildren are for!”
“They’re all adorable, by the way. I am so in love with Griffin and Koda that I could just eat them up, and Lyric is the sweetest little brawler I’ve ever met. Lark introduced me to her children earlier, and I got caught up talking about books with . . . um . . .”
“If you were talking about books, it was Ophelia. Fashion would have been Blythe,” Summer explained.
“And Tristan, right? What a cutie!”
“When Tristan, Koda, and Griff are together, it reminds me of when my boys were young.”
“Oh, yes. Those were the days,” Willow said with a lopsided smile. “Frogs, bugs, naked boys running around, peeing on anything that stood still long enough for them to aim.”
“Fighting, cussing, and insulting each other constantly,” Summer added.
“Basically, it’s the same way they are today except for the nudity,” Shannon finished for them. “They started wearing clothes before things got too weird.”
“Griffin mentioned that Crow doesn’t like clothes, and I’ve noticed he’s often shirtless,” I said, more to myself than anyone else as images of his bare chest and abs flashed through my mind.
And then there was that part down lower that I only got a glimpse of when he was wearing the really loose gray shorts he liked.
Those were my favorite, but the dark blue pair with the stripe was tighter and . . .
The women around me started laughing, and Addie said, “Oh, she’s noticed!”
I knew I was blushing when I hurried to say, “It’s not a big deal! If I were a man, I’d be shirtless all the time too.”
“You mentioned that your dating history wasn’t exactly stellar,” Willow said, leading the conversation away from her nephew’s dislike of clothing. “Do tell.”
“My sisters have always hated the guys I’ve dated, but I’ve never really been fond of their boyfriends either.”
“Clancy is your sister, right?” Willow asked. “I met her when she and Brawley stopped by my brother-in-law’s with my nephew, Noble.”
“Noble is your nephew? Then you must be related to Marcus and Reagan. I love them!”
“They’re the best,” Willow said with a grin.
“Their kids are so lucky. If we’d had a dad like either of them, my sisters and I would likely be completely different women.”
“How did you meet them?” Willow asked.
At the same time, Summer asked, “Did you lose your father when you lost your mother?”
“Oh, no! My father is still alive and well, living in Denver with my stepmonster and completely unfazed that his daughters have moved hours away and want nothing to do with him.”
“Your father is the one who Marcus is having to deal with!” Willow exclaimed.
“He’s trying to take us to court so he can regain control of the two remaining trustfunds,” I explained. “Marcus is in charge of them now, and Dad is not happy.”
“Has it made things tense between you?” Summer asked.
“I haven’t talked to him since the day before we left Denver, and if I have my way, I won’t ever have to talk to him again.”
“I can’t imagine how bad Bird would have to fuck up to make my kids never want to talk to him again,” Summer said sadly.
“I don’t know your husband, but from what Crow has told me, he’s the best kind of dad. Every time he mentions him, he smiles. I can see how proud he is to be his son.”
Shannon smiled before she said, “That’s the highest praise someone could give a father.”
The door opened, and when I heard my name, I looked back to find Crow walking in. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” I assured him. “I was just enjoying the cool air and talking to the women in your family. I love them all, by the way.”
“You are too freaking cute,” Shannon said before she reached out and squeezed my hand. “Feel free to come by anytime. Crow, bring her to our place for dinner sometime soon so I can tell her embarrassing stories from your childhood.”
“I thought that was my job!” Summer exclaimed.
“Honey, there are enough stories that we could all talk for hours and not even cover the high points,” Willow assured her.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable leaving Darcy alone with all of you,” Crow said as he took my hand and started pulling me toward the door. He looked worried when he asked, “They didn’t do anything weird, did they?”
“Like what?”
“What’s wrong, Crow?” Willow asked. “Are you worried about leaving this sweet young woman alone with us?”
“Did they take some of your hair or . . .”
Crow’s voice trailed off when the women behind us started laughing, so I looked over my shoulder as I yelled, “It was nice to meet you!”
“I’m serious, Crow! I want to see her at my house for dinner soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And put a damn shirt on, heathen!” Willow called out just before the door shut behind us.
Crow looked worried, so I squeezed his hand and asked, “Why did you drag me out of there? The women in your family are wonderful!”
“They are, but I missed you and couldn’t wait any longer to talk to you.”
“Really?”
“Being around you is the best part of every day.” I was stunned by how wonderful that made me feel, but when Crow leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek, the butterflies woke me up again. I was still reeling when Crow said, “Now, let’s go throw some people in the pool!”
Ten more months, Darcy. You can do it! I know you can!