Chapter 24
DARCY
When I pulled up in front of Crow’s grandparents house, I was surprised to find Martha and Smokey sitting on the porch swing with Rev between them. I heard her excited squealing as soon as I shut off the truck, and hopped out so I could meet her on the sidewalk as she ran out to greet me.
I picked her up and spun in a circle with her in my arms as she hugged my neck, and then finally she pulled back and smiled at me before she slapped her hands on my cheeks and laid a big kiss on my lips.
“Did you miss me as much as I missed you, sweet girl?”
Rev started chattering - telling me all about her adventure, but unfortunately I could only make out a few words.
Donuts were her favorite new thing, and even though they weren’t exactly part of the diet her dietician had recommended, she loved them so much that none of us could resist letting her imbibe now and then.
In the few days she’s been out of the hospital she’d blossomed so much that it was amazing, proving that Amethyst was right when she insisted that children were the most resilient creatures on earth.
The shy little girl that rarely made a peep was a chatterbox now.
When we first met her, her skin was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes, but now her cheeks were rosy and there was a twinkle in her eye almost all of the time.
I carried Rev up to the porch and smiled when Martha poked Smokey in the arm and said, “I win again!”
“Was there a bet I didn’t know about?”
“We were guessing how long you and Crow would be able to stay away and which one of you would show up first,” Smokey explained.
“I knew how worried you were about leaving her with us last night, and I was sure you’d be up early and come over here, even if Crow wasn’t up and around quite yet.”
“He’s still sleeping, but I couldn’t wait any longer,” I explained. “Where are the rest of the kids?”
“They’re all still sleeping,” Martha said as she scooted closer to Smokey and snuggled up against his side.
“She slept really well until the early morning hours and then woke up around two o’clock.
We got her back down around three, but she was ready for the day by six - which is way too early for all of the kids to get up, so we brought her out here to enjoy the morning together while we drank our coffee. ”
“She’ll nap around ten and I’ll probably lay down with her. I just couldn’t stop myself from coming over and figured I’d camp out in the truck until I saw some signs of life.”
“After a party like last night, most of the kids meet at the diner for breakfast and then come over and clean up,” Smokey informed me. “We used to do the same thing with their parents, but now it’s their job to do the heavy lifting while we supervise.”
“That sounds like a good plan and I’m sure they don’t mind at all. What time should we come back so we can help too?”
“You’re excused from this one, but we expect you and Crow over for dinner at Bird’s this evening for leftovers.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be here!” I assured her. “Instead of going to the diner, I think we’re going to visit my Aunt Steph for a little while. She’s always up early and I know she’d love to visit with Rev for a little while.”
“I talked to Steph and Chandler last night and they’re excited to have her join your family,” Martha told me.
“Chandler jokes that Aunt Steph isn’t just enjoying getting to know Rev, she’s also loving the excuse to shop.”
“The girl will never lack for anything,” Smokey assured me. “Come give Papa and Gamma some kisses, Buttercup.”
Rev threw her arms out and lunged toward him, and when he smothered her with kisses and Rev started giggling, I couldn’t help but smile.
“How did the rest of the party go? What time did everyone leave?”
Martha chuckled and replied, “There are still some of them sleeping out back.”
I burst out laughing and said, “That just means your family throws a good party, right?”
“They’re always fun.”
“Thank you for letting us have our wedding here last night. I know it meant a lot to Crow knowing that his parents were married here too.”
“We’ve had several weddings here over the years, and we’ll have many more, I’m sure,” Martha said with a hopeful smile.
“I’m grateful that we don’t have anything to do with the next wedding coming up. From what I understand it’s going to be quite a circus with people coming into town from all over the place.”
“That’s what Crow said when I asked him about the invitation that’s hanging on the fridge.”
Smokey handed Rev off to Martha before he added, “The Conners have a bunch of land outside of town, so the wedding is going to be out there. From what I understand, they’re building an outdoor venue just for the occasion.”
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Martha told us as Rev laid her head on her shoulder. “I’ve been out to Zoey’s Flower Patch and seen what they have growing for it. If they’re going all out for custom grown flowers like that, then I’d assume that the rest of it is going to be over-the-top as well.”
“I haven’t met Bella yet, but Brighten said she’s marrying someone in the mafia.”
Martha didn’t answer, just smiled when she said, “Well, he is from New York.”
The front door opened, and I didn’t recognize the girl who walked out onto the porch as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. She climbed onto Smokey’s lap and laid her head on his chest without saying a word. The peaceful smile on his face told me she was just as loved as Rev had become.
“Good morning, Libbie Lou,” Smokey muttered as he ran his hand up and down her back.
“Well, if one of them is awake, that means the rest are soon to follow,” Martha said as she stood up. She kissed Rev on the cheek and then handed her over to me before she finished with, “That means I should get started on breakfast. They’ll be expecting pancakes, I’m sure.”
“Crow said you make the very best pancakes.”
Smokey laughed before he said, “She does, and Crow should know since he’s eaten thousands of them in his lifetime.”
“And I’ll make thousands more, I’m sure.”
“Thanks for keeping her last night and for understanding that I couldn’t resist coming to get her so early.”
Martha reached up and patted Rev’s cheek before she brushed her thumb back and forth. Rev rested her head in Martha’s hand and sighed. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen in my life.
“I’m so happy that Crow found you, and together you have this beautiful little girl, Darcy.”
“Rebecca signed the paperwork to relinquish custody, but I’m still nervous that she’ll change her mind or something.”
“Everything will be just fine, sweetheart. This little girl is one of us now, and making sure our children are safe and happy is our biggest priority.”
“But still . . .”
“No need to worry, honey. You leave that to us old folks so you can enjoy a happy life.” Martha leaned in to give Rev a kiss and then let her hand drop as she looked over at the door where twin little girls were waiting expectantly, “Looks like Jada and Jiana are awake, and those two will riot if I don’t get them fed soon. ”
“We’ll see you this evening,” I assured them. I squeezed Rev close to me before I said, “Wave byebye to Papa and Gamma.”
Rev waved excitedly, and Smokey mimicked her wave as he laughed. I thought it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen and somehow knew that Crow would act the same way when we had grandchildren, or maybe even great-grandchildren of our own.
◆◆◆
CROW
I lifted another stack of chairs and set them on their storage rack, and then waited as my cousin, Lazlo, added his chairs before I waved to catch Rebel’s attention.
She was operating the tractor today, and moving stacks of tables and racks of chairs to the old shipping container we used for storage.
She waved back to acknowledge me, so I turned and started gathering more chairs to fill the second rack someone had put near the gate.
“Shouldn’t you be on your honeymoon?”
I turned around and smiled at Memphis before I explained, “We’re planning a trip for next year sometime. We’ve gotta make sure Rev is settled in and since Darcy and her sister just opened their shop she’s not quite ready to leave it for any length of time just yet.”
“It will probably be more fun if you wait until after the baby gets here anyway,” Lazlo said as he walked past me with his arms loaded down.
“The baby is almost two.”
“Hold on a second,” Lazlo said after he put down the chairs he was carrying. “You’re telling me that she’s not pregnant.”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
“She can’t be pregnant, man. They didn’t even have sex until last night,” Memphis scoffed.
“How do you know that?” Lazlo asked.
I snorted before I said, “A better question would be why are we talking about this?”
“If she’s not pregnant then why did you marry her?” Lazlo asked.
“It’s called love and commitment, Lazarus,” I snapped. “You should try it some time.”
“But why have a shotgun wedding when you don’t need the shotgun?” Memphis asked.
“Children, let me explain something to you,” I said as I leaned against the fence post and stared at my cousins.
I wasn’t even ten years older than my cousins, but right now I felt like the age gap spanned decades.
I remembered when I would have reacted a lot like they are now, but then I made a commitment to Brighten to help raise Griffin, and my entire life changed.
I hoped like hell that they didn’t ever have to do such a thing - because lying to your entire family was horrible, even when you felt like it was for a worthy cause.
“Someday you’ll find a woman who makes you realize that it’s not all about the chase.
The best part is actually when you catch up to the woman of your dreams and she gives you a chance to make things more permanent. ”
“Nope! I’m a single man and don’t plan on changing that until . . . Well, I’ll probably want to settle down by the time I’m as old as you are.”