Chapter 27
Joel
“Come out, come out wherever you are!” I taunt as I stalk through the rooms on the first floor of the house, wearing the Powerball water gun double pack on my back while holding the plastic gun in my hands.
Earlier today after we came back from lunch and a movie in town, Ellyn happened to find a damn artillery of water guns that we keep on hand for the grandchildren.
I hadn’t thought much of it after I explained to her that we sometimes come up to Montana during the summers as well.
But suddenly, after about thirty minutes of sitting by the fire, talking in silence, she pulls out one of the guns and shoots me with it.
Me!
No, there’s no way in a Texas summer I could have that.
My lady, being fair and, obviously, knowing what she was starting, had a second gun already waiting for me. She tossed it into my lap as she ran, screeching and laughing, out of the room.
You’re damn right I chased her down, wetting her back and forcing her to take off her sweater.
The rule became that once a piece of clothing got soaked, it had to be removed.
Which is the reason I’m stalking through the hallways of this house in nothing but a pair of boxers and white socks.
It’s worth it since Ellyn is only dressed in a pair of boy shorts and a lace bra. It’s the bra that I’m aiming for next.
An evil smile crosses my lips as I think about her having to remove it, and running about this place in nothing but a pair of boy shorts.
The same boy shorts I plan to strip from her body once this little water fight is said and done with. Then I’m going to slide my cock into her from behind, making her pay for this madness in the first place.
“You might as well surrender now!” I yell out, quickly pivoting away from the front door when I hear footsteps sprinting across the floor behind me.
“Never!” Ellyn yells before a spray of water splashes against my chest.
“You’re going to pay for that!” I growl and stomp in the direction of her footsteps.
Catching a glimpse of her trying to make her way from the hallway to the kitchen, I take aim and catch her entire backside with the spray of my water gun.
Ellyn screams. “Not the hair!” she demands, breathless while trying to duck behind the counter.
I narrow my eyes at her, while slowly circling the counter. “Come up from there,” I insist as she’s on the other side of the kitchen island, hiding.
I hear her grunt in irritation at the same time a pathetic squirt of water lands on the kitchen counter.
“I’m out of water,” she says, peeking over the island. “Don’t shoot.”
“Is that a surrender?”
“You said we could call a time-out when either one of us needed to reload our guns.”
“I lied.” I take aim, making her squeal and duck behind the counter again.
“Ouch!” she yells out right before a thumping sound breaks our tenuous silence.
“Ellyn?!” I shout, heart hammering as I strip out of the water gun backpack and lay it on the counter to round the island to get to her. “What’s wrong? What did you— Ack!” I squeal when she squirts me directly in the face.
“Gotcha!” She jumps up, apparently happy with herself.
“That was a nasty trick!” I insist. “Here I am thinking you’re really hurt and you’re still playing a game.” I do my best to look pissed off.
Ellyn narrows her eyes on me and places one hand on her hip.
“Was it a dirty trick when you apparently lied about giving us a time-out to refill our guns?” she asks with a lifted eyebrow.
“That’s different.”
“How so?”
“Because a time-out is different— Ack!” I bark out a yell when she hits me again with a spray of water. This time directly at my crotch.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” she drones. “Looks like your boxers are soaked. Time to take ’em off.”
She wiggles her eyebrows in a way that makes me chuckle. She’s so damn beautiful when she gloats like this, I can’t even pretend to be angry.
“If you wanted to get me out of my boxers, all you had to do was ask, beautiful,” I say, my voice low and sensual while I tuck my thumbs in the sides of my briefs, ready to pull them off.
“But this way was a lot more fun,” she replies, eyes on the movement of my hands.
“I suppose the—” My comeback is cut off by the beeping of the house’s alarm disengaging.
Ellyn and I lock eyes at the same time. Shock registers on her face. A second later, the front door of the house opens and a flurry of noise ensues.
“Grandpa, we're here!” twelve-year-old Parker calls out.
“Ahh!” Ellyn squeals and then runs behind me when two of my grandchildren enter the kitchen from the entryway.
They’re soon followed by all three of my sons, their wives, and the rest of my grandchildren. All except for Aiden, the oldest.
“Joel?” Micah, the oldest, says, confusion and questioning in his voice.
It takes a beat for my brain to come back online.
“What in the hell are you all doing here?”
“Oh my God! This is so mortifying,” Ellyn groans before dropping her head to my shoulder.
We’re in our bedroom, having just changed into actual clothes while the rest of my family unpacks their belongings in the rest of the house.
“There’s no way I can go out there again,” she claims. “I have to catch the next flight back to Texas. Right now.” She tries to stand, only for me to catch her by the waist, pulling her back down.
“Where the hell are you going?”
Her eyebrows lift as if I just asked the most ridiculous question. “I’m going to find my phone so I can book a flight. I need to go.”
My arm around her waist tightens when she tries to stand again. “You’re not going any damn where,” I growl. “We’ve reserved this place until Sunday and today is only Friday.”
Ellyn and I have barely had two days together in this place. There’s a lot more I want to show her and I damn sure am not ready to give up sharing a bed with her for the next two nights.
“Joel, your whole family is here,” she whispers as if it’s some secret that we’re in here together.
“And?”
“What do you mean ‘and’?” she shrieks. “They all just saw me in my panties and bra.” Groaning again, she covers her face with her hands.
“What a sight it was.” I wiggle my eyebrows, grinning.
Ellyn pushes my shoulders. “It’s not funny. This can’t be the first impression I make on your family. That’s so embarrassing.”
I take Ellyn’s chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Look at me.”
It takes a beat before her eyes meet mine. “There’s nothing you have to be ashamed or embarrassed about. We are two adults who are in love and enjoying one another’s company. My kids will understand that.”
“And your grandchildren?” she retorts.
I shrug. “They might be a little pissed that we played with their water guns without their permission.” I chuckle. “But since I was the one who bought those damn toys in the first place, they don’t have a leg to stand on.”
Ellyn gives me a small smile at first. Unable to stay away, I lean in, kissing her. I make it brief to keep it more comforting than sensual.
“Ready?” I ask, standing from the bed.
She rolls her eyes but then puts her hand into mine. I hoist her up, catching her in my arms.
I hold the door open, allowing Ellyn to pass through ahead of me, and I start following her up the hallway.
We’re cut off when Parker comes sprinting into the hallway. “Oh, they’re wearing clothes now!” she calls out to the rest of the family.
Ellyn immediately ducks her head and turns around. The only thing that stops her from retreating is my hand on her shoulders, spinning her around again, then taking her hand in mine as we round the hallway into the living room.
Micah, Gabriel, Ace, and their wives are all seated around the dining room table. Two empty chairs in the middle.
Everyone looks at Ellyn and me.
“What the hell is this? The Portuguese Inquisition?”
“Spanish Inquisition,” Ace corrects.
“Don’t be a smartass.” I point at my middle son.
He smirks, looking unfazed.
“We’ve gotten lunch started,” Lena says from beside Micah. “How about we all have a seat and get acquainted?”
“We don’t need—”
“That would be great,” Ellyn says, cutting my tirade off.
“Parker, why don’t you and your cousins go downstairs and play for a while?” Savannah calls out to their oldest daughter.
“Lonzie, you heard your aunt,” Lena tells her and Micah’s son.
“Can we take our water guns?” Parker, the sassiest of all of my grandchildren, asks, looking directly at me.
“No, I told you not to play with water guns in the house,” I reply with an evil grin.
“But you—”
“Parker, are you talking back to your grandfather?” Ace’s tone is biting, stopping Parker in her tracks.
She mumbles something before heading downstairs to the children’s room with most of the other children. The only one left is baby Amelia. When she reaches for me, I can’t help but to take her out of Savannah’s hands and set her on my lap.
“You missed your grandpa, huh?” I turn to Ellyn. “This is my youngest grandbaby, Amelia,” I introduce like no one else is in the room.
Ellyn coos at Amelia, taking her free hand while the other one is busy in Amelia’s mouth, soaked with drool.
“Aren’t you the most precious thing in the world,” Ellyn croons.
Amelia reaches over, struggling to get into Ellyn’s lap. She looks at me, her expression questioning whether it’s okay for her to take the baby.
At Amelia’s insistence, I hand her over to Ellyn, who takes to her like a horse to a stack of hay.
“Hi, sweet girl,” Ellyn coos.
That settled, I turn to my kids who’ve watched this exchange in silence. “Now, someone tell me what the hell all of you are doing here.”
“Joel,” Ellyn scolds.
I give her a sheepish look. “What?”
“Be nice.”
A chuckle from the end of the table catches my attention. It’s Gabriel, my youngest and probably the most sensitive of my three boys, but he covers it up with one-liners and jokes.
“We’re here because our family always comes to Montana before the holidays.” He leans in. “Or did you forget?”
I press a palm to my chest. “Did I forget? I’m here, aren’t I? Which almost didn’t happen since all three of you had to pull out for one reason or another.”