10. EVERLEE – MORNINGS
EVERLEE – MORNINGS
When I get downstairs after my morning shower a few hours later, Callum is sitting in his usual place with his coffee in hand, while Jax is sitting in the dog pen letting the puppies climb all over him. Emmett is standing between the stove and the island with his white apron on, spatula in hand, with a smile spread across his face.
“Morning love,” Callum says first, sitting his pen down from his latest crossword.
“Morning to you.” I give him a quick kiss, then walk over to Jax and climb into the pen. When the puppies see me, they all jump from Jax’s legs and arms and climb over each other to get to me.
“Traitors,” Jax mumbles, straightening his legs and crossing them at the ankles.
After I give each of the pups a rub behind the ears, I walk over to Jax, straddle his legs, then sink onto this lap. “Good morning.”
His hands glide up my back, followed by several wet noses and needle-like claws.
“Scram.” He swipes his arm slowly, moving the pups off his legs with a tone that’s more playful than irritated as he wraps one arm around me, using the other to block.
Jax reaches beside him and grabs an empty plastic bottle and tosses it to the other end of the pen. All the pups except orange run after it. Orange does a determined waddle walk, ignores my leg and Jax’s arm and climbs up them and rests between us.
“I guess orange isn’t having any of your games this morning.”
Jax lifts him a little, so he stretches his little potbelly out across Jax’s chest. “You just want some cuddles away from all your brothers and sisters, don’t you?” Orange stretches his paws out and I swear my heart bursts.
Giving Jax a quick kiss on his lips, I stand and walk over to the island where Emmett is watching us.
“Good morning.” He sits his spatula down, wraps his arms around me and spins before lifting me to sit on the counter beside the stove. He slides between my legs and gives me a kiss before flipping the omelet in the pan.
“Dare I ask where Knox is?” Jax asks, climbing out of the pen with a gleam in his eyes.
“He said he’ll be down in a minute and asked if you, specifically,” I nod at Jax, “can get him his tea.”
“Fat chance.” He looks down and smiles. “Hey girl.”
Even though I can’t see her, I know Luna has her head resting on his leg. It’s their thing. Every morning, she walks over and boops Jax. Only Jax. It’s the weirdest thing.
“Do you know where I found her this morning?”
Emmett’s hand gliding up and down my leg pulls my attention for a second.
“My bed,” Jax continues, when no one speaks.
“Well, why weren’t you in it?” Callum teases and Jax just cuts his eyes.
Happiness bubbles in my chest as I glance over at Emmett, who is all smiles.
“Lady and gentlemen,” Knox announces from the stairs.
“Oh, brother.” Jax rolls his eyes and turns his body away from the stairs.
“This is Knox’s second favorite holiday. Well, so he says every year, but then he says every other holiday is his second favorite, so I really don’t know.” Emmett plates the omelet and slides it across the counter before stepping in between my legs again.
Knox walks down wearing his tiny, tight black boxers that’s more a version of men’s lingerie than anything else, and the oversized green sequin hat and matching oversized bowtie he bought yesterday. He tried to get one for all of us, but Jax firmly put his foot down. So it ended up being Beckett and Knox and they, of course, had to get pictures in the photo booth of them together.
The fridge is littered with strips of photos. Some of Beckett and Will, some of Beckett and Knox, Lizzy and me, the men and me, and then lastly all of us. Getting nine people in that tiny booth was a challenge and our faces fill each box. The last picture is my favorite, I think. Both Beckett and Knox, at the last second, decided to turn and stick their tongues in Jax’s ear and his face… the camera captured it perfectly. His eyes are huge, his mouth is open and his brows set.
What the photo doesn’t capture is the chaos that ensued afterward as they bolted from the booth. Jax chased them for a while then eventually gave up, but something tells me it’s not over.
Knox skips down the last few steps, then opens his arms wide. “What do you think?”
“Take it off,” Jax crows.
“Kinky. I like your style,” Knox retorts.
“Not what I meant.”
Knox looks at me and smiles. “Are you from Ireland? Because my hearts been Dublin.”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” Jax bites back.
“Do you want an omelet, Greenie?”
“I’d love one, thank you. Six eggs, sausage, and cheese.”
“Ooh, that sounds good.” I lick my lips.
“I was already making that for you, well, two eggs instead of six.” Emmett winks, then plants a kiss on my forehead and beats a few eggs in the bowl before pouring them into the pan.
“Yo, bro.” Knox walks over and stands beside Jax, looking him up and down with large sweeps of his head.
“What do you want? It’s too early for this shit.”
“You aren’t wearing green. It’s like you’re giving me permission to pinch you, you kinky fucker.”
“Touch me and you lose your fingers.”
“Thank you, daddy,” Knox fires back before darting out of Jax’s swing and taking the seat at the end of the bar.
“I was hoping you weren’t going to do…” Jax’s hand waves up and down. “This.”
“Oh stop. I didn’t have time to put out my decorations this year because we’ve been so busy with the clubs.” He exaggeratedly nods his head in my direction, almost causing his hat to tumble off. “Speaking of, we have that interview tomorrow.” He points at me.
“Oh, right.” The thought of having someone to manage Allure soon fills me with excitement.
Part of our new year’s plans, not resolution, as Knox was so adamant about, is to take a step back from the clubs. Still own them, but find others who can manage the daily activities. As we focus on growing our family, it’s impossible to think we can do that while running two hugely successful clubs that require so much time and attention late into the evening.
Jax and Callum have already promoted Low and have been slowly stepping away over the last month, spending more time at Allure with Knox and me, and Emmett has been working with his head chef, Colby, to promote him to a new general manager position. Emmett says he wants to step back, but he also loves Bo’s, so I’ll believe it when I see it.
Knox claps his hands. “Who’s ready for today?”
Laughing, I grab the plate from Emmett and walk over to the bar opposite of Knox. “What did you have in mind?”
“Don’t encourage him.” Jax tilts his head to the side and tosses me a sly look that immediately brings a grin to my face. He can pretend to hate that Luna is here or pretend that he can’t stand Knox, or Lizzy for that matter, but the truth is, he loves them. He loves them all.
“Well, I figured we would go downtown to the parade for a little before we have to head to the clubs tonight.” As Knox smiles, his eyes crinkle at the corners, radiating joy.
“What else? That seems too… simple.” Emmett slides a green omelet over to him.
Knox’s hand covers his lips as he pretends to cry over the omelet. “You know me so well.”
“I had to go buy green food coloring just for you.”
“Beautiful. Masterpiece.” He takes a large bite and rolls his eyes, savoring the flavor, then kisses his fingers. “Fluffy, and just the right amount of sausage and cheese.”
Knox kisses the tips of his fingers and Emmett lets out a mangled chuckle.
An hour later, Callum, Emmett and I are downstairs, dressed in some combination of twill pants, jeans, and green shirts. Jax is wearing mint-green twill pants that hug his legs like a snakeskin on a snake and a white button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up, highlighting all the tattoos on his arms. When Emmett and I see him walk down, we have to grab onto one another for support as our knees buckle at the same time.
“Who says we have to go downtown today?” I ask, watching him take a seat in the last bar chair, arm slung across the back with one leg straight, while the other foot props on the rung of the chair. Forcing myself to swallow, I glance at Emmett who’s having to roll his tongue back in his mouth.
“Will you two stop?” Jax asks with a casual grin on his lips.
“Will you stop? I don’t know if we should go out with you in public like that.” Emmett pumps his eyebrows as he slides his arm around me and pulls me tight.
“Here he, here he,” Knox announces, walking down the stairs, back straight, still wearing his oversized green sequin hat and bowtie. At least this time he’s wearing jeans, which is fortunate, but equally a shame. He’s sporting a bright green short sleeve button up with green and gold shamrocks all over it.
“I don’t think that’s how it goes,” Jax says, standing up.
“How what goes?” Knox’s eyes fall on me, looking me up and down.
“It’s hear ye, hear-”
Knox cuts Jax off. “Damnnnn girl.” He grabs my hand and spins me around. “Did you sit on a four-leaf clover because your backside is looking oh so fortunate!”
“Christ!” Jax throws his hands up in the air.
Callum laughs, patting Jax on the back. “Shall we head out?”
Knox hurries behind the counter and grabs something. “But of course!” he announces, thrusting a bejeweled green scepter into the air.
“Do you think we can leave him there?” Jax whispers as we walk out of the room.
“Stop. He’s cute.” I push him on the shoulder and as my hand is falling back to my side, he reaches behind me and grabs it, interlacing his fingers in mine and pulls be forward.
“Have you thought about what will happen when you get pregnant?”
His question catches me off guard and a knot forms in my throat. What is he talking about?
“You will have a baby-baby and a grown-baby to deal with.”
Chuckling, my fingers grip his hand tighter. “That’s why I’m lucky and got three of you to watch him while I watch the baby-baby.”
“Ha. No. I call dibs on the baby-baby. I will even buy one of those bras with the boobs on them and hook it to bottles to nurse the baby, if that’s what it takes,” Jax says, climbing into the car.
“Did I hear a boob bra for nursing?” Knox asks, poking his head forward. “Count me in.” He grabs his chest.
“Your dumbass would put the boob bra on, then strain your neck to drink out of the nipples,” Jax chuckles.
A sly smile spreads across his face. “You know me so well.”