12. EVERLEE - HAPPINESS
EVERLEE - HAPPINESS
Every time I come home, I’m reminded about how much I miss it. The temperature and the general feeling of comfort. It just feels… peaceful.
And humid.
Last night, after Beckett said he wasn’t coming over, we all found the nearest bedroom and crashed. There are only four, so I slipped out of my clothes and crawled into Callum’s bed. Seeing him in all his glory always turns me on, so I thought I would make a little something happen and got as far as putting my hand around his cock before I fell asleep.
The next morning, when I get downstairs after my shower, Callum and Emmett are sitting on the back porch watching Knox and Jax play with the puppies in the backyard. Luna joins in the fun, periodically running and leaping on Knox, who then chases her around.
“This is the life, isn’t it?” I lean down to give them each a kiss.
“We were just saying the same thing.” Emmett sweeps his arm around me and pulls me onto his lap. “I made some breakfast for you. It’s in the oven staying warm.”
“I’ll get it for you. I need to take our plates in.” Callum pushes up from the seat and grabs the four plates on the side tables.
“So you all ate out here?”
“Yes. It felt great this morning. Jax and Knox went for a run, so they needed to cool down. We were going to wait for you, but when you didn’t get up at your normal time, we thought we would let you sleep in.”
“Thanks. I need it.”
“Evey baby!” Knox yells, running over to the porch to look at me through the screen. “How was your morning?”
“I just got up… well, a little bit ago. I took a shower first.”
He smells the air around me and smiles. “Yes, much better.”
I roll my eyes, laughing at him.
“What time are we headed to your parents?”
“Whenever, but I figured sometime after lunch. With us having dinner there, I didn’t want to subject you all to hours of my parents.”
“I love your parents.” Knox smiles.
“I know you do.”
When Callum walks out a second later with my plate of pancakes, Knox turns and walks back over to Jax, jumping on his back.
This just feels right… being here. Part of me wishes we could move here, but I can’t ask the guys that. Their life is back home and my life is with them.
Mom calls just before noon and invites us over for lunch. She used the whole, ‘I got too much food at the grocery store’ excuse, and the ‘I’m just so excited to see you, it’s been so long’ excuses. We grab all the pups and get them into their crate in the car, grab their leashes, bowls, food, and travel pen, then climb in ourselves. Pulling out of the driveway, it dawns on me we should have just invited them over to our place, but I wasn’t thinking.
When we pull up to my parent’s house, they walk onto the front porch and wait for us. When they hear all the pups in the back, mom lets out a squeal and nearly leaps off the front porch and runs over to the car with her hands clasped across her mouth.
“I didn’t know you were bringing them too.”
“We couldn’t leave them at the house.”
“Oh my goodness, look how precious! Beckett has been talking about them so much, and showing me pictures, but I didn’t realize how cute they were.”
“Let’s get them in the house and then you can play with them.”
She tilts her chin down and whispers, “Are they going to make a mess?”
“We’ll walk them outside for a minute to see if they go potty before we bring them in. Callum and Emmett can set up the temporary play pen.”
“Ok good.” She bats the air, gives one more squeal, then walks back up to the porch saying something to dad.
By the time we get inside, Emmett is in the kitchen with mom, and Callum and dad are sitting at the table talking about who knows what.
“Hopefully, your brother will be up soon.”
“Becks is here?”
“Yep.” Mom gives a weird nod, then goes back to talking with Emmett about some recipe she’s recently discovered.
A smile creeps along my face, and when my eyes fall on Knox, he pumps his eyebrows. I can read that boy like an open book, and he can read me just the same. We slowly back out of the kitchen and walk upstairs.
Tiptoeing down the hall, we get to Beck's room and listen for a second. His deep breathing filters through the door, so we slowly turn the handle, step in, and close the door.
Knox and I stare at each other for a second, unsure what to do. We both knew we wanted to play some sort of prank on him, or maybe wake him up, but now that we’re in his room, we’re at a loss. Maybe should have paused in the hall to come up with a plan.
After a second, Knox holds his finger up and smiles before he walks towards the bed. He signals for me to take a video, so I slip my phone out of my back pocket and start recording. Knox climbs into bed and wraps his arm around Beckett and whispers into his ear. Beckett mumbles incoherently and rolls over, making Knox the little spoon, then Knox screams and scrambles out of the bed.
Beckett wakes up, startled, and Knox clenches his ass cheeks.
“What the fuck, dude?” Knox yells. “That was my ass.”
Shock robs me of breath or mobility. I’m frozen in my place, watching everything unfold.
“What were you doing in my bed?” Beckett pushes to sit up, glancing at me, then pulls his sheets up his chest to his chin.
“I was just coming to surprise you.”
“Well, that fuckin’ backfired, didn’t it?” Beckett runs his hands through his hair.
“What’s going on in here?” Callum asks walking in.
“Nothing!” Knox shouts.
Callum looks at me and I still can’t speak. The emotions and thoughts pulsing though my body are contradicting one another, forcing me to stay in place.
Jax walks in a second later. “What did you do, Knox?”
“Me? Why is it always my fault? How do you know it wasn’t Ev or Beckett?”
“Because Ev can do nothing wrong and Beckett was sleeping.”
My muscles relax. “Thanks boo.”
“That’s bullshit,” Knox mumbles.
I turn the camera off and tuck my phone back in my pocket.
“Hey Beckett.” Jax waves and Beckett waves back. “I’m going back downstairs so you all can sort this shit out.”
“I’m coming with you.” Callum nods with a light chuckle.
Mom’s voice echoes up the stairwell, asking Jax if everything’s ok then makes some joke, blaming me and my shenanigans.
“What are y’all even doing?” Beckett asks.
“Why are you here and not at Will’s place?”
He looks at me, then glances at Knox before he looks back at me.
“What?” I press.
“Will is working, but I also wanted to tell mom not to get all crazy and ask you about baby stuff and pregnancy.”
“What?” my voice cracks.
“I know mom can get… excited about all things babies and grandchildren. So, I just didn’t want her asking you a thousand and one questions, making this weekend awkward.”
“Really?” Tears sting the back of my eyes and a ball forms in my throat, making it hard to swallow.
“Well now, this is super awkward…” Knox mumbles.
“You’re a dumbass. Do you know that?” Beckett laughs.
“Thank you, Becks.” I didn’t want to tell him or anyone else that I was worried about seeing my mom this weekend. She’s excited about our marriage and the possibility of us having kids, but I really don’t need her bringing it up all weekend. I know she means well, but sometimes she doesn’t know how to take a hint or read a room.
“Now, can you two assholes leave so I can get dressed?”
“My ass will thank me. Roll up that hose between your legs.”
“Fucking stupid.” Beckett laughs, throwing a pillow at him.
When we get out to the hall, Knox wraps his arm around my neck. “Well, that backfired.”
“I guess he was just happy to see you.” I laugh.
“Too soon.”
“But is it?”
When we get downstairs, Emmett is in the kitchen with hoagie rolls sliced open on the counter with an array of meats, cheeses and other items, while mom cuddles Red up to her chest.
“Ev, isn’t she just the cutest?”
“She is pretty cute.”
“Donna, dear,” Dad says.
“Dave,” Mom whimpers out when red starts licking her cheek.
“Come on, sir-” Jax starts, but Dad cuts him off.
“Dave. Call me Dave.” He chuckles, “And also don’t finish that sentence. I don’t need a dog in this house. I have Beckett already who eats me out of house and home.”
“Did someone say my name?” Beckett asks, hopping down the stairs. When he sees the puppy in mom’s hand, he gives a quick squeal. “I didn’t know you were bringing them. I would have been up sooner.”
“Seems like you were up soon enough,” I mumble, covering my mouth.
“What was that, Everlee?” Mom asks, still laughing with red.
“Nothing.”
“Are you being nice to your brother? He had a long night.”
“Always.”
“Never,” Beckett says, walking towards the pen where Knox is.
“Oh. Hello there Beckett,” Knox says in an awkwardly low tone.
“You know,” Mom starts, “I just love seeing you all together. It just warms my heart at how well you all get along.”
She’s not wrong. I often wonder how this is real life. How they just blended in with my family so seamlessly. Almost like it’s too good to be true.
“I’m so excited about tomorrow. Are you going to bring these little angels to the field?” Mom continues.
“I don’t know.”
“You better. Can’t leave them at home all day. Bring their pen and let them get some fresh air. I’ll help watch them,” Mom says, pressing her nose to Red’s.
“You will be running the games, Donna,” Dad reminds.
“Well, you can watch them then.”
“No.” He laughs that kind of laugh where he knows he can say no all he wants because he’ll be doing exactly what mom says.
“How did Emmett get wrangled into fixing lunch?” I walk over and stand beside him. He gives me a quick peck on the head and keeps working.
“He insisted,” Mom defends. “I felt bad, then selfishly, I was like it’s Emmett Monroe.”
Emmett chuckles and lightly bumps his hip into mine. “Go sit. I got this.”
“Are you sure?”
He cuts his eyes at me. “Go spend time with your family.”
As I’m walking away, Jax is getting up from the table and walks into the kitchen to help Emmett. When he sees me watching him, he tosses me a quick wink.
Mom has now dragged dad into the pen with Beckett and the puppies, so I climb in too.
“Don’t get any ideas, Donna.” Dad laughs.
“Too late.” She has her legs out in front of her with Red on her back laying over her legs as she rubs her stomach.
“Well, purple is Lizzy’s, blue and yellow are Becketts and orange is Jax’s.”
“Jax doesn’t have one,” Jax calls from the kitchen.
“Oh, so you don’t mind if I swap yellow for orange?” Beckett jabs, and Jax just cuts his eyes. “That’s what I thought.”
“So we could keep her? Would you be ok with that?”
I look at the guys and they don’t say one way or another. I know we didn’t want to give the pups to strangers and if they took Red, then blue and yellow would have another family member to grow up with. “If the guys don’t mind, I don’t mind.”
“Men?” Mom’s voice ticks up an octave, her hand freezing over Red’s stomach.
They all say they don’t mind and my eyes fall to my dad, who is staring at mom, mouth wide open.
“Yes?” She giggles with that innocent-not-so-innocent laugh I’m sure has won her many arguments throughout their marriage.
My dad sighs, but doesn’t say anything.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
After lunch, Lizzy and Tony come over for a visit. Mom invites them to stay for dinner then sends dad out for some more steaks and potatoes, and another batch of mushrooms. She’s making her delicious mushrooms tonight, which is simply sliced up mushrooms in butter and soy sauce, but they are addicting. Emmett tells Jax to go with so Jax can pick up some stuff to make his new drink concoction. I love the old-fashioned, but this one takes the cake. It’s dangerously good and masks the flavor of bourbon, so you don’t know you’re feeling it until you try standing up.
It’s been three hours since dad and Jax left and I’m starting to worry. Neither of them are answering their phones, which Jax knows I hate. Beckett, Emmett and I walk onto the front porch to get in the car and search for them when we hear the gravel crunching from the entrance.
“They’re home!” I yell over my shoulder.
Mom is joining us a second later on the front porch with a scowl on her face.
“I can see where you get the look,” Knox says, shivering his shoulders.
As soon as dad walks to the back of the car, mom yells out, “Where have you been? You boys weren’t picking up our calls.”
“Calm down, Donna. We were close to home.”
“Oh no he didn’t,” Beckett whispers.
“David Michael McKinley.”
The guys all look at me, panicked like cats in a cage, ready to scatter.
With a calm demeanor and a smile on his face, he says, "Donna."
Jax joins him at the trunk.
“I got you a little gift,” he continues, not bothered by her one bit.
He pulls a large box out of the trunk that Jax takes from him, then pulls out a bag of dog food and a bag that looks to be filled with dog accessories.
“Davie…” she says, sweetly, with a smile on her face.
“Nope. We don’t do kinky pet names, mother,” Beckett spits out.
“Oh, hush Beckett.” She waves her head in the air dismissively and starts walking towards the car.
Jax calls the guys over to help unload the rest of the groceries while mom meets dad just below the stairs and wraps her arms around his neck.
“We can keep her?”
“You ask like I had a choice in the matter.” He chuckles.
“You did. You could have said no.”
“When we were out getting the odd list of ingredients for Emmett, we ended up beside a dog store. I had a pleasant conversation with Jax and so we decided to just go in and look at a few things and then ended up walking out with almost everything. I got the cheapest bowls and leash because I figured you would want to pick out your own.”
“Davie poo.”
“Oh lord. Don’t you two start kissing. I can’t handle it,” Beckett interrupts.
“I don’t say anything when you and Will kiss.”
“Because we don’t kiss in front of you, mother.”
She starts to speak, then stops. “Fine. Well, I wouldn’t say anything if you did.”
“Ahh!” he screams, grabbing his hair.
Tonight is going to be a good night.
This weekend is going to be a good weekend.