28. KNOX – DONNA’S STUD CALENDAR
KNOX – DONNA’S STUD CALENDAR
Woodford and Blanton are sitting pretty with their tails wagging on the floor. “Don’t you two look so handsome? Are you ready to see your sister today?”
“You put them in bowties?” Jax’s voice booms from behind.
“We’re going to a wedding. They need to dress up.”
“They’re dogs.”
Gasping, I bend over and put my hands on the outside of their combined heads. “You don’t listen to him. He’s being a poopy pants.”
“Bowties. Nice,” Emmett says, walking into the room.
“Are we ready?” Callum asks, walking in behind Emmett. “Are we bringing them?”
“Lizzy sent a note and said Lulu is going to have a pen set up there so we can bring ours so they can play together,” I say, grabbing their leashes from the peg. “Then I told her I would bring them back here to play on the way to Bo’s.”
“What, no dress for Luna?” Jax snarks.
“Jax, dear boy. I didn’t want it to get wrinkled on the way over there. I will dress her in the car when we arrive.”
“Fucking i-”
“Intellect,” I cut him off. “I think that’s what you were going to say. Remember, Emmett and you talked about this. Using our nice words today, not our grumbly words.”
Emmett pats Jax on the back, who shrugs his shoulders.
“I have about this much patience for his bullshit, then no more.” He holds his finger and his thumb in the air with the smallest amount of space between them.
“You always say that, but you love him riling you up just as much as he loves doing it. You are the peanut butter to his jelly.” Emmett laughs.
Jax has spent most of the morning with Emmett at Bo’s, making sure everything is set up. He said he was going to keep an eye on Emmett, but I think part of him, though he never will admit it, wanted to make sure it looked great for Lizzy. I’ve seen the way he treats her. It’s with the same love and affection he has for me. The whole hates-that-he-loves-us sort of thing. It’s sweet. My little softy.
When we get to the venue, there are valets waiting in the semi-circle drive. There’s a red carpet that rolls from the curb along the sidewalk, up a few stairs and through a set of double doors to the other side of the building. Both sets of doors are open, revealing white chairs and a flowered arch on the other side of the thin, but wide building.
“Wow.” The scene behind the arch is beautiful. Hints of mountain peaks are painted into the sky in the distance. Grabbing the camera from around my neck, I snap a quick photo. We’re some of the first to arrive.
“Boys!” a woman’s voice shouts and when I look up, Ev’s parents are walking along the front of the building from the far right.
“What are you two doing out here?” I ask, snapping a quick picture of them.
“Sit,” Jax commands and the pups sit immediately, even though their butts are swaying ever so slightly from side to side with bottled excitement.
“We thought we would take a little walk before this shindig starts. Just getting back. Oh… look at them.” Donna’s head tilts to the side as she walks up to us, giving each of us a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she squats before the pups. “Look at Luna in her dress and these boys. Which one is Woodford and which one is Blanton?”
The pups are about to lose it, but Jax has been working with them diligently over the last several months and made us also adhere to his training, which sucks. But I’ll admit, they are very well behaved and have excellent recall.
“Left is Woodford. He has a little white tuft of hair on his forehead that’s getting smaller the older he gets. My little boy is growing up.”
“Oh, Knox!” Donna bats the air, giggling. “You are just too funny.”
“He’s something,” Jax adds.
“Have you seen my Ev?” She laughs again. “I guess she’s not mine anymore.”
“No. She left first thing this morning and has been with Lizzy. It’s been an entire afternoon of pampering and getting ready.”
“I bet they’re just having a blast. Becks said the bachelorette last night was a success. He said he and Will met them for breakfast at some ungodly hour.”
“It was just after midnight, darling,” Dave chimes.
“Seems late,” she mumbles.
I loop my arm in hers, and we walk towards the building. “Ev didn’t mention she saw the guys last night. Are they here yet?”
“Yes. We saw them before we left for our walk. Becks was, of course, walking around, critiquing all the things he loved and wanted to do for their wedding. Only a couple more months.” Donna sniffles, then pats her nose with her free hand.
“Everything ok?”
“I just… this year... what a year.” She laughs. “I know technically you all got married last year, but it feels like this year and now Lizzy and in a few months Beckett. Life is moving so fast.”
She’ll completely flip when she learns Ev is pregnant. It’s one thing she’s wanted since before we were married. But I can only imagine as soon as she finds out, she’ll be asking when the second one is coming and then the third and fourth and so on.
“It has been, but it’s all good things.”
“Absolutely. I want a dance with each of you tonight. Need to work out these legs before they get too old.” She pulls her arm from mine, pats my cheek, and walks over to a seat that has a man’s jacket draped across the back of it.
“There’s Lulu.” I point to a pen that someone has set up in the back corner behind the last row of seats. She’s barking and wagging her tail, and nearly jumping over the edge of the pen, but Beckett pops his head up and looks at us.
“Woodford! Blanton! My boys!” He shouts, hopping over the pen, and patting his legs.
“Am I chopped liver?” I ask, skipping towards him, knowing the pups aren’t budging until they get the command from Jax.
“When it’s between you and them…” He pauses, watching them sitting steadily beside Jax. “Oh, come on,” he whines a little, flopping his hands to his side.
Just as I’m about to reach him, I hear Jax say, “Free.” The dogs barrel past me, tails wagging as they skid to a stop at Beckett’s feet.
Looking over my shoulder, I scowl at Jax, who has a sinister, yet playful, smile on his lips. “Ass,” I mumble, which only causes him to throw his head back, laughing.
“They’re so trained,” Beckett says, lowering down to rub their ears and head.
“They have Jax.”
“I should have brought Blaze and Sparky up here to see their family.”
“Maybe we can get them together this summer at the beach or something.”
“Lizzy said she got the same house we had last time.”
“Yeah, Ev was talking about that. Six dogs in one house.”
“Maybe I can swing by and get Ruby on my way up and get them all together.”
“Can you imagine?”
“Heaven,” we both say at the same time, then laugh.
Beckett stands up and brings me into a hug. “How’ve you been, brother?”
“Good. Great. I heard you crashed Lizzy’s party last night instead of coming to hang out with us.”
“I didn’t know if you all were still on the yacht.” He wiggles his fingers in the air and juts out his hip with sass. “Or, if you were home. Lizzy had been texting pics most of the night, so I knew I was safe there.”
“Whatever,” I huff.
“I’ll hang out with you all night at this wedding until you’re tired of me.”
“My wish come true.” I clasp my hands together and bat my eyelashes.
“Outstanding! Then I'm done here,” Will laughs as he walks up.
“Oh stop. You know you would miss me?” Beckett coos, reaching out for Will’s hand.
“Unlikely.” His eyes twinkle with happiness before he looks at the pups. “Woodford and Blanton clean up nice. Love the bowties,” Will says. “And Luna’s just walking casually around in a dress, making sure everything’s in order. Love it.”
“Knox and I were saying we’re going to get all the pups together at the beach next month.”
“Oh lord. Does Jax know?” Will asks, pulling his face.
“Know what?” Jax asks, walking up.
“Nothing,” Beckett and I shout at the same time.
“Yeah. Nothing sketch about that.”
Needing to change the topic, I turn back to Will and Beckett. “Are you guys getting any ideas for your wedding?”
“Figured we would let Emmett handle it all.” Beckett laughs.
“No. Please no. He’s been a wreck for the last month,” Jax says.
“He does parties all the time,” Beckett presses.
“Yes. But family. He holds that as a very special job. Everything has to be perfect.”
Beckett clutches his chest. “Be still my heart.”
“I heard my name,” Emmett says, walking up to us.
“All good things, all good things.”
“Man, you boys clean up nice.” Beckett fans himself when Callum walks over.
“Thank God I’m confident and secure in our relationship,” Will teases.
“It’s ok love bug. You know I only have eyes for you.”
“Lucky me.”
“Oooh,” Donna squeals from behind. “All my men. Woo!” She fans herself. “Squeeze all in. Let me get a picture of you. So many boys. Who would have thought?” Her words taper off near the end like she’s talking to herself, and I hear Beckett chuckling behind me. “All so big and handsome,” she still mumbles to herself.
“Come on, Mama McKinley!” I urge her to join after she takes a few photos.
“Oh, I couldn’t.” She blushes a bit.
“Go honey. I’ll get a picture of you. Get some different poses and we’ll make you a hunky calendar.”
“DAD!” Beckett yells. “I’m standing right here.”
“Then you can stand right over there.” He points to his side. “If you have a problem with that. Your mother is old. Give this to her.”
“Bite your tongue, Dave. I’ve not got me any grandchildren yet, so I’m not too old.” She turns and puts her hand on my chest and whispers, “I mean, I am getting older and older by the second, so let’s make haste. Yes?”
“You got in Mama McKinley.”
She turns towards the front. “Hurry up and take the picture, Dave. These men don’t want to be standing out here smiling all afternoon.”
“I’m trying, woman. You just stay still and smile.”
“Oh hush, Dave.” She puts her hand on her hip. “Tuck your chin Beckett.”
“Mom,” he huffs, and I burst out laughing.
“I love you all.” My chest tightens, but only for a second as the feeling washes over me.
“Ok,” Dave calls.
“Please send those to us, Donna,” Callum asks.
She cups his cheek. “Yes, darling. Of course.
“Donna, dear. Do you want to grab our seats? There are a lot more people heading in.”
“Yes. Although Lizzy put us with family. I think you’re up there too. Bless her.” Donna clasps her hands in front of her.
“It should start soon, barring anything crazy happening,” Will says.
“It’s Lizzy,” Jax and Beckett say at the same time.