Round Thirty-Five #4
“Never ever ever ever. ‘Cept when I’m sparring with these jerkwads, cos they’re bigger than me and their reach is way longer than any of the chicks I have to fight. I could teach you, though.”
“You did teach me!” Rose giggles. “The bump thing.”
“Oh yeah.” Grinning, she sways and sniggers, bringing her eyes across to me. “I already taught her. Are you gonna tell Dad I was drinking, Ol? I’m old enough now, even the law says so. Cato isn’t old enough.”
“Oh my gosh! Cato!” Raquel bounds onto the couch, pitching to the side and catching herself by grabbing Fox’s ponytail. “Cato is such a goofball.”
I push to my feet and stop behind Rose. Because she’s gonna crash soon, and I’d rather she didn’t smack her pretty head on the table on the way down. “Who the hell is Cato?”
“He’s somebody who isn’t old enough to drink,” Eliza giggles. “But I don’t think he cares much about the law.”
“I think I’m gonna puke.” Rose clamps her lips shut and looks over her shoulder. “Uh-oh.”
“No uh-oh!” Tommy stop-signs her, then he spins and sprints into the kitchen, dashing back again with an empty salad bowl. “In here, woman! Don’t you dare uh-oh on my living room floor!”
Her knees give out beneath her, her brain much too slow to even realize she’s going down.
But I’ve caught drunks in the ER more times than I can count, and none of them have ever been so fucking pretty.
I scoop her into my arms and wait for Tommy to place the bowl on her stomach, just in case.
Then I sigh and look down at her sleepy face, a honking, pig-like snore tearing along her throat.
“You didn’t have to go this hard, Rose.” Groaning, I shake my head and turn back to face the rest of them. “She’s got a head injury, you idiots. Why would you pour alcohol down her throat?”
“Don’t blame us!” Raquel stumbles off the couch and bangs her knee on the same corner I hit mine.
Hissing, she limps around and drapes her arm over my shoulder, resting her cheek against my upper chest. Releasing a noisy exhale, she pushes raven hair off Rose’s face.
“It started out as just a friendly drink. Help her relax. Get her to eat. Then the bottles just kept getting empty. We thought they were defective and the wine kept fallin’ out of the bottom.
But maybe not. Maybe we drank all the wine we thought we didn’t. ”
“Ya think? Why are you here, Raquel?”
“‘Cos I miss my family and my boss said I could take a few days.” Pulling back, she looks up at me with a dopey, lazy grin and half-closed eyes. “She’s such a bitch.”
“Your boss?”
“Mmm. Single most brilliant, amazing, hardworking, amazing, unintentionally funny boss I ever had. And she would burn the world down for anyone she cares about. Even when she’s busting my balls all the freakin’ time, I know she cares about me, too.
But mannnnn, she’s a stone-cold bitch.” She giggles.
Then, with a bright idea in her mind, her eyes whip wide, and her hand goes around to grab her phone. “I should call her!”
“Yeah, that’ll end well. When are you leaving again?”
“Dunno. Later.” She unlocks her phone and dials, shuffling back to the couch and flopping onto the cushions beside Eliza.
Bringing the phone to her ear, she waits for the line to connect.
“Minka freeeeeakin’ Mayet. How you doing, pretttty lady?
Did you know how much I love you? ‘Cos I do. It’s true. ”
“I’m taking Rose home.” I study the couch of misfits—Alana’s curled up and almost asleep, and Fox happily makes eyes for Chris. So I turn to Tommy and shake my head. “Thanks for keeping her here and safe.”
“I didn’t do much.”
“Except when they wanted to go swimming,” Franky inserts eagerly. “Tommy barred the door and used the dad voice and told them to sit the heck down again, ‘cos the water is frozen, but only on the very top. It’s too cold to swim, and the ice isn’t safe for them to run on.”
“Fox suggested they tie knives to their shoes and skate,” Tommy grumbles. “I suggested Chris hide the knives before our night was ruined.” He tips his chin toward Rose. “You okay with her?”
“Mm. She’s out. I’m gonna take her home and put her to bed.” Exhaling a heavy breath, I glance back at my sisters.
“I don’t love you like I wanna bang you!” Raquel cackles. “Geez. You think so highly of yourself, Chief.”
“Can you put them in your truck and follow me home?” I ask Tommy. “I’ll make a bed for them both and get them out of your hair.”
“It’s fine. We have enough room here, so I’ll toss them into a room together and close the door.
Send them on their way in the morning when they wander downstairs with their bad attitudes.
Good luck with yours.” He scratches the back of his neck, his lips quirking into a taunting smirk. “She’s gonna regret this tomorrow.”
“She sure is.” I meet Franky’s green-eyed gaze, wide behind his blue-frame glasses. “Thanks for looking out, Page. And you even figured out the grandma thing. That’s a big deal.”
“She’s kinda funny when she’s not crying.
” He steps in on Tommy’s right and leans closer.
Resting against him, but not wrapping his arm around the way he would with his mother.
“And maybe you can tell her tomorrow, I don’t think she’s evil.
” He wrinkles his nose. “I don’t know if it’s autism or just because I think she’s a nice person. But she’s good. I’m sure of it.”
“Thanks, bud.” I gift him a smile and take a single step back. “I’ll catch you guys tomorrow. Oh, and someone needs to call Cliff and let him know everything’s okay. He’s probably breaking into the gym right about now.”
Tommy snorts. “I’ll take care of it.”