41. Teddy
Teddy
I blow out a calming breath. Nothing has ever made me more nervous than what I’m about to do.
I check my phone to make sure Lottie doesn’t need anything. I end up grinning like an idiot when I see her message.
Lottie
Get your ass inside the building. Stop delaying the inevitable.
Me
How did you know I was still sitting in my car?
Lottie
Lucky guess. Also, my dad texted me and said you weren’t there yet.
If I come home with a black eye, I’m blaming you.
Big baby. Kiss emoji
gif of woman being offended
Go. Inside.
Fiiiiiiine.
I get out of my car and walk across the gravel parking lot of Donna’s Bar. Lottie’s dad invited me out for a drink with a few of Lottie’s uncles. It’s been a week since my incident at the fair, and none of Lottie’s family members has given me crap about it.
Until now, anyway. I have a feeling Lottie’s dad has just been waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I wouldn’t blame him. He deserves to get his revenge against me for hurting his daughter.
Lottie doesn’t think this gathering has anything to do with the incident and everything to do with the girls’ night they host regularly. She said the guys always get together too, which is why I was invited this time.
Aka, the perfect moment to jump me.
I’m being dramatic; I recognize this, but I want her family to like me. As it stands, I’m not showing my best self.
Lottie’s been helping me find a therapist who specializes in trauma and, more specifically, PTSD in combat veterans. I haven’t settled on one yet. Just looking at all the options has been overwhelming.
Noise surrounds me as I walk through the doors of the log cabin-style building.
“Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake is blaring from the speakers around the room, competing with the general revelry of the patrons.
I find Cooper and Noah’s dad, Tucker, across the room.
They’ve got three tables jammed together with chairs packed around them.
Lottie told me Noah and Carson were coming too, so I hope to hell they’re here already.
Tucker waves when he sees me making my way across the room. Cooper is giving me a mean mug, and my stomach sinks. I was really hoping I was just being dramatic.
Seems I should brace for that punch.
“Stop it.” Tucker elbows Cooper.
“What? He deserves to squirm for a minute.”
“He does not. You know exactly what he was doing.” Tucker gives him a look. “Protecting your daughter.”
“Yeah, yeah. I just hoped maybe I wouldn’t actually lose my daughter to the guy.”
“I’m sitting right here,” I finally pipe up.
Cooper narrows his eyes at me. “Will you take care of my daughter with your life?”
“Without question.”
He nods. “Good.” Then Cooper smiles wide. He leans over to smack me on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family, son.”
I look at Tucker, who is also smiling, and then around the room to make sure I’m not being pranked. “Uh, thanks?”
“Aw, come on. Did you already have a talk with him?” Carson says to my right. He sets a soda in front of me while Noah passes out beer. An odd sense of belonging hits my gut when I realize they knew I wouldn’t want alcohol, so they brought me an alternative. “I wanted to be here for it.”
“We did that on purpose.” Tucker eyes Carson.
“Glad to have you around, Teddy.” Carson elbows me.
“Did I miss it?” Todd rushes up to the table, with Michael striding behind him.
“Yep.” Carson sighs.
“Dammit.” Todd groans as he sits down. “Michael was being so slow… You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
Michael shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tips his head up in hello to me. He absolutely slowed his dad down on purpose. I knew I liked that guy.
“Is Levi coming?” Todd asks.
Cooper looks at his phone. “Yeah, he should be here any minute. How did Isla fare after her kitchen fire?”
“She’ll be all right,” Tucker answers. The name flies over my head, and I start to worry that I don’t remember someone in Lottie’s family.
Then Tucker tells us about the conversation he had with her about moving into a senior living facility, and I finally understand this is someone in the community, not their family.
Their genuine concern about this woman fascinates me.
These guys are first responders who know everything about everyone.
They could easily use their position to their advantage.
Then again, if they did, I doubt Cooper would’ve stayed the police chief for this long.
A question flows out of me before I can stop it. “What would you guys do if a punk teenager was making trouble and you caught him?”
“Depends on what he’s doing and what’s going on at home,” Cooper says immediately. “Are his parents getting a divorce? Is he looking for attention in some way? Do his parents love him, and he’s just being a little shit because he can?”
“What about no parents around at all?”
“I’d probably try to take him under my wing first. Make it seem like a punishment or something so he doesn’t get suspicious. Then give him guidance when he’s ready to hear it.”
“Agreed,” Todd says. “Those kids are the ones who need help the most. The ones with good parents who are just being assholes deserve some consequences for their actions.”
I smirk. He’s not wrong. I could’ve used a good influence in my life like Cooper. I only managed to get into the Marines because a recruiter came to talk to our class one day. Seemed like the best option to not end up like my mom .
“Hey, kids! Seems like I just walked in on a serious conversation.” Levi slaps Noah on the shoulder.
Cooper stands to hug his brother. “Nah, just working through a hypothetical situation. Did you get Hope dropped off?”
“Yep. Adalaide and Vivi decided to go, too.”
“How long do we need to wait to keep from getting roped into their spa day?”
Noah leans into my side. “These guys always interrupt the girls’ night, no matter what. But they learned not to go too early when they’re having spa night. I’ve got pictures of mud masks and manicures if you want to see them later.”
I snort. “Yeah, I’m definitely gonna need to see the proof.”
“You told me you deleted those!” Carson slaps his hand on the table.
Noah laughs. “Of course, I didn’t. They’re fucking hilarious.”
“You were just as involved.”
“But I don’t give a shit if people see the pictures. My skin has never felt softer.”
Levi throws his forefinger at Noah. “He’s got a point.”
“I enjoyed the hand massage Megan gave me with the lotion,” Todd says about his wife.
Cooper looks at all the guys. “Are we going?”
“We could always pretend to be annoyed they’re forcing us to join in,” I say. I have no qualms about putting on a face mask if it means I get to spend more time with Lottie. Plus, she’d get a kick out of making me do it.
“I knew I liked you,” Todd says.
“You were literally just saying you couldn’t wait to interrogate the guy,” Michael argues.
“Shh. I changed my mind.”
Michael shakes his head before looking at me. “You sure you wanna join this insanity? It’s not too late to back out. ”
I grin. “Nah, I kind of like it. And even if I didn’t, leaving Lottie isn’t even a question. She’s about as necessary as breathing by now.” I catch the approving looks on the guys’ faces.
“Come on. Let’s go see our girls.” Cooper stands from the table.
We walk out of Donna’s as a group. Noah, Carson, and Tucker walk in front of me and Cooper, the three of them goofing off with each other.
I hope that one day, their relationships with each other won’t astound me.
I want to join them. I want to be a part of the group without feeling like an outsider.
“We might give you shit, but we are glad to have you join our family,” Cooper says low enough for only me to hear. “I think you’ll be good for Lottie. She needs a sturdy presence in her life that won’t waver when she needs support.”
“She’s good for me. I worried about dragging her down to my level, but she’s been holding her hand out to help me up this whole time.”
“That’s what our women do. They’re much stronger than we give them credit for. It’s a hard lesson to learn when our instinct is to protect them, even if that means from ourselves.”
“Tell me about it.” We get to my car, but I don’t make a move to get in yet.
“Lottie’s got the patience of a saint. She learned it from her mother when I was at my worst. She’ll do the same for you as long as you give it in return.”
“Always. I’ll do anything to keep her.”
Cooper pats my shoulder. “Good. Let’s go interrupt a girls’ night. I’m in need of a good moisturizing.”
I snort. “I’ll see you over there.”