Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
PATIENCE
They definitely noticed.
As we emerged, the screen door banged shut behind us. Everyone had wandered outside to enjoy the nice spring day, and all eyes turned toward us. I halted in my tracks, Jett doing the same.
“I like your outfits,” Alley called out, causing everyone to laugh.
My face heated, embarrassment taking hold. I hadn’t even thought about them noticing the change of clothes. While I was momentarily mortified, Jett just chuckled as Dusty yelled.
“Just own it, girl.”
I watched as Alley threw her arm around Dusty’s shoulders, and they laughed.
“Those two together are really going to be trouble,” Jett said out of the corner of his mouth.
He wasn’t kidding. If they got Gemma and Teal in the mix, it would really get crazy. All the ladies held a bit of sass, but those four were extreme. Although nobody could quite compete with Alley.
Shaking my head, I decided to do as my new friend said and own it.
Plastering a bright, satisfied smile on my face, I began to march toward our friends, my husband's hand tightly clasped in mine.
Dusty stared at all the ladies, her mouth hanging open.
It had been a good day. After all the men and women got through teasing Jett and me endlessly about sneaking away—we didn’t divulge exactly what happened—we ate, played games, and shared a lot of laughs.
Gramps was in heaven having everyone there, and the kids were in heaven when they were all together.
“You’re fucking with me,” Dusty said, her eyes wide and disbelieving.
“Got you!” Embry yelled, popping up out of nowhere, making us all jump.
Dusty’s hand that wasn’t on her cane went to her chest. “Holy crap, you scared the shit out of me.”
“Two in a row. I’ll let the C-word slide since it’s not that bad,” the little devil said.
We hadn’t warned her yet; things had been a flurry of activity.
As Embry held out her hand, palm up, all the ladies laughed, and Jurnee groaned at her daughter.
“Let the initiations begin,” Gemma said.
The small dynamo looked around the group and then down at Embry. “What is happening?”
Embry rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s like this. You said two bad words, so you owe me two bucks. It’s simple, really.”
Dusty looked at all of us again and we couldn’t contain the onslaught of laughter that ripped free from our lungs. “Seriously?”
Nobody could talk, or breathe for that matter, as tears poured down our faces.
Jett walked up then and whipped his wallet out, handing Embry ten bucks. “Since I brought her, I’ll pay. This will get her started, but I know I’m bound to owe you more with this one.” Jett pointed at Dusty, who still stood there half confused, but a smirk emerged across her beautiful face.
Embry’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at the knowledge she may have just found new blood that was going to be bankrolling whatever the little girl was saving for.
“Thanks, Uncle Jett.” She shoved the money in the pocket of her cute capri pants. “Pleasure as always,” she sassed before walking off.
My husband chuckled loud, and the sound had my brand-new panties dampening with desire. When his eyes caught mine, they darkened as if he knew exactly what he’d done, but then Dusty spoke, breaking the connection.
“Somebody want to tell me what just happened?”
Earlier, when I thought about the four ladies who were sassy and a load of trouble, I had forgotten about the one that was going to trump them all.
Looking at Dusty, I told her, “I’m pretty sure you just got taken to the cleaners by a kid.” Then I looked back at Jett. “Or I should say, he did,” pointing at my guy.
Jurnee jumped in and began telling Dusty all about her daughter’s swear jar, and as the story went on, it became clear that the young girl probably had more money than us all.
“I want to be her when I grow up,” Dusty said, cracking up.
After that, we refilled our drinks and watched the kids play as we sat at the tables set up in the backyard. Gramps was by us, his eyes alight with warmth, taking it all in. He and Dusty had bonded like nobody’s business, him ever so grateful that she had been there with Jett during their capture.
“I’m so glad he wasn’t alone.” When Gramps’s eyes shimmered with tears, all the ladies almost lost it.
Dusty swiped at her own eyes. “I was the lucky one. He truly saved me.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d said it, but every time she made a remark like that, my heart filled with pride. Jett was my savior years ago, still is to this day, but he was hers too. I saw it in her eyes.
Then she did what my husband liked to do; she changed the subject. “So you guys never finished telling me about how you all met.” She looked around the yard before turning back to us, leaning in and whispering, “You were fucking with me, right?”
Everyone snickered as we all shook our heads.
“Nope. It’s all true,” River told her. “I couldn’t believe my ears either when I met everyone.”
When Dusty wanted to hear about us all, we launched into our crazy stories of how we met our spouses and how we all came together.
All told together in one swoop, it was quite enthralling and a bit hard to believe.
You had stalkers, killers, crazy exes, deranged family members, and disgruntled strangers all coming after the ladies at some point.
But then you also had the best love stories that were like the romance books Alley wrote.
The couples were like all the tropes readers loved but were real; your best friend's brother, grumpy sunshine, second chance, single mom and single dad romance, woman on the run, and such.
Then add in our hot men, most ex-military, but now, lawyers, cops, firemen, and the guys of No Surrender. And the women’s backstories and lives before all the crazy just added more to their stories.
Everyone got their happily-ever-after too—even Huntley’s mother was on her way to one with a hot doctor she’d met recently when we all were at the hospital waiting for Lake to have her baby.
Mine was still to be determined.
Please let me get one with Jett.
Dusty scanned every woman in the group, taking in Jurnee, Summer, Alley, Teal, Brinley, Ruby, Gemma, Capri, Lake, London, and River, then even glanced at me.
The other ladies had been through so much more. Sure, I had a child alone—okay, that’s totally not true, I had always had Jett and his family—and now Chaz was trying to steal him away, but I was safe.
Dusty had been pissed in the car when she’d learned of the prick during our conversation about how Jett and I had ended up hitched.
“You all amaze me. That is some crazy sh—” She paused and looked around for Embry. “Stuff you all just told me.” She shook her head in wonder. “Your lives are nuttier than active duty.”
We all knew that wasn’t true after what happened to her, Jett, Gyth, and the stories the other guys told, along with the losses they’d experienced. But she wasn’t entirely wrong either.
As the conversations went on and the sun began to set, I found myself sad that the evening would end. It had been a great day. Images of Jett holding me up against the door flashed through my mind.
“I know that look,” Teal teased, causing everyone to turn in my direction. “Maybe Griffin should stay here tonight so you and your man can finish what you started upstairs.”
Oh my God. Kill me now.
I looked over at Gramps, who was so kindly pretending he didn’t hear a word of what she’d just said, but I could see he was trying to hold back a smirk.
Ruby groaned, putting her fingers in her ears. “Don’t say too much!” she shouted, not realizing how loud she was talking. “That’s my brother and sex you are talking about in the same sentence.”
Thank goodness the kids were playing loudly in the yard, the babies close by with their fathers or in their mothers’ arms, couldn’t understand, but we had all the men’s attention now, and Gramps wasn’t holding his smirk back any longer.
My face turned redder than a Hothouse tomato as my eyes flew to Jett’s. What would he think about the ladies talking about him, me, us, and sex? I was scared he would put space between us, and I personally liked when there was no space at all—like earlier.
But Jett also had a smirk on his face, one that matched Gramps’s, and his eyes were bright with amusement. And don’t even get me started on the dimples that had heat moving from my face, south because, boy almighty, did they do it for me.
Always had.
Commotion next to me had me turning back to the ladies as Brinley yanked Ruby’s fingers out of her ears and pointed at all the men. “Think you could shout any louder?” she joked.
Ruby’s eyes rounded, her cheeks flaming like mine, only hers now matched her beautiful red hair. “Oops.”
“I’d love to have Griffin stay here tonight,” Gramps said, grabbing our attention.
“How embarrassing,” I muttered, causing the ladies to snicker.
Then something dawned on me. Jett was afraid of staying with me, and maybe trying it out without Griffin would be for the best. Embarrassment faded, and I was thankful for my friends and family.
“Thanks, Gramps.” I sighed, not wanting to say too much but knowing he’d just presented us with something wonderful. “I think Jett could use the sleep.”
By the look on the older man’s face, I was pretty sure his grandson had confided in him too. Dusty reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder as my gaze swept around the group. Yeah, they were catching on too.
“I know just what he needs,” I whispered.
It wasn’t sex, even as appealing as that sounded.
No, my husband needed hours of nightmare-free sleep while I held him in my arms.
“And that’s how I always knew you were perfect for my boy,” Gramps said.
With that comment, there wasn’t a set of eyes around us that wasn’t glistening with tears. I looked up and met Jett’s gaze.
We had always taken care of one another, him more so than me.
Tonight it’s my turn to take care of him.
He tilted his head, his brows rising in question as if asking if everything was okay. I gave him a sweet smile, and he smiled back.
We are going to make it.
I knew it in my heart.