21. Smitty
SMITTY
A WEEK LATER
It was official.
We had a house, and what a house it was. The place was incredible. Prez had given us a hell of a deal on it, and as I stood in the doorway, just staring at everything, I feared that if I blinked, I might find that this was all just a dream.
The place was bigger than I’d thought and even more beautiful. And it made my chest ache in a way it never had before. We didn’t have nearly enough furniture to fill the place, but we were working on it. Honestly, I didn’t mind the emptiness. It felt full of possibilities instead of missing pieces.
Boxes were stacked against every wall, newspapers covered most of the floor, and somewhere beneath all the broken-down cardboard was our new sofa and recliner. We still had a long way to go, but standing there in the mess of it all, I couldn’t help but smile.
We were finally home.
Brooke was in the kitchen, putting away the last of the dishes, and was quietly humming to herself as I started breaking down all the boxes she tossed on the floor.
I was actually starting to get somewhere when I heard a truck pull into the drive.
I walked over to the window and spotted Ryan getting out of his truck.
“We’ve got company.”
“Oh?” Brooke looked up and smiled. “Who is it?”
“Ryan.”
“Really?” Her smile faded, and her brows furrowed as she started over to me. “Wonder what he’s doing here?”
“Only one way to find out.”
I opened the door, and we both stood on the porch, watching as he pulled a couple of boxes from the backseat. His face was void of expression as he started toward us. “Nice place.”
“Thanks. We’re still trying to get settled in.” Brooke stepped forward. “It’s good to see you… I didn’t know you were coming by.”
“I didn’t either.” Ryan lifted the plastic tote. “Found these in the back closet. It’s some old jackets and Anslee’s play kitchen.”
“I wondered where those went.”
“I figured you’d want them.”
“I do. Thanks for bringing them by.”
“No problem.”
I stepped forward and took the boxes from his hands, then turned and slipped them inside. When I turned back, I asked, “You wanna come in for a bit?”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not.” I stepped back and motioned him inside. “I’m sure Anslee would be tickled to see ya.”
“Thanks.” He gave me a grateful nod. “I’d really like to see her, too.”
He stepped through the door and over several of the broken-down boxes. Brooke closed the door and rushed over to push them out of the way. “It’s a work in progress.”
“I get it.” He gave her a smirk. “I know how much stuff you had.”
“Hey, it’s not all mine.”
“It’s mostly yours,” I teased.
“Yeah,” Brooke fussed. “Don’t you two go ganging up on me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Ryan chuckled.
Ryan spotted a pair of Anslee’s shoes on the floor, and his breath hitched. Seconds later, she came around the kitchen cabinets and shrieked, “Ry-an!”
She ran straight to him and held up her wooden spoon, showing it off proudly. Playing along, Ryan scooped her up and said, “Wow. Look at what you got!”
Brooke looked at them and smiled, then glanced over at me, making sure I was good with it. And I was. Ryan had given me no reason to feel otherwise. Besides, Anslee loved the guy, and there was no way I was going to be the one who stood in the way of her getting to spend some time with him.
“I’ve missed you, Lee Bug.” Anslee rewarded his confession with a smack with the wooden spoon. “Missed your rough housing, too. You’re fierce with your kitchen aids.”
“She learned that from you,” Brooke poked.
“You still have too much stuff.” Ryan gave her a look. “But I never minded it… actually kind of miss it.”
“We’ve missed you, too.” Brooke gave him a warm smile. “You should come have dinner with us soon… Once we finish all the unpacking.”
“I’d like that.” He looked back down at Anslee as he said, “I guess I better let you guys get back to it.”
“I’m really glad you stopped by.”
“Me, too.” He lowered Anslee to the floor and kissed her on top of her head. “Be good for your momma, okay?”
Not realizing it might be a while before she saw him again, she toddled back to the kitchen and started playing with the spoons Brooke laid out for her. Ryan stood there for a moment, looking like he wasn’t sure about his next move.
So, Brooke made it for him. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. “Thank you… for everything.”
He gave her a quick hug back, then turned and started for the door. I followed him and opened the door. “Look forward to that dinner.”
“Me, too.” He looked me in the eye as he said, “Take care of them.”
“With everything I’ve got.”
He gave me a nod, then quietly walked out. I closed the door behind him, and Brooke immediately said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being so nice to him.”
“Got no reason not to be nice.” I stepped over to her and kissed her softly before saying, “He means something to you and Anslee, so he means something to me. Simple as that.”
“You’re the best.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I gave her a light slap on the ass. “Now, get back in there and finish putting away all your stuff.”
“It’s our stuff.” She gave me a playful shove. “And I need to figure out something for dinner.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. I’m too hungry to think.”
“Okay. I’ll give you three.” I thought for a minute, then said, “Chinese, pizza, or wings.”
“Can’t we get wings with pizza?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, then, that’s more like two choices.”
“Okay. Chinese, pizza and wings, or barbeque.”
“Pizza and wings.”
“Why didn’t you just say that?”
She shrugged. “I needed that third option to be sure.”
“Pizza it is.”
I pulled out my phone, placed the order, and got back to work on the boxes. I carried the ones I’d finished out to the burn pile and got busy clearing out the living room. I was still at it when the pizza arrived. We stopped long enough to eat, and then we were back at it.
Brooke continued in the kitchen, and I wrapped things up in the living room. Anslee was becoming whiny that she couldn’t get into the cabinet. Brooke let out a tired breath. “Someone’s not liking the safety locks on the cabinets.”
“I should’ve gotten them put in first thing. Then, she wouldn’t know what she’s missing.”
“We were pretty busy, and she’ll be fine. She’s just tired.”
“Want me to put her down?”
“Would you mind?”
“Are you kidding? I could use the break.”
“I wouldn’t get my hopes up,” she scoffed. “Grumpy pants isn’t going to be happy about giving up those pots and pans.”
“She’ll be fine.” I walked over and scooped Anslee into my arms. “Isn’t that right, peanut?”
And just like that, she smacked me with one of the lids and started wiggling to get down. Brooke giggled, but she didn’t intervene. She knew I could handle it. I pried the lid from her hand and set it on the counter, telling her, “You can have that back tomorrow when you make our pancakes.”
That didn’t win me any smiles, but she didn’t scream and cry either. I considered that a win. I took her to the nursery, changed her diaper, put on her PJs, and grabbed her favorite storybook. I could’ve just rocked her there, but I figured she’d be happier in the recliner.
I knew I would, so I carried her to the living room. After I got us settled, I opened the book and started talking in a low, steady voice. “Here we go, peanut.”
She didn’t fight me, but she didn’t exactly give in either. She was fighting it with all she had. She’d rub her eyes and yawn so hard I thought she’d pass out, then she’d perk right back up. Yeah, she was a stubborn little thing, and my God, I loved her for it.
She toyed with the collar of my T-shirt, her fingers absently twisting the fabric as she listened to me read. I kept reading, but I wasn’t even sure she was listening. I smiled and leaned down with my mouth close to her ear. “You know you’ve got me wrapped around your little finger, don’t ya?”
She blinked up at me with those bright blue eyes that looked so much like mine it still made my chest ache. She answered with a sleepy grin.
I shook my head and whispered, “Yeah, you ain’t even gotta try.”
I kept rocking her back and forth, listening to the old floorboards creak beneath my boots.
After the last few weeks, the quiet didn’t feel real.
There were no emergency meetings. No wondering who the Coyotes were gonna come after next.
Chains was six feet under, along with every threat he’d tried to leave behind.
His kid was with his mother, and that was that.
Benson was free, and we made sure he was well taken care of.
Everything seemed to be back to normal, which gave me more time to spend with my girls, and I couldn’t have been happier about that.
Anslee let out another tiny yawn, and her little fingers finally let go of my shirt. I knew I had her then. Her eyelids fluttered once, and then she finally gave in. I kept rocking and just watched her sleep.
A couple months ago, I'd been worried about proving myself worthy of wearing a Fury patch. Now, I was a brother. I'd found the woman I'd loved since I was barely more than a kid. And I'd discovered I had a daughter who somehow managed to make me love her more every day.
There was only one thing that could make it better.
Being careful not to wake Anslee, I stood and carried her down the hall, easing open the nursery door with my shoulder.
I laid her gently in her crib, tucked the blanket around her tiny legs, and stood there for another minute just watching her sleep.
Before I walked out, I leaned down and whispered, "I love you, Peanut."
I quietly pulled the door almost closed before making my way back to the kitchen.
Brooke was still in the kitchen, but she’d moved from the dishes to the utensils.
She was so enthralled in putting them in exactly the right place that she didn’t even notice I’d come up behind her until I slipped my arms around her waist.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“I wondered how long it’d take you.”
“You can’t rush perfection.”
“I’ll try to remember that.” She laughed softly, leaning back against me.
“Anslee finally asleep?”