Chapter 25 #2
“There you are,” Hellen said, noticing Ronan and Giada, then getting up from her chair and walking over to hug them. “You guys look great. Where you going?”
“Steakhouse,” Ronan said.
“Guys, don’t get dirty!” Giada called out as they shrieked happily and joined the impromptu game of chase that broke out when they arrived.
“Don’t expect clean kids when you’re ready to leave,” Brandt said.
Giada laughed. “Oh, I know. Mine could get dirty in the bathtub.”
“Hey! Don’t bite anybody!” Hellen yelled when she saw one of her twins grab Ruger when he ran past her.
“Who’s biting?” Lucien asked, standing up and looking toward the kids.
“Collette! Ruger outran her so she grabbed him with Juliette’s help, and I know that child was going to bite him if I hadn’t caught her,” Hellen said.
Lucien put his fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp, deafening whistle.
Two unnaturally beautiful little girls wearing matching white dresses with tiny red and pink flowers embroidered on them, and pink bows in their dark auburn hair came to a screeching halt and looked back at their father innocently.
“Do not — I repeat — do not bite anybody!” Lucien warned firmly.
“He ran faster than us!” Collette objected.
“You can’t always win,” Lucien said impatiently.
“But…” Juliette started.
“No!” Lucien yelled.
“Yes, sir,” they said, their voices innocently sweet as they resorted to batting their lashes at their father.
“And do not go hide and jump out at the rest of the kids in your gator forms!” Hellen ordered.
“But Momma!” Juliette whined.
“They like it,” Collette claimed.
“They do not like it! Stop scaring your cousins!” Hellen insisted.
“Yes, ma’am,” they echoed.
“If I have to correct y’all, there will be no river swimming for a month! You hear me?” Lucien threatened as they ran toward their cousins, without an answer.
“Do you hear your father?!” Hellen demanded, her voice rising to be heard over everybody.
“Yes, ma’am!” they called back in unison, as they immediately rejoined the game of tag that was taking place.
“You made it!” Analise exclaimed, when she realized they were standing with Hellen and Brandt. “I thought you guys were going out to eat tonight.”
“We are, but we saw the bonfire and Brandt flagged us down for a picture, so we decided to come by. We were running early anyway,” Ronan said.
“I’m so glad. I don’t think we’ve ever taken a family picture of all of us before,” Analise said.
“It won’t be of all of us,” Brandt said. “We’re going to have to leave a space somewhere to add Tessa to it.”
“Where is Tessa?” Ronan asked.
“She’s closing up the shop for Bailey,” Tempest called from where she sat with Bailey a few feet away.
Ronan started laughing.
“But she’s doing good,” Bailey said.
“Is she really, though?” Havoc asked from the grill. “I keep waiting for her to pull a Delilah on some pushy customer.”
Tempest lifted the baby girl she held on her lap and held her over her head for a few seconds, making funny faces at her. “Aunt Tempest is going to have to go fix things when Aunt Tessa turns a customer into a freezie pop, isn’t she, my Sammy girl?”
Sammy gave her one of those typical baby belly laughs, that makes it impossible for anybody within ear shot not to smile.
“What stories are you telling my baby?” Shaun asked as he walked over and handed Bailey a bottled wine cooler and Tempest a bottle of water.
“About how I’m waiting to get a call from y’all about Tessa freezing a customer because they were rude,” Tempest said.
“Believe it or not, she’s really doing well.
She’s only part time on the days she doesn’t go to school so it’s not an every day thing, and when a customer does push her buttons she smiles at them coldly and simply throws a little of that terrifying condescension Delilah is famous for their way without a single word, until they suddenly decide it might be better to apologize — which they usually do quickly.
She’s never actually rude, she just makes them very uncomfortable though they can’t put their finger on why.
Then she graciously gives them a rehearsed smile and extra cookie or cupcake or whatever they’re buying to begin with and all is well in the world,” Bailey said.
“Mmmmm, they’re two of a kind,” Shaun said.
“Aren’t they, though?” Tempest said, handing Sammy back to Bailey. “Go see your mommy, little girl. Aunt Tempest has a sour stomach.” Tempest grimaced and belched a little while looking away from everyone in an effort to hide it.
Bailey leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear. “When are you going to tell him?”
“Never. Not ‘til she gets here,” Tempest whispered back.
“You can’t wait until she’s walking,” Bailey said even quieter than her first whisper.
“He’ll freak. He said no more after Eli because it freaked him out so bad.”
“He’ll love her,” Bailey said.
“I’m sure he will. But the nerves up until that point will drive me insane. And I’m not up for that right now,” Tempest said.
“Christian?!” Addie called out from the front porch of Havoc’s home having gone to the bathroom yet again.
“I’m coming, baby!” Christian shouted. He’d been standing beside the grills talking to Havoc as he flipped steaks, and Barron as he tended the chicken and sausage. He sprinted up the curved stone staircase to where Addie waited and supported her as she started down the stairs.
“That girl’s gonna pop any minute now,” Havoc said to whoever had just walked up beside him. He turned to look at whoever it was, and found Emmalyn standing there regarding him coldly.
“What?” he asked.
“May I have a steak, please.” It was not a question, it was a statement.
“You want one of my steaks?” he asked.
Emmalyn sighed, allowed her haughty demeanor to deflate some. “Nobody makes steaks like you do. Can I have one?”
He cut off a bite of one those he’d moved to the back because they were closer to being ready. “They’re not quite there yet, but here’s a taste until they’re done.”
Emmalyn took it from him and closed her eyes while she chewed, savoring the flavor. “God, Havoc, nobody makes steaks like you do.”
“Thank you, ‘Em.”
“You’re welcome. Save me one?”
“I'm already making one for you. Perfect medium just like you like them.”
She smiled at him then stood a little taller, put her shoulders back and looked over her shoulder. “I’ll be back for my steak,” she said, all haughtiness returning, then walked over to Barron and kissed him before going to check on the kids.
Barron smiled at Havoc who just shook his head. “She thinks the world of you, you know?” Barron asked.
“Yeah, the feeling’s mutual. Mean ass Bear…” Havoc muttered.
“You want to sit by Abby, baby?” Christian asked.
“No, I’m miserable. Can I just lie in one of the hammocks?” Addie asked.
“Bring her over here by me. We can commiserate together,” Daisy said as she reclined in one of the two hammocks Havoc and Analise had strung between several of their trees.
“You should be ashamed of yourself for making that girl push out your big headed baby,” Havoc yelled to Christian.
“At least his head is literally a big head to accommodate all those brains; yours is no more than ego. And it just deflates when challenged — no room for extra brains,” Addie snapped as Christian got her settled in a hammock near the one Daisy was already lying in, and laughed delightedly at his mate defending him to Havoc.
“Ohhh! She got a sharp tongue with that pregnant belly,” Havoc exclaimed.
“Damn!” Kiernan said with a laugh. “I’m just going to stay over here and mind my own business so I don’t step in any of that.”
“It’s okay, my love, I’ll protect you,” Abby said, smiling lovingly at her mate.
“Momma? Can I go play with Harley? She’s got Gerald outside,” Nora asked.
Abby looked down at her daughter. “You should ask if she minds, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Nora said, bravely venturing away from her mother’s side because she really, really liked Harley and Gerald.
“Can I get you anything at all?” Charlie asked his mate as he gently swung the hammock Daisy reclined in.
Daisy looked at Charlie. “I’d really love to try some of those bacon wrapped cream cheese stuffed shrimp, but I’m afraid I might get sick.”
“Some shrimp and a bucket?” Charlie asked.
“Is it too much trouble?” Daisy asked.
“Not at all. Penny? Go ask Uncle Havoc where we can find a bucket, and I’ll go get Mommy’s shrimp,” Charlie said.
“Okay!” Penny said excitedly as she ran off toward Havoc.
“Oh, that does sound good,” Addie said as she finally got comfortable in her hammock.
“Coming right up,” Christian said, kissing his mate and grinning proudly as he followed Charlie to find the stuffed shrimp.
Nora had finally made it over to Harley where she sat talking with Carson and waited for Harley to acknowledge her. Harley looked over at the quiet little girl. “Hi, Nora.”
“Hi.”
“Would you like to pet Gerald?”
“Yes, please. If he doesn’t mind.”
Harley lifted her arm and offered it to Gerald.
He stepped off her shoulder and onto her arm.
She put him on her lap where Nora held out her hand slowly and gently to the large iguana to let him know she wanted to pet him.
Gerald turned himself around so she could stroke his back and Nora grinned, happily running her fingertips down his back.
“So, like I was saying, I really think you should enter one of your drawings in the competition. You’re better than anybody else in school.”
“I know, but I don’t want anybody to laugh,” Carson said.
“Seriously? Nobody’s going to laugh, and if they do, they’ll only do it once, and then I’ll punch them and they’ll run away crying. You should enter,” Harley said.
Carson smiled at her. “I might.”
“You will,” Harley said.
“I want meeeeaaaaat!” Matteo shrieked as he ran by with KJ and Eli hot on his tail.
“It’s not time yet!” KJ yelled as he chased his new best friend.
“I can make him stop if you want,” Eli said, as he ran after KJ and Matteo.
“Run, Matteo! He’s going make you freeze!” Barrett yelled as the other boys ran by.