Chapter 11 MAJA
MAJA
Infectious. Effortlessly, Von’s family was infectious.
Then again, his father was Wesley Gunner.
Night was within reach, and the festivities were still in full swing.
In fact, things seemed to liven as nightfall approached.
The younger children were ushered into one of the cabins with a few of the younger adults.
That was when the music was ramped up, and the liquor came out.
Von and his brothers were acting complete fools…but I was fond of every minute of it. I fought a smile watching Von show off his dancing skills. Truthfully, I blushed at the way he moved his body, stuck his tongue out, and gyrated like he was in front of a thousand women throwing cash at him—
“You know he used to be a stripper, right?” Carmen said loud enough for Von to hear and loud enough to crash into my thoughts.
Quickly, I determined that Carmen was one of the reasons Von would likely get that second date, which I hated to admit. This was just a handful of hours with him and his family, and already, they’d ensnared me in a web that I wasn’t sure I wanted to be free from.
Meeting his cousins, who were also law enforcement, didn’t even deter me from thinking about giving Von a second date. Everyone just seemed so normal, and I couldn’t help but line them up against my own family.
Everyone rumbled with laughter, including Von, jolting me back to reality. After the second of surprise I felt at learning Von used to be a stripper, I burst out laughing too.
Von kept dancing and said, “You don’t care. Do you, baby?”
Shaking my head no, I laughed harder at the look of relief on his face.
Carmen shook her head and glared at her son. “Mind you, he was strippin’ just to be strippin’.”
Von came over to the table and joined us.
He straddled the bench, then wrapped his arms around me.
It surprised me that I didn’t stiffen in his embrace.
Throughout the day, we’d been joined at the hip.
Whether we teamed up in volleyball or a card game, he and I had been a duo.
Jesting with him became so natural that we were already finishing each other’s statements.
Bringing me to his family’s reunion was clever.
It wasn’t just the two of us, and although I was unsure in the beginning, now I understood why he wanted me there.
He wanted me to see him and not his title.
Here with his family, he was carefree, playful, and down-to-earth.
This wasn’t a stuffy dinner where a conversation had to be forced to keep the night going.
Inwardly, I chuckled. Von was surely a man who would bring me to meet his family on our first date. Abruptly, my inward chuckling ceased. I wondered if he’d ever brought another woman to meet his family in this manner.
“Why you tense up?” he questioned close to my ear.
Relaxing, I mumbled, “Nothing.” The day had gone great. Introducing negative thoughts was a good way for me to ruin the experience of it all. Since there was hardly a cellular signal, I spent most of my time interacting with everyone. I didn’t want made-up thoughts to shift the energy.
“I wish I could stay up with y’all all night, but I’m worn out,” Carmen stated. She stood from the bench and waved her husband over. “Tomorrow is rowing day, so I better get my rest. Y’all ain’t gon’ beat me and my man this time,” she added.
Amaré cracked up. “Yeah, aight. I gotta make up for Maja winning Granny’s quilt.”
Everyone died laughing. Amaré could keep whining about the quilt.
Not only was it handmade by the family’s matriarch, but it was beautifully made.
The different colors of purple fabric and purple patterns that were woven together to create the stunning large quilt was easily an heirloom.
It deserved to stay in the family forever.
Do you plan on staying in the family forever?
“You stiffened again, baby,” Von drawled, then kissed the area below my ear.
His lips made my skin tingle. His arms wrapped around me even tighter to bring me closer.
Although one of his thick arms nearly had me in a headlock, I secured my hand on his wrist and leaned back to rest my body against his.
Wes grabbed his attention, and whatever he said caused the brothers to absolve in a fit of laughter.
I just smiled, closed my eyes, and listened to the three men carry on some more.
My stomach was full, and I was full off the day’s events.
Letting my guard down like this was so dangerous.
Yet, this came too naturally. His chest rumbled against my back at something else his brothers said.
Their relationship reminded me so much of home.
Maybe that was why it was so easy to close my eyes and trust the man whose arms I was in.
Several hours later, Von and I retired to the cabin we would be sharing.
While I scanned the interior of the one-bedroom, one-bathroom, full kitchen and living room cabin, he brought our luggage inside.
He didn’t interrupt my eyes from dancing over the fireplace, the expensive paintings on the walls, and the equally expensive fixtures inside the kitchen as he went into the bathroom.
I heard water running and decided to go in the bathroom to see what Von was doing.
I gasped at the large claw-foot tub inside the state-of-the-art bathroom.
“This is gorgeous!” I gushed. “The whole cabin is amazing. How did your family find this place?”
As Von filled the tub with water, he grinned. “Would you believe it if I told you that my family owns this land?”
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Right.” He chuckled. “Welcome to Gunner Cove, baby. Hop in the tub, and I’ll explain how my family came to own this property.”
He dipped his fingers in the water, then added something that smelled divine before dropping a kiss on my forehead and moving to leave the bathroom. He softly closed the door behind himself.
Sighing heavily, I did a small perusal of the bathroom and with a relaxed smile started undressing. Just as I dipped my toes into the bubbly scented water, there was a soft knock at the door. Sinking my body below the bubbles, I called out to Von. He cracked the door open and peeped inside.
“Is it safe for me to come back inside?” he questioned. I loved that he respected me enough to ask.
“Sure,” I replied.
He walked in and let the water run for a little longer before shutting it off.
Water nearly reached the brim of the large tub.
He handed me a loofah and soap, then positioned himself on the floor until his back rested against the tub.
He rested his arms on his knees and recounted how the Gunner family came to own Gunner Cove.
As I bathed, I remained enthralled by his family’s story.
It turned out that the Bells weren’t the only family with wealth and a healthy backstory.
Von’s family had history that spanned generations.
Listening to him recall all the facts he knew about his family was admirable.
I knew nothing about the families I stemmed from.
Not the Storms nor my mother’s family. The Bells were all I knew.
Later that same evening, after Von showered, we cuddled into bed together. The minute he cut the lights out, I removed my hat and placed it on the nightstand like it was my weapon. Von brought me closer in his arms, kissed my forehead, and held me as we slept.