Authors: Cat Mason
“
I
think
you’re a little too late to give her advice,” I say the minute my feet hit the bottom step. The last thing I expected was to come check on things down here and hear that. Instantly, the thought of Rae screaming anything, especially my name, has my dick ready to start the countdown to launch.
Sorry to get your hopes up, big guy, no one is being called to active duty today. Or anytime soon for that matter.
Rae jumps from the stool, knocking it over, her water bottle tumbling to the floor along with the magazine. “Shit! It’s not possible for someone as big as you to be such a fucking ninja.”
“I thought I was a teddy bear.” I say crossing my arms over my chest. Her face is blood red in embarrassment, no doubt at me overhearing her one-sided conversation. I have to bite back my urge to laugh at how fucking cute she looks all worked up. “Have I been promoted?”
The baby starts to cry from across the room. Rae doesn’t give me a second thought and immediately is at his side, pulling him from the pen. “Oh, shhh now. Everything is all right, handsome.”
Grabbing a dish towel from the shelf, I take a knee and start cleaning up the water from the tile while Rae paces the floor in front of the television. Her hips sway back and forth as she makes pass after pass until he starts to calm and fall back to sleep.
By the time I have the floor dry, and everything righted in the kitchen, Rae is just laying Brannon back down. Closing the distance, I run a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you or wake up the little guy. I was just checking on things down here. Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine, but thank you,” she replies, walking into the kitchen. Turning on the faucet, she begins washing her hands. “If I need anything that I can’t handle myself I’ll be sure to let you know.”
Drying her hands, she opens the fridge and begins pulling out some apples and grapes. I have to laugh at how poor Hunter would cringe when Rae pushes the package of bacon out of the way in order to reach the carrots and celery. Sitting on the stool, I watch as she rinses everything before settling them on the cutting board that is already on the counter top. She opens a few drawers before pulling out a knife.
Her fingers curl round the top of the apple as the slides the blade through it. My eyes lock on her purple painted finger nails while she strips away the peel. Once she has the apple peeled, she begins cutting it into thin strips before starting to quarter the grapes. She slices the carrots and the celery into strange shapes and I begin to get curious as to what she could possibly be doing.
“I hope you know, Jazzie won’t eat that,” I blurt.
Setting the knife down, Rae exhales. Moving to the dish drainer, she takes the two cartoon plates and begins arranging the fruit on them. She doesn’t say a word, and I start to tell her that she is wasting her time, but I don’t. For whatever reason, Rae is putting a lot of time into preparing this snack so I choose not to rain on her parade.
Jasmine will do enough of that once she wakes up.
After a few minutes, Rae takes a plate in each hand and places them on the bar in front of me. Instantly, I look to the plates and my eyes widen. The pink plate has the fruit and vegetables all arranged to look like a flower patch. Brannon’s plate has the fruit cut considerably smaller, but she’s used the grapes for wheels and the apple, carrots, and celery to make the shape of a truck.
“I’m hungry,” Jazzie says, standing to her feet. Rubbing her eyes, she navigates her way to the kitchen and climbs onto the stool beside me.
“I had a feeling you would be,” Rae informs her, pushing the plate in front of her. “Good thing I made you a snack, huh?”
“It’s so pretty,” Jazzie says, turning the plate as she examines Rae’s handiwork.
Rae pours a glass of juice and sets it down beside the plate, her eyes move to mine, the brown filled with satisfaction at Jazzie’s reaction. Jasmine picks up a grape, popping it into her mouth. Both of us watch and wait.
“Mmm,” Jazzie says, grabbing for a piece of carrot next.
Rae’s eyes are on me again, a confident smile spreading across her face that screams, “I told you so”. “Eat up, then we can play a game while Brannon finishes his nap.” Picking up the other plate, she covers it with plastic wrap and places it in the fridge along with the containers of unused food. Popping a grape into her mouth, she sits down on the other side of the bar and looks at me. “Did you need something, Henry?”
“Big Man,” Jasmine says around her carrot, her fingers wrapping around the glass of juice. “Are you gonna play Candy Land with us?”
My eyes stay locked on Rae, that confident smirk, still firmly in place. “No, Jazz, I think I’ll go make sure Uncle Mack got Daddy back home. Besides, you don’t need to prove to Miss Rae how badly you can beat us guys at that game. Pushing off the stool, I head toward the steps. Unable to help myself, I look back and grin at Rae. “Watch out,” I say pointing at Jasmine, who has nearly cleared her plate already. “Diva there can cheat like a boss.”
“I do not!” Jasmine exclaims. Turning sideways on the stool, she points a celery stalk at me. “I win every time, squares and fairs, like a boss ass bitch.”
I can’t help laughing. The kid is always saying the most inappropriate shit, and sometimes it’s too funny to ignore. Rae immediately stops me, pinning me with a glare that clearly tells me to fuck off into next week with the business end of a rusty pitchfork. Her eyes narrow further, stopping me from speaking, walking, fuck, I’m not sure if I’m breathing.
“Jasmine, those are grown up words,” Rae says, her eyes going soft as she looks over to Jazzie, her tone calm and even. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for a little girl to use them.”
“Sorry, Miss Rae,” Jazzie says, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Okay, go ahead and get your game, honey. I need to talk to Big Man a minute then we’ll set it up here and play.” Rae looks at me and begins to close the distance between us while Jasmine climbs from the stool and disappears into her room. “Look,” she begins, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, forcing them to press against the fabric of her shirt. “I get that you run things, I really do, but that is a behavior we can’t encourage by laughing at her for it. No disrespect, Henry, but I take my job as serious as you do and can’t have every positive step made be knocked back by a negative response. Just because things were working a certain way, doesn’t mean they can’t work just as well with the changes I will put in place at the request of Daisy, Grayson, Chase and Hunter since they are the ones who have set my guidelines to go by.” Reaching out, she flattens her palms against my chest, the warmth of her hands making my muscles twitch beneath my shirt. “I’d appreciate it if you give me room. If I need you for anything, like I said before, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Fine,” I reply, when she pushes lightly, letting me know that I’ve overstayed my welcome. “I guess I should take a hint and piss off then, huh?”
“Who knew he was fluent in Bitchenese?” Rae mutters, giving me a wink before removing her hands and turning her back to me. Walking back over into the kitchen, she begins clearing Jasmine’s dishes and doesn’t give me a second thought.
The fuck is Bitchenese?
I know she has everything handled. I didn’t have any real doubts there, if I’m being honest. You can look at Rae and know she is competent and more than able to take care of Bran and Jazz. I came down to make sure Mack was keeping his distance, and well, because I wanted to see her. I couldn’t help it. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since the day we met at Ironsound. The way she looked at me was just different. She has this sassy bite to her, a fire in her eyes that lights up her entire face, and fuck I really like that too. Then, her eyes went sad and distant during lunch and I saw something else in those brown eyes.
I didn’t like that shit one fucking bit.
I shouldn’t care about what messed with the careful balance of this woman’s emotions. I barely know anything about Rae, but something about her is off.
The minute I walk up the steps and open the basement door, I hear Hunter’s voice as the guys go over the song he picked to sing at the reception. Leaning my shoulder against the doorway, I listen as Hunter softly goes over the chorus, making sure to hit each note and make it his own. Every word a vow, not only to Chase, but to Jazzie too. The man he has become is not the man he was just a year ago. Sure, he’s still a total shit, but he loves his girls with everything he is.
Leaning against the doorway, I listen to the lyrics. He’s not the cocky front man that he is on stage, he’s devoted to feeling the words of the song as he sings, so that the song takes on a life of its own. It becomes more than a song, more than a random tune that the artist put out in hopes of climbing the charts. On the beach, very soon, that song will evolve into proof that love has done the impossible. Hunter had thought he was incapable of love, but also thought he was unworthy of receiving love in return.
Aiden comes in on percussion, his wire brushes tap and sweep over the Tom, keeping the beat. Deciding not to mess with them while they iron out the kinks, I nod in Aiden’s direction when he spots me and make my way through the foyer and out the front door. Pulling the key ring from my pocket, I hit the fob that opens the garage door, pulling off my shades once I enter and toss them to the work top.
Taking the paint from the cabinet, I grab a small detail brush to finish up the black trim on the wooden pedal car that I have been working on for Brannon for the last two months. Every inch of it I have sculpted and sanded, piecing it together part by part. Now all that it needs is the finishing touches of paint before I can start on the dollhouse I have sketched for Jasmine. I have always been good with my hands, and since we have a home base now, it couldn’t be more of a perfect time to start doing it again.
I lose myself in the silence, determined to let the thoughts of the task at hand occupy my mind instead of Rae and whatever it is she is hiding, but it doesn’t look like that is happening any time soon.
T
he rest
of the week flies by, once I get settled into a normal house routine. I spend my days busy with the kids while everyone handles their day-to-day responsibilities, on top of wedding and vacation planning. Everyone takes turns with relieving me for a bit and I find that there actually is a rhythm among the chaos. You’re absorbed into it and just go with the flow.
Since our chat, there haven’t been many times that I’ve had to interact with Henry. He’s quiet for the most part, but he is always around. Watching me. Thankfully, he tends to bite his lip and lets me handle Jazz and Brannon, but the growls in his throat and the eye rolls that I know he is doing behind those fucking shades do not go unnoticed.
When we do talk, it’s casual and mostly in passing. He jokes with the kids and spends any of his free time, which isn’t much, in the garage working on projects for Jazzie and Brannon.
That playful tension between us is gone. What remains is a whole different thing, but no easier to deal with. It’s a game, some sort of competition on who has the power over the situation at the time. Even when I can see it coming, I can’t help doing the little dance, then get pissed off for playing into it. His moods are a bit unpredictable and flip so fast it leaves your head spinning sometimes. Caring and sweet, then turning standoffish and almost frigid at the drop of a hat. You never know which end is up with him and, even though it’s none of my business and I shouldn’t give a shit, it has me curious.
With the ‘Burban loaded and ready to go, Henry shuffled us all to the airport at the ass crack of dawn in an attempt to avoid the paparazzi that follows the band like a shadow. With meticulous, to the minute planning, thanks to Camaron and Aiden, and a plan of security in place from Henry and Mack, we make it to the plane with no real issues and are seated in first class with time to spare.
Shoving my carry on into the overhead bin, I take the seat closest to the window and start flipping through the magazine I bought before boarding. Jazzie is giggling from the seat in front of me while Hunter tells her about the doggie cookies they sent with Bits to the boarding kennel. I roll my eyes at the mention of that little fuzzy ball of evil. He is possibly the cutest dog ever, but it’s only fur deep.
Obviously, I missed the memo on keeping everything at least two feet off the floor.
That dog is a leg humping, barking at his own shadow, pissing on my shoes menace and he has to be stopped. Nothing and no one will ever change my mind. Once you piss on and chew up a perfectly good pair of Gucci sandals, you’re dead to me.
“No, Mack, I’ll take it, I need to have the aisle seat anyway.”
Henry’s big body stops in front of me. Reaching above me, he shoves his bag into the overhead before looking down at me. “You sure you’re gonna be able to handle two weeks on the beach with this bunch?” he asks, sitting beside me, sprawling his legs out as far as he can before slipping his sunglasses into the front pocket on his shirt. “Last chance to run like hell now.”
“Yep, more than ready.” I reply, thinking about all the things I have been planning to do with the kids. “It’s going to be lots of fun.”
“Hmm,” Henry replies, then nods, his eyes on me and that confident smirk on his face yet again. Those goddamn dimples winking at me from the corners of his cheeks taunt me. Shaking my head, I turn and stare out the window, wanting to focus on anything other than him.
How in the hell am I going to sit here for an entire flight with him and not want to smack that smirk off his face, repeatedly?
“This is your Captain speaking,” a voice booms from the speakers. “We have perfect weather all the way in to Key West and hope you enjoy your flight with us this morning.”
The flight attendant comes over the speaker and begins explaining exit strategies and proper belt and mask procedure while others make sure everyone is buckled in before we are taxied out onto the runway. Henry fumbles with the seat belt buckle, his big hands trembling nervously. “You got that?” I ask, crossing one leg over the other, watching in amusement as the usually calm and collected man is clearly not okay right now.
“Yeah, sure,” Henry’s reply is higher pitched than normal. Finally clicking the belt into place, Henry grips the arm rests so tightly with both hands that his knuckles change color. Pressing his head against the back of the seat, he closes his eyes tightly and blows out a breath just before the plane starts to move.
Reaching over, I cover his hand with mine, making him jump. His entire body is wound so tight, his hands are trembling and clammy. “Hey, are you okay?” I giggle. “You don’t look the type to be afraid of flying.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Rae. I’m not afraid of flying,” he argues back, his eyes still firmly closed. “Not too excited about possibly crashing to my fiery death, that’s all.”
The plane shifts and bounces as it moves down the runway, gaining speed, making Henry jump, his entire body becoming rigid. My fingers move in slow circles over his hand in an attempt to calm him. “Either way, you’re gonna need to breathe or you’ll faint.” He growls under his breath, but nods. Shakily, Henry inhales deeply before exhaling again, each breath becoming a little easier than the last. Gripping his hand reassuringly, I turn and watch out the window as the plane leaves the ground and begins gaining altitude. “There, that wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“I guess it’s safe to assume that this totally demoted me from boss ass ninja to cuddly again, didn’t it?” he asks, opening his eyes to look at me. A playful smile plays across his face, but his cheeks are flushed red.
“The words ‘boss ass’ were never included in my description.”
“That was an oversight on your part.” Henry’s grin widens into a smile, flashing his dimples at me again. “I’ll forgive you, but I think you should rethink your original depiction. Can’t have that sort of thing gettin’ around, it’ll shatter my reputation.” Reaching over, he covers my hand with his and I feel a jolt. A running current of electricity starts in my hand and runs all over my body making goosebumps rise along my skin. The damned man has sucked me in, again. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I blush. “You okay, Rae?”
“Just fine,” I reply, removing my hand from his, crossing my arms over my chest. Arching a brow, I look him over carefully before shaking my head, determined not to be sucked in again. Staring at him a minute, I cock my head sideways and bite my lip. “Nope,” I say, popping the ‘p’ much like Jazzie does. “I think my initial impression of you was correct, you’re a lot softer than you let on.” The seatbelt light dings, letting us know that it is okay to roam about the cabin. Standing to my feet, I step over his outstretched legs. Leaning down, I smile at him. “Yes, cuddly fits.”
Turning, I make my way up the aisle toward the bathroom and can’t help the extra sway in my hips when he growls again, no doubt watching me walk away.
***
After hours on a plane we stop for a quick lunch before driving down the coastline to the marina. Henry immediately scopes out the diner we pull into before anyone opens their doors to get out. Pulling his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, he scans the lot before taking one of the spots directly in front of the entrance.
“All right, quick lunch, then it’s to the boat. We need to get everything unloaded and ready before sundown and tide change.” Aiden glances at his watch before opening the door to climb out. “We have eighty-seven minutes before we need to be back on the road.”
“Anal Annie, this is a vacation.” Shoving out the back door, Hunter thumps him in the back of his bald head with a loud slap. The rest of us climb out, stretching as we attempt to shake off the early morning wake up and travel exhaustion that is beginning to set in. I unbuckle Jazzie, while Grayson takes Brannon from his seat and settles the still drowsy baby against his chest. “Go jerk off and ease some tension.” Turning to the doors, Hunter’s eyes widen. “Hot damn, Big Man, check it out!”
Everyone follows his pointing finger to the large red banner on the door that has “Try the Insanity Wing Challenge. Hottest wings in the Keys” written across it in black letters.
“Hunter, you know what happens when you go up against Henry in one of these showdowns?” Chase asks, patting him on the shoulder.
“Daddy loses!” Jazzie shouts, jumping up and down beside me. “It’s a Shaft Tradition.”
Looking down at Jazz, I grab her hand. “Is that so?”
Henry chuckles, walking up, he swoops her up in his arms making her giggle. “It may as well be. Come on, let’s go get some grub, ankle biter.”
“Welcome to
The Dive
. I’m Charlie and I’ll be your hostess, waitress, and all around diner wench,” a tall redhead greets us, waving at us from behind the counter when we step inside. “Just find ya somewhere to sit and I’ll be with ya in a minute.”
“Thanks,” Henry says, steering us toward the back corner where there is a large U shaped booth and a couple closely placed tables. “Everybody have a seat and figure out what you want, Anal Annie has a schedule to keep,” he says, pointing to the plastic menus.
Aiden flips us all off as he sits beside Camaron at one of the smaller tables. Henry settles Jazzie in the booth before moving back to allow me to slide in beside her. Hunter, Chase, and Mack slide into the other side of the large oval booth, while Grayson and Daisy settle with Brannon at the other table.
“We doin’ the wings, man?” Hunter asks, pointing to the full page in the menu dedicated to them.
“I’m doin’ them,” Henry says, sliding into the booth beside me. “Maybe you should just get some nice bacon, Hunter. It’s safer.”
Hunter’s face hardens, his lips pressing into a hard line as he braces his hands on the table, eyeing Henry. “Don’t you patronize me, you cocky fucker.” The waitress walks up, stopping in front of the table causing Hunter to turn his gaze on her as she places glasses of water on the table in front of us. “Need two of those wing challenges, darlin’.” Pointin’ to Henry, he winks at her. “Gotta deflate that big headed bastard over there.”
Charlie arches her brow. “Are you sure you wanna do that,
darlin’?”
she asks. Her hand goes to her hip as she leans in and smiles knowingly. “They’ve got bite.”
“Make that three,” I blurt, unable to help myself. Everyone’s eyes fly to me. I shrug even though I feel the blush begin to creep across my face. “What?” I ask, brushing them off. “You think that because I’m a woman that I can’t handle the heat?”
No one says a word. Hunter crosses his tattoo covered arms over his chest and studies me. “Damn women,” he mutters, chuckling softly, his eyes flicking to Henry. “Seriously, so eager to rise to the challenge.”
“I can’t wait to see this play out,” Charlie says before taking everyone else’s orders.
“Everything doesn’t have to be a bet,” Henry says, then takes a long swallow of water from his glass. “Can’t we just eat and get back on the road without a competition?”
Hunter eyes widen in shock, before scrunching his nose like I’ve noticed Jasmine does. “And where in the hell is the fun in that, Big Man? Put up or shut up.” Hunter’s eyes pin me, waiting for my reaction. He’s a lot like a big kid, in my opinion, so I grin right back.
Leaning up in the booth, I place my hands flat on the table, and nod. “Name your terms.”
“Winner gets dibs on bedrooms when we get to the rental,” Hunter blurts. “I always get fucked over when it comes to rooms.”
“What are you talking about?” Aiden interrupts, glaring at him from the next table. “It’s done as fair as possible. I have a system.”
Henry looks over at me while they continue to argue playfully back and forth, exchanging insults and laughing. Pushing his sunglasses up to the top of his head, he smiles. “Some things never change.”
“How long you been working security for Shaft?” I ask curiously.
“It’s not like that,” Henry replies. “I was Hunter and Aiden’s neighbor when they were just kids, then basically raised them. Everyone else found their way in until we became the family unit you see before you.” Henry chuckles, scanning over the tables before turning back to me again. “The dysfunctional, completely out of control bunch that we all are. None of us fit in anywhere else but here.”
“Wow, I had no idea,” I reply, a bit surprised.
“You always wanted to work with kids?” Henry asks.
Smiling down at Jazzie while she colors on a children’s menu, I nod. “Not exactly. I sorta fell into it, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else. Children really simplify life for you, you know? They show you what is really important. I also like knowing that things I show or teach are building blocks and can possibly stay with them for their whole lives. It’s a legacy, so to speak.” Henry shrugs, his gaze going to Brannon when he begins whining and squirming on his dad’s lap. “Here, I’ll take him,” I say, when Gray starts to stand up.
“Are you sure?” he asks, standing to his feet.
Henry slips from the booth, letting me out. Walking over, I grab the diaper bag, slipping it onto my shoulder with my bag, before taking Brannon from Grayson. “Of course, he probably needs to be changed. I’ll get him cleaned up and be right back out.” Brannon sighs, laying his head on my shoulder, he buries his face and whines. “Come on, handsome.”
Taking Brannon into the bathroom, I lie a blanket over the counter and change him there instead of the flimsy looking plastic baby changer that looks like it’s from nineteen seventy-five. His poor little behind is beginning to get inflamed so I put some ointment on it, figuring that’s why he’s been squirming. Once he’s all cleaned up, I pack up the bag again, then check my blood and take my shot so that I’ll be ready to eat by the time the food arrives. “You need to tell us when you need to be changed, sweetie. You’re a big boy, and big boys talk.” Brannon’s eyes light up and he grins.
Settling him on my hip, I shoulder the bags and walk out of the bathroom. Brannon starts bouncing up and down the moment we get to the doors. Outside at the gas pumps is a Dodge Ram sitting so high I would need a damn fork lift to get into it.
“Vroooooom,” Brannon says, making me do a double take.