Junkyard Dog(61)

“The one with the castle.”

“Sounds good. Does that one have the Pirates of the Caribbean ride?”

“I don’t know.”

“We’ll check once the air waitress lets us use our phones again.”

Chipper smiles. “She’s called a flight attendant.”

“Yeah, well, she can be called whatever she wants, but she’s a waitress.”

The boy likes the waitress thing and refers to her that way the entire flight. He says I need to tip her too since she’s a waitress. I decide to do what he says considering the kid managed to get through the flight without crying or puking.

We take a private shuttle to the Disney World resort. Balthazar and Lizzy Anne are dropped off first at their hotel. I go inside to make sure they get checked in safely.

When I return to the shuttle, the twins are dozing against Candy by using her tits as pillows. We arrive at our hotel, and the kids awake immediately. They’re suddenly excited like only children, or a tweaker can get excited. Happy kids mean a happy Candy, and I’m looking to make my woman smile.

I reserved us a two-bedroom suite with savanna views. The kids love the idea of having their own room. Candy looks at our room with the two beds and smiles.

“This bed is for f*cking, and this one is for sleeping,” she whispers while the kids stand on the balcony and point at animals.

“And the rooms are far enough apart that you can be noisy without waking them.”

Candy claps her hands, and I think she’s ready to tell the kids to take a nap. They’re wide awake of course, so we unpack and prepare to visit the Magic Kingdom.

I call Balthazar on the way to the park and make sure he’s okay. Lizzy Anne said he was soaking in his big tub. I take that as a positive sign.

Hanging up, I look at Candy with her arms wrapped around each kid. She’s smiling so widely I bet her face will hurt later.

“One day during our trip, I’ll take Balthazar golfing.”

“Can we come?” Chipper asks.

“It’s real golf, not the miniature kind.”

“Our grandpa likes to golf,” Cricket says. “He makes business deals at the course. I want to make business deals too.”

“What kind of business deals?”

“The kind where I win.”

Even though she’s clearly serious, I laugh at her expression. The kid wants to rule the world. No doubt she just doesn’t want other people to rule it.

We arrive at the park, and I need a minute to deal with the sheer mass of bodies around us. Babies scream, kids cry, parents meltdown, the happiest place on earth looks like a f*cking horror show.

“No one except us four matters,” Candy announces. “We don’t hear anyone else. We don’t see anyone else. We’re here alone.”

The kids nod and get ready to push through the crowds of unhappy people. I take a deep breath and focus on my woman and her kids. No one else matters. The noise disappears. The people fade away. I am at this family place with my family, and I refuse to care about anything else.

Candy sees me prepared and takes my hand. Cricket has her other hand, and Chipper holds onto his sister. Together, we are an unstoppable team with only one goal. To eat a lot of overpriced food, stand in long f*cking lines for silly rides, and embrace the cheesiness children love.





THIRTY SEVEN - CANDY


If not for our reservation, we likely wouldn’t have gotten a table. The restaurant is packed when we arrive. I know Hayes hates these crowded spots, and he’s likely sick of so many people. He shows none of his annoyance, though.

Standing over everyone around him, Hayes owns this place as he does everywhere we go. I love how people move out of his way. When they try to hold their ground, he gives them a look that gets their asses moving. Well, except for the little old ladies near our table. He patiently waits for them to pass us with their walkers.

“Such a good boy,” I tease, as he pulls back my chair. “Mama raised you right.”

“She said good manners tricked people into thinking you were a good person.”

“Wise.”

Hayes sits in the chair closest to mine and takes the menu. We order steaks because nothing will improve his mood like red meat.

“Long day,” I say, running my index finger along his slightly burned nose.

“Your kids are well behaved. You did good, Candy. I was worried they’d whine, and I’d need to duck out and hide.”

“They’re happy to be here. They also like you.”

“Cricket isn’t sure about that,” he says, giving me a pouty frown.

“She’s afraid you’ll steal me away. I haven’t had a boyfriend since she was born, so this is new to her.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one sweating shit.”

“Chipper thinks you’re a superhero.”

Hayes grins as if he feels like a superhero. “He's an easy kid to win over.”

“Don’t be fooled. He’s just sneakier than Cricket. My kids are well behaved, but they’re devious. Never assume they aren’t working an angle.”

Hayes loses his smile. “They’re kids.”

“So were you once.”

“True.”

“I adore them because they’re devious. They don’t sit around expecting life to hand them crap. The Wilburns never get things easily. We have to wade through the bullshit to find our happiness.”