The Perfect Stroke (Lucas Brothers #1)(75)

I feel like I’ve been standing in the eye of a hurricane, every horrible thing I can imagine battering me over and over. Now with Ida Sue standing there looking like she’s about ready to commit murder, I’m afraid to move and I feel out of control. I’ve not been like this since Banger got so horribly sick. I’m not myself. If I was, I would have throat-punched Cammie. Instead, I’m left staring at Ida Sue, wondering what could possibly happen next.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Riverton growls, probably remembering being on the wrong side of Ida Sue in Kentucky.

“When I saw the paper this morning, I just had a feeling you’d be like the snake you are and come here slithering on your damn belly and bothering my kids.”

I could almost smile at her. The only thing to make it more complete is if she had a shotgun in her hand. But my stomach feels like someone just kicked it: Her kids?

“Is Ida Sue… claiming me?”

“She did that weeks ago, Cooper,” Gray whispers, squeezing me tight. I hadn’t even realized I said the words out loud. “How did you miss that?” he asks.

“We’re all claiming you.”

That comes from Gray’s family, who come in and stand behind Ida Sue. They say it in unison. There’s White, Cyan, Petal, Maggie, Jansen, and Green. What they are saying is so huge, I’m momentarily stunned.

How did I miss this? A warmth fills me that I can’t explain, mostly because it’s like nothing I have really felt before. But standing there among two people I hate more than anything in the world, I’m happy. I’m good because I’m standing with… a family. My family. Gray and his crazy bunch are my family.

“I’m not changing my name to Chrysanthemum,” I tell Ida Sue, and I have a few tears in my eyes, but I’m okay with these because even though I’m about to lose Banger’s garage—and my naked ass is plastered all over the world—at least I belong somewhere.

“Of course you’re not, dear, though speaking of Mums, I could always use some grandkids. Just make sure you don’t name him Skunk. That would never work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I tell her, shaking my head.

“Though Sandy would work. We don’t have one of those in the family yet,” she says.

“What the hell are you all doing here? It’s like The Beverly Hillbillies visiting…”

Riverton doesn’t get to finish because Gray turns around and, as quick as lightning, punches him hard in the already-busted-up-and-bleeding nose. Riverton falls backwards and this time he’s down for the count.

“What have you done? Daddy! Daddy, can you hear me?” Cammie cries. She steadies Riverton’s head and helps him sit up.

“I’ll sue all of you *s. I’ll bury you so deep, you’ll never see daylight!”

“I don’t think so,” Ida Sue says, walking over to him. “My daddy always told me if you had a snake in the henhouse, you should follow it back to its hole and make sure you cut its head off. I never much paid attention to that until I had kids. Then I discovered that I was a lot like a mama bear over her cubs. You ever seen a mama bear if she thinks someone is trying to mess with her baby, Mr. Riverton?”

“You’re crazy,” he growls, holding his face and standing up. It takes him three times to stand up, but he finally gets on his feet.

“I am crazy. You really should have factored that in. You mess with my kids and I’m going to f*ck you up.”

“Lovey,” Jansen growls.

“It’s okay, Jan. The good Lord understands sometimes there’s only certain words you can use.”

“I meant, get it over with before Gray murders the bastard and we have bigger problems on our hands,” Jansen says, and that’s when I notice that Gray is tensed up beside me and looking at Riverton like he really is planning on killing him.

“Gray, sweetheart,” I tell him, pulling his attention back to me.

He gives me a smile, but it’s a strained one.

“I’m okay, Cooper. You and I are going to have a talk later, though.” I grimace at his words because I can only imagine what that’s going to be like.

“Fine,” Ida Sue says, reaching in the back pocket of her jeans to pull out a paper.

“What’s this?” Riverton says, looking at the paper as if it might bite him.

“A signed and notarized statement showing that CC’s loan is paid in full.”

“No f*cking way. I wouldn’t accept payment.”

“Ida Sue,” I cry, completely blown away. She said she was working with the bank. How did she get the loan without me signing papers? She couldn’t have! Unless…

I look around for a place to sit down before I fall. I finally give up and just sit on the wooden coffee table. “Ida Sue, why?” I cry again, feeling horrible.

“Because you’re family, and family takes care of one another.”

“I guess I should have known you’d have your boyfriend pay your way out of trouble. Like mother like daughter, I guess.” Riverton sneers at me.

“I wouldn’t… I didn’t,” I cry, looking from him to Ida Sue and back up at Gray, afraid he would think I took his mother for a ride.

“You didn’t, sweet cheeks, but I did,” Ida Sue says. If I wasn’t knee-deep in fear and this sick feeling at having Gray’s mom shell out two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, I’d have to wonder about that nickname. Gray obviously takes after his mom. That could mean trouble for me, if he doesn’t kick me to the curb once he realizes how much money his mom is out.