Play for Keeps (The Devil's Share #6)(22)

Beau and the puppy had bonded on the car ride home, and had curled up together. Luke didn’t have the heart to separate them. We’d let Beau name the dog and he chose Creek. Why? No idea. But now we had Crash and Creek.

“He is going to break so many hearts when he grows up, man.” Smith shook his head, watching Beau walk down the aisle.

“Yeah, including Halen’s.” I watched as Halen looked up at Beau, love in her eyes. She followed that kid around like a little puppy dog. And he ate it up.

Dash turned to us. “Nephew or not, he breaks her heart? I’ll kick his ass.” We all started to chuckle.

When the kids got to the altar, Beau spun to the right, heading toward the groomsmen. Halen went with him. Dash reached out and plucked his kid off the sand, holding her in his arms and out of Beau’s. Yeah, we were probably going to have some issues in about twelve years or so.

Dash shook his head, making a face at his daughter. “Boys are yucky.”

Smith rested his hand on Beau’s shoulder and grinned.

Beau and Landry looked a lot alike. Which meant that Beau looked like Bryan too. My smile grew when my beautiful wife came walking down the aisle next. She and I had married quietly at the courthouse, just an hour before we adopted Beau together, and she adopted Landry.

“Beau, buddy, leave your pants on.” I chuckled as Smith put his hand on top of my son’s head.

“I’ve gotta pee, Uncle Smith.”

I knelt down beside him as the rest of the guests started to laugh. “Hey, little man. Aunt Lexi promised me that this would be a short ceremony. You think you can hold it for about ten minutes?” Beau was a bayou baby through and through. He’d walk past three bathrooms just so he could pee in the yard.

At five years old, he had never even been to preschool or kindergarten. He’d spent his life living along the bayou, oblivious to the wide world outside. We had him working daily with a tutor so he would only be a year behind once we put him in school.

He wrinkled his nose and his eyes got wide. “I can’t, Dad, I can’t hold it. I’ve gotta go.”

I looked up at Dash. “Sorry, bro.”

I took Beau’s hand in mine and led him a few yards down the beach. I let him drop trou and pee in the sand. He drew a B on the beach. “Look, dad. Look. It’s a B. B for Beau and Bryan.”

Letters were hard for him. “Awesome job, buddy.” I bit my lip to keep from cracking up with the rest of the wedding attendees. I walked him back to his place and looked across the altar at B; she was laughing too.

He leaned forward, looking around Smith’s legs. “Momma, I drew a B in the sand!”

“I heard, that’s so great, Beau.” She gave him a thumbs up.

Beau had called us Momma and Dad from the get-go. We’d told him he could call us whatever he wanted. But since he was always around Landry, he called us what she did.

At first the therapist we had him talking to said it was unhealthy. That it showed he had no real connection with Jared, with the father who had raised him for the first four years of his life. But we’d showed him a picture of Jared, asked who that was. He’d said, “My other dad.” After that, the therapist let it go.

B, Landry and I were the right family for Beau. We’d been through this, we’d done counselors and tutoring and nightmares. And we’d seen the other side, seen what could happen to a child when they were loved and safe.





Chapter Twenty-One





Bryan

We all cried while watching Dash and Lexi get married. The sun started to dip into the ocean as soon as they said, “I do.” They looked so in love, so completely in love.

“Momma, Beau is eating his cake with his hands.” Landry looked across the table at her younger brother.

I smiled and ruffled his hair when he stuck his tongue out at her. “It’s okay, sweet girl. Beau can use his hands.” I was so in awe of the fact that I was sitting between my kids. My son and my daughter. I’d been right on the money when I said that we wanted more children, but that starting over with an infant wasn’t really for me. At five and ten, these two were perfect.

“Baby Doll, dance with me?” Jacks held his hand out.

I took it without hesitation. “Hello, husband. Where have you been?”

“Well, my gorgeous wife, I was just over there.” He pointed toward the bar with his finger. “Talking to my man Luke.”

“Yeah?” He spun me around and then dipped me down, kissing my neck.

“Yeah. I was asking him if he’d want to give Beau drum lessons as well.”

Landry still took lessons from Luke once a week, and one day when Beau had sat in on a session, he’d begged us to let him learn too. Beau wanted to do everything Landry did. “What did he say?” I couldn’t imagine Luke telling us no, that he’d teach Landry but not Beau.

“Well, he said—”

“You can’t keep a secret to save your damn life, can you? You are just like Lexi.” Luke and Lo came up, dancing beside us. Luke had his eyes narrowed and trained on Jacks.

Harlow leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I’m pregnant.”

I pulled back, surprised as all get-out. “What? When did you find out?”

“This morning.” She looked across the room to where Dash and Lexi were standing, surrounded by wedding guests. “I didn’t want to say anything until Dash and Lex got back from their honeymoon. This is their day.”