Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(241)
Layne’s eyes moved from his son to his daughter seeing, at this point, not getting what she wanted from one brother, Cecilia was giving up on Tripp and she crawled across his chest, launching herself at Jasper who caught her with two hands, dropped to his back, disengaging from Keira. He threw Cecilia in the air and caught her as she giggled loudly.
Keira kept a hand on Jas’s abs and watched, her face soft, her eyes longing.
Fuck.
Layne was thankfully taken from thoughts of imminent grandfatherhood when he felt cold on his arm and looked up to see Rocky holding a beer there.
“Beer, sweetheart,” she whispered.
“Thanks, baby,” he muttered through a smile and took the bottle.
She gave him the dimple before she dropped down beside him, her movement fluid, then she curled into him much like Keira had been curled into Jas except without her leg tangled with his or her cheek to his shoulder. But her torso was pressed to his side and her hand, holding a fancy-ass bottle of beer, was resting on his abs.
“So, how’s Vi feeling about the engagement?” Layne asked her.
“Old,” Rocky replied, Layne grinned and looked at Vi. She was now standing with Cal at the barbeque, Sam had been claimed by Keira’s grandmother, Bea. Cal had his arm wrapped around Vi’s shoulders and he’d pinned her to his chest, his head dipped down, his face close to hers. Vi looked pissed in a way Layne knew she didn’t mean it and he knew this because Cal was grinning. What Vi didn’t look was old. She looked tanned and healthy and full of attitude.
Layne took a slug from his beer, his eyes doing a scan, seeing Colt and Feb lounged in the grass much like Layne and Rocky. Angela was crawling all over Colt, Jack was chasing after her and Feb was holding on to her man. Colt was grinning down at Angela and Jack. Feb wasn’t grinning. Feb’s forehead was pressed to Colt’s neck, her eyes had a faraway look in them and her face was, no other way to describe it, at peace.
Layne’s eyes kept scanning and he saw Lexie with her latest boyfriend. Seth had gone to Ball State and Alexis had moved on, then again, and again, according to word from Rocky, Keira, Giselle and Lissa, all of whom kept close watch on Alexis’s active love life. Now she was dating Tripp’s friend Shane and she was smitten because Shane was playing it cool. She’d finally met her match in the games playing stakes but Lexie, she was fighting to win. Inside word from Tripp was that Shane was into her and she wouldn’t have to fight too hard. Shane just didn’t want to be a notch on Lexie’s belt and he was setting about making that so.
His eyes kept scanning and he saw Lissa and Ryker who, after what went down, made their way in with this crowd then went about fixing themselves to it permanently. Immediately after it was over, Ryker had moved in with Lissa and her daughter. Not too long after that, Ryker had also officially adopted Alexis. Therefore Ryker’s life was a living hell as new father to a spitfire and he bitched about it incessantly but Layne knew he was full of shit. With the way Ryker did it, Layne knew he was loving every minute of it.
Ryker still partnered with Layne on occasion, sometimes it was when Layne needed him, most of the time it was when Ryker was bored and needed something to do. All other times, Ryker was just Ryker. Layne had long ago searched and found Ryker had been paroled two years after going down for grand theft auto. Once released, he’d stayed clean but he’d done this by staying off the grid and therefore Layne had no clue what he did to keep his Harley in fuel and his woman and daughter happy. Except for the fact he made it his business to be in everyone else’s and information didn’t come cheap. Layne had no problem with that either since, often in Layne’s line of work, he needed information and Ryker gave him a discount.
His eyes continued scanning and he saw Devin chatting with Feb’s father Jack and brother Morrie, Vera not too far away gabbing with Feb’s mother Jackie. Devin and Vera had officially hooked up and, six months ago in a small, private ceremony with Layne at Devin’s side, his Aunt Flo at Vera’s, and a single pew filled only with Rocky, a nearly newborn CeeCee in her arms, Jasper and Tripp, they’d taken vows. Layne was no longer uncertain how he felt about this. Vera had her own life and liked living it so she did and let Dev go his own way. This left Dev free to go his own way without headache or constant nagging for an explanation but with a good meal every night and a woman who put up with his bad attitude and more often than not gave as good as she got. Therefore, it worked for Devin in a way he’d never found before, the same for Layne’s Ma. They were happy – Dev, cantankerously so, Vera deliriously so. And this worked for Layne.
He felt Rocky’s hand leave his abs and he watched her take a pull on her beer as she listened to Keira gabbing about something. She took the bottle from her mouth and smiled at Keira then laughed softly as Keira kept talking.
It was then it came to Layne that the sun was shining, the beer was cold, there were friends and family all around, Vi’s backyard was beautiful, Layne’s boys were close, his daughter was babbling happily at her brother and his woman was pressed to his side, laughing softly.
Nothing.
He was lying in the grass with his boys, his girl and his woman doing nothing.
Which meant everything.
Layne felt that golden trail glide through him.
All this time, he’d never lost it. It was no longer as strong but it didn’t need to be. It moved through him often, every day, sometimes more than once. He’d learned to savor it, not to take anything for granted, not even normal.