Draw (Gentry Boys #1)(49)
Chase belched. “Our fine frat brother friends from the ring.”
“Huh?” I tore my attention away from dirty things. “Where’d you come across those *s?”
He shrugged. “At the gym. Two of them stood on either side of my bench and said if I showed up on their turf again they would f*ck me up.” He cracked up. “They actually said that. ‘Turf’. Like this is West Side Fucking Story or some shit. Well, I stood up and flexed a few, letting ‘em know I was not a man easily daunted by a pair of suntanned pussies. They snarled like beaten dogs and took off.” He grinned confidently. “They won’t be back, not unless they want some organs reconfigured.”
I frowned. I didn’t like this. Chase failed to realize guys like that weren’t keen on being fair.
“Just watch out, okay?” I said carefully.
He scowled, pointing at Saylor. “Tell your man not to get all mother hen on me. I get enough of that from Big C.”
“No,” Saylor objected, hugging me. “I like his sweet side.”
Chase gagged a little but then laughed. “Don’t keep me up tonight, kids.”
“We’ll be quiet,” Saylor soothed at the same time I snapped, “Get some f*cking earplugs.”
Chase sat down to play Xbox while Creed snored away on the floor. I stared at them. My brothers. More than that, the parts which made me whole. I’d long assumed that was all there’d ever be in the way of family, the three of us. No one else.
“Hey,” Saylor waved a hand in front of my face. “Where are you? You’re far away.”
“No,” I held her. “I’m right here, babe. With you.”
Saylor unbuttoned my shirt and traced the words tattooed on my chest. “I should stop by Bray’s. Let him know where I’m at and grab a few things.” She bit her lip. “That is, if you still want me to stay.”
“Course I want you to stay.” I remembered something. “I got you a present while you were at work today. It’s a surprise.”
She looked stunned. “What kind of surprise?”
“Later. Let’s go take care of your little errand and then I’ll show you everything.”
She gave me the eye. “I think I’ve already seen everything.”
I was getting hard. Again. “Believe me, Say McCann,” I told her, “you haven’t.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SAYLOR
Cord wanted to come with me to Bray’s place. Holding hands with him on the walk over there made me feel young and shy, as if we were on our first date or something.
“You’re blushing,” he observed. “You thinking about me?”
I held his hand more tightly. “I have to. You’re my boyfriend.”
“Hmm. What else does custom dictate you must do for me?”
“It means I am obliged to drag you to my mother’s wedding this Saturday.”
Cord stopped and stared at me. “What?”
“I know, right? She calls me this afternoon and drops the bomb that she’s marrying Gary the Gnome at Rooster’s Roast. It’s on Saturday. I’m supposed to provide the floral arrangements. She likes daisies. The big kind of daisies.” I was babbling. “I’ll need to do some fast talking to get Ed to give me the night off but I’m sure Truly will cover for me.”
Cord continued to peer at me in the most disconcerting fashion. “Rooster’s Roast,” he said slowly. “That dive off Main? Think it’s run by an old Greek couple now?”
“Yeah,” I shrugged. “Should be classy as hell, knowing my mom. I mean that with the most virulent element of sarcasm, by the way.”
He seemed to be digesting everything. “It’s in Emblem.”
“Of course.”
Cord cleared his throat. “Saylor, I don’t exactly hang out in Emblem.”
“Neither do I, Cord. Forget it, it’s fine. My mom just wanted to meet you is all,” I lied.
He snorted. “I think she’s already met me. I’m pretty sure she showed up at my house and screamed that I was a worthless little dipshit after that business between us got around town.”
I was surprised. “She did?”
“Sure” he nodded. “Then she offered to castrate me with some hedge clippers.”
“Wow, I didn’t know she cared. It kind of makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Did she scare the shit out of you? Please tell me yes.”
Cord shrugged, smiling. “It was all right. My Uncle Chrome was around. He talked her down.”
“Oh. How?”
He raised his eyebrows. “How do you think?”
My mouth fell open. “Are you telling me your uncle screwed my mother?”
Cord shrugged. “Pretty sure. After he disarmed her they disappeared into an old trailer. We could see the thing rocking from a block away.”
“Gross. I am completely repulsed now. I am going to expectorate my undigested quesadilla all over that poor gecko on the sidewalk.”
Cord laughed.
I shoved him. “You’re bullshitting me. Tell me you’re bullshitting me.”
“Nah,” he grinned. “I’m not that creative.”