“You wouldn’t dare,” Elijah bit out.
He didn’t know the truth on that imaginary situation, and I’d never tell him I didn’t have the balls to do it.
Instead, I went with, “Try me.”
“Elijah, be nice,” I heard Sadie say in the background and grinned. Had I said how much I loved my sister-in-law? I loved her that bit more when he told her what I’d just threatened him with, and all she did was laugh her ass off and say, “You probably deserved that.”
After answering his questions about Addy and telling him more about the shit with her dad, he came up with an idea. “Why don’t you just send Jackson to spend time with him. He likely won’t know it’s not you, and then you don’t have to go through the bullshit. Jackson might even be able to win him round.”
I had to admit, the suggestion held merit. “I’ll consider it.” Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “When are you coming to visit?”
“Next weekend. We need a break from Sarasota and to see a different view for a while.”
“Cool. I got one of those little cloth teepee tents for Bronte to play with when she comes here. I’ll set it up.”
My niece was now two, and I absolutely adored her. When she was born, I was terrified to hold her or even touch her. She was just so tiny! But now that she’s mobile and can talk, I found it easier to spend time with her. What Elijah didn’t know was that I’d also filled a box full of fun shit for her, stuff that’d make me her favorite uncle.
“She’ll love that, man. It’ll be good to see you.” That was rare from Elijah, so I took it as the boon it was.
“Ditto. I’ll warn Addy about you and Sadie, so she doesn’t run off into the sunset.”
“You do that. Although, from what I’ve heard about her family, including her grandmother, we might be the most normal relatives y’all have.”
He wasn’t wrong there!
“That’s a depressingly accurate thought,” I sighed, rubbing the side of my face with my hand. “See you next weekend.”
Putting my phone back in my pocket, I turned around to see all of the ranch hands grinning at me, minus Marni, who was glaring at the ground. I’d had a chat with her earlier, and she was apparently holding a grudge or just letting it ride her attitude now.
Shooting a glance at Liall, who was standing closest to her, I caught the discreet head shake from him. Yeah, that shit wasn’t good.
“The family’s coming to visit?” Remy asked, breaking away from the others. “When?”
“Just Elijah, Sadie, and Bronte. They’ll be here next weekend.”
“Thank fuck,” he muttered. “I thought it’d be Jackson, Sasha, and that fucked up cat.”
The fucked up cat in question was Sasha’s cross-eyed Siamese, who had a thing about wearing motorcycle helmets and goggles. You had to see it to believe it, but sure as shit, that cat terrified me.
Then a voice that I’d missed since she’d left my bed this morning asked, “Who’s got a fucked up cat?”
Turning at the waist, I watched Addy walk toward us, enjoying the way her hips swayed slightly and the smile she was aiming at me. She wasn’t trying to be seductive, it was just the way Adrienne was, and fuck, but I loved it. I was beginning to realize I may have been blind to my feelings for her three weeks ago. I can’t say I’d changed my mind on the existence of instalove, but I sure as hell was in love with her and had been for a while.
“Marcus’s brother’s coming to visit next weekend,” Remy replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “Thankfully, it’s not the one with the fucked up cat.”
Her eyebrows raised. “Jackson’s coming to visit?”
It was an understandable assumption for her to make, even though he was the only one with the fucked up cat. I spoke to my twin a lot, more than I talked to my other brothers. It wasn’t a preferential thing, it was just that we’d always gravitated toward each other to discuss things. I could see her reasoning for thinking he’d be the one to visit.
“Nope, Elijah,” I murmured, raising my arm for her to tuck herself under. She fit perfectly under it, in the spot I was convinced had been created just for her.
Yup, I’d lost both of my balls during the course of this relationship, and she was holding them snug in the palm of her hand. Ask me if I cared. A real man could admit when he was in love with a woman. He also noticed things like how well she fit against him. I’d grown up seeing things like that with my family, and not one of the men in it was any less of a man for those realizations and actions.