Havoc (Tattoos and Ties 1)

“You guys have that cool hand tap thing,” the blonde said, beaming up at Dev. Keyes watched in amazement as Dev added his seldom used sincere grin, the one very few people ever saw, as he beamed back at the woman and took the child back when she reached out for him.

Keyes was so confused he found himself taking a step backward while Dev and his girlfriend were moving aside to let him in.

“We made it up when we were five. It’s stuck, actually added to over the years. Right, man?”

Keyes’s brows slid together at the look of awe stuck on Dev’s face as he spoke. He loved Dev like a brother. If he trusted anyone in the world, it was him, but this guy wasn’t Dev. Dev put himself first in everything. When he fought for Keyes’s honor, it was because Dev was offended, not for any reason to build Keyes up. He couldn’t ever remember watching Dev hold his own children, little alone cuddle any child. Dev used to purposefully step on his sister’s crayons just to watch her freak out.

This made no sense at all.

“You’ll have to teach me some time,” she said. Dev’s arm came around her, and they both moved more fully aside. “I’m so glad you came, Keyes. I’m Holly. Dev’s told me a lot about you.”

“Call me Key,” he said as he walked in, his very clear what-the-hell gaze focused on Dev who never looked his way.

“Keep going, Key,” Holly said from behind him. The entry was a long narrow hall, so he walked toward the sound of the television. “Around the corner.”

He turned the corner to find what he’d call a totally female room—flowers, lots of flowers. The room was white, even the hardwood floors were stained a lighter whitewashed gray. This would stay clean all of about thirty seconds in his life, but the more startling point was that Dev’s daughters sat on the sofa, the oldest had the remote control in hand. The littlest one jumped up and ran toward him, beaming brightly as she wrapped her arms around his legs. “Uncle Key!”

He didn’t know May, Dev’s youngest, very well. He hadn’t seen her a lot. Dev and her mom fought more than anything else, but Keyes cared for these girls. They were family. He extended his arms, hoisting May up to where she sat on his hip, her grin growing.

“Hi, Uncle Key,” Abigail said, but remained on the couch. They had grown so much. Abigail had to be ten by now, so that made May five.

“Did you get my birthday present?” Keyes asked her as Dev and Holly came around him farther into the living room.

“I did. I wanted to wear my dress, but Mama said it was too dirty,” May explained.

“Which dress is that?” Holly asked.

“Uncle Key got me the Elsa dress from the Amazon on Christmas,” she explained, nodding as if to affirm the statement.

“Ah, you love that dress,” Holly said.

“It’s not the Amazon. It’s Amazon the company,” Abigail corrected, never looking up from the television. May went ramrod straight in Keyes’s arms in all her indignation of being corrected by her sister. He set her on her feet and watched her fisted hands go to her hips as she stomped toward her sister.

“I can say it however I wanna say it!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Dev said when Abigail cocked her head in May’s direction as if ready to blast her little sister. “No fighting tonight.”

“Why don’t y’all come watch TV in Millie’s room? I have the popcorn and juice boxes ready. Coco is ready to play.” That seemed to make them all happy. Even Abigail jumped up, stopping by Keyes to give a side hug as she followed Holly out of the room.

That left Keyes and Dev alone in the living room, Dev grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Let me have your cut,” Dev said, and that made shit weirder for some reason. Keyes didn’t move a single muscle. He just stared at Dev who finally busted out with a laugh. “Give me the fucking vest.”

“What the hell’s all this?” Keyes questioned, shrugging off his cut. He watched in disbelief as Dev hung the thing in a hall closet. Up until right this minute, he wasn’t sure Dev even knew how to use a hanger.

“I honestly don’t know.” He shrugged it off like it was nothing. “I just really like her.”

Dev was like him in the fact they were twenty-seven years old and had never done this relationship shit before. They actually rebelled against the idea of monogamy and being tied down to one person. They’d set their courses together. They were wild and free. Dev fucked who he wanted, whenever he wanted, and that sometimes included the skanks who hung out at the clubhouse.

“You look hilarious. It’s not that weird,” Dev said, patting his shoulder as he walked past Keyes into the kitchen.