Bare Skin (Skin Deep 5)

Chapter 22

Dani

I heard cackling and glanced out the window to see Allie’s grandparents on the patio with everyone. I felt my lips stretch into a grin and turned my head to see Allie’s matching grin as she shook her head.

“Oy, that woman,” she sighed. “I love her, though. Isn’t she something?”

I nodded. “Yes, she most definitely is!”

I helped the girls set out the food and get everything ready before Emma went to the door and hollered for everyone to come eat. I stepped back immediately as a stampede of large, gorgeous, and apparently ravenous men came charging through the door, three of which were holding children.

I shook my head slowly, taking it all in. I felt a nudge beside me and glanced over to see Emma standing there, Everly now secured on her hip.

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it.”

It was a statement, not a question, but I nodded in response anyway.

“I ask myself everyday how the hell I got so lucky…how we all did. Because DAMN, we got some sexy ass men!” Emma whisper-shouted.

I choked on a laugh as Jenna came in on the tail end of Emma’s comment, rubbing Caleb’s back and patting it as she nodded emphatically. “Oh hell yes, we did!” she said, winking at her husband. Noah blushed and turned away, making Jenna grin.

Calland caught my eye from across the room and grinned at me, just like I noticed every guy doing to their women. Except for my brother, who just stood there rolling his eyes, but he was grinning, as well, as he did. I just raised my eyebrows at him in a look that said, ‘just you wait, your day is coming.’ Of course, he ignored me, rolling his eyes again.

A short time later, we were all sitting on the various patio/deck furniture with plates piled high with mouth-watering treats. Calland and I were sharing a lounger, but I think that had more to do with the fact that he wanted to steal food off my plate more than he wanted to sit with me. It might also have had to do with the fact that Nanny had patted the seat beside her and waggled her eyebrows at him when he was looking around for an open seat.

Conversation was flowing freely, laughter rang out from all corners of the deck/patio area, and I took a second to look around, to take in the life that my brother had been living for almost two years now. Technically, it had been eighteen months, two weeks, and four days, but who’s counting? I used to. But now I realize I don’t need to anymore. Kaden has his daddy now, as well as all of his new extended friends and family.

And me? For once, I can say the same thing. I have my brother back, and I’d managed to fall in love in the process. Not only with Calland, but with this town and these people…every single one of them who had gone out of their way to make me feel welcome.

We’d had a few bumps in the road, but I’d learned that they forgave easily, loved deeply, and were fiercely loyal, qualities that were very hard to come by in the world I lived in out in L.A. Especially with the parents T.J. and I grew up with. Thank God for our grandparents, otherwise, neither one of us would probably be alive…and that was something that T.J. and I both steadfastly avoided talking about.

I shook myself from my thoughts when Calland laughed loudly beside me at something someone said, glancing down at my plate to grab another sausage bomb. “Hey!” I scowled at Calland, who was trying to ignore me. “You ate all my food!”

He grinned at me and winked.

I glared back. “Grinning and winking at me, and looking all sexy like that doesn’t put the food back on my plate for me to eat, now does it?”

I heard Emma groan, but before I could even look to see what was wrong with her, or ask what was happening, Calland said, “Well, I could put it back, but it won’t be pretty.” He reached up like he was going to take something out of his mouth, or maybe gag himself or something.

“Ew!” I cried, my face screwing up in disgust.

“Cheese and rice, Asshole!” Emma yelled. “Do you have to be so gross?” She looked over at me. “You have got to quit giving him openings like that, Dani.” She paused, glancing at her brother who was giving her an evil grin. “Really? You’re attracted to him? ‘Cause that’s what you’re gonna have to deal with the rest of your life.”

Laughing, I nodded. “Sadly, yes.”

It was Calland’s turn to protest, but he did it good-naturedly, then leaned down to kiss me before he stole my plate and went inside, coming back a few minutes later with a newly loaded plate of food for me.

I ate, but this time I shared willingly with him rather than him stealing my food. Halfway through, I heard Kaden start to fuss. I started to get up to go get him, but Calland put his hand on my thigh and shook his head no.

It hurt me at first, until I realized that he wasn’t being mean about it. He was just reminding me to let T.J. have a chance to deal with it without me jumping up and taking over. Something I was going to have to get used to.

And when T.J. shot Calland a grateful smile, I knew I’d have to get used to it sooner rather than later.

Once everyone was done eating, Brandon stood up and cleared his throat. “Hey! Can I get everyone’s attention for a second, please?”

We all stared at him, waiting to see what he would say. He motioned Chloe up beside him and I could feel the air change, full of curiosity.

“So, I know you all know that…well, you know that Chloe can’t…uh, can’t have kids.” He smiled reassuringly at her, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips, kissing it quickly. “We’ve decided to adopt, instead, and the process has been ongoing for a bit. We’ve just kept it quiet, you know, just until we know something for sure. And…well, we know.”

“Jesus Christ, man, spit it out!” Luke yelled at his brother. Everyone nodded in agreement, sitting on the edges of their seats.

Chloe grinned. “She was born yesterday. They’re placing her with us when she’s released from the hospital!”

Everyone erupted into excited cheers, laughter, and congratulations, jumping up to hug them, speaking over each other…it was chaos, but in a very, very good way.

Once it had settled down a bit, Brandon gave us the particulars. “We get to name her and everything…sadly, the mother just doesn’t want anything to do with her, and the only reason she had the baby and put her up for adoption is because her mom forced her to. Not a pleasant situation, but, we’re ready and able to give her all the love and care she could ever need her whole life. We still have to do the rest of the paperwork and have a couple more home study visits now that she’s born, but the agency and the lawyer think it should all be done within the next three to six months.”

“What are you going to name her?” I asked Chloe.

“Amelia. Amelia Nicole.”