Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons 5)

“It was a shitshow,” Mack said, carrying my bowl of macaroni salad and a plate of burger fixings toward us. “I had to call a damn exterminator.”

“You aren’t supposed to kill bees, you know,” I said.

“They were wasps,” he replied, smiling. “Little bastards weren’t pollinating shit. Grab us a couple beers?”

His shoulder brushed mine as he walked outside.

“You want something?” I asked Kara.

“Dad, can I have a soda?” she yelled.

“You’ve already had two,” he yelled back. “Get somethin’ else.”

“I’ll get ice water,” she said with a put-out sigh.

“You should freeze some lemons and limes in ice cubes,” I told her as I grabbed a couple beers out of the fridge. “For your water.”

“That’s a good idea,” she said, pulling an ice tray out of the freezer. “You could do cucumber, too. Or mint.”

“Ooh, mint sounds good.”

“I can’t wait until I’m an adult,” she said, filling her glass with water. “I’m going to eat crap and drink whatever I want.”

“You’ll also have to pay bills,” I pointed out dryly. “And cook your own food, and do your own laundry.”

“I’m not going to cook,” she replied as we walked back outside. “I’ll eat out all the time.”

“You can’t eat out all the time,” Mack said reasonably, joining the conversation with a sentence that made my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

“Watch me,” Kara muttered as she sat down at the table.

“Get your mind outta the gutter,” Mack whispered to me as he set the hamburgers on the table.

“Stop putting my mind in the gutter,” I hissed back. I sat down as he laughed at me.

It was one of the best dinners I’d had in my entire life, and it made me imagine all sorts of things. I wanted this. I wanted to sit down to dinner and listen to Kara and Mack tease each other. I wanted to pass the ketchup, and add in my two cents when they were discussing dirt bikes, and kiss Mack in thanks when he grabbed us another round of beers without asking. Suddenly, my easy ramen dinners in front of the TV didn’t seem so relaxing. They just seemed sad.

When we were done, we all worked together to bring the food and dishes inside.

“Load the dishwasher before you watch a movie,” Mack said to Kara. “And don’t forget to wipe down the counters.”

“I can help,” I said easily.

“Nope,” Mack replied just as easily. “It’s part of her chores. Even if we’ve got company.”

“I’m on it,” Kara said.

“Sorry,” I murmured as Mack led me out the back door. “I didn’t know it was a thing.”

“Nothin’ to be sorry for,” Mack replied, leading me across the yard. “Bein’ polite’s always nice.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, lacing my fingers with his.

“Hammock,” he said with a grin.

They had a blue and green striped hammock strung between two trees, and I eyed it with trepidation as Mack pulled the edges apart and sat down sideways in it, his feet flat on the grass.

“You want me to get on that?” I asked.

“Lay with me for a bit,” he replied. He spun easily and lay back, the hammock gently swinging from side to side.

“If I try to climb on, I’ll tip us both over,” I said, laughing nervously.

“Nah,” he said, pulling one leg out and setting his foot back on the ground. “Come on, baby, I’ll make sure we don’t tip.”

I really didn’t want to get on that hammock. When I was eight, me and Lily were screwing around on a hammock, and I’d busted my face so hard when I fell off that it knocked out one of my teeth. I’d been lucky the dentist was able to put it back in, and the ensuing root canal was no fun. I rubbed my tongue over that tooth as Mack reached his hand toward me.

“This is a terrible idea,” I said as I let him help me onto the hammock.

It was a snug fit, our bodies plastered together with one of my arms around his waist and my head on his shoulder, but we made it sort of comfortable.

“See?” he said, letting out a long breath. “Easy.”

“Don’t move,” I said nervously as he shifted.

“We’re not gonna tip over,” he said with a chuckle.

We laid there quietly for a long time as the sun started to set. It took a while, but I eventually relaxed against him.

“Finally,” he murmured, running his fingers up and down my arm.

“I’m glad I didn’t have to work tonight,” I said, tilting my head up to look at him.

“Me, too,” he said, smiling. “How’d you manage that?”

“I knew it would be a slow night, so I called in sick this morning,” I confessed.

“Such a rebel,” he said with a chuckle.

“Worth it,” I replied, laying my head back down.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, kissing my forehead.

Kara didn’t seem phased a few hours later when she told us goodnight and headed to her room. It was like she’d assumed I’d be sleeping over. After she was gone and Mack and I were curled up on the couch watching some treasure hunting show, Mack spoke quietly.