Craving Vera (The Aces' Sons 4.5)

My stomach was still in knots, though, knowing that she must be in trouble. Cecilia was independent to a fault. She refused to let anyone help her even when she needed it. That’s why I was so scared that she’d asked my parents to come to California.

Whatever trouble she was in must be pretty bad if she’d called in reinforcements.

“She had a point,” Amy said, brining me back to the conversation around the table. “Her father wouldn’t have stopped looking for her and watching over your shoulder is a terrible way to live.”

“Sounds like you know that from experience,” Hawk replied quietly.

“That’s a story for another day.” Amy scooted back from the table. “Let’s take a little break.”

We all watched her walk away.

“I hope I have an ass like that when I’m old,” Molly murmured, making the rest of us stare at her. “Oh, shit,” she said, putting her face in her hands. “I might still be drunk.”

“You think?” Hawk replied dryly.

“It’s the yoga,” Trix said, sitting down beside me. “That shit keeps everything firm.”

“Except boobs,” aunt Callie muttered. “After nursing four babies, the only thing firming those is surgery.”

“You thinkin’ of doing that?” Brenna asked in surprise.

“Hell, no,” Aunt Callie shot back. “Asa doesn’t care. Can’t keep his hands off me.”

“Nope!” I burst out. “We’re not going down that road.”

The older women laughed.

“Where’s your other half?” Aunt Callie asked. “I haven’t seen Rose in over an hour.”

“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug.

I’d always felt lucky that my best friend was my cousin, too, but lately she’d been getting on my nerves and I couldn’t escape her. It wasn’t like I could just not call her back for a couple of days or ignore her texts. She knew every place I’d be and if she didn’t she’d just call my mother. It was irritating.

“She got a phone call,” Hawk said, chomping down on a piece of celery from her drink. “Took off outside.”

“In the rain?” Aunt Callie replied.

Hawk just shrugged.

I knew the group expected me to get up and go to her, but I didn’t. I needed a breather. There was only so much drama I could take and the snide comments disguised as jokes about me and Leo were getting old. She wasn’t happy, and I felt bad about that, but her decision to date one loser after another wasn’t my fault.

“How you doin’ Dandelion?” Leo asked, coming up behind me. He set his hands on my shoulders, and rubbed the sides of my neck with his thumbs. “All good?”

“Yeah.” I tipped my head back so he could kiss me upside down.

“Called and checked on the kids,” he said. “They’re fine. Playing ping-pong.”

“If they break another one of my windows,” Trix said. “I’m gonna bust heads.”

“Wasn’t that Draco?” Brenna asked.

“He’s a sore loser,” Trix confirmed with a roll of her eyes.

“Sounded like everyone was havin’ a good time,” Leo told his sister.

“It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye,” Hawk said, then froze, an olive poised halfway to her mouth as she looked back and forth between me and Leo. “Poor choice of words.”

“I didn’t lose my eyes,” I said, huffing in surprise.

“Still,” she mumbled, popping the olive into her mouth.

“I’m gonna be really pissed if someone loses an eye,” Trix said seriously.

“Can you believe this Slider and Vera story?” Molly said, propping her chin on the palm of her hand. “I mean, I knew that their story must have been pretty epic, but geez.”

“Ha!” Aunt Callie said. “Have you heard the story about how Asa and I got together?”

“Or me and Dragon?” Brenna asked.

“Right,” Aunt Callie said, pointing at Brenna.

“Me and Cam knew each other forever,” Trix said with a shrug. “Ours was kind of boring in comparison.”

Brenna snorted. “If you say so,” she said, rolling her eyes at Trix.

“Me and Leo knew each other forever, too,” I said as my man walked away, shaking his head.

“I watched your story play out,” Molly said, grinning at me. “That shit definitely wasn’t boring.”

“Well, at least it’ll be smooth sailing now,” I replied.

Aunt Callie and Brenna burst out laughing like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.

“Oh, honey,” Aunt Callie said through her chuckles. “You have no idea what you’re in for.”

“We’re solid,” I argued, a little annoyed.

“Doesn’t matter,” Trix said, reaching over to pat my arm. “There’s always going to be something that makes you want to kill him. That’s the nature of the beast.”

“The love beast,” Molly said, making me snort. She smacked her hand over her face. “I’m going to stop talking before I embarrass myself further.”

I loved when Molly drank. She was by far the sweetest one of us, prim even. But the minute she’d had a few drinks she got goofy, funny, and sometimes a bit raunchy. It was the best part of club events, by far.