I’d never get to sleep if I didn’t just go and get them.
So that was what I did.
I got up, redressed—which included the long process of putting on my prosthetics—and headed back out.
A five-minute walk later, and I was once again on the side of the road at the scene of the crime.
The bikers across the street were still going strong, and I had to wonder what the hell they were doing next to the road.
But honestly, I was too tired at this point to care.
I’d done way too much.
In fact, I was probably going to pay for my stupidity in the morning.
But for now, I was fuckin’ happy and excited.
Especially since Viddy had said it was something that she’d always wanted to do, but never had the courage.Chapter 10When I said I like it rough, I meant sex. Not the entire relationship.
-Pace’s secret thoughts
Pace
The next morning, I was practically bouncing on my blades as I waited for Viddy to get her shoes on.
“What is your malfunction, man?” Ford asked. “You’re like on crack or something.”
I flipped him off.
“Hurry up!” I said.
Viddy’s eyes were bright as she stood up.
“This better be good,” Trance said, coming out of the bedroom with a pair of sweatpants and his Crocs.
“Dad, you look so hot,” Ford said dryly. “Those Crocs really do it for me.”
Trance looked over at his son, who was also in a pair of Crocs himself.
“Fuck you.” He looked pointedly at Ford’s shoes. “Your shoes are ugly.”
I burst out laughing.
“I don’t get it,” I said as I finally got myself under control.
“Both of them hate Crocs,” Oakley said, looking adorably cute. “But Mom bought them both some for Christmas, and they had to wear them because she bought them for them. Except, they wear them more than they need to for obligation. At this point, they both secretly like them, but aren’t willing to admit it.”
I looked down at my feet. “I never really liked Crocs either when I had feet.”
There was a long silence as everyone absorbed that news.
“That’s morbidly sad that you can’t enjoy the comfortableness of Crocs anymore,” Ford said as he walked to the front door. “What the hell did you buy her?”
“I didn’t buy her anything,” I said as I followed him outside.
Trance and Viddy followed next, followed shortly by Oakley.
“Then why are we coming out here?” he asked.
“Because I wanted her to see her Mother’s Day gift,” I said.
Ford looked at me over his shoulder. “You better not top my Mother’s Day gift.”
I shrugged. I had no idea if I would or wouldn’t.
I just knew that she said she’d wanted the sign down for ten years now, and none of her sons had ever done it for her.
“What did you get her?” I asked as I led us all outside.
“Something thoughtful,” Ford said. “That I could buy at that truck stop on the way home.”
I snorted. “A card?”
Ford shrugged. “It was either a card or a new set of wiper blades, and I happen to know that Dad just replaced those for her last week.”
Trance snorted. “You have zero coolness.”
Ford gasped in affront. “Dad, I’m so cool it hurts.”
Trance grinned as did Ford.
Viddy’s eyes were all for me as she pulled up to my side.
“I’ve never been so excited before,” she whispered. “Oakley’s good at Mother’s Day gifts, but I have a feeling you’re about to shock the hell out of me.”
I hoped I was.
Leading her into the barn, we all came to a stop.
It didn’t take her long to see it.
The damn thing, even propped up all the way in the back with motorcycles and a tractor to block its path, still went up high over the vehicles.
Plus, the LED lights that were lighting the shop were reflecting off the sign, making it a beacon.
Oakley saw it first, that was when she burst out laughing.
She placed her hand over her belly seconds later, and the tears that formed in her eyes made my belly tighten. I couldn’t tell if they were pain-filled tears or tears of joy.
“What are you…oh, shit,” Ford said. “I so lose.”
Trance didn’t say anything. He only let his eyes drift into the same corner everyone else was looking.
His eyes caught on the sign, and they started sparkling with mirth.
Viddy’s reaction, though? Yeah, it wasn’t one that I expected.
“Oh,” she breathed.
Then she burst out crying.
Trance was on the move before she’d even had a tear fall all the way down her cheek.
I took a step back, unsure what had just happened.
“It’s okay,” Trance said as he gathered his wife in his arms.
“No, it’s not!” she wailed. “He’s so beautiful. I can’t believe we get to keep him.”
Was she talking about me?
“Yeah, she’s talking about you.” Ford rolled his eyes and slapped me on the back. “You’re royally fucked now. You’ll never get out of this crazy show.”