I’m not quite sure how to respond. But I smile, nod, and thank her for her work tonight as I walk her to the door.
Rooster’s sitting at the table, shaking his head when I turn around. “I’ll talk to the guys.”
“Maybe I’m acting selfish.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “Which one of your brothers do you think will show my momma the best time?”
Rooster stares at me, a mixture of confusion and disgust slipping into his expression. “Hard to say, chickadee. I’m not in the habit of thinking about which one of my brothers is good in bed.”
“Eww. That’s not what I meant.” My face scrunches. “Well, maybe.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t.”
“Well, who brags the least? That’s probably the one with the best skills.”
“Fuck my life,” he mutters. “Can we please not get involved in your mom’s relationships?”
“Who said anything about a relationship?”
“Shelby, I love you. And there aren’t many things I won’t do for you. But for the love of all things unholy, this is begging for trouble.” He slaps his palms together and holds them under his chin. “Go with your first instinct. Your mom should be off-limits to every single one of my brothers.”
Rooster
“Your neighbors aren’t going to know what to do with all of us,” I say as I maneuver the truck and RV in front of Lynn’s house a few days later. Hell, we might not fit in the narrow driveway at all.
“Momma left her car on the street so we can pull into the driveway,” Shelby says.
“Yeah, I’m not sure we’re gonna fit.”
“What can I do to help?” Shelby asks.
“Can you get Jiggy to spot me?”
“Yup.” She throws her door open and hops out, slamming it shut.
The cramped street with the steady flow of traffic isn’t the easiest place to stop and back into the driveway. But Pants, Steer, and Dex use their big asses to block oncoming cars, giving me time to angle and line up right. In the side mirror, I spot Jiggy waving me toward him.
“Stop!” he shouts, thumping his hand on the tailgate in case I didn’t hear him. “You’re good!”
I step out and check that everything’s straight. I missed tearing up the brown, scrubby grass by about two inches. The nose of the truck is barely tucked away from the road. Hopefully, we’ll be fine for the two or three days that we’re visiting.
Lynn’s already outside, talking to Shelby and the guys. She smiles and greets me with a hug. “You’re quite skilled driving that thing.”
“I try.”
Shelby takes her mom’s hand, leading her inside the RV to grab a few things. We hadn’t exactly talked about whether we’d be staying yet.
Jiggy steps up next to me, watching them through the open door.
“Had a nice time with her in Dallas,” he says.
What the hell? “You’re playing with fire, bro.”
One corner of his mouth curls up. “I’d enjoy that burn.”
“No, I think she would literally set you on fire if you pulled the shit you’ve pulled with other girls on her.” Maybe I should shut my mouth, it’d be kinda fun watching Jiggy get taken down a peg. If we weren’t talking about Shelby’s mother, I wouldn’t worry about it as much.
“That’s just it.” His burning gaze settles on Lynn. “She’s not a girl. She’s all woman.”
I snap my fingers in front of his yearning-puppy face. “I’m not kidding around. My girlfriend’s mother is off-limits to you.”
“Why’re you doing this to me?” His eyes stray to Lynn again and I punch his shoulder to recapture his attention. “You know I can’t resist forbidden fruit.”
“She’s not forbidden fruit, you shit goblin. She’s Shelby’s mother. She’s already not my biggest fan. I don’t need to give her any more reasons.”
His sex-predator face melts into a frown. “Why doesn’t she like you?”
“Off the top of my head? Shelby’s dad was a dirtbag who ditched them and left her floundering, so now she doesn’t trust men.”
He runs his hands through his hair and stares up at the sky for a few seconds. “Aww, come on. That’s only making me want her more.”
“Jesus Christ.” My loud voice draws the attention of Dex, Pants, and Steer. “Are you kidding me?”
He flaps his hands in the air. “I dunno.” His voice rises with excitement. “There’s some healing the wounded bird and teaching her to love again thing bubbling up in here.” He taps his fist against his chest.
“Healing the…” My eyes are about to bug out of my skull. “What the fuck is happening to you?”
“I don’t know but I blame you for it.”
Dex rubs his temples. “I don’t know how you do it, brother,” he mutters at me.
“Tell me about it.”
“She is an exceptional woman,” Pants says, giving Lynn a long, slow eye-fondle. “Damn, brother. You’re one lucky son of a bitch if Shelby turns out as hot as her mom at that age.”