Dirty Toe Drag (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 6)

Everyone is looking at the menu. But me, I’m looking for Stella. “Know what you want?” Jamey asks me, and I nod.

“Yup. Steak Alfredo, the best thing here.”

He looks for it on the menu as Josef asks, “Do you come here a lot?”

“Every day that ends with Y when we’re in town,” Boon teases, and I nod proudly.

“Hey, I like good food.”

When a pair of arms comes around me, I will myself not to jerk just as I realize it’s Mrs. Brooks. I exhale hard out of my nose as I squeeze her elbow. “Hey, Mrs. Brooks.”

She takes my jaw in her hands, looking over my face. “I’ve told you two things, Wes. One, stop fighting. And two, you can call me Mom, hun.”

She has told me these two things. One, I don’t listen. And two, I don’t call anyone Mom. “I know. I’m sorry. How are you?”

“Better than you, I see,” she says, shaking her head. “How you pulled a date with that mug is beyond me,” she teases, and we all laugh along with her.

“Damn, dude. You’re such a mama’s boy!” I accuse, and Aiden just laughs. He knows it’s true. As his mom comes to the head of the table, he introduces her to everyone.

“It’s so nice to meet y’all. Remember, your meal is always on the house when you eat here because you’re family. Enjoy.”

Tanner looks over to Aiden as Mrs. Brooks heads off. I watch her, hoping she’ll reveal Stella to me, but no such luck as she disappears into the back. Then Tanner says, “Dude, your mom is hot.”

“Hell yeah, she is,” Josef says. “Do you need a new daddy?”

I snort with laughter as Aiden turns a dangerous shade of red. “I will kill you. All of you.”

More laughter follows, which is how it’s been for most of the evening. I always thought Josef was a cool kid, but what I didn’t realize is he’s actually really funny. Or completely clueless, and we just laugh at him a lot. Either way, I enjoy hanging with him.

“She doesn’t look like she had six kids,” Jamey says with a perked brow, and Aiden shakes his head.

“No, four. I have a brother and two sisters. My oldest sister is actually going to be our waitress. She’s in the back dealing with an order issue. It’s my wife that has all the siblings, a sister and three brothers.”

“Does your brother play?” Josef asks.

“No. He’s a jumbotron technician for us and the colleges around town. Shelli’s twin brothers play for the IceCats.”

“And Shelli is the general manager?” Tanner asks, and Aiden nods.

“Yeah. She just took that role in January.”

“And Posey is her sister and your wife and the special teams coach?” Tanner then asks Boon, and he nods proudly.

“Yup, that’s the missus.”

He nods. “Is that why you two are best friends?”

I scoff. “No. Boon was actually my best friend, but Aiden was ready to settle down in the husband and dad role, so they bonded, leaving me out.”

The new guys don’t know how to take that, but Aiden and Boon laugh. “And Wes is our overdramatic, needy best friend.”

“But word is, that’s changing. He is dating,” Aiden teases.

“And for Wes, that’s a big deal. He is the team whore.”

“Wow, rude,” I throw at Boon. “Also, I don’t know why you two are playing. Both of you were whores at one time.”

“I think it’s in our programming,” Tanner suggests, and I point at him.

“Exactly.”

“Not me,” Josef said. “I want a wifey. If I can get one, I have to keep her because I’m a weird dude.”

With that, laughter explodes from all of us, and suddenly, I catch a glimpse of her. It’s quick since she’s running, but I know it’s her. Her hair is up in a sleek ponytail, and she’s wearing a pair of dark pants with a black collared shirt. She’s rolled up her sleeves and added some gold jewelry around her neck to stand out. No one can match her style, and I swear she is more beautiful every time I see her.

I wipe my mouth and fix my shirt to make sure I look decent. With my mug fucked up, I know that’s hard, but apparently she still digs me. After she throws something behind the bar, she heads for us. Her eyes meet mine, and I melt. If I weren’t with her brother, I would fall to the ground and praise her, but I’ll save her the embarrassment and me the ass-beating. I think she knows it, though, because her lips curve up on one side and a blush fills those high cheekbones, and I’m a goner. It’s also getting really hard not to kiss her. Especially when she’s walking around with deep maroon lipstick that is both glossy and sparkly.

Truly, it’s hard.

“Welcome to Brooks!”

Aiden smiles proudly at his sister. “Guys, this is my little sister Stella. She runs the bar, so you’ll see her a lot.”