Looking down, I noted my shorts were a decent length and not stained, my tank was also modest and clean, but was it anything special? “I do?”
“Bring her in!” Tabby yelled, stopping him from saying anything else.
Blowing out his breath, he moved to the side and waved me forward with his hand – a hand, I might add, that landed on my ass as I walked past him. Looking around us, there were people standing everywhere, all of them waiting for something.
“Did I miss something?” I asked staring at the large group, all of who were also looking back at me with the same blank expressions on their faces.
“If you did, so did we,” Hurst said loudly, walking up and giving me a hug. Taking a step back, he looked over the injury on my face and must have been happy with what he saw, because he added, “Looking good, petal.”
Ever since kids could talk, they’d come up with nicknames for me based on my name. Some had been irritating, some had been downright stupid like the guy in college who called me horny thorny, and some had been really sweet. Hurst’s was definitely the last one.
Before I could say anything, he was being nudged out of the way by my dad, who just appeared out of nowhere. Sweeping me up in a huge hug, he whispered, “Hey, kiddo.”
“Stop glaring at the poor boy, Hogan,” Mom snapped, cluing me into the fact that Dad was shooting evil looks at Raoul over my shoulder. “And give me my daughter.”
Hugs from my parents were never a bad thing – unless they were being used as a way to try to intimidate an officer of the law – so I gladly moved into the arms she was holding out for me. “Hey, Mom.”
Pulling back, she looked at my eye and whispered, “I know they’re related, but I didn’t think they’d look that alike. I walked up and gave him a huge hug, and he asked me who I was,” she snickered, nodding over at where Raoul and Garrett were now standing, talking to DB. “Then Raoul walked up and I thought your dad had slipped something in my drink.”
Seeing where we were both looking, Dad muttered, “I don’t like either of them.”
“You don’t like any guy, Dad.”
Looking around the room he stopped on Tony, an honorary member of the Townsend family who was standing with one of his daughters in his arms. “I like him. In fact, I think he’s a great guy who’d be perfect for you.”
“That’s because he’s gay, Hogan, and you know full well that’s his husband who’s just put his arm around him,” Mum pointed out, smiling at the couple who were the definition of perfect.
“Exactly, he’s perfect for her,” he repeated firmly, then lost a bit of his bluster when my niece crawled up and tugged on the leg of his pants. “Hey, puddin’. How’s my little girl?” he asked, picking her up and growling into her neck. Squealing, Liv grabbed hold of his beard and gave it a tug before face planting in the side of it and rubbing her face into it. The expression that came over his face was photo worthy, so I pulled my cell out and took one. “What’s she doing?”
“Looks like she’s motor boating your facial hair, sir,” Garrett offered as he walked up to us with his brother. And it did, she just kept shaking her head back and forth into it, and when he tried to pull her away, she’d use the hold she had on it to stop it.
“She’s what?” Dad asked, wincing as she tugged again. “Don’t just stand there, someone help.” When none of us made a move to do that, he looked at Garrett. “Deputy Evans?”
Here’s why that was embarrassing – Raoul was standing right next to him in his uniform, and Garrett was wearing a Metallica t-shirt and jeans. How he could mix the two up, I’ll never know – maybe it was anaphylactic beard shock?
“That’s Captain Evans,” he explained, and not missing a beat reached out and gently lifted Liv out of Dad’s arms, pulling her into his chest. It was almost a natural move for him, like he’d done it a million times before, apart from how stiffly he was holding himself as she settled and looked up at him.
“’Oul,” she squealed, reaching up and tugging on the beard that was slightly shorter than his brother’s.
“No, kid, I’m Garrett. That’s ‘Oul,” he turned her to face Raoul who was standing watching it all with a grin on his face.
Have you ever seen a confused toddler? Like a truly confused one? I thought I had until I watched her eyes light up again and then widen as she looked back at Garrett. Back and forth she looked between them, then down at the floor at their feet for some reason. Still not finding what she was looking for, she turned back to the man holding her and angled herself so that she could look around the back of him, making us all snicker.