Chasing Serenity (River Rain 1)

When it was not.

He should never have quit fighting.

But he did.

That could not be changed.

As Judge said, now was now.

Father and son were together.

They had a future.

And as Jamie drove us away from that house, sitting beside Judge in the backseat, I reached out to take his hand and vowed that was the last time he’d ever visit.

His future was bright.

And he was going to live it.

Free of that past.

Chapter 27

The Family

Chloe

Late that afternoon…

“I’d be scared of snakes too, Chloe,” Dru declared.

After a gargantuan meal of some Tex-Mex food (heavy on the Mex) at Judge and Jamie’s favorite restaurant, this accompanied by copious beers for the men (except Jamie, who was driving), margaritas for Dru and sangria for me, we were back in what I had decided was our safe harbor hangout.

The living room of Judge, Rix and my suite.

Jamie was finding a place very close to my heart considering he made clear that he didn’t bother with mini bars.

Instead, he’d placed a call and ice buckets filled with bottles of beer, a carafe of margaritas, another of sangria, heavy old-fashioned glasses and a bottle of Blanton’s had been delivered to the room.

It seemed the Oakley men had taken my “always a tad peckish” comment as a challenge.

I’d eaten so much food at the restaurant, I didn’t need to eat for a week, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else would either.

Even so, Jamie had also had a large cheese plate, fruit and crudité platter, and some bowls of nuts, olives and pickles brought up.

As far as I was concerned, we were set for the night.

Especially considering Judge and I had one couch, and I got to lie on my back on it with my head on his thigh, his legs stretched out, stocking feet on the coffee table.

Dru and her dad were on the couch opposite us, Dru curled up in a cute red-headed-girl ball in the corner, Jamie stretched out just like his son, with Rix in one of the two armchairs at the ends, facing the coffee table and couches.

I was not drunk, but I was so mellow, and so happy that Judge was with this small group of people who cared about him, who had not used him as a pawn or neglected providing him loving care, and he was away from that house, I did not care the men were handing me guff about being scared of Belinda’s lawn.

I had no qualms I was scared of that lawn, because it was scary.

They were the ones who needed to have their heads examined because they were not.

“I suppose only a true man is one that’s survived a dose of venom,” I drawled.

“That’s part of it,” Rix said, chugged some beer, then added, “You also gotta tame a lion, drink your weight in whiskey without puking and carve at least three dozen notches on your headboard. And don’t give me that look.” He aimed that last at me at the same time pointing my way with the neck of his bottle. “I didn’t make the rules.”

Judge was chuckling.

“How many notches do you have, Rix?” Dru asked boldly.

Jamie, as any good daughter-dad would at the topic of notches discussed with his girl, be she twenty or fifty, dropped his head.

I fought a smile.

“A gentleman doesn’t tell,” Rix said.

“About five dozen,” Judge said.

Dru laughed, and even though she wasn’t much younger than me, there was still a girlie hint to it.

It was sweet.

It was also indication she’d grown up protected, nurtured, and with loving care.

I liked her and I liked that for her.

But I loved that Judge did the same.

She clearly adored her “big brother,” and Judge had been correct. She wanted more.

For Judge, there was no competition or resentment there.

That said a lot about him and gave even more to her.

And I was glad Judge was going to put effort into folding her further into his life.

A knock sounded on the door and Rix’s gaze came right to me.

I tensed to move.

He shook his head and got up.

It was then I noticed both Dru and Jamie had the same silent discourse, one that Dru had won and was also rising.

I was very much beginning to love that girl.

“Stay still, sweetheart, I got it,” Rix muttered to Dru as he moved to answer the knock.

I looked up at Judge, who was staring at the door.

“He wouldn’t come here, would he?” I asked, meaning his grandfather.

His gaze came down to me. “He does anything he wants. But there’s also Jeff. And he does anything he wants as well, and it might seem impossible, but most of the time, it’s even less appropriate than what Granddad gets up to.”

Marvelous.

“Well, hey,” Rix greeted, the surprise and friendliness in his tone making me push up enough to see who was there.

And then I stared in shock as Dad, Mom, Bowie, Sully, Gage, Sasha and Matt came through.