Craving Hawk (The Aces' Sons 3)

“You guys have been together since you were kids, right?” I asked, picking up something unidentifiable off the floorboard.

“Yep.” We flew around a corner and I swayed to the side, cursing. “Callie was younger than you. I was around Tommy’s age.”

“See, and you guys made it work,” I pointed out. He was being nice to me, but I couldn’t forget the asshole he’d been, and I had some sort of defect in my personality that made me unable to let shit go.

“Shit was different back then,” he replied. “When Callie and me hooked up, it wasn’t some big romance. Shit was goin’ down and she needed me. Grew from there.”

“Still,” I mumbled. “You didn’t have to be such a dick about it.”

I hadn’t ever learned the art of self-preservation either. Clearly.

“You come back to me after you have kids,” he barked, not even glancing in my direction. “You raise ’em since they were babies, and when your son comes to tell you he’s getting’ married to a bitch he’s been with for less than a week, you let me know how you react.”

“Fair enough.” I leaned back and looked over the now clean floorboard as I tied the top of the grocery bag. “But a little diplomacy would have been nice.” I dropped the bag and looked at him. “And don’t call me a bitch.”

“I’ll call you anything I want,” he retorted stubbornly.

“No, you won’t.” I crossed my arms and stared out the windshield. We were almost to his house. “Your wife likes me and I’m married to your son. You don’t want to piss me off.”

“Big words for a little girl,” he snapped.

“We’re on the same fucking side!” I shouted, surprising him. “I don’t really see why you’d be a dick to me at this point! Me and Tommy are married. The deed is done.”

We were silent as we pulled up the driveway, but the minute Grease parked the car by their garage he spoke. “You’ve got balls,” he said, nodding. “That’s good. You’re gonna need ’em.”

“They’re probably bigger than yours,” I mumbled, reaching for my door handle.

“Hey,” he called, making me look at him. “I ain’t got no problem with you. Got problems with some of the decisions my son’s been makin’ these past few years, but I’m startin’ to see you’re not one of ’em.”

“Good to know.” I threw open my door and climbed out.

“Shit’s gonna get harder before it gets better,” he told me as we walked toward the house. “My boy ain’t the same as he was.”

“I barely knew him before,” I replied snarkily. “I was always with Mick, remember?”

Grease scoffed. “Jesus Christ, girl,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t know when to let shit go.”

“Me and Mick were never a couple,” I said as we walked onto the porch.

“Yeah,” he murmured opening the front door. “I’m startin’ to believe that. Pretty sure my sweet kid woulda turned into somethin’ altogether different if he had to deal with your ass.”

We walked inside and Grease called out to Callie that we were home while I looked around. The last time I’d been there, I’d been so nervous about telling them we were getting married that I hadn’t taken in the changes they’d made in the past few years. Everything seemed less messy. There wasn’t a pile of boys’ shoes by the front door anymore. No backpacks at the bottom of the stairs. No spare car parts from the Nova or bags of chips and candy on the coffee table in the living room.

“Hey, sugar,” Grease said as Callie came out of the kitchen. “Good day?”

“Until you told me my son was arrested,” she muttered, leaning up to kiss him. “What the hell is going on?”

“I’ll fill you in,” he replied. “Nix is sendin’ down a lawyer friend of his, so we’ll know more Monday mornin’.”

“I wish they were still young enough to spank,” Callie said with a sound of frustration. “Damn it.”

“I can do it for you,” I cut in with a nod. “It’s totally acceptable if I do it.”

“Heather,” she said with a smile, moving toward me. She gave me a tight hug and then leaned back, her hands still on my shoulders. “Honey, why didn’t you change out of your wedding dress?”

I shrugged, looking down at my dress. It was wrinkled and sort of dingy looking from wearing it all day. “I didn’t have any other clothes.”

She made a sound of disgust. “You told me not to come down there,” she bitched at Grease over her shoulder. “How everything was taken care of. You couldn’t have gotten the girl something to change into?”

“Had some other shit on my mind, sugar,” he replied as he pulled off his boots.

“Men are idiots,” Callie told me quietly, shaking her head. “Come on, I’ll get you something of Rosie’s to wear. She’s at Farrah’s for the night.”