“I think we’d be stupid not to merge with you boys,” Uncle Asher says, and I take a breath.
“I’m thinking the same thing,” Uncle Cash agrees, sitting next to me and patting my shoulder. “Fuck, I wish we thought about going high-end a few years ago.”
“I gotta agree,” Uncle Trevor inserts, lifting his beer in our direction.
“All right, let’s do this. We’ll back you and make sure you have whatever you need, and tomorrow, we’ll come by the house so we’ll know who we need to call in,” Uncle Asher says, looking between Bax and me.
A weight I didn’t even know I was carrying lifts from my shoulders, and I look at my brother, knowing all the shit we’ve done, all the jobs we’ve had, have led us here. “We’ll make you guys proud.” I glance around the table.
“You already have,” Uncle Asher states firmly. “It says a lot about a man who’s willing to ask for help when he needs it. I’m proud of you boys.”
I swallow hard and tip my beer toward him before taking a swig. Knowing we have the men around us at our backs brings me relief, but we still have a few more hurdles to get over before I’ll be able to breathe easy.
“Isn’t that the girl from the hospital?” Bax nudges my shoulder, and I follow his gaze across the room to a table where Mia is sitting with three girls surrounding her. She told me earlier that she was taking her nieces out to eat. I didn’t even think to ask her where.
“It is.” Like she feels my gaze on her, she lifts her head, and her eyes flare in recognition, then she tips her head to the side, smiles, and lifts her hand, wiggling her fingers. Fuck, every time I look at her, it feels like I’ve been sucker punched. And when she’s cute and a little dorky, it only makes me want her even more. I don’t wave back; instead, I push my chair away from the table and stand. “I’ll be back.”
“Who’s that?” Uncle Trevor asks. I turn toward him, and before I can answer, his lips tip up into a grin. “Well shit.”
“Well shit what?” Bax asks, confusion apparent in his tone.
“I’ll explain it to you,” Uncle Cash says.
“All I’m gonna say is… Boom.” Uncle Asher laughs.
I shake my head at them and leave the table, carrying my beer with me across the restaurant. When I reach the table Mia is seated at, she smiles up at me while Ruby gets up on the cushion and shouts, “Talon!”
“Hey, kid.” I hold out my fist, and she bumps hers against mine, and then I look at her aunt. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She looks at the girls sitting on her left. “Kate.” She squeezes the girl closest to her. “Lola, this is my friend Talon.”
“Hi,” they say in unison, and although the two girls look a lot alike, you can still tell them apart by the beauty mark on Kate’s cheek and the dimple in Lola’s.
“Nice to meet you both.” I pull out a chair and take a seat.
“Funny seeing you here,” Mia says softly as the girls go back to playing on the iPads in front of them, and Ruby jumps from chair to chair around the large table until she’s standing on the one next to mine.
“I got a new game,” she tells me, plopping her device down on the table at my side and putting her knees on the cushion. “Do you want to watch me play?”
“Sure,” I reply, and she grins then ducks her head and goes back to playing.
Once she forgets I’m supposed to be watching, I look at her aunt. Jesus, how long will it be until I get used to looking at her? “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Cece works here.” She lifts her chin, motioning in the direction of the bar, and I turn to look over my shoulder and see Cece chatting with a customer. “The girls and I were in the mood for burgers, so we decided to come here.”
“The best burgers in town.” I smile, and she nods. “Winston is close with my family. When he moved to town, my uncles built his house, and they’ve been tight ever since.”
“I worked here while the dealership was shut down and got to know him a little. He seems like a good guy.”
“He is.” Fuck, I hate that I can’t touch her right now.
“So who’s the table of men eyeing us from across the room?” she asks, a blush creeping up her cheeks, probably because they’re all watching our interaction.
“My uncles and my brother. You probably remember seeing Bax with me the night you were at the hospital.”
“I do.” She bites the inside of her cheek, something she seems to do when she’s nervous. “Your food just got to your table.”