to assure her. “You’re in good hands.”
“Of course, she is,” Summer and Kylee blurt out, and even though there are eight guys, and two male kids in this family, there isn’t enough testosterone to go up against either of those women. I laugh, thinking what it would be like if we added Haven to the mix. The three of them would be a force, that’s for sure.
I turn to go, and Summer says, “You can kiss her goodbye, Tyler. We won’t look.”
I shake my head. Summer and Kylee are as bad as Gram, always trying to marry me off. My boots scuff the floor as I cross the room, bend down and place a kiss on Haven’s mouth, and not because they told me to, but because I want to. Little Jesse makes a fist and whacks me on the head, then grabs a fistful of my hair, like he’s trying to shove me away.
“Jesus,” I say.
“No swearing around the kids,” Kylee warns.
“Right, shit, sorry.” Kylee rolls her eyes as I try to remove Jesse’s sticky fingers from my hair. “I guess he wants you all to himself.” I give Haven a wink. “Smart boy.”
A warm pink flush moves into her cheeks. My God, she looks so damn adorable it’s all I can do to keep myself from hoisting her over my shoulder and dragging her upstairs, caveman style.
I put my mouth close to her ear. “See you soon.”
The girls all go back to chatting, but I don’t need to turn around to know Haven’s eyes are on me, watching me until I’m out of her line of vision, and I like that. I like how she focuses in on me, like I’m the only one in the room.
Outside I find my cousin on his bike waiting for me and I hop on mine. It’s a nice night for a quick ride. I follow him down our long driveway, and we pass the movie set, and head toward Main Street, not so busy this time of night. Most of the vacationers are at their barbecues, or enjoying the cool ocean. We head toward the cottages and glance around. When we fail to find the kid, we stop at Winchester’s.
Officer Walker comes sauntering out of the place, and he stops before us. “Boys,” he says. “Shouldn’t you be home enjoying Sunday dinner?”
“Just finished,” I say. “Out stretching our legs.”
“Is that what you’re doing?” he asks. I nod, and he says, “This movie is bringing a lot of folks to town for a glimpse. Good for the economy. Winchester’s is busier than usual on a Sunday night.”
“Yeah, much busier than usual,” I say, and add, “Maybe we should bring in extra security too.”
Walker, the sly son of a bitch with a grudge against the Owens boys, says, “You think that’s necessary?”
I give a casual shrug of indifference. “I’m just thinking you wouldn’t want any trouble in your town, Officer.” That seems to get his attention.
“You expecting trouble, Tyler?”
“Just saying. If this goes well, other production companies might want to film here. Like you said, it’s good for the economy.”
He scrubs his chin, and before he walks away, he says, “Have you noticed anything unusual lately?”
“No, but we should all be diligent and keep our eyes open,” I say, and he stares at me for a second before walking away. I didn’t straight up tell him about the stalker, but at least I put a bug in his ear, and since he prides himself on keeping crime low in Blue Bay, he won’t want any kind of trouble.
We head inside, and at the door, all eyes turn to us as my cousin scans the establishment looking for the kid. I consider what everyone sees. Two tough-ass bikers looking for trouble. A few eyes shy away, and we head to the bar. Our buddy Beck, who owns the place, comes from the back.
“What’s up, guys? Not used to seeing you here on a Sunday night. Looking for trouble?” he asks, only half teasing.
“Just looking for a guy, about this tall, shaggy brown hair, thin, and kind of strung out.”
Beck snorts and leans toward us. “You just described half the kids who summer here with their wealthy parents. Bored, buying drugs, trying to get lucky with the local girls.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I say, and spin on my stool. I crack my knuckles, anxious to introduce my fist to whoever is harassing my girl.
My girl?
Fuck yeah, she’s my girl, and I’d love to put a call