Ready For It (MacAteer Brothers #2) - M.L. Nystrom Page 0,26
managed not to sink her spiky heels into the dirt.
“Put your eyes back in your head, boy-o. Bev may not take kindly to you staring at her best friend’s ass.”
Owen broke his gaze away from the retreating back. “Not staring. Worried.”
Connor sighed as he moved to unhook the camper from the truck and finish the set up. “I think we’re all worried for her. She’s a strong, smart lady, but her life is about to change. Big time.”
Owen’s triceps burned as he cranked down the camper’s ground braces. “You got your kids all at once. No babies.”
Connor pulled the cotter pin and unlocked the connecting ball joint. “No babies of my own, but I raised our sister, Eva, and those two hooligans, Patrick and Angus. Biology doesn’t make you a parent.”
Owen grunted a response but didn’t say anything. Connor’s assertion about parenting was spot-on, as he had spent his life taking care of his family and had now stepped into taking care of another one. The kids still spent time with their bio dad, but the visits were getting more and more rare.
Melanie’s bio baby daddy, Peter, had taken himself out of the picture, and Melanie hadn’t brought up his name since the night she came to the house and got sick. If he hadn’t had overheard that name, he wouldn’t have known it. He couldn’t wrap his brain around how anyone would consider abandoning their child, but that’s exactly what this Peter person had done.
Connor had pulled the thick power cord from the camper’s side when a flurry of noise came from the house. Mattie, followed by Jacob and Muttface, ran into the backyard.
“Tag!”
“No, you tag!”
“I was here first.”
“Nuh-unh, I was.”
“Yuh-huh, me.”
“No, me!”
“Connor!”
Muttface ran around in circles, barking his head off, while Connor laughed. “I don’t think it matters who’s first in tag. Just the one that’s it.”
This set off another word barrage.
“You’re it!”
“No, you’re it.”
“No, you!”
“You!”
Connor reached down to scratch the ears of the excited dog. “You’re both wrong.”
The boys stopped their arguing and looked at Connor in question. Owen guessed what came next.
“The truth of the matter, boys…” Connor spoke quietly, making the two kids approach closer to hear. “The truth of the matter is…”
They came within arm’s reach.
“What I mean to say is… I’M IT! Aha!”
Mattie squealed in delight as Connor grabbed him and tossed him over one shoulder. He still managed to catch Jacob under his arm in a football hold. There weren’t too many more years Connor would be able to do that, as the older boy was growing into a lanky, tall man-child. “Oy, Owen! Go get the bin. Need to clean up the yard.”
Mattie laughed and squirmed. “Nooo! Don’t throw me away! I’ll fart on you!”
“Then I’ll definitely put you in the bin.”
Owen watched them play. His heart swelled with happiness for his older brother. After a lifetime of hard work and sacrificing for his family, he had something special in Beverly and the kids.
“Arby’s had their five for five sale today. Guess what Mom brought home for lunch?” Sarah made the announcement from the back deck. Owen looked up to see Melanie had returned and had her eyes on the antics. The black smudges were gone, but she swiped at her eyes. Owen wondered what she thought while she gazed at the play between stepfather and sons.
“Oy, last one in is a rotten egg!” Jacob yelled as he made a dash for the steps. Owen chuckled at the speech pattern the boy had picked up from Connor. Mattie scrambled behind with Muttface nearly tripping him.
“Wash up first and don’t hog all the horsey sauce!” Connor clapped Owen on the shoulder. “Ah, it’s a good life, boy-o. We’ll finish the job in a bit. I need to go help my lovely wife get groceries in and put away.”
Both men climbed the steps, and Connor disappeared inside. Melanie swiped her eyes again and shifted them to meet Owen’s.
“You good?”
She smiled a watery smile and brushed at his shirt as if knocking off a piece of dirt. “Yeah, O-man. I’m always good when I’m here.”
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, she was beautiful! Owen focused on her parted lips and had the urge to taste them. Would they be as sweet as he imagined?
A conversation between Abby and Beverly drifted from the open back door.
“Arby’s fries their potato cakes in pure organic vegetable oil and no animal fats, right?”