I don’t think I have much of a choice if I want to eat.”
“Then it’s decided. You’ll come.”
“Hopefully soon.” She sighs, resting her head against my shoulder.
Groaning, I shake my head, wishing I could roll her over and have my way with her. But I’m not sure my dick will work in this cold. “You’re killing me.”
Every Sunday, the kids and I have supper with my dad, Lara Lynn, Morgan, and Carly. It’s kinda been a tradition since the kids were little. What I’m not expecting is Carly to be there.
“Wait, that’s his wife?” Kacy asks after they’re introduced, and we’re rummaging through my dad’s liquor cabinet. I can hear the kids’ laughter in the other room and my dad’s gruff chuckle that follows.
“Yep.”
“I thought they were getting a divorce?” She stares at them in the family room, looking every bit as uncomfortable as two people do at the end of a marriage.
“They are… I think.”
“Weird.”
“Not really.” I pour us each a glass of whiskey.
Kacy takes the glass in her hands, holding it near her lips. “Does Morgan have kids?”
“Nope.” Twisting the cap back on the whiskey, I place it back in the cabinet. “Ripped his nut sac on a bull.”
“What? Really?”
“Yep. Can’t father children.”
Her eyes widen. “Holy crap.”
“That’s what you get for trying to ride a bull buck-ass naked.”
She grins. “I think I like your brother.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You better like me better.”
“Why’s that?”
I wink. “Because you’re sleeping… on my couch.”
“True. Good point.” She sniffs the air, eyes lighting up. “What’s the smell? Is that what’s for dinner? It smells amazing. Way better than my apartment used to smell. I’ll probably never eat Indian food again.”
I chuckle at her word vomit. “It’s the cow we slaughtered last summer.”
Her bottom lips jets out. “Don’t tell me that. I made friends with Jelly Bean in the barn yesterday, and if he gets slaughtered, I’m going to be disappointed in all cowboys.”
I laugh. “Jelly Bean is a bull.”
“What’s that have to do with anything?”
“We don’t slaughter bulls or heifers. Only steers.”
Her eyes widen. “You lost me again.”
There’s a small sense of pride swelling in my chest that she cares enough to ask questions about all this. “A steer is a castrated male, and a heifer is a female cow that hasn’t been bred.”
“And what’s a bull?”
I watch her face, her eyes, that undeniable spark between us growing stronger. I want to reach out and trace my hand down that heart-shaped face of hers and bring her lips to mine. “A male cow that hasn’t had his nuts chopped.”
And she bursts out laughing in my face.
Morgan comes into the den where we’re at and smiles at Kacy. “Ma’am,” he greets her, tipping his hat.
“You guys and your ma’am’s,” she grumbles, walking away with her drink in hand.
Chuckling to myself, he watches her leave. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No.”
“What are you doing?” he asks, smiling like he knows what’s up.
“Fuck if I know.”
He checks her out when she bends over to pick Sev up. I swear every time I look at her she’s carrying Sev around, and my little crazy is loving it. “She’s hot.”
I don’t think before I grab a handful of his jacket and drag him forward until we’re nose to nose. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll never look at her again.”
He searches my eyes, glaring. “Okay, okay. She’s taken.”
“You got your own problems.” I let go of him and push him into the wall. Relaxing, I gesture to Carly talking with Lara Lynn. “I thought she left you.”
He groans, rolling his eyes. “She knows about Lil.”
“So?”
“I have no fucking clue. I don’t know what’s going on.” He sets down his beer and starts rummaging through the cabinet. “I need something stronger than this shit.”
“Not tequila.”
He grins and takes the bottle from dad’s liquor cabinet. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Shit.
Inside the den, I find Camdyn, Lara Lynn, and Kacy, who is still holding Sev in her arms. My dad is showing her his vast collection of animal heads plastered to the walls.
Kacy touches her fingers to the bear standing upright in the corner as Sev wiggles free from her arms and takes off with Camdyn to play with the goats. “Did you kill this too?”
Dad smiles, and I see a little bit of Sev in him. “No, but my brother did right before it killed him.”
Kacy’s eyes widen. “Seriously?”
Lara Lynn laughs, unable to keep up with the lie. “No, sweetheart. It didn’t kill him. But he does live