“Do you think he’s going to like us, Daddy?”Lovelyn asks as we wait for Gavel on the porch.
“He already loves you, sugar pop.”
She peers at me with wide eyes filled with wonder.“Really?”
“Your grandpop is the best man there is,” I tell them.
“What about Mom’s grandpa?Mom said his name was Darragh, but you all called him Mad Dog,” Legend asks.
“Another great guy.You can ask your grandpop about him.He loved him more than anyone on this planet.”
“Like you love Mom?”
“Yep.Just like I love your mama.”
Legend and Lovelyn smile.“That’s pretty cool,” my boy says.
“It is.It’d probably make your grandpop happy if you asked about Mad Dog, actually.He doesn’t talk about him much, but he loves to.”
“Do you miss Mad Dog, Mama?”Lovelyn asks Birdie.
“Absolutely, I do.And you know what?He’d have loved you all so much.I bet he’s watching over you all the time.”
“Like our angel?”
I let Birdie handle this question because I love my kids and I won’t lie to them.That shit isn’t my foray.Not anymore.I stopped believing in all that shit a long time ago.
Birdie rubs my tense back as she addresses Lovelyn, and I melt into her touch.Even without knowing why, she still fuckingknows.
We stand around outside waiting for Gavel.The twins bounce in front of us, unable to contain their excitement at meeting their grandfather officially for the first time.
Gavel shuts off his engine and climbs from his bike as Lovelyn looks up at me.“Can we go now, Daddy?”
I chuckle and nudge them forward.“Go ahead.”
The smile on Gavel’s face is something I haven’t seen since we lost Mad Dog.
“Grandpop,” Lovelyn yells, running straight for him.
His gruff laugh as he squats to catch her warms my heart right the fuck up.
“Hey there, Pippin,” he greets, wrapping her tightly.
Legend is a bit more cautious as he approaches, but his body vibrates with eagerness, all the same.
“Come here, Scout,” Gavel says gruffly, holding him arm out.
They speak in low tones, their conversation secure to only them.Lovelyn brushes her fingers over his beard, nodding as he talks.As they stand to face us, I can see how much it was needed for all three of them.
Gavel and I bundle Birdie and the twins into the SUV I bought not long after they returned to Coral Cay, then he climbs back onto his bike.The twins jabber away in the backseat as we drive through town, the excitement bright in their eyes as they observe everything.We do a bit of shopping where Gavel and I spoil the absolute fuck out of all three of them before the kids mention they’re hungry.We head to Nauti Nibbles since it’s one of the best places in town.
Marigold smiles at us, grabs some menus, and leads us to a booth.
She came to town about two years ago, running from a troubled past.Me, Tomcat, and a few other brothers were having breakfast when she came strutting in with her head held high.Since we were down a few servers thanks to Tomcat not keeping his dick in his fucking pants, we hired her after Cypher cleared her.Marigold is one of the best fucking servers this place has ever seen.So good that we promoted her to manager six months after she started.
The customers love the shit out of her.Hell, I think half my brothers do as well, which seems to irritate the hell out of Tomcat.According to him, they’re only friends and that won’t ever change.
I’m calling bullshit on that one.On his side, anyway.Marigold definitely has him friend-zoned, which is funny as hell.
