“Sure.”
I take his drink, and he clutches onto the railing and lowers himself down the stairs. We trundle over to the blanket, the grass soft underfoot. When we get there, I adjust one of the LED lights away from us so that we’re not under a spotlight in full view of our families.
“This okay?” I check.
He nods. “Perfect.”
“Happy Fourth of July,” I say.
He clinks his cup against mine. “Happy Fourth of July.”
We take a few sips before Jackson asks, “Are they looking?”
It’s slightly weird that he’s the one asking since he’s got a better view of everyone than I do. As subtly as I can, I turn and sweep my gaze across the backyard and patio. “Every single one of them,” I reply. “Pip is leaning so far over the railing he looks like he’s about to topple off the patio. Admittedly, he’s stuck talking to Wagner, so sustaining an injury would probably be more fun.”
“You like giving your brother shit, don’t you?”
“About as much as your sisters like teasing you, so yeah, I do.” He rolls his eyes and takes another sip. “I’ve never asked, how did you and Pip meet?”
“He got dumped out of the trunk of a car escaping from an Eastern European mob boss.”
I grin. “Nice one.”
“I’m not joking,” he replies flatly.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. It was messed up. You wouldn’t know by looking at him, but that guy has gone through some shit. He’s the strongest person I’ve ever met.”
“And the voice is wild.”
“The voiceiswild,” he agrees. “But that’s Pip. Make assumptions about him at your own peril.”
Jackson puts his drink down, drops his head, and cradles the back of his neck.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. Just a big day. Got a bit of a headache.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“And here I was, thinking you’d jump at the chance to tell me I could shut the hell up.”
He stops swiveling his head side to side and shoots me a hopeful look. “Is it too late now?”
“Unfortunately, yes. The window has closed.”
I meet his gaze, our eyes locked on each other, and a warm glow ignites in my chest. Think I just got my first peek at Jackson’s softer side.
“How’s the sanctuary going?” he asks. “I mean, really going?”
“It’s hard. There’s a lot to do. But I’m taking it slow, getting an understanding of how things operate, not swinging my dick around for the sake of it.”
His eyes flare when I saydick, and I instantly regret not having saidbig dick. If I’m going to be dropping seeds, they may as well be honest ones.
He clears his throat. “It seems like you’re doing a good job.”
