What in the hell, talk about a one eighty. “Since when the fuck are you on the party train?”
“I was never off it. My dad may be a fuck, but he’s worth a fortune, a fortune that I’ll inherit. I’ll toe the line to make sure that happens. You’re letting her pussy blind you.”
“Get the fuck out.”
“Don’t be stupid, Brock. We come from privilege, don’t make yourself average for a babe. You’ll have the money to have a harem of pussy.”
“Why the fuck do you care what I do? My shit has got nothing to do with you.”
I didn’t miss the look, but I didn’t know what fueled it, and I didn’t give a shit. I turned back to the car. “There’s the fucking door. Use it.”
He started away from me. “Just looking out for you, man.”
Bullshit. The only person Declan looked out for was himself.
I rarely feltnervous, but I was feeling it now, as I parked in front of Cedar’s house. I hadn’t had a meal with them in years. I ran my hands down my pants, ones I found courtesy of Goodwill. I’d rather walk around naked then go home for my clothes. My button-down shirt was a little big, so were the shoes, but they’d do. I climbed from the car, reached for the bouquet…ironically purchased from Cedar’s mom’s florist. I didn’t cut corners on the flowers because the woman knew her flowers.
Walking up the path, it still amazed me that I was here again. I didn’t even reach the door before it was opened by Cedar. I stopped moving to take her in. My heart twitched right along with my cock. I hadn’t realized how long her legs were, but in the black skirt she was wearing, her legs went for miles. A baggy cream-colored sweater sat off her one shoulder, her hair was down, her feet were bare, and she was smiling. “Nice flowers.”
She was beautiful. It wasn’t until her expression softened that I realized I said that out loud.
“So are you.”
Was it bad form to kiss your girl right there in her foyer? Even if it was, I did. Walked right to her, grabbed her around the waist, pulled her to me and kissed her. It was hard, fast, but enough to settle the craving.
She looked dazed, then her fingers lifted to run along her lips.
“Keep that up and I’m kissing you again,” I warned.
She showed a bit of sass when she replied, “As if that’s a deterrent.”
Before I could make good on my threat, her mom appeared. “Brock, it’s so good to see you again.”
My focus lingered on Cedar for a few seconds, before I turned it to Sage, crossing the room to her and offering the flowers. “It’s nice to see you, too. Thanks for inviting me to dinner.”
She took the flowers, handed them to Cedar and then surprised the fuck out of me when she pulled me in for a hug. “We’ve missed you.”
It took me a second to react, the lump in my throat blocking my words, before I hugged her back. “I missed you, too.”
Sage took my hand, pulled me into the kitchen where Andrew was slicing crusty bread. He looked up, saw me and came around the counter. He didn’t offer his hand. Like Sage, he pulled me in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, son.”
It was the ‘son’ that had my eyes burning. I hugged him back. He stepped back, but kept his hands on my arms. “I hope you’re done being a stranger.”
I looked past him to Cedar. “Yes, sir. I’m not going anywhere.”
Like with Cedar, her parents and I took up where we left off. I had thought I didn’t have a family, but I had been so wrong.
Dinner at Cedar’sbecame a regular thing. Some nights, they cooked; some nights, they trusted the meal to Cedar and me. We didn’t do too badly. Days turned to weeks. It was Halloween, and I was at Cedar’s. It felt good being here again.
I hadn’t yet turned down Dax’s offer. But I’d heard through the grapevine the Iron Guardians had some legal shit they were dealing with, so my job offer was the last thing they were thinking about.
My dad hadn’t retaliated, and it was easy to think he wasn’t going to, but that was part of the game…building a false sense of security, hitting his opponent when they least expected it. I didn’t put my guard down, but the longer he drew it out, the more pissed I grew because this was all about his ego.
Cedar and her dad were setting up the last of the Halloween decorations while Sage and I got the candy ready. They didn’t fuck around. Every brand you could think of and full-size bars, none of that snack-size shit.
“You get a lot of kids?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes meeting mine. “Though, that’s only because word has gotten out over the years that we give out the big bars.”