Mitchell pointed to me. “You keep your mouth shut.”
I lifted my hands. “Hey, I get staying warm. They did the same thing to me when I walked in.”
Cord laughed. “Jonathon here is wearing some fancy leggings.”
I groaned. “They are not leggings! They’re long underwear.”
“They look like something a girl would wear to yoga class.”
Tripp jumped into the conversation. “Hey, wait. I’ve been going to yoga with Mallory, and it’s not all that bad.”
“How are things going with you and Mallory?” Cord asked.
With a smile, Tripp replied, “Pretty good. We hang out every now and then. Nothing serious, but I do like her. The sex is hot as hell.”
“Have you talked to Harley?” Mitchell asked. “I saw Doc Harris, and he said she was supposed to take over mid-January, but her move from Dallas got delayed and she only started a couple weeks ago.”
Tripp shrugged. “Yeah, I guess she’s moved back for good.”
“Alone?” Cord asked.
“From what I hear,” Tripp answered. “Karen has been trying to get all the gossip from Harley’s folks, and I have to keep telling her to mind her own business.”
Mitchell sat down next to me and turned to Tripp. “You’re not the least bit interested to know what happened with the dickhead she left you for?”
“I can always count on you to remind me of that fact.”
“Hey, I’m just asking and stating the obvious.”
Tripp rolled his eyes then let out a sigh. “I overheard Karen say that Harley had dated some guy named Al for a couple of years. Moved to Dallas with him and as far as she could find out, they broke up a few years back.”
“Al? What in the fuck kind of name is Al?” Cord asked with a chuckle.
“Hey, I have an Al who works for me. He’s a nice guy.”
Cord turned my way. “And how old is he?”
“Um…well…he’s around fifty-five.”
“There ya have it. Al is an old man’s name.”
Mitchell, Cord, and I all looked at each other. “How does it make you feel to have her back in town for good?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what she expects or why she is so insistent on us talking.”
“Maybe she wants to say she’s sorry, or she wants to date again.”
Tripp lost it laughing as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was a scared shitless laugh. What if she did want to try again? Would Tripp open up his heart like that again?
“You know what pisses me off? I finally meet a girl I like and connect with after all these years, and Harley walks back into town like she never left.”
“Does Mallory know about Harley?” Mitchell asked.
“I told her all about her. I figured I at least owed it to her to be honest. I’m not sure I’m ready to settle down with anyone. And with Mallory having a little girl, we want to be careful with how much I’m around and that sort of thing. We went out to dinner right after Christmas and ran into Harley and her folks. It was awkward to say the least, and Mallory picked up on the history almost instantly.”
Mitchell nodded his head. “Women are good about that kind of shit. It’s some sort of internal radar.”
I agreed. “Yep.”
Tripp slapped me on the side of the arm. “Enough of me. We’re here to talk about Jonathon fucking Turner. The man who is going marry our big sister. Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle a Parker woman, Turner?”
It was my turn to rub the back of my neck in a nervous manner. “Hell, I think so. I have a feeling she’ll keep me on my toes.”
They all chuckled. “Ask Wade. I’m sure he can fill your head with all kinds of tales.”
Cord’s eyes met mine and his smile faded. “Seriously, though, thank you for being so patient with Waylynn and not leaving her side. I know it has to be hard for you. I know how much you were looking forward to having kids.”
My chest tightened slightly. “We’ll have kids, not in the traditional way, but I know we will.”
“Adoption?” Mitchell asked.
“That’s one option,” I answered.
Tripp sat down on a barstool. “Is there another option?”
“One I’m not too keen on at all, but Waylynn brought it up. I guess women donate their eggs and Waylynn suggested we use my juice to fertilize it.”
All three of them frowned. “Would you consider that?” Cord questioned.
“No. Donated egg or not, it’s not Waylynn’s. It would be like having a baby with another woman. I’m not interested in that.”
“But it would be your biological baby and a part of you,” Tripp added.
Shaking my head, I blew out a breath. “I don’t think I could do that.”
“I get you, I really do, but if Waylynn brought it up, it might be something she’s interested in, so I wouldn’t push it to the side altogether. I suggest y’all have some long conversations about it,” Tripp advised.
Cord cleared his throat. “I’m with Jonathon. I think you try adoption first, and if that doesn’t work out then you go with the other option.”
“Who would carry the baby if you had a donor egg?” Mitchell asked.
With a half shrug, I replied, “I’m not sure. Waylynn mentioned it. I told her it wasn’t an option right now, and we dropped the subject. Everything is still pretty raw, and at this point I just want to marry her and be her husband.”
They all nodded. “That’s understandable…and the reason we’re here.”
I chuckled. “I don’t need a bachelor party.”
“Dude! Yes, you do! It’s an excuse to shut the bar down for a private event and have strippers!”
“What?” Mitchell and I said at the same time.
“Hell no to that!” Mitchell added.
Cord groaned. “Come on, Mitchell. Just because you’re married with a kid on the way doesn’t mean we all have to suffer.”
“I’m not down for the strippers either,” Tripp said. “I’m pretty sure that’s all you and Trevor.”
Rolling his eyes, Cord went into full-on pout mode. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You too?”
“Cord, I’m about to announce that I’m running for mayor, and you want me to get freaky with a bunch of strippers? Hell, no. It’s not happening.”
“Buzz kills. All of you.”
“Why don’t we just do something out at the ranch?” I asked. “A combined party for both me and Waylynn. Invite some friends, have some drinks, and just chill.”
Cord stared like I’d lost my damn mind. “Where in the hell did my best friend go? All I see is a damn seventy-year-old man standing here. Should we play bingo? Maybe set up a shuffleboard court on the back forty? Should I start calling you Al?”
“Dude, I actually won a hundred bucks at bingo the other night,” Mitchell announced.
Stumbling and clutching his chest, Cord gasped. “Da fuck did you just say? You went to bingo? With whom?”
“Paxton, Amelia, Corina, and Wade. It was fun. Steed was pissed he couldn’t make it, but Mom and Dad couldn’t watch the kids.”
Cord spun around and went behind the bar. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured a few shots. “Drink that.”
Mitchell drew his head back in question. “Why?”
“So I know you’ve not turned into a pussy. Hopefully that shit is strong enough to make your balls drop back into place.” Then he pointed to me.
“You, Handy Smurf, if you tell me you’ve been to bingo I will take your damn Man Card and make Dustin my new best friend.”
Facing Tripp, I asked, “Did he just call me Handy Smurf?”
He laughed and nodded his head.
“Why the hell did you call me Handy Smurf?”
“How come I can’t be Handy Smurf? Why does Jonathon get to be him?” Mitchell asked.
“You’re Tracker Smurf. The whole cop thing,” Tripp stated.
“Yes!” Mitchell said, pointing
to Tripp. “That makes sense. Dude, you’re Brainy Smurf, all the way.”
“Hell yeah, I am. Wait…was there a Mayor Smurf?”
“Papa Smurf, but that’s Dad for sure.”
My gaze bounced between all three of them. Cord seemed stunned as Mitchell and Tripp got excited about their Smurf names. I had seriously just fallen into the Twilight Zone.
Shaking my head, I headed to the door, but not before grabbing my jacket, hat, and gloves. I glanced back over my shoulder to find Cord drinking out of the whiskey bottle while Tripp and Mitchell argued about which Smurf Cord might be.
I jammed my hat on my head, mumbling, “What in the hell kind of family am I marrying into?”
* * *
“How do I look?”
Lifting my gaze from the paperwork I was doing at the kitchen bar, I nearly fell off the stool. Waylynn stood before me in a long skirt, cowboy boots, and a baby-blue shirt that showed a little more cleavage than I usually liked. But damn, did she look hot as hell.
“Holy shit. You look amazing.”
Waylynn grinned and lifted the sides of her skirt. “I know how you like easy access.”
I wiggled my brows. “That I do. I’m sure we can sneak off for a little one on one later.”
Her teeth sank into her lip. “I would like that.”
I placed my hands on her hips and drew her to me. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. I think the meds are starting to work. Hopefully I won’t have any issues.”
“Do you like the patch better?”
She nodded. “I like it a lot. It seems to be keeping my hormones in balance now so no chance of me going bat ass crazy on you.”
I kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank God.”
Hitting me on the chest, Waylynn wrapped her arms around my neck. “You’re sure about this?”
“Yep. Are you?”
“I have never been more sure. My poor mother. She’s probably wondering where she went wrong with her children and why one of them can’t just have a normal wedding.”
“Well, there are still three left.”
“Ha! I think her only hope is Tripp. He’ll have a huge wedding just because he’ll probably be mayor when he gets married.”
I chuckled. “Probably. Hey, have you met Meabh yet?”
“May?”
“Maebh. It’s like May with a V sound on the end.”
“Who is that?”
“She’s opening the new restaurant a few doors down from Cord. She contacted me about remodeling the place. I guess her contractor hasn’t been by in over two months.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I feel bad for her. The asshole totally ripped her off. She was in Tripp’s office earlier today to see if he would take the case. She’s not sure about her legal rights. She’s only been in America for a year. Her mother was from Leaky, Texas. She and her father came over from Ireland to bury her in her hometown, and Maebh loved it here. Said she felt closer to her mother.”
“Wow. She’s from Ireland, so how can she be opening up a place? Aren’t there rules or something for that?”
“She was born here in America and kept her American citizenship, but she’s lived in Cork her whole life.”
“What does Cord think about Meabh? I’m assuming he met her at the council meeting.”
I chuckled. “From what Tripp said, Cord couldn’t keep his eyes off her the entire time and couldn’t understand her accent. He spent the whole time asking Tripp what she had said and missed half of everything. Tripp keeps playing it off like it’s a bar. A chick running a bar.”
Waylynn rolled her eyes. “I swear, my brothers live for tormenting each other. I’m surprised you haven’t caved and told poor Cord.”
“Nope. He thinks it’s her father who’s running the show.”
“You’re not a very good best friend for not telling him.”
“Oh, Tripp, Trevor, and I have a plan on when Cord will find out.”
She lifted a brow. “Do I want to know?”
“Probably not.”
“Just don’t do anything before we get married. I want you to be able to stand to say the vows and not be sitting in a wheelchair because my brother broke both your legs.”
My head dropped back as I let out a round of laughter. “Man, oh man, I do love screwing with Cord.”
She hit me on the chest. “Are you finished working? Can we leave now?”
“Are you excited about our combined bachelor and bachelorette parties?”
“If it means no strippers grinding on your cock, yes.”
“Damn, girl, you have a foul mouth.”
She winked. “And you like it. Now, let’s go, I’m sure everyone is waiting on us.”
Waylynn grabbed her purse and coat as I put on my cowboy hat and grabbed a sweatshirt. It had warmed up, but it was still chilly out. The way Waylynn’s gaze moved over my body, it was clear the last place she wanted to go was this party.
“You like what you see, baby?”
Pulling her lip between her teeth, she nodded. “Mmm…hmm. Maybe we could be a little late for this party.”
My dick jumped in my pants, and I was about to agree when someone banged on the front door.
“Are you sure you want to live here on my folks’ ranch? I’m thinking your place sounds better and better.”
I chuckled as we made our way to the front door. The doorbell started ringing, followed by more pounding.
“Holy shit! Hold onto your panties!”
Throwing open the door, Amelia stood there panting like she had just run a marathon.
“Okay, we’re not that late, Amelia.”
She held up her hand and took in a deep breath. “Something has happened. Something…that could…change your life!”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Waylynn
Amelia always was overly dramatic. Pushing past her, I turned and locked the door after Jonathon walked out.
“Mmm, let’s see. Change our lives, huh? Did Mom forget to order the food?”
“Hardly!” Amelia gasped.
“Exactly why are you gasping?”
“Got a flat…down the drive…ran up here.”
I gazed down the long drive that went from my house to the main road that went around the entire ranch.
“How in the hell did you get a flat? And why didn’t you just call me?”
She bent over, her hands on her knees. “Patches. Ate. Phone.”
“Great, the goat’s eating phones now.” Spinning on my heels, I pointed to Jonathon. “He’s not invited to the wedding. I’m saying that right now and don’t you let Chloe bat her little eyes at you, Jonathon Turner!”
Jonathon nodded but kept looking back at Amelia. “Amelia, are you okay?”
She stood up and waved her hand in the air. “I think I might actually…have exercise…induced asthma or…something.”
“For Christ’s sake, Meli, you didn’t even run a quarter of a mile. Come on, you can drive back with us.”
“No, wait!”
“No can do, little sister,” I said, walking around to the passenger side of Jonathon’s truck. “We’re late, so whatever life-changing thing you want to tell us, you’ll have to do it on the way.”
“Wait! We need to act now!”
I scoffed. “You know what this means, don’t you?” I said to Jonathon as we both got into the truck. “The boys did something. Probably rigged up something to come down and hit you in the face.”
“What!”
“No! That’s not it!” Amelia dragged in a deep breath as she climbed into the backseat. “I need water!”
Looking around, I picked up a bottle off the floor of the truck. “Is this yours, Jonathon?”
Amelia grabbed it. She downed it while I stared at her with a disgusted look on my face. “That is just gross. You have no idea whose lips have been on that.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s mine,” Jonathon stated.
“It’s still gross,”
I replied.
“There’s a baby!”
Jonathon and I both turned to face Amelia. My heart started to beat harder as I forced the next words out. I had no idea what my sister was talking about, but that word caused a strange flame of hope in my chest.
“What do you mean there’s a baby?” I asked.
Amelia took a few deep breaths and then she launched into it.
“Wanda and Mick called. They were contacted by a friend of theirs. He is trying to set up a private adoption and asked if they knew anyone who would be willing to adopt the baby, as well as pay for the delivery. The girl is only twenty, and she is not going to be able to provide for the baby. The father has given up all rights and wants nothing to do with her or the baby.”
I sucked in a breath. “That poor thing.”
“She didn’t want to go through an adoption agency because she’s due in the next few weeks. She thought she would be able to manage the money, but when she got the call from the hospital and they told her how much the delivery was, she knew it was beyond her means.”
Jonathon closed his eyes before looking at me and then Amelia. “So, you mean this poor girl is giving up her child because she can’t afford to pay for the delivery?”
“Among other things. She’s trying to get through college and she has no support at home. Her parents aren’t in the picture. She loves the baby and feels like in order to give her a better chance at life, she needs to let her go.”
I covered my mouth, tears pooling. I blinked several times to keep them at bay.
“It’s a girl?” Jonathon asked.
“Oh, she doesn’t know. She calls the baby ‘she’ but she hasn’t found out the sex yet.”
Spinning around, I pushed the door to the truck open and got out. I started to pace, and before I knew it, Jonathon was standing in front of me, gripping my arms.
“Talk to me, baby.”
Lifting my head, I captured his gaze with mine.
Amelia went on. “I know this is soon after everything happened, but Wanda said when their friend called, she told him she thought she knew a couple who might be interested. Strings will have to be pulled to get the adoption to go through fast, but Mick said they could make it work.”
“Waylynn, please. Say something.”