Page 79 of A Wreck, You Make Me (Bad Boys of Bardstown #3)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Of course, there are complications in the plan.

The first being I’m traveling with his family, my family.

Because it’s not as if I can go see him all by myself.

Who will take care of Snow? Even if I left Snow alone with any of the Thorne siblings, what do I tell them about where I’m going?

I never take trips. I don’t have any out-of-town friends.

I basically had no life before the Thornes swooped in and changed it.

So I dress it up as a girls’ weekend, and since all the girls—Callie, Tempest, Wyn—miss their family too, they agree.

Meaning, we need a plan to navigate this family trip. We need to be careful and not raise any suspicion.

When he comes to pick me—us—up at the airport, he has Ledger and Conrad with him.

And I’ve got Snow, Tempest and the twins; Callie, Reed—because Reed wouldn’t let her go alone with the babies—and Halo and Flora, and Wyn.

It’s a big family reunion where everyone gets to hug everyone.

Girls get to jump in their men’s arms. Babies get passed around and loved on.

And of course, Snow hugs the guys, starting with Shepard. Because he’s her favorite.

I hug people too. Namely, Ledger and Conrad.

The former is comfortable. I’ve always known him through Tempest and over the last few weeks, we’ve gotten closer.

He’s not my best buddy or anything but I’m at ease around him.

The latter is half comfortable and half awkward.

Mostly because Conrad is such an authority figure and the head of the family.

And I’m still a little intimidated by him.

I don’t think that’s ever going away; not like it’s gone away for Snow.

But the one person I do want to hug, or more like jump in the arms of because he’s the reason this trip was planned in the first place, I don’t.

I don’t even go close to him, or more like too close lest it look like something is going on between us.

Especially when there are two people here who know what I feel for him: Tempest and Snow.

They both give me a side-eye that I ignore and just say hi to him, throwing a smile.

Small and polite, nothing that suggests I want to run my fingers through his messy hair that’s way past needing a haircut, even for him.

Or rub my nose in his black t-shirt, because his t-shirts are so soft as he picks me up in his arms like I weigh nothing and takes me away.

And his response to my polite greeting is to clench his jaw, grab my and Snow’s bags and stride away.

Which reminds me how he used to be back in the days when we’d first moved into his house.

Always tense and angry. While it still hurt back then that I had to stay away from him and do the right thing, it somehow hurts more now because I’ve abandoned all pretense of being the good girl and embraced this thing between us.

Plus now I know what it feels like to be with him, so yeah, much harder.

Next comes the family dinner at a restaurant.

I pick a seat far away from him and sit beside Snow.

I try not to look at him too much, but of course, it’s hard.

So I catch glimpses of him here and there.

While everyone else is talking and laughing—couples cozying up with each other; kids having their own blast, which is basically just crying and banging on things closest to them and playing with their food—he’s the only one who’s silent and frowning.

Just like at the party all those weeks ago when he was due to leave.

“Did someone piss in your Cheerios?” Ledger asks him from across the table where he’s sitting.

Yikes. First because it’s loud enough for the whole table to hear, even though he isn’t so very far away from Shepard.

In fact, Ledger is right across from him.

And second, I knew everyone would’ve noticed his unusual behavior, but I was hoping people wouldn’t call him out on it.

Especially with a smirk and a provocative lilt to their voice.

His chest and his shoulders, his entire posture was already tight, but at Ledger’s question, they grow even tighter. His jaw pulses and he looks up. “You talking to me?”

His response makes the table quiet down a bit. Not the kids, but the adults who were still busy in their own conversations, despite Ledger’s comment. It makes Ledger smirk harder though as he replies, “You’re the only one who looks like someone pissed in their Cheerios, so yeah.”

Shepard stares at him for a beat before cocking his head to the side. “And you’re the only one who looks like he’s going to get punched, so maybe you shouldn’t.”

All the noise quiets down then as everyone watches Ledger and Shepard stare at each other.

As in, Shepard is watching Ledger with a grave stare while Ledger’s amusement has only grown.

Nerves churn in my belly as I notice Conrad going alert in his seat too, and Callie frowning angrily.

But before either of them or anyone else can really say anything, Ledger taunts, “Seriously? Violence? When the whole family is here. Kids too. Plus our two new sisters.” He tsks, his lips twitching in amusement.

“What do you think they’re going to think about us? ”

Shit.

It only makes Shepard angrier as a vein on his temple starts beating.

He leans forward and looks like he is about to stand up and make good on his promise when Callie bursts out, “Are you both serious right now? This is the first time we’ve been together as a family in weeks. Cut it out. Right now.”

To which Reed adds, “What she said.”

Ledger glances over to Reed. “Did you really need to add that? We all know you’re pu… Whipped.”

Well, good of him to censor his language in front of the kids.

Reed’s eyes flash. “Fudge yeah, I am. And you are too. You’re practically cooing in my sister’s ear, making me want to throw up in your face.”

It would be really funny, Reed censoring his language too for the sake of the kids when he and the Thorne brothers are some of the most foul-mouthed men I’ve ever met.

But it’s not. Because I’m still dreading where all of this is headed.

And if my man is going to get involved in a fist fight with his younger brother over the fact that we haven’t gotten our reunion yet.

Maybe I should text him under the table and tell him to hold on a little bit longer.

But before I can do any of these things, Conrad speaks.

“All right, we’re done with this. There is no violence at this table. And that goes for everyone.”

He stares all the men down one by one, his gaze lingering on Shepard a beat longer as he says, “Remember what we talked about that night.” Then he moves on and addresses everyone at the table.

“If any of you think you can’t sit here without breaking into a fist fight, then leave.

Now . I’m not going to repeat myself. But if you’re going to sit here, you’re going to respect the fact that there are women and children here. ”

When a few seconds pass with no movement or noise from the men at the table or the girls even—again, except the babies—everyone collectively breathes a sigh of relief. And the conversation starts to go back to normal.

Callie blows a kiss to Conrad, which makes his lips twitch before turning to Reed to berate him, or at least, that’s what it looks like.

Before Reed grabs the back of Callie’s blonde head and smacks a kiss on her mouth.

Wyn actually leans in and places a soft kiss on Conrad’s cheek and whispers something in his ear that makes him break out in a very small but soft smile.

While Tempest first glares at her brother Reed before turning to her husband and shaking her head at him, who then leans over to place his lips on her dark hair as he says something to her softly.

It makes her melt instantly. I bet he apologized.

If he’s anything like Shepard, who doesn’t know anything about issuing an apology and yet somehow is a master at it, then I don’t think Tempest can hold onto her ire.

Phew. Crisis averted.

Now the only thing we need to wait for is for this dinner to be over so we can go back to the hotel where I can finally, finally, finally be with him.

But of course, that takes ages. Everyone has different food preferences and explaining to the waiter takes hours.

Like for example, Reed won’t eat tomatoes at all.

And Tempest wants her food spicy but not too spicy.

Ledger ordered his steak rare but it came medium rare.

And then there are the kids. Halo wants to play with the spoon and wants to eat soup with her fingers.

Flora wants milk but won’t drink it because Mommy forgot her favorite pink bottle.

Dove poops her diaper so of course, Ledger and Tempest are fighting over who gets to change her.

And then War spills water on Conrad, who picks him up and smacks a big kiss on his cheek as a reward, and then gets busy playing with him and forgets about his dinner

Honestly, I love my family. I do. But I’m going to die with anticipation.

Somehow though, we’re done and it’s time to go.

Which is a struggle in itself with car seats and who is going to ride with whom.

So, after what feels like an eternity, we make it to the hotel where we’re all staying.

The team is staying here as well, which means all the men will be here too. Which means he will be here.

And now it’s only a matter of time.