Page 19

Carter

Normally, on the fourth, we would take the boat out, hook up with a few others, grill out, and watch the fireworks.

However, a big storm was set to blow in a matter of hours.

Harlee had the idea of gathering at someone’s house and having a cookout and doing fireworks there.

The only place that had a covered area was mine.

When she had looked at me, I winked, “It’s cool.”

I sighed as I finished picking up the last of the clothes in the living room and tossing them into the washer.

I had just walked back into the kitchen where she was cooking.

Again.

The table was already littered with food.

“Harlee Belle, the fuck are you doing now?” I asked her.

She smiled up at me, “You’ve seen how much you and your brothers put away, right?”

I looked at the food, thought about it, and nodded, “Just tell me to shut up next time, okay?”

She grinned, then got back to making a few more dishes of food.

I had offered to help, I truly did, but she had laughed in my face, “I love you, Carter Alexander Griggs, but you can’t cook for shit.”

Yeah, I still felt bad when I made her chicken last week, and the chicken wasn’t done in the middle.

I felt like total shit when she was puking.

She had banished me from ever cooking for her again, unless I took some cooking lessons.

Garrick was the first to show up with Dominik.

Alec showed up then Ethan and Melanie.

Talia walked in with Lila and Everly, heading to the kitchen to offer their help.

Darla and Peter showed up at the same time mom and dad did.

And when Misty, Darla, and Peter headed to the kitchen to help, my woman smiled at them and said, “Please don’t take this as rude, but I don’t want any of you in my kitchen.”

No one commented on the my kitchen comment.

Because, since I was hers, everything I had was hers.

Peter, Misty, and Darla all lifted their brows.

Then Harlee sighed, “Mom, Dad, y’all are in the diner seven days a week, cooking for the masses. You’re not doing it here. Misty, you’ve cooked all the meals for your family. Take a load off, please.”

Peter nodded, then looked at her, “Beer?”

She lifted her chin to the fridge.

Talia walked over to it, opened it, and grabbed a beer for Peter.

She handed it to him, and then she reached into the cooler on the counter and grabbed two wine spritzers. Then she handed them to Mom and Darla.

Mom walked over to where I was, knowing what she wanted, I bent, and offered her my cheek.

She kissed it, and then she whispered, “If you don’t make that girl my daughter, I will never forgive you.”

She hadn’t said it quietly enough because Darla and Peter had heard her.

Darla winked at me, and Peter said, “You already have our blessing.”

Well. Shit.

I looked over at Harlee, catching me looking, she lifted a brow.

I threw up my hands, “Okay, I’m going.”

Then I headed to the covered back porch where everyone was seated already.

However, before I could sit down, a knock sounded on the door.

I turned and headed for it.

Everly was set to open it, which had me lifting a brow, “No woman in my house opens the door.”

Her cheeks got pink, and then she nodded.

Opening the door, I smiled at Granger.

“Hey man, glad you could make it,” I said as I offered Granger a shake and a slap on the back.

He grinned, “Thanks for having me.”

Just then, Tatum stepped in behind him.

And at the sight of her, Harlee squealed, then rushed to her.

Granger and I shared a look and then shook our heads.

“Come on in, and I’ll introduce the two of you to everyone,” I told him, as I waited for my woman and Tatum to move, then I closed the door.

Harlee led Tatum to the kitchen, but not before she called out, “Hey, Granger.”

He chuckled, “Hey, Harls.”

I led him to the kitchen and waited for Harlee to finish introducing Tatum to the women.

Once she was done, and they laughed and hugged, I said, “Guys, this is Granger. Granger, that’s Lila, Everly, and my little sister, Talia.”

They all waved at him, and then I led him to the back porch.

Once I introduced him to everyone, he took a beer Garrick had pulled out, held it out to him, and said, “Okay, start.”

Granger took the beer, popped the cap, and then handed it to my mom, who had her hand out.

She pocketed it in the bucket I had behind her chair.

He took a pull, then asked Garrick, “Start what?”

“The stories about Carter. Know you have some.” Garrick said.

Granger looked at me, and I sighed, “Okay, well, here’s one. So, we got off the rig, headed to this little hole-in-the-wall bar there on the coast.”

I knew what story he was about to tell. Fucking hell.

“So, we get there, we’ve been there before. So anyway, the woman behind the bar always flirts with us and shit. Trying to latch onto one of us. Anyway, she hadn’t tried anything with Carter. Until that night.”

He took a pull from his beer, then he continued, “So she’s trying to flirt with him, and he’s pretending like he can’t hear her over the crowd and the music, so this woman gets mad.

I mean, her cheeks are red, her fists are clenched, and everything.

She gets up on the bar, and then at the top of her lungs, she says, I’m pregnant with that man’s baby, and he refuses to acknowledge it. ”

Ethan’s eyes were wide.

Garrick was shaking his head.

Dominik chuckled.

Alec leaned forward, grinning.

My mom and Darla weren’t paying us any attention as they were chattering away.

My dad and Peter were leaning on the railing, just listening.

“So, the moment the last word leaves her mouth, Carter drops his head and sighs. Then he says, ‘Woman, I haven’t had sex in a long fucking time. So, tell me, how in the ever-loving fuck, I knocked you up’?”

“She says, and I quote, You wanted to wait for our wedding night, but you wanted me rounded with your baby in my belly, so we used a turkey baster .”

Drinks flew out of mouths, and coughs sounded.

I shook my head, then looked at Granger, “Really? My mom is right there.”

Granger looked over his shoulder and then shrugged his shoulders, “She brought you into this world.”

My mom stopped talking long enough to wink at Granger, and then she was back talking to Darla.

Alec was laughing his ass off when Ethan asked, “What happened then?”

“We had thirty Mexicans coming at us, looking pissed. Until a woman walked in, then stormed to the bar, got right in her face, and said some rapid-fire angry Spanish words at her. I looked at Carter, he looked at me, and then we got the hell out of there.

I nodded, “Heard through the grapevine that the bartender was indeed pregnant. With her sister’s husbands, baby.”

Just then, Harlee came to the back porch, leaned down, and kissed my cheek, then she straightened and said, “Food is ready.”

And my little brother, the shit head, stood up first and raced by me; however, I stood up, and grabbed the back of his shirt collar, jerking him back.

Then I said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “My house. My rules. My woman cooked, she fixes her plate first. Then the rest of the women. Then us.”

Alec whipped his head around. “Seriously?”

I nodded, “Deadly.”

“Going to have us doing the dishes too?” Granger asked.

I nodded, “Yep.”

“Raised him right,” Misty said with a smile.

As soon as we entered the kitchen, my woman was standing to the side, with Lila, Everly, and Tatum.

Harlee was telling her who everyone was.

And she pointed at Garrick... I watched my brother Garrick and saw something I’ve never seen in his eyes.

Interest.

Well. Shit.

I jerked my chin at Harlee and got her attention, then I said, “Fix your plate first, baby. Then the rest of the women.”

She lifted a brow, “Why?”

“First, you cooked. Second, learned a long time ago, a man who doesn’t make sure his woman has all she needs, then he isn’t a man worthy of her smile. Third, don’t even think about doing the dishes.”

Her cheeks flushed, then she nodded and moved to make her plate.

Lila sighed as she moved in behind my woman, “Harlee, clone him.”

Everly giggled as she followed Lila, “Ditto.”

Tatum chuckled and then followed Lila.

Talia gagged, “I have enough brothers, I don’t need any more.”

Mom walked past me, wrapped an arm around my waist, squeezed, and then she too went to make her plate.

Darla had hers made, and then she looked up at me and mouthed, “Thank you.”

As soon as their plates were made, the rest of us moved to the food.

Dominik clapped me on the back, “If I ever find a woman, remind me to never let her around you.”

I lifted a brow, “Why is that?”

He shook his head, “Because you're going to make me look bad as fuck.”

Garrick chuckled, “What he said.”

Ethan nodded, “I’m with them.”

Alec nodded.

Peter slapped me on the back.

Dad looked at me and winked, “Proud of you, Carter. So damn proud.”

Granger sighed, “And I’m fucked.”

Every eye came to him as he took a bite of the potato salad she had made, and he moaned.

“Gonna have to hunt to find a woman like Harlee. You lucky bastard.”

I laughed.

Drinks in hand, we headed out to the back porch, and I was grateful my parents had dropped off chairs earlier in the week.

Once her food was rightfully demolished, yes, my woman had been right.

Seconds and thirds were filled to the brim.

Once I had the dishwasher loaded, Ethan stepped up and started washing the dishes. Alec was drying them as Granger put them where they went.

Dominik was cleaning the table and counters.

Garrick was sweeping.

We could all hear the women laughing.

My dad was sitting on a bar stool and sighed, “Good people. Good food. Nothing like it.”

Peter, who was sitting beside him, nodded.

***

We were on the back porch, not even twenty minutes later, when Granger asked, “Still cool with you?”

He was referring to when he asked if Tatum could hang out here with the girls while he and I headed to work in a few days.

I looked at where my woman was sitting with Talia, Lila, Everly, and Tatum, and saw it, she indeed fit right in. Then I nodded, “Totally.”