Page 17 of The Sunny Side (Rojo 2nd Generation: Rojo Police Department #3)

Suddenly, Dixie Dean, Jonas and Lawson’s sister, whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention and started to explain why she’d asked us all here for dinner.

I’d taken part in dinners like this before - where she and a few others who owned businesses around town used us as test subjects for new recipes they wanted feedback on, so I tuned her out as I processed what I’d just learned.

Apparently, the beautiful young woman I’d been so enamored with and worried about had turned into a great lady after all. I felt kind of bad about the animosity I’d felt even as I had Orson cyberstalk her and give me updates about her over the years.

Now that I knew everything was a big misunderstanding and I didn’t have possible legal trouble hanging over my head, I was excited to talk to her. Maybe then I could finally stop dreaming about her.

I guess we’d have to see.

◆◆◆

I leaned back in my chair and wondered why I had agreed to come to Spokes tonight. I knew none of my friends would stay long since they all had work tomorrow, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hang.

I had never enjoyed going to bars, although I always had fun anytime I went out with my friends. But after a while, everything seemed to get on my nerves. There were too many people, all of them yelling to be heard over the thunderous music, and the dim lighting made it hard to see.

I preferred to be outdoors and always had. I attributed that to my parents but especially to my dad. He loved the outdoors, especially our canyon. I’d spent thousands of hours exploring with him and appreciating the peace and quiet of nature. My dad wasn’t much of a talker and never had been.

Some of my funniest memories included my mom having one-sided conversations with my dad and then mimicking him and coming up with outrageous replies, knowing that every time she did, he’d smile and pull her into his arms. The love they shared had served as an amazing example for me and my siblings, and I knew that unless I found a connection like they had, I’d end up a bachelor for the rest of my life.

And it wasn’t just my parents’ relationship that we looked to as an ideal.

Everyone in our chosen family knew how to love and weren’t afraid to show it, whether to their spouses, children, grandchildren, or extended family.

As if those relationships weren’t enough of an example, the love our grandfathers shared with each other just added to the mix.

Even though neither of them were related to her by blood, they had loved my mother long before my father came into her life. When her biological parents were killed, her father’s best friend, Richard, raised her with the help of his mom, our Mawmaw, and his longtime boyfriend, Desmond.

Their relationship was just as fun as the grandpa nicknames our mom had given them when I was born when she referenced the dynamics of their lengthy relationship.

She said that Richard had always been bossy, but Desmond was the brains of the operation.

Therefore, her kids would call them Bossy and Brains.

As usual, everyone knew better than to argue with my mom when she got her mind set on something, so that’s what we’d been calling them since we learned to talk.

When Bossy and Brains were finally allowed to legally marry, my mom gave them the spectacular wedding they deserved.

And because all of our family was rather unhinged and she knew our grandfathers would appreciate the humor in it, we surprised them when my brother and I appeared as their ring bearers and our sisters stepped in as their flower girls.

Scout and I danced our way down the aisle, passing out beers, while our sisters twirled around in their poofy dresses and patent leather shoes, tossing flower petals in the air like fairy dust while everyone laughed.

What made the entire scenario even funnier was that the twins, Lotus and Scout, were seventeen, Posie was nineteen, and I was twenty.

Bossy and Brains were laughing so hard by the time we made it to the dais where they were standing with Grunt, a man who had been their friend since the moment our father introduced them, that they laughed through their vows.

Once the ceremony was done, they raised their joined hands in triumph for making it this far through this crazy life with each other and then walked down the aisle toward their future together.

I still smiled at the memory of that day and made a mental note to drop by soon since I hadn’t seen them in a few weeks.

“What are you smiling about?” my friend Tad asked as she sat down in the chair beside me.

“I was remembering Bossy and Brain’s wedding and how much fun we had surprising them that day.”

“That was highly entertaining,” Tad said cheerfully. “I just love them!”

“Before that, I was wondering if anyone would notice if I disappeared and went home.”

“We’d all notice, Little Bear, but we’ve come to expect it. As a matter of fact, I’m surprised you’re still here!”

“I won’t be for long. I need to let Max out to run for a while before we go to bed, and I’ve gotta take him to the vet bright and early tomorrow before we go to the school.”

“I’m so glad Uncle Nick gave you that position,” Tad said thoughtfully. “You’re perfect for it. Kids can relate to you, and it doesn’t hurt that you have that gorgeous animal as your partner.”

“Most of them like Max more than they like me, but I’m working on that.”

“I’m pretty certain you’ll figure out how to make them love you just as much as we do.”

“You know, for a pain in the ass, you’re a pretty cool girl, Tad.”

“Thank you, Brawley. That means a lot coming from the most antisocial person I know.”

I stood up and then reached out to muss her hair, but she was expecting it and managed to get away before she said, “I’m headed out.”

“Ride safe, friend.”

“Always.”