by Bijou Hunter
“And I did thanks to our pretty babies,” Cricket says, smiling at the mini-twins.
“Yeah, but what if you hadn’t? I could have lost out on all this because I respected your choices too much.”
“Respect is always a bad move in relationships,” Bianca Bella says and returns to reading.
“Ignore her,” Poet tells me. “I’m the one with a woman and kids.”
“Hey, I could have a woman and kids too if I wanted. I choose this lonely, pathetic life!” she cries before bursting into fake sobs.
Murphy and Minnow immediately climb off Poet’s lap and run to Bianca Bella. They climb on her and bounce until her feigned tears end.
“I feel better. Thank you,” she says, but they refuse to get off her lap, so she sets aside her tablet to focus on their drawings.
Poet turns his gaze to me. “Tatum is alone in a new town with only one person who cares about her. What’s the point of waiting for her to figure things out? Unless you’re more worried about feeding your ego than her happiness.”
“Feeding my ego, huh?”
“You want to know she wants you for you and not because you saved her and fixed all her problems. That’s your ego. If you’re sure this girl is the one, then you should put her needs first. What Tatum needs is for you to take control and fix shit. So who do you care about more? You or her?”
“That’s not wise,” Cricket says, standing up and standing between Poet and me.
“What?” he asks.
“You’re wrong,” she mutters through clenched teeth. “Chipper needs to protect himself. We don’t even know this woman.”
Bianca Bella snorts. “Paranoia.”
“I’m watching out for my baby brother. He’s been hurt before by his not-so-sound choices.”
“Chevelle and Tatum are nothing alike,” I say, staring up at Cricket. “My feelings for them are nothing alike. Chevelle was my childhood ideal. She fit in the box my immature brain thought was love. Tatum, though, is just perfect as Tatum. She doesn’t fit anything I’ve ever had in mind, yet I don’t want her to change at all. She can say or do anything, and I only want her more.”
Poet leans to the side so he can see around Cricket’s ass. “Then don’t let your ego keep you from giving Tatum everything she needs. If Hayes thought your mom needed something, he’d get it for her. He wouldn’t ask for permission. Your mom is no pushover, but Hayes takes charge, and she’s happy in their marriage. So take charge with Tatum and stop being rational or else you’ll just fuck up things. Or at the very least, you’ll waste time like I did with your sister.”
I look at the mini-twins and my sister and then back at Poet. This is what I want for Tatum—a home where she’s surrounded by people who value her in the way her mother did.
“Tatum deserves happiness, so I’ll force it on her with no concern for common sense or long-term plans. Deep inside, I knew that was the answer, but I appreciate Poet agreeing with me.”
“He’s wrong, though,” Cricket whines.
“When I picked up Tatum a half hour ago, she looked so miserable I wanted to get her a bottle of happy pills. Except she doesn’t need meds. You should see how happy she got once she met the dogs. Yeah, forcing her into my life feels like the right answer here.”
Frowning, Cricket pokes my chest. “Wait, roll back to the part I care about. Tatum is here now?”
“Outside with your pooches.”
Cricket pushes past me even though I’m not in her way. Grabbing her jacket, she hurries outside. Bianca Bella is hot on her heels, and Poet doesn’t help by announcing to the mini-twins that we have a visitor. They run for their jackets and soon all five of them are out the front door in search of my shy breezy.
Knowing Tatum’s location, I use the garage as a shortcut and arrive at her side before Cricket finds her.
“They’re coming,” I tell Tatum who sits on the driveway with the dogs resting around her. “There’s still time to escape.”
“Wha—?”
Cricket sprints around the corner of the house and gasps. “Oh, she’s so beautiful.”
Bianca Bella—still in pajamas—leans around Cricket’s shoulder and stares wide-eyed. “It’s a girl, Ma. A real live girl.”
Rolling my eyes, I offer a hand to Tatum and pull her up. “Be ready to fight them off.”
“Why are you acting so weird?”
“Because they are,” I whisper and stand behind her. “Cricket wants to absorb you into her sphere of influence.”
Tatum watches my sister warily. “Did you get boozed up while inside?”
“No. Well, I drank a little wine, but I’m not drunk.”
“Are they?”
Cricket creeps closer, and I see how much she wants to laugh. Her expression remains freakishly in awe as she approaches Tatum.
“Don’t be afraid,” she whispers, still moving forward. “I’m Cricket. I want to be your friend.”
Tatum leans away from her. “Okay.”
Cricket finally reaches us and smiles. “You’re Chipper’s girl, and that makes you special to me.”
“Thank you.”
“I want to be your friend.”
“What do you bring to the table friendship-wise?” Tatum asks, and I nearly high-five her.
Cricket blinks wildly and glances at me. “Is she making me interview?”
“Apparently. Unfortunately, you hurt your chances by acting like a wacko when you came out here.”
“I’m excited.”
“And you’re very fucking wacko when excited.”
Tatum backs away from Cricket and Bianca Bella. My sister views the behavior as a challenge, and she can’t help pushing back against it.
“Christmas!” Murphy yells while running toward us. “I like Christmas!”
The tension eases from Tatum’s body immediately. She kneels down to where a bundled-up Murphy stops in front of her. Minnow races to join her brother.
“What’s your name?” Murphy asks.
“Tatum. What’s your name?”
“I’m Murphy. That’s my sister.”
“I’m Minnow. That’s my brother.”
“We live in that house.”
“Is that your mama?” Tatum asks, gesturing at Cricket.
The kids nod wildly. Murphy points to Poet. “That’s our daddy. He has a motorcycle.”
“Brumm!” Minnow cries.
“Are these your dogs?”
The mini-twins love talking to people. I don’t ever remember being half as friendly as they are, but I also don’t remember being four. Minnow and Murphy bounce and point and cry out words as if Cricket fed them speed for breakfast.
Tatum listens to the mini-twins without once looking for someone to help her get rid of them. She relaxes around Murphy and Minnow in the way she did with me last night at my house. In her element, she’s the woman from months ago before her mother’s illness and death. Tatum isn’t weak, just lost. When something clicks for her, I see the same chick who days earlier planned to kill Howler and claimed I only helped her for the nookie. This is the Tatum I fell for and the one I plan to save.
TATUM
Cricket and Bianca Bella scare the squirts out of me. Beautiful, confident, and cool, they’re exactly the kind of girls who made me feel worthless back in school. I never knew what to say to them, and I’m not sure how to react to Cricket. Especially considering she seems to be messing with me to get her brother’s goat.
Talking to the twins is so much easier because they just want me to ask questions so they can answer them. I’m their favorite person two minutes after we meet, and they’re desperate to show me their bedroom.
Poet suggests we go inside where it’s warm, and the mini-twins immediately take my hands and tug me toward the arched front door. I enter Cricket’s southwest-style house, past a surprisingly cozy kitchen, and through a living room complete with a Kiva fireplace like I’d seen on HGTV.
While I walk down a hallway with the mini-twins, Chippe
r remains with the adults in the living room. Before I’m too far to hear them, I catch Cricket and Bianca Bella talking about how blonde I am.
Once in their room, Minnow and Murphy show me their LEGOs and bunk beds.
“We sleep here,” Minnow says, patting the bottom full-size mattress. “I don’t wanna fall.”
“No, it’s too high. I wouldn’t want to fall either,” I say while Murphy shows me his talking bear.
I could literally remain in this room with these children for hours. I’m safe with kids. Even the bratty ones make sense to me. I understand how powerlessness feels, so their tantrums don’t faze me. Adults, though, hide their true emotions better, lie effortlessly, and lash out randomly.
“Loveys,” Poet says from the doorway, and the mini-twins immediately turn toward him. “I know Tatum’s fun, but why don’t you let her play with the rest of us too?”
Murphy stands between his father and me. “No, thank you.”
Seeing her brother’s power play, Minnow joins him. I get a very strong “Children of the Damned” vibe. Poet leans against the doorjamb and grins at them.
“I can call for backup and make this a fair fight.”
The mini-twins look at each other and then back at me. I know better than to get into the war of wills they’re fighting with their father. I remain very still, neither siding with them nor helping Poet. The mini-twins look at each other again and then turn to take my hands.
“We’re going to the living room,” Murphy says as they tug me toward the door. “Dad wants to share.”
Poet grins at the mini-twins’ defeat before stepping out of the way so they can lead me to where their mother and uncle sit in the living room. My gaze immediately locks onto Chipper’s.
“She’s our friend,” Murphy tells his mom.
“Your uncle likes her too.”
“She’s our friend,” Minnow says, and another little power struggle ensues but this time with Cricket.
“You can’t keep her,” Cricket says. “She won’t fit in the dog carrier.”
The kids giggle, but Chipper tugs me away from them. “She’s mine. I won’t share her.”
“Mine!” Murphy yells and wraps his arms around Chipper’s leg. “Minnow, get him!”
Laughing, his sister grabs Chipper’s other leg. I step back, wondering if these people are playing or are they not all a hundred percent sane. If Chipper’s actually nuts, his interest in me would make a lot of sense.
“The horror,” Chipper moans. “I guess I’ll have to share you, Tatum. It’s not like I can win a fight against these critters.”
The laughing mini-twins keep hold, using his feet to balance themselves while he stomps around the room. I stop thinking about the fancy house or Cricket watching me or the smell of something yummy cooking in the kitchen. My entire thought process narrows down to the sight of Chipper playing with his niece and nephew.
Then I see a flash of him with different children—our kids—and I get an inviting, almost familiar sensation in my chest. The way I felt on Christmas after presents were opened and Mom and I finished eating breakfast. We would cuddle on the couch, looking at the tree and listening to holiday music. That amazing feeling—the one making my heart beat too fast and skin flush too hot—means family. I lost the only person who mattered to me, but here’s someone new to wrap my heart around.
Though he’s a goof with the mini-twins, Chipper also looks unbearably sexy. His tall frame easily maneuvers around the living room, giving the kids a fun ride before they finally topple dramatically.
“Bad horse,” Cricket tells Chipper. “You’re not supposed to buck them off like that.”
“Shut up, Ma, and entertain your younglings while I plant a sloppy one on my woman.”
Growing accustomed to my lust, I instinctively lick my lips in anticipation. Chipper doesn’t grab me and kiss me into submission. He moves slowly, a cat playing with its prey. Seeing his cocky smile, I instinctively step back.
“Nope,” he says, wrapping an arm around me and curling me into his body. “Where can you hide from me?” he asks menacingly. “These insane people won’t help you. No, you’re all alone in a house filled with crazies.”
“Like the girl in ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre.’”
“Yes, but she got away,” he whispers and nips my ear. “And you never will.”
“Why are you trying to freak me out?”
“I’m testing how much of my family’s cuckoo you can stand. Like what is your limit? That way, I can teach them, and myself, not to cross it.”
Feeling brave, I slide my arms around his waist and smile an inch from his lips. “I’m tougher than my recent behavior would have you believe.”
“I know, even though we’re still figuring each other out. This is the fun part, and I don’t want anything, not even me, to fuck it up.”
“Then stop acting like a nutjob and kiss me already.”
Chipper’s lips lock onto mine. His tongue quickly deepens the kiss, tasting me so completely that I’m soon an extension of him. Lust crashes down on me, followed by that safety I only knew with my mother.
When he pulls away, I stare into his rich brown eyes, brimming with mischievous amusement. No words come to mind. I’m hollowed out, devoid of fear or sorrow. I’m even past my amazement at this sexy beast wanting me. I’ve landed squarely into the kind of bliss no food, booze, or drug can offer. I’m officially addicted to Chipper Wilburn.
CHIPPER
Tatum doesn’t want to let go of me, and I don’t blame her. My kisses have never been better. Without ever realizing it, I’d saved all the good ones for her. Those chicks before—and there were hardly enough for a man of my good looks and sterling personality—were mere stepping stones on my way to find my perfect breezy.
“Your sister is giving me a weird look,” Tatum says, sitting next to me on the couch while Cricket eyeballs her from the kitchen.
“She’s messing with you to mess with me. Don’t take it personally.”
“I might not be able to help it. I’m unaccustomed to weirdoes.”
Grinning at her easy smile, I explain, “You’re a resilient woman and perfectly capable of enduring whatever wacko crap we throw your fucking way.”
Just then, Bianca Bella pokes her head out from the kitchen and announces food will be ready in ten minutes.
“What are you making?” I ask, worried she’s gone with something bean-related.
“Greek pasta salad. Is that okay with you, master?”
“Yes, peasant. Carry on.”
“Tatum, come sit with me,” Cricket says in her creepy, overly nice voice as she joins us on the couch. “I want to see you better.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, and Poet chuckles nearby.
Tatum, though, leaves my side and goes to plop down next to Cricket. “Hello, Cricket. How are you today?”
“I am well, stranger from Florida, is it?”
“Yes, I come from the place of palm trees, gators, and thong bans.”
“Wait, you can’t wear thongs in Florida?” Cricket asks, startled from her craziness by this news.
“Not in the state parks.”
“You’re from an uppity state.”
“My extensive thong collection agrees.”
Cricket smiles brightly, loving when people play with her. “Chipper is a fine catch,” she says, and I roll my eyes. “He is housebroken and behaves well in the car.”
“I wouldn’t care if he shit on the floor or jumped from the car on the highway. Chipper’s super sexy, he makes me laugh, and he’s a great kisser. My needs are very simple.”
Cricket takes Tatum’s hand and sighs dramatically. “It’s very important to me that Chipper finds a woman who’ll take care of him. You see, everyone else in the family enjoys a loving relationship, and he’s just sort of rotting neglected like the crumbs at the bottom of an empty chip bag.”
“Cap isn’t in a loving relationship,” I point out.
“Wh
at do you call what he has with Keanu?”
“A bromance. Also known as a friendship between males.”
“Whatever. It’s still more than you have.”
Throwing a pillow at her, I growl, “I have Tatum, beef fart.”
“Well, I have Poet, the mini-twins, and Bianca Bella, snaggletooth.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my teeth.”
“No, there’s not,” Tatum says, shaking her head. “I’ve licked them, and they’re spot-on perfect.”
“Thank you.”
Cricket pats Tatum’s hand. “You’re very obedient. I’m not sure that’s the right way to handle Chipper. You’re going to want to challenge him as much as possible. If he wants Italian, you say you want Chinese.”
“I don’t really like Chinese food. At least not from Panda Express.”
“You’re a mutant, is that it?” Cricket asks and then glances at me. “Is she kidding?”
“Doesn’t like orange chicken at all.”
“Blasphemy.”
“Ignore her,” Poet says from his chair where the mini-twins sit watching football. “She doesn’t like Big Macs. Talk about a weirdo.”
Cricket smiles and looks at Tatum who only has eyes for me. Before my sister can get out another word, Tatum asks, “Does Bianca Bella live here?”
“Yes. She used to have one of the bedrooms, but we needed them for the kids and Poet’s family who drive in from West Virginia. So we moved Bianca Bella into the backyard with the dogs.”
Tatum frowns at Cricket, assumes she’s fucking with her and returns her gaze to me. I smile at her ability to handle my sister.
“They built her a casita in the backyard,” I explain. “It’s a small house like a mother-in-law unit.”
Tatum smiles and looks at Cricket. “You’re very attached to her.”
“Yes. Bianca Bella’s a keeper despite what Poet says.”
The dirty biker rolls his eyes without ever turning to his wife. In his lap, the kids chew on carrot sticks and clap whenever the crowd does on TV.
