Crazy: Gibson Boys Book #4

by Locke, Adriana

  I scan the bar but don’t see Peck. I wonder if he left. Panic begins to set in as I turn a complete circle and come up with nothing.

  “Hey,” Machlan says.

  I turn back around. “Yeah?”

  “All joking aside. What’s happening?”

  “Okay. I needed to do something to show Peck that I love him. I just, um … Well, I want him to trust me. That I won’t leave him. That … just …”

  I don’t know how to explain it. Not really. I don’t know how to put into words that I want him to know I love him, and I don’t want to say those words until I say them to him. Because I’m not sure anyone’s ever really said that to him and meant it like I do.

  Lance nods. “We get it. We may act all tough on the outside, but we’re really pussies when it comes to our women.”

  “Fuck you. I’m not,” Machlan says.

  Lance rolls his eyes.

  “I was telling Nana today that I wanted to do something really special for him. To show him that I love him, but I didn’t know what to do or how or when.” I blow out a nervous breath. “So we decided I’d do it here. In front of his friends. Just put it all out there. And the next thing I know, she’s decided she’s coming.”

  Machlan’s head cocks to the side.

  “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” I say. “Like I want to profess my love for your cousin in front of your grandmother. In a bar. Come on now.”

  Lance puts a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I believe you. I think Nana just wanted a night on the town. Look at her.”

  We turn to see Nana and Old Man Dave dancing some 1930s jig. I’m sure the tempo would’ve been faster and probably not to today’s hip-hop, but it works. Strangely. And it's one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen.

  “That’s what I want out of life,” I say.

  “It’s what everyone wants,” Lance agrees. “I mean, mostly. I don’t think Mariah is the type to order a Manhattan, and I’m definitely not wearing a tie with … are those koalas?”

  “Maybe,” I say, unsure.

  Machlan sighs. “Well, I’m not thrilled she’s in here. But I am happy she’s … I guess she’s happy.”

  We watch as Nana throws her head back and laughs a full-bellied laugh.

  “I think that’s a safe bet,” Lance says.

  “Yeah.”

  My heart warms as I watch her. If Nana can find the balls to show her love in a bar, then so can I.

  “Machlan, would it be okay if I borrowed your bar?” I ask.

  “I think you already have.”

  “No,” I say. “Like, for real. Can I jump on the bar and—”

  “Can I have your attention, please?”

  My stomach bottoms out as I turn and see Peck standing in front of Navie.

  On the bar.

  The music has been stopped.

  A few shouts come from the back for Peck to dance, but he runs his hand through the air. “No dancing tonight. Sorry. I know you really just come for that.”

  Machlan scoffs beside me, making me laugh.

  “Tonight, I want to make a little announcement.” He looks around until he finds me. His face softens, and a smile that I only see when it’s the two of us graces his lips. “I want to say something to the woman I love—”

  “No!” I don’t mean to shout it through the bar, but I do. “Stop!”

  Peck’s face falls.

  My stomach twists as I dash toward him. I climb on top of a barstool, wobbling as I get my balance, and step onto the bar.

  The eyes of everyone inside the establishment are on us, on this little show we’re putting on that should really be done in private. But this is not how it was supposed to go down.

  “What are you doing?” he asks.

  “Don’t steal my thunder.”

  I face him, my chest rising and falling. His cologne hits me and almost knocks me on my ass.

  I've missed him so much.

  He watches me, unsure as to what I’m doing and what I mean.

  “Let me finish. Please,” he says.

  “No. My turn.”

  “It’s not your turn,” he says. “I haven’t had mine yet.”

  “Because I’m going first.”

  “Will one of you just fucking go?” Machlan shouts.

  The people in the bar laugh. I vaguely hear their voices.

  I turn toward the bar. “I want you all to know something,” I say.

  No one says a word. It’s absolute silence as I scan the crowd.

  Machlan and Walker stand side by side with amused grins on their faces. Lance stands next to Nana. She clutches his arm and watches us … proudly, I think.

  Old Man Dave nods slowly, his golf-style hat propped poshly on his head. And then there’s my best friend, Navie. She stands at the end, her elbows resting on the counter.

  “Get him,” she mouths, making me laugh.

  “If anyone is curious, even if you’re not …” I look at the man beside me. “I’m sorry.”

  “You wanted to tell us that?” Lance yells. “Come on. Give us something good.”

  “Lance, you be quiet,” Nana says.

  The bar laughs, teasing Lance, as Peck reaches for my hand. We step closer as I put my palm in his. Just like that, the world shifts. The ball of pain in my stomach and the crack in my heart begin to heal.

  “I’m sorry,” I say again. “I got scared.”

  “I’m sorry,” he says, repeating my words. “I should’ve come to get you, but I just … panicked.”

  “You shouldn’t have had to come. I should’ve stayed.”

  We exchange a soft smile.

  “I have this … fear,” I say, “that I won’t be able to handle things as good as you do.”

  He laughs. “It’s cute that you think I know what I’m doing.”

  “We’re a pair, huh?”

  “Let’s just … agree that neither of us leave. That we talk things out,” I say.

  “Oh, like I wanted to do yesterday?”

  I take our hands and shove him. He uses the motion to tug me even closer.

  I look up in his eyes, the pools of blue that have captured my attention from the first time I saw them. When I thought he was Logan and a pots and pans thief.

  “The past few hours have been a revelation to me,” I say.

  Something catches my eye. I glance down and see Molly standing there. She stares at me, and I’m not certain that she’s not going to grab my leg and jerk me on my ass.

  But she doesn’t.

  Instead, she gives me a smile that’s kind of sad but maybe resolved. I smile back. She tucks her chin with a little nod and disappears into the crowd.

  I turn back to Peck. “You were right about a lot of things.”

  “I’m always right.” He winks. “Especially this.” He removes his hand from mine.

  Sucking in a lungful of air, I watch as he brings his hands to my face. Cupping my cheeks, he plants a kiss against my lips.

  The crowd cheers, and I think someone tries to spray us with beer, but I’m not sure. I’m too absorbed by this man and this kiss.

  His forehead rests on mine as a shy smile touches his lips. “I love you,” he says.

  My chest swells as tears prickle my eyes. Because he means it. It’s the one thing in life I’m absolutely sure of.

  I pull away so I can look into his eyes again. “I love you,” I whisper.

  The grin he gives me could fix the world.

  “That’s enough,” Machlan shouts. “Get off the bar. Drinks half price for the next ten minutes!”

  The crowd goes wild. We don’t move. We just stand on the bar as chaos ensues around us. The music starts, and it's the same song that has nothing to do with a pony that we danced to before.

  Peck laughs. I think he’s going to start dirty dancing with me again, but he doesn’t. Instead, he takes one of my hands in his and puts the other on the small of my back. And we dance, just differently this time.

  Because thi
s time, it is different.

  But it’s us. And it’ll always be a little crazy.

  Epilogue

  Peck

  “Why are you all so loud?” I ask.

  I wince as Dylan and I step into Nana’s. It’s loud as hell, my family going balls to the wall for some weird reason.

  And then I see that weird reason.

  Old Man Dave is here.

  Nana has a date to Sunday dinner.

  “Your reaction looks about the same as mine,” Vincent says as he walks past me.

  Dylan elbows me in the side. “Breathe.” Then she snickers. “How’s it feel to have your words delivered to you?”

  “Baby, as long as it’s you bringing it, I’ll take it.”

  She smacks my stomach.

  Mariah and Sienna come over and whisk Dylan away. She’s never met them before, but you wouldn’t know it. They just envelop her like she’s family.

  Because she is.

  I don’t care that I haven’t really known her that long or that we’ve already kind of broken up once. Or that I still don’t know her mom’s name or what she wanted to be when she was a kid. I know what matters.

  I know the sound of her feet when she’s coming to bed and how off-key she is when she’s making dinner. I can tell you how fast it will take her to reach out when she thinks I’m having a shit day and the tenderness in her eyes when she’s helping me sort Nana’s medicines on Monday evenings.

  It’s been a great couple of weeks since our little performance at Crave. The me before would’ve thought I was jinxing it. I would’ve been waiting for her to get sick of things and pack up and go. But she’s already done that. She won’t do it again.

  I won’t let her.

  “Look who I found out front,” Vincent says, coming through the back door. Behind him is Blaire.

  “We saw her last night,” Walker says. “Not impressed.”

  She points a manicured finger her way. “You. Shut it.”

  Everyone laughs.

  “How are you all?” she asks, slipping off her jacket. “Hey, Peck.”

  “Hey, Blaire.”

  I watch her move through the room with an air of sophistication. It’s easy to see how she’s so successful. She commands a room. You can look at her and see how intelligent she is. And beautiful. She reminds me a lot of her mom.

  She tosses her jacket on the back of a chair and slides up next to me.

  “You forget how boisterous they are.” She laughs. “Wait. I’m talking to you. You’re usually the loudest one of them all.”

  My gaze finds Dylan. She’s taking a pie out of the oven and chatting away with Sienna. As I watch them, I wonder if I could ever be happier than I am right now.

  “Yeah, well, I’m settling down, I think,” I admit. “I’m good with being a wallflower.”

  I watch as Lance comes up behind Dylan and whispers something in her ear. She turns and looks at me and starts laughing.

  “Stay away from her,” I shout across the room.

  Blaire laughs. “Yeah. You’re a wallflower, all right.”

  “I’m working on it.” I take a sip of sweet tea. “So what are you up to these days? We haven’t seen you around in a while.”

  “My job has been killing me. I had a trial that went on forever. But I won,” she says, smiling proudly.

  “So you’re taking a little time off for once? Good for you.”

  She does a very un-Blaire-like thing. She blushes. “I’m actually heading down to Savannah for a few days.”

  “Oh.”

  “I …”

  “She’s fucking some guy down there,” Machlan says.

  Blaire casts him a stern look.

  “Are you making love? I’m sorry,” Machlan teases.

  She sets her sights on her brother. “No. We are certainly fucking,” she says, enunciating the word.

  Machlan curls his nose. “Well, that wasn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be.”

  “You’ve said that many times over the years,” I joke.

  “Change the topic,” Blaire says sweetly. “Hi, Nana.”

  She walks up to our group. Grabbing Machlan’s arm, she grins so wide I think her face might split in two.

  “Can someone please go rescue Dave from Walker?” she asks.

  We all glance over at the couch. Walker and Dave sit on each end. Neither are talking. And when Dave starts to stand, Walker fires him a look, and he sits back down.

  “I think Walker has it under control,” I say.

  Nana sighs.

  “You know what? I don’t want to hear it,” Machlan says. “You always want to give us advice, which we take and that probably saves our lives. But this is Walker’s way of giving Old Man Dave some advice.”

  I snort. “His style is very …”

  “Formidable,” Blaire chimes in. “But honestly, Nana. He looks like a nice man. Just be sure that you’re—”

  “We’re using protection, thank you,” she says. “This isn’t our first rodeo.”

  Blaire’s face drops, and Machlan and I … die.

  “Nana. Nana. No,” I say, not sure whether to laugh or gag.

  “I’m out.” Machlan shakes his head and goes out the back door.

  I pat Nana on the arm as I walk away. “We’ll talk later, Blaire.”

  Dylan walks toward me. Her hair was down when we got here, but it’s on the top of her head now. I spread my arms, and she falls into my chest.

  I hold her, kissing the top of her head, and consider just standing like this through dinner. We don’t need to eat. Or talk to people. Or do anything but this.

  “I love you,” I tell her.

  “I love you.”

  Sawyer stops beside us. “Hey, Uncle P.”

  “Yeah?”

  “So Nana has a boyfriend.”

  “It looks like it.”

  “Does that mean …” He gives me a look like only a son of Vincent could. Raised brows. Shit-eating smile. Naughty look in his eyes.

  I laugh. “Ask your dad.”

  He pouts. “He won’t give me accurate information. He tells me we’ll talk later. When I have hair on my balls.”

  “Oh, my gosh,” I hear Dylan say against my chest.

  I try not to laugh and encourage his behavior, but I can’t help it. “Tell you what. We’ll go fishing next week, and I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

  “Really?”

  “Yup.”

  “Cool.” He bumps my knuckle with his. “Thanks.”

  He struts away like he’s the king of the world. I know the feeling. I used to think that too. But now I see the fallacy in it all.

  I don’t want to be king of the world. I don’t even care if I’m king of the county—a title I’m fairly certain I kept in some circles for a while. Now, I just want to be the king of Dylan’s heart.

  “Dinner is ready,” Mariah shouts.

  Everyone files into the dining room and takes their seat at the big, fold-out tables Nana gets out for these things when we are all here. Nana sits at the head, per usual. I sit to her left across from Old Dave. Dylan sits on the other side of me.

  I look around the table at my family. This wild, crazy bunch of characters who round out my life. I love them all. Even Walker.

  He sits at the foot, opposite Nana. He listens intently as Sienna tells Mariah about her trip to California. Lance and Machlan argue about something that shouldn’t be discussed at Nana’s table, even if they’re using substitute terms for the dirty ones.

  Hadley and Dylan chat about making homemade noodles and how to make them not stick to the bottom of Nana’s kettle. Apparently, there’s a mess in the kitchen to be cleaned up after dinner.

  Vincent and Sawyer whisper at the other end. I think it’s about me and my offer to go fishing because I get a glare shot my way from my brother.

  Blaire and Dave listen as Nana tells a story about their night in the bar, a night that Machlan has made her promise never to repeat. I think s
he told Machlan that every time he misses church, she’s coming in for a drink. His ass will be in a pew for the rest of his life.

  Dylan takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “I’ve been thinking,” she says.

  “Me too.”

  She smiles. “How do you feel about starting a family?”

  I think my cock just got hard.

  “Are you serious?”

  She nods. “I mean, we are doing things in the wrong order—”

  “Attention, please,” I say, scooting my chair back.

  Everyone stops talking and looks at me. It’s only now that I realize I’ve done it again: talked without thinking it through. Only, this time, I don’t give one fuck.

  I look at Sienna. She grins. We discussed this loosely a couple of days ago, and she told me to follow my heart. Well, I’m following that or my cock. Not sure. Except I think they’re sort of one and the same at this point. They both belong to Dylan.

  “What are you doing?” Dylan mutters.

  I move my seat away from me. And, with a gulp, hope, and a prayer, I drop to one knee.

  There are gasps. Someone uses profanity to express their shock. Nana yelps.

  And Dylan? She covers her mouth with her hand.

  Tears fall down her face as her eyes go wide. “Peck …”

  “You make me so happy. And I know I want to marry you one day,” I tell her, taking her hands in mine.

  Her lips tremble as she watches me. In awe, I think.

  My heart overflows as she squeezes my hands in hers.

  “You were right about something,” I say. “You can’t compete with first love. And you are mine. The first woman I’ve ever loved, and you’ll be the last.”

  “You’re damn right I will be,” she says.

  “I don’t have a ring because I’m unprepared, which I know shocks you. But Sienna told me to follow my heart and that I’d know when the time is right. It’s right.” I clear my throat and ignore the way my heart feels like it’s going to explode. “Dylan Snow, will you marry me?”

  “Of course. Yes.”

  She launches herself at me, knocking me onto my back. She takes my face in her hands and kisses me.