by April Zyon
“No, Mama, it’s hot and ready for those steaks,” Joshua called back from the far end of the deck.
“‘Bout damn time,” she muttered. “Frank, get the steaks, will you please, dear? And Brant, for the love of God, close your mouth. You’ll be collecting flies in there soon.”
Athena just grinned, she couldn’t help herself. She looked at Levi and touched his chin. He was laughing, drooling, and happy. “Your Uncle Martin had everyone thinking that he was off saving the whales or something like that. No one really knew just what he was doing with his life. Now I guess we all know. He’s been getting his career in order on the down low. He’s pretty impressive, don’t you think, little man?” She was looking at Martin, smiling and happy. God, she loved that man even more now than she could have told him before. It was a wild turn-on that he was as connected as he was.
“You planning on being my personal cheerleader?” he asked. He came and sat down in a chair next to her, reaching over to tickle Levi’s chin. “‘Cause I’d be down with that. Especially the short little skirt.” Grinning, he picked up his glass to take a drink.
Athena waited until Martin was comfortable and then settled herself and Levi in his lap. “You betcha. I think we should go shopping for the really short skirts. If you will recall, I wasn’t a cheerleader in school.” She was a geek, hiding in the shadows, as it were. “So yeah, I think that I would totally be your cheerleader. God only knows you are my quarterback, defensive line, or whatever you want to call it.”
“Oh God,” he groaned. “Obviously, we need to watch some Monday night football to get you in the know. How the hell did you grow up in Texas and yet know so little about the game?” He slipped an arm around her and Levi, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Pretty sure it’s a sin to not know anything about football if you grew up here, sweetheart.”
That had her grinning and she winked at him. “You can teach me anything you want.” Oh, she knew football. She just liked to give him a hard time. “I think that I would love to have some time with you one on one.” She looked at Levi and grinned. Leaning against, Martin she looked back at him and added, “I know football. I am just teasing you. You know that, right?”
“You’d better damn well know football. I can’t believe you’d even tease about something like that. Pretty sure that’s a capital offense, sweetheart.” He gave her a squeeze, and let out a breath against her cheek. “At least Brant looks like he’s a happy camper again. Hopefully, I’m back on the Christmas gift list.”
“If not, I will just have to make up for it.” She looked at Levi and stroked a finger along his cheek. “Think one Christmas you can give me one of these little handsome guys? Maybe not this Christmas, but one in our future?” She wanted children, especially wanted Martin’s child. “I think that you would be an amazing daddy.” She was so random, but it was the only way that she was able to keep from dwelling on the issues in her life at the moment.
“I doubt we’ll get one in under the wire this year, sweetheart. But we can work on one for next year. Give Levi and Angel a cousin. Maybe we can even talk some of the other brothers into having a baby, too, give him a few extra play dates in the future.”
“I think that’s a darn tootin’ good idea. You work on your brothers and I will work on their wives,” Athena said with a grin as she bounced the baby on her knee. She was happy. Yes she had troubles out there, but she was actually very happy. She had the man she loved holding her, was surrounded by a family that readily adopted her into their lives, and for the moment, she was safe. Her father was safe. Life was good.
“Actually, I think working on the wives is likely the better angle. It’s really the only play we might end up having. They do know how to get what they want out of my brothers, smart cookies that they are. We’ll see what we can wrangle. First things first, we need to ensure we can all have a very happy Carver Christmas around here without anything going horrifically wrong. So let’s focus on that, then worry about cousins for Levi and Angel.”
“Oh God, it is close to Christmas time, isn’t it?” Athena had completely forgotten that they had already had Thanksgiving and it was now December. The unseasonably warm days had made her think it was still October or November. Time simply was getting away from her, and had been for a time. “I can’t believe that I completely spaced out that it was December.” She was too stressed. Dealing with the killers that were practically on her doorstep and looking for her father had her mind slipping.
“Still plenty of time, sweetheart. Besides, I haven’t even gotten started with my Christmas shopping. Though I do know at least one gift I’m getting you. That you will be opening at the house, and not anywhere near this rabble. No way in hell am I just handing them fodder to hassle me about for the next forty years.”
“Five minutes, people,” Joshua called out. “Refill your glasses, grab your plates, and find a spot at the table.”
Athena grinned. “I like how you think.” She gave him a kiss on his cheek. “How about you go and get our plates and then grab Angel? She’s being so good waiting around for us to realize that she’s as hungry as her grumpy brother, who doesn’t mind letting us know he’s hungry. I think she deserves to have you holding her. I will grab a bottle and feed this little man and you can feed that sweet little girl. How’s that sound?” That way Mercy and Brant could have a bit more relaxing time, a bit more calm so to speak.
“Go for it,” he told her. Helping her off his lap, he smacked her bottom lightly. “The bottles should be in the fridge, might even be a couple in the warmer given the time of night. Mama told me,” he said at her look. “I’ll save you a nice big plate of food. I will then go and get my sweet niece and feed her. Go.”
She leaned in a kissed his cheek again. “Back soon.” She grinned, and rose with his assistance. Once she was up and moving, she found the bottle in the kitchen on the small bottle warmer that they had out for Levi and noticed that there was a second one for Angel as well. “See, your mama thinks of everything,” she told the little boy, and then moved into the living room. Taking the rocking chair by the window, she covered the baby and began to feed him.
Martin appeared in the doorway just as she put Levi up to her shoulder to burp him. “He ready for a nap?” he asked softly. Moving into the room toward her, he eased around her chair and chuckled. “Little guy looks all done in. I was going to get to spend time feeding Angel, but her daddy came down and took care of her. That man is crazy for those kids.”
“He is. He’s exhausted. I have no idea what all these guys were doing before we got here, but little man here is pooped.” She walked toward the babies’ room. “Will you make sure that your brother knows that he’s down for a nap? That way when he brings Angel in, he can keep quiet and not wake him.” They would take the baby monitor out with them as well, but she knew that if they didn’t say something, Brant would be very unhappy with them.
“I’m betting he’ll figure it out when you return without Levi, but I’ll tell him. Get him down, and then come eat. Everyone’s working on their own plates, but if you’re not quick, they’ll turn their focus to yours. I might be able to hold them off for a few minutes, but they outnumber me severely.”
“Oh they wouldn’t dare to eat up my plate. We both know it. They will tease you and pretend that they are gobbling up my food, but won’t because your mama would beat them senseless.” Theresa Carver was protective to the nth degree.
“This is true,” he agreed. When she came back down the stairs, he was waiting for her. He looped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “How you doing, sweetheart? I know they can be a bit much to deal with all in one shot.”
“I’m good. I’m ready for this to be all over, but I’m sure that you understand that. I’m ready for us to be able to sit back and relax. To have time alone. To have us be able to have time to figure out how to be a couple, how to be together. You know?”
“I know, sweetheart,” he said softly. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “We’ll have
the time for ourselves soon enough. Time to figure out our future, and all we want to do with that time we’ll have. For now, though, we eat.” Pushing the door open, he urged her out onto the deck, and took the baby monitor from her hand. He tossed it to Brant. “Levi’s down sleeping off his milk coma.”
“Thanks, Athena,” Brant said to her.
“You’re welcome. I was happy to do it.” Athena took the seat that Martin pulled out for her. “He’s such a great baby.” She gave Martin’s hand a gentle squeeze and then grabbed her plate. “Oh God, this looks so good,” she said as she breathed in the scent of the steak on her plate.
“He is a sweetheart,” Joshua said. “Kid is probably the happiest baby on the planet.”
“Likely all the attention he gets,” Frank said. He flinched when Eli poked him in the ribs. “Ow. It’s true. The kid laps it up. He knows he’s got the limelight in the family currently and is milking it for everything he can manage. Then again, when he’s with Angel, he acts like he wants all the attention on him instead of his far less outspoken sibling. That girl is going to have to get a set of lungs on her or we will forget she’s here.”
“Well can you blame him? And really, can you blame us? He’s such a great baby. He and Angel are both the sweetest little ones I’ve ever seen, and God only knows that I’ve babysat enough to know what I’m talking about,” Athena said without missing a beat. “They are good babies because they’re in such a wonderful and loving family. That means a great deal more than you possibly know. They’re blessed to have been born into this family and you know it. Both of them.”
“Depends on the day you ask the question,” Travis muttered. He was far enough away from his mother to miss getting smacked. Unfortunately, he was sitting right next to his wife, who took the cue from Theresa to smack her man. “Hey, no ganging up on us. That is hardly fair.”
The brothers all burst out laughing. “Since when has life been fair in this house?” Joshua demanded. “You know as well as the rest of us, Mama ruled the roost. And it only got worse when Helena and Brandy got older.” He shot his twin sister a grin.
Brandy winked at her brother, Athena could see. Athena giggled when Brandy added, “And the smacks got heavier when you boys would give us troubles.”
Athena looked up at Martin and laid her hand over his. “Well, I need to make sure that I’m one that will be there to give you troubles from time to time as well.” She would love to have the same sort of relationship with Martin that his brothers had with their wives.
“I think you’ll manage just fine. Don’t go taking any tips from this lot, though,” he advised. Squeezing her fingers, he let her hand go so she could eat her food. The conversation for the remainder of the meal was a series of one-upmanship stories from the brothers. Some had Theresa piping in with stitch counts, days in bed required by the doctor, and how many bottles of wine she and her husband had needed to down to survive another day with their delightful children.
After dinner, they all helped to clean up, and then moved out to the fire pit Joshua got going for them. With coffee or tea in hand, they all sat in a comfortable silence. The only sound was the crackle of the fire and occasional snap of a log.
Athena heard the crackle of the baby monitor and watched Mercy rise to go get one of the babies, Brant following on her heels to get the other. She shook her head and smiled. “She’s happy, isn’t she?” she asked Martin quietly. “They all are. Even with all of the trials and tribulations that come to us, even with all of the troubles that have revolved in and out of our lives, they are all happy. Right?”
“Of course they’re happy, sweetheart. They are loved, cherished, and know that anyone in the family, not only those they married, would do anything for them. We all step up to look out for kin, whether you are blood or got suckered into marrying one of us.” He let out a laugh when she looked up at him. “Family is everything, but family isn’t just blood. It’s a feeling, a camaraderie, and this here is family. Every single one of these nutjobs is family to me. Even the ones I sometimes wish I didn’t have to claim.”
“I’m happy that you have such a large family. I’m also happy that I get to be even a small part of it.” They weren’t married, but she was committed to him and knew he was to her. They might have spent the last many years apart, but her heart had never forgotten him, and her feelings had never wavered. It was good, very good, to be part of the Carver family, if only as an outside part of it.
“You are a huge part of this, sweetheart. You are mine, which makes you the most important person in my life. You even nudged Mama out of the top spot, but don’t tell her,” he whispered in her ear. Giving her a squeeze, he rolled his arm to look at his watch and groaned. “We should get heading home. We need to deal with that spot on your wall tomorrow, and then start figuring out all the what-ifs with the bad guys coming to town.”
“Crap, I had forgotten that damn spot and now you reminded me,” she muttered. “Okay, take me home.” She felt warm inside and out with knowledge that he loved her as much as he did. “Tomorrow we will deal with the spot from hell. Tonight, I think that we should deal with each other. Naked. Very naked.”
“Go and kiss Levi and Angel goodbye. I’ll run the gauntlet with the rest of the family and meet you at the front door. Five minutes, sweetheart. Don’t be late,” he told her. He helped her to her feet, and gave her a light nudge toward the kitchen door.
“I won’t be.” She slapped his ass, couldn’t help herself, and then took off to find Mercy, who was feeding the babies again.
Three minutes later, she was at the front door, waiting for Martin to rejoin her.
He joined her a minute later, looking more than a little frazzled.
“Looks like you are very ready to go. Did they give you troubles?” she asked, and slipped her hand into his. “I think that we should head off so that we can relax. Don’t you think?”
“Damn straight we should. And yes, they gave me plenty of troubles, a lot of harassment, and a bunch of grief. Typical family stuff. It also reminds me of the blissful silence I’ve enjoyed for the last ten years. Oh how I shall miss it.” He pouted her direction, and sighed. “On the upside, I have the prettiest girl around to call my own.”
Athena blushed at that and then laughed. “Well I’m glad that you aren’t trying to talk me into coming to live where you have been living. I don’t think that I would be able to survive in the big city.” Only because she hated the hustle and bustle that came with living in big cities.
“I don’t actually live in any one place. I was always mobile, moving around, and living wherever I was needed. Then when I was done with the job, I’d move on elsewhere. So even if you did move in with me, it would be one place after another. Not exactly conducive to starting a family.”
“Yeah, I agree. I’ve never been much of a vagabond either.” She liked having a home, having roots. She loved the community they lived in, loved being able to have the permanence of being a part of this home. Being part of Massey, Texas.
“Plus, your practice is here,” he said. They got into his truck and left the Carver Ranch moments later. “I wouldn’t take you away from that, or the roots you have here. While I’m not fully comfortable with the idea of settling back down in Massey, I also am not ready to let you go. I love you, Athena. You may need to talk me down off the ledge occasionally, though.”
That worried her a bit, that he would be giving up his roaming ways so that he could settle down with her. “Are you sure that you are going to be okay being home with me? Are you sure that you aren’t going to be upset with me later in our lives because you’re home with me instead of taking your career further?”
He shot her a frown. Sighing, he pulled off onto the edge of the highway. Once the truck was in park, he turned to look at her and reached over to take her hand in his. “Athena, sweetheart. I love you. While I’m not sure about a lot of things in this world, I am sure about my feelings for you. I know that if we work together, we can h
ave an amazing life together, you and I. Not saying there won’t be bumps in the road, because that would be an outright lie. And I’m not saying that this isn’t a big leap for me to take. But I do know that I’ve been dissatisfied as of late. While the job’s been amazing, and I’ve seen more than I likely ever could have in any other field of work, it’s a young man’s game. Yes, I know I’m not ancient or over the hill, but it wears on you over time, and I know better than to keep going. That’s how agents end up dead. Will it be an adjustment? Sure. Will I get through it because I have the most amazing woman in the world there to help me? Damn straight I will. It’s all part of the partnership we’ll have, Athena. You help me when I need it, and I help you when you need it. We balance each other out and keep one another going. We’ll fight, we’ll argue, and we’ll make up in the best ways possible.”
“I like how you make that all sound. I love that you already have this worked out in your mind. I just never want you have any sorts of misgivings. I never want you to look at me and not feel our love for each other was not well-lived. If that makes sense?”
“You’re not the only planner around, sweetheart. I’ve had nothing but time as of late to think about it. I’ve weighed a lot of the pros and cons, trying to see potential issues before they arose in the hopes we could cut them off at the pass. I don’t want something small turning into something massive between us, Athena. I want us to always be open with one another, talking to one another, and when something comes up, we solve it, together.”
“That sounds like a very good plan, one that I can fully get behind.” She took another deep breath and squeezed his hand. “Now that we have that all smoothed out, I think we should get home so we can get naked. If you want, that is.”
“Naked, with you?” he asked. Laughing softly, he nodded. “Yeah, I definitely want that. Any chance to get naked with you is a good thing.” Pressing a kiss to her fingers, then her lips, he smiled at her and let her hand go. Shifting around again, he put the truck back into gear and got them moving back to town.
