by Elle Aycart
Adrian doubted it, but his kids were too polite to offend the grannies.
Wilma smiled at Monti and then turned to Adrian, visibly offended. “We would have been able to incapacitate half of them with the tasers, and the kids wouldn’t be this hurt. Shame on you.”
“Or you would have tased the kids. Or each other,” he muttered. “And—ouch!” he let out as Rachel elbowed him. “What?”
Her eyes narrowed on him. Okay, time to shut up. “Let’s get the kids patched up.”
Chapter Sixteen
“You don’t have to move out, XL,” Adrian insisted as they got into his car. “I love having you around. You can stay with me as long as you want.”
It would mean Rachel and he would have to continue sneaking around to spend time together, but she would be the first one to get pissed off if XL left because of her.
“Of course you love having me around,” XL replied, putting on his sunglasses. “But I’m eighteen, man. I need my space. My freedom.”
XL could play it as cool as he wanted, but Adrian wasn’t fooled; XL was leaving so that Adrian and Rachel would have their space. “Mike is a tough landlord. And the OGs have keys to that place. You won’t have any privacy. Not to mention that if Mike catches you with Sara there, you’ll be in deep shit.”
“I know. It’s not a question of privacy. I’ll be working for Mike at the gym. Renting his upstairs apartment is the perfect solution for everyone.”
The kids were done with their court-ordered classes, but Rachel had hired the three of them. XL was going to work part-time at the gym and at the garage while he studied for his GED. Rachel, Alden, and the Haddicans had done him a world of good—especially Sara.
“Okay,” Adrian sighed, giving up. “I’ll help you with the move next week.”
XL laughed. “Thank you, Sheriff, but I think I can manage one duffel bag by myself. Mike’s apartment is furnished, so I won’t need anything.”
Whatever. He was still going to go to Ikea with Rachel and buy some things for the kiddo.
“Either way,” Adrian pointed out, “you’ve agreed to come with me to my grandfather’s twice a month to take care of the lawn. You’re not allowed to blow me off.”
“Yeah, yeah. Start the damn car and let’s get to his place already. Why the hell are you dragging your feet and wasting time?”
Was it that obvious? Grunting, Adrian started the engine and headed for his grandfather’s.
“How bad can it be?” XL asked, sounding intrigued. “Does he run after you and beat the shit out of you?”
Adrian shook his head. “He needs a walker. Can’t run.”
“Does he yell and insult you?”
He shook his head again. “He carries around an oxygen tank. He gets short of breath if he talks too much.”
“Does he steal from you or threaten to kick you out if you eat his food?”
Again, no.
“Then what the fuck, man?” XL asked, looking confused. “He’s a thousand times better than any of the stepfathers I had.”
Adrian felt ashamed… and pissed for feeling ashamed. XL was right. Whoever his granddad had been, he wasn’t that person anymore. Even less so lately, with the memory lapses. Last time he’d seen the old man, Horatio had barely recognized him.
When they arrived, the nurse opened the door. “He’s in the backyard. I told him you were coming to cut the grass, so he’s waiting for you.”
“How is he?” Adrian asked, more to be polite than anything else.
“He’s having a good day.”
Adrian wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t inquire further. They were there to cut the grass so that Rachel would stop bitching at him, and that was it. XL was there as his shield.
“Hello, Ace,” his granddad greeted him with a big smile. Then he looked at XL. “You brought your kid. Where’s the other one?”
Oh hell, his grandfather didn’t recognize him.
XL frowned, and Adrian whispered, “He thinks I’m my father and you’re me.”
“Oh, right.” XL pulled his sunglasses off. “Whassup, Granddad?”
Horatio patted XL’s check with affection. “You’re such a rascal. Have you been fighting again?”
XL’s face still had blue-and-yellow bruises from the fight in the parking lot. “I won.”
“Good for you, Adrian. I know you’ll be a great man. Your brother too. Where is he?”
Adrian’s stomach clenched. XL threw him a glance and took over. “He’ll be here later, Granddad.”
Thank God the kid was quick on the uptake, because Adrian wasn’t in any condition to answer.
“Good. I miss him,” the old man said. His eyes were shiny—whether from tears or from squinting, Adrian couldn’t tell. And didn’t want to.
He didn’t know if he was going to survive this. He could deal with a screaming authoritarian. With an old, frail man who was losing his mind, Adrian didn’t know what to do.
“I’m going for the lawnmower.” He paused before adding, “Dad.”
Horatio smiled at him and watched as Adrian came back from the garage with the mower. “Sit with me, Ace. Your kid can do the lawnmowing, right?”
“Sure,” XL said. “You visit with Granddad. I’ll do the work.”
Jesus fucking Christ. This was crazy.
Adrian sat with Horatio on the patio, drinking lemonade.
“When’s your mother coming back from visiting your aunt? You know I don’t like being without her.”
Yeah. Horatio Skehan didn’t know how to be without his wife. He’d spiraled down damn fast when she died. Adrian and Ricky had paid the price.
“Mister Skehan,” the nurse said, “I already told you your wife passed away.”
Horatio frowned at her and whispered to Adrian, “This cleaning lady your mom hired says the weirdest things. I think she drinks.”
Adrian smiled apologetically at the nurse. He’d consulted the doctor. His grandfather’s condition was irreversible. Horatio was regressing in time in his mind.
Adrian sat with his grandfather until XL finished cutting the grass, and Horatio prompted him to sit with them. For two people who weren’t related in the least, XL and Horatio made the perfect granddad and grandson. They bickered and laughed and had a great time.
“Hi,” Rachel said from the fence. Adrian stood up to help her with the groceries.
“Hello Rose,” Adrian’s granddad greeted her in return.
“He thinks you’re my mother,” Adrian explained in a whisper.
Once he finished putting everything in the cupboards, Adrian came back to the patio. Rachel was pulling weeds. XL was laughing with Horatio.
“You don’t know how proud I am of you, Ace,” his grandfather said, patting Adrian’s hand. “You have such a beautiful family. Your wife. Your kids. Adrian is a wiseass, but he’s adorable. He’ll make it far in life, I’m sure. Ricky too. You’ll bring him with you on your next visit, right? I miss him. I’m sorry I was a bit hard on you when you were small. I did my best.”
Adrian was a mess. He’d held on to his anger for so long, and now he realized there was no purpose to it anymore. Horatio had done the best he could. It had been sorely lacking, but he hadn’t been able to get over the death of his son, and the death of his wife had finished him off. Once his rage had been fueled by alcohol and despair, Horatio had fallen into a hole he’d been unable to climb out of. Adrian and Ricky had been collateral damage. And it seemingly pained the old man so much, he didn’t even want to remember it. “I know, Dad.”
After visiting a little while longer, they said their goodbyes and left. They got in the car, and Adrian let out a long sigh.
“Your granddad is damn fun,” XL stated.
Adrian would have loved to disagree, but he couldn’t. The guy was fun to be around. “I preferred him when he was—”
“The monster you remembered?” Rachel offered. “He can’t stand remembering it. Why would you?”
True. Why would he
?
When Rachel arrived at Wilma’s, the three OGs were sitting near the shore. Judging by the plastic glasses they were holding, they were drinking whiskey cream liqueur.
“Hello, ladies. Are you celebrating that your beloved B&B has been upgraded to an inn, and its grand opening party is in two days? I couldn’t believe it when I heard the name. I guess you’re over the moon. Such a coincidence.”
Taken aback at the lack of response, Rachel hastened her pace. The second she reached them, she realized there was something off. Whatever the reason was for the booze, it wasn’t a celebration. “What’s wrong?”
Wilma poured more alcohol in her friends’ glasses, and the three grandmas downed it in one swallow.
“What’s happened?” Rachel asked, sitting on the grass. She had the feeling she was going to need to be seated to hear whatever had made the OGs this serious.
Greta handed her a letter from a law firm. “Competence proceedings, dear. My son Grady is trying to declare me legally incompetent. He’s using all our latest run-ins with the authorities, including the hot-air balloon incident, to prove I can’t manage my life. He’s filed for guardianship. His lawyer asked for me to be committed to a facility where I can be taken care of.”
Rachel couldn’t believe what she was reading. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
It was a testament to how shocked the OGs were that no one commented on her language.
“What a…” She tried to search for the correct word.
“Say it. Scoundrel,” Greta said.
Well, Rachel had been thinking more along the lines of motherfucking piece of shit, but scoundrel would do too. “Where is he now?”
She was going to give him a piece of her mind, and maybe something more. Happy-hour cell, here we come.
“The coward ran away,” Wilma replied, pouring more liqueur into the glasses.
“Hit me too,” Rachel said, taking a plastic cup from the pile. “What do you mean, he ran away?”
The four threw their heads back and emptied their glasses. “He went on holiday a day before the papers were served,” Greta explained. Her expression was so sad, it broke Rachel’s heart. “He’s not answering the phone, so it looks like I’ll have to deal with his lawyer. I guess he’ll try to get me committed before Grady comes back.”
Of course Grady’d left. He wouldn’t want to face the OGs and their wrath.
“Motherfucking scoundrel,” Rachel bit out under her breath.
“Yep,” Greta assented. “You were right all those years, girls. I spoiled him.”
“Don’t worry. This… declaring you incompetent is not going to happen,” Rachel stated.
“Damn right it’s not going to happen,” came from the house.
That voice… Rachel looked in that direction. “Connor!”
The three grandmas yelped and stood up while Connor dropped his army bag to the grass and walked over to them.
Greta hugged her grandson with tears in her eyes. “Connor, my boy. Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back to the US? How long are you staying this time?”
“I’m staying for good, Grandma.”
Their screams of happiness must have been heard all over town.
Rachel and Adrian entered the reception at the inn, hand in hand. This was the first official event they had taken part in, but Alden had gotten used to seeing them together this past month, so they weren’t raising brows anymore—or at least not as much.
He didn’t care. He couldn’t remember when he’d been this happy, this relaxed. Having her by his side made him complete. He’d even started liking Alden—go figure.
They followed the music to the backyard, which was lit up and full of people, some dancing, some sitting and mingling. All of them having a great time. It looked like champagne had been flowing freely for a while already, because everyone was extremely animated. Correction: all but one. And it was toward that one that Rachel was headed.
“This is Connor,” she told Adrian after kissing the brooding man. “Connor, this is Adrian.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Sheriff,” Connor said, shaking hands with Adrian.
“Good or bad?” he ventured, fearing the answer.
“What do you think? You arrested the OGs, locked them in a cell when they were wearing only bathrobes, and conspired with the judge to get them community service.”
Well, said like that—and by a man who looked like Connor—it was bad. “Didn’t you say he didn’t read the group chat?” Adrian asked Rachel.
“I had time to catch up,” Conner answered. Then he smiled. “I was also told Rachel loves you, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and like you. After all, the OGs like you too.”
Adrian was ecstatic—not about Connor liking him, which was a good thing, but about Rachel loving him. She’d told him so many times already, and it always caught him by surprise. When she told other people? Something swelled so big in his chest that breathing was difficult.
“Thanks,” Adrian said. “It’s good you’re here. Rachel and Mike were drowning.”
Connor laughed softly. “I noticed it when I read the messages. Don’t worry. I’ll be pulling my weight now.”
Rachel, never one to have problems expressing her feelings, hugged him. “We missed you, Con. And not only because of the OGs’ shenanigans.”
“I missed you too. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.”
They watched as he walked inside. “He doesn’t seem comfortable surrounded by people,” Adrian said. “What did he do in the military?”
“Not sure,” she answered. “He never speaks about it. He was always on classified deployments.”
Yeah, Connor didn’t look like the desk type. More like the special ops type.
“He’s surprised all of us by leaving the military,” she continued. “He hasn’t given any explanations. He just said it was time. Oh look, the OGs.”
The grannies were sitting around a table. The second they saw Rachel, they waved. She waved back and was heading that way when Adrian grabbed her and brought her to the dance floor.
“Adrian!”
“Sorry,” he mouthed to the OGs, who just laughed. Then he kissed her. “I don’t want to share you tonight. You look gorgeous.” She had on a black gown she’d bought while shopping with Kyra in Boston. It was sexy and low-cut and Rachel looked like a million bucks in it. So much so that the first time he’d seen her wearing it, the dress had ended up bunched around her waist as he fucked her against the wall.
She looked stunning all dressed up, true, but to Adrian, she looked equally stunning in sweatpants and flip-flops, or wearing only cotton undies, or just plain naked in his bed. There wasn’t a look that his woman couldn’t rock and leave him breathless.
She giggled, melting into his embrace. “Please. We spend most of our time together.”
She hadn’t slept at Wilma’s since XL moved to Mike’s apartment; Adrian had seen to it. Most of her things were still at her grandmother’s, but Adrian would see to that too. Before the end of the summer, all her stuff would be at Adrian’s.
Which reminded him: “Close your eyes, love.” He’d thought about doing this later, while they were alone, but frankly, he couldn’t wait.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”
“Obey.”
Miracle of all miracles, she did. He took the velvet box from his jacket and, opening it, went down on one knee. “Now.”
The music had stopped. Everyone was looking at them. He couldn’t hear anything but the roaring of blood in his ears. Rachel opened her eyes wide and looked at the ring for the longest time, saying nothing.
Crap, he should have done this later. At home.
“You… hmm… don’t like it?” Feeling awkward, he got up. “I had the ring made into a necklace because I know with your work at the garage, you can’t wear rings. I want you to have my ring with you always, so I thought this was a perfect solution. If you don’t like it—”
Rachel threw herself at him, and the whole room exploded in cheers. Again, he couldn’t hear much. He put the necklace on her, the diamond ring dangling in the hollow of her collarbone. “With all the suspense, I forgot the question.”
She laughed and hugged him. “Yes, I’ll marry you. That was the question, right? Or did I read it wrong? Was it Alfred?”
He kissed her, laughing, unable to peel his hands from her. “No Alfred. You got it right.”
“Good.”
The music resumed, and they continued dancing. “I guess now that this place has opened, we’ve missed our chance to have sex in the swimming pool,” she whispered.
He broke into laughter. “I’m afraid so.”
“Plenty of interesting spots around here, Boomer.” One would have thought after moving in together, their tendency to fuck in risky locations would have stopped, but it hadn’t.
He kissed her long and deep. “That’s my grease babe.”
The OGs watched as Adrian and Rachel danced and laughed and kissed, his ring around her neck.
“We’re going to have another wedding, girls,” Greta said, visibly excited. Like the rest of people at the party, the OGs had held their breath as Adrian proposed and cheered when Rachel accepted.
Wilma nodded. “She did manage to pull out that stick up his ass.”
“That she did, even if he hasn’t returned our tasers or the air gun,” Rebecca added.
“He didn’t take the flashlight away yet,” Greta said.
True, there was that.
Greta finished her drink and, flagging down a waitress, took a new glass. “Another round, girls?”
“You’re mighty happy lately,” Rebecca pointed out, accepting another flute of champagne.
“I totally am.”
Wilma didn’t have to follow Greta’s gaze to know her friend was looking at Connor. “Are you that pleased he’s back?”
Greta nodded. “And it has nothing to do with the fact that Connor will stand up to his dad and make him back down.” Wilma and Rebecca turned to her. “Okay, okay, that might help, but I thought I’d never see the day my grandson would be back with us for good.”
