Page 61 of Faking it with the Bad Boy Bikers

I watched as he and Nellie swayed together on the dance floor. She watched the older man with something close to hero worship. He was a good man and it was clear he loved Nellie like a daughter. It’d also been clear to me the week before that he was sneaking a woman in and out of his shop. I still hadn’t managed to see who the woman was, though. The old guy was sneaky.

“Boys, you know that I’m thinking of selling?” Vivian joined us and tapped her beer to ours. “It’s a lot of house for an old lady. Do you know anyone with a big family looking to grow bigger?”

My pulse thumped harder. A home of our own? I loved the B&B and had already thought of a dozen different projects which would make it perfect for a single family. “Don’t toy with my emotions, Ms. Vivian.”

She pulled me into a hug and patted my head. “How many more babies you thinking?”

Seth grunted. “A full dozen should do it.”

Woodrow snorted. “He didn’t know what toddlers were last week. He called one a walking baby. Now he wants a dozen kids.”

I watched Nellie on the dance floor and shook my head. “I don’t care if we have one, a dozen, or none. As long as that woman comes home to us each night, I’ll die a happy man. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m going to dance with my wife.”

Steve spun Nellie into my arms when I got closer and she came laughing. “Treat her right, young man.”

I nodded to him and held Nellie close. “You’re so beautiful, Nell.”

She blushed. “You’ve been drinking.”

I ran my finger over her warm cheek. “How you still manage to blush after what we did today…”

“I can’t believe any of this is real.” She looped her arms around my neck and leaned back, head tipped up to the night sky. “It’s like magic.”

“It is.” I pressed a kiss to her throat. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, baby. I feel like the luckiest bastard.”

“I’m the lucky one. I get three hunks to take home every night. I have the best daughter. I also have Papa Jack, though I’m not sure that makes me lucky. He slapped my ass when I walked by him earlier.”

“Cat’s got taste. In those jeans, I can’t even blame him.”

She started to say something else but her eyes shifted to something behind me and she frowned. “Who’s that?”

I turned us in a circle so I could see who she was talking about. At the edge of the party stood three men. Like lumberjacks in suits, they towered over Nellie’s sister, Maxie. Maxie always looked like she was seconds from snapping but the set of her shoulders made it seem like she was really about to lose it.

“Does Maxie have three boyfriends she’s currently fighting with?”

Nellie grunted. “It would be news to me but I also thought I knew who my real father was until yesterday, so what do I know?”

Forgetting about Maxie since she’d vanished into the crowd, I winked down at Nellie. “Come on, now. You know who your real daddy is.”

She slapped my shoulder and groaned. “That’s awful!”

A loud screech pierced the air and I watched Waylan shoot out of Seth’s arms like a bottle rocket. “Papa Jack!”

Sure enough, the giant black cat shot through the party and went straight at the local DJ who was playing country music. Wewatched in horror as Papa Jack launched himself at the man. Waylan wasn’t far behind. Nellie swore and took off after them both.

“Papa Jack! You were supposed to stay in the car! I told you that you could come but you couldn’t get out! Now you’re going to get me in trouble! You big ass!”

Nellie put on the turbo jets and scooped her daughter up in one arm and the cat in the other just as the cat was about to maul the DJ. Turning to us with her arms full, Nellie grinned broadly and hoisted her spoils. “I’m getting faster!”

Papa Jack screamed again and Waylan screamed back. “Turn off the country! He wants something with a beat!”

Nellie nodded, like it made perfect sense. “He’ll tolerate rock but he likes old school rap the best.”

Seth and Woodrow joined me on the dance floor. We all watched with our arms crossed and smiles permanently stretching our faces. Seth grunted. “That’s our life.”

Woodrow pumped his fist in the air and shouted, startling the party goers who had all stopped to watch Nellie and Waylan wrestle the cat. “That’s our life! Hell, yeah!”

Rap came out over the speakers and Papa Jack transformed into a normal cat. He curled up in Nellie’s arms and yawned. Waylan started dancing to the music and the moody overlords on the porch might’ve even cracked a smile. The kid had the dance moves of a beetle knocked onto its back.

Life was short but the night was long so I threw caution to the wind and joined her.

The End.