Chapter 25
Tuesday evening, Smith Ramsey stood on the sidelines next to Hector and his mouthy girlfriend. She had an amazing body and a face that could have been in magazines. She also had a very direct way of looking at a man. She’d taken a good hard look at him and winked.
“Hello, man candy.” Then she’d turned to Hector. “He’s fine as shit, but he has nothing on you, baby.”
“Of course not.” Hector shot Smith look.
Smith held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I can’t help that I’m good-looking.”
Next to him, Lafayette and his boyfriend nodded. “Mm-hmm. You surely are. But you’re on the wrong team, Smith.” Simon sighed and hugged Lafayette, who had an arm around him. “I’m just lucky I found you, Lafayette. You know what they say. All the good ones are either taken or asshole straight boys.”
“Yes, that is what they say.” The pair laughed, and Hector and Lila joined them.
Rachel and Kenzie returned from wherever the hell they’d gone, holding a bag of sodas. Smith reached for one and had his hand slapped.
Next to them, Kenzie’s younger brother, Daniel, grinned.
“Hands off, MMFA #2.” The petite Korean chick unnerved him almost as much as Lila. He glared but took a step back.
She harrumphed. “Good. Now let’s cheer on Will and Evan. Oh, here they go!”
Not two seconds after the whistle blew, Evan’s team was racing after the ball. A bunch of huge-ass dudes in fire-engine red, aptly named the Burning Embers, shoved Evan on his ass and raced after the ball.
“Uh-oh.” Evan looked pissed. The guy didn’t get mad that often, but when he did, look out.
Smith had come to know Evan a lot more, and he liked the guy. Evan was genuine, nice, and a sarcastic ass. But he teased with such politeness it made Smith laugh instead of wanting to pound his face in—the exact opposite of what he normally felt when around Cash.
Then he noticed the newcomers heading their way. “Shit.”
“Dude, language.” Hector frowned. When he spotted the bruisers and their ladies approaching, he groaned. “Oh boy. Look, man, be easy, okay? The guys are just here to root for their cousin.”
My cousin too, he wanted to say but didn’t. Evan acted excited that Smith was now part of his family. He didn’t care who was related to whom, only that Smith belonged. And Aunt Jane—she’d insisted Smith call her that—was beyond awesome.
Smith had tried to remain aloof, but the blasted woman kissed him and begged him to help her and Jerome every five seconds. Except instead of helping with her supposed chores, he’d been to dinner or breakfast a bunch of times the past week and a half.
And he’d liked it.
Smith had never belonged, had never had softness or acceptance. And suddenly he had Evan, Evan’s friends, and Aunt Jane.
He had no idea how to handle it, so he kept retreating to good old silence.
Unfortunately, now Reid and Cash were trying to act all buddy-buddy with him, and it was all Smith could do not to pound the pair into tomorrow—even Reid, whom he normally liked.
Cash, that asshole, was intolerable. Even Jordan was complaining about him because Cash had had his cast removed and thought he could move anvils again.
It had taken Smith and Jordan to stop him, and suddenly Smith was the bad guy once more.
Jordan spotted him first and waved. He waved back, mostly to annoy Cash, who looked like he’d swallowed something bitter.
Naomi and Reid looked pleased to see him.
The newcomers joined Kenzie and the gang. Hector made introductions. Daniel stood by Smith, surprising him.
He tugged at Smith’s arm and, when Smith lowered his head, whispered, “Don’t worry, man. They screw with you, I’ll have their bank accounts empty by dawn.”
Smith blinked at the kid. “You’re a little scary.”
Daniel smiled. “You have no idea.”
