It takes a little wrangling, but we finally get Krew’s diaper changed, jammies on, and hair brushed. I scoop him up in one arm, then loop the diaper bag strap over the other shoulder.
“Little man and I are going to hang out with Sunshine and her gang until bedtime.”
Whiskey stops my backward steps by pulling us into his chest. One arm around my shoulders, the other hand resting on Krew’s back, he leans down to kiss our son’s cheek, then shifts to give me a slightly inappropriate for when your child is so close kiss.Krew must think we are funny because he laughs and lightly slaps both of our cheeks. Either that is toddler speak for ‘don’t kiss my momma’ or ‘aww my parents love each other’. I’m sure he will let us know which way he’s leaning until he learns to put the words he’s learning into full sentences, but I’m sure we will know soon.
“Church may take a while tonight,” he finally addresses the elephant in the clubhouse. “Send me a text when you decide to head to our cabin. I’ll get it whenever I’m out.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I lift on my tiptoes to kiss his whiskered cheek. “Will there be a Prospect out in the yard keeping watch?”
“You know me so well,” he snickers as he grabs my hand and leads us out into the hall. “A few Prospects are on rotation for the rest of the night. When you’re ready to leave Sunshine’s, text Diego after you text me. He will walk with you.”
“You got it.”
“Then text me again when you get inside and lock the door.”
“I know the drill.”
“I know you do, but—”
“Whiskey,” I stop him when I step as close to him as I can and rest my chin on his chest. Krew is oblivious to the seriousness of what’s going on all around him. “I got this. This isn’t our first rodeo. I won’t do anything to put us in danger. I will keep my eyes open when I’m outside. I will lock all the doors when we’re inside. I promise.”
He closes his eyes as he drops his forehead to mine. It is only a one second flash of his vulnerability, but I’m the only one who gets to see it. Whiskey kisses my forehead, then Krew’s, as he squeezes my hand, and he’s off.
I watch him walk around the corner, presumably heading to the room where they hold Church, ready to plot and plan how to go about kicking ass and taking names of whoever is threatening our family.
“You two ready to party?” Sunshine’s always cheerful voice snaps me from my thoughts and I can’t help but smile back at her.
“I am!” Opal calls out, waving her hands in the air like one of those floppy, inflatable tube things at the car dealerships.
“Heck yes, we are.” I do a little shimmy and bounce Krew on my hip. “Aren’t we, buddy? Yea?”
“Yea, yea, yea, yea,” he echoes back.
As our little group approaches the back doors, they both open inward before we get too close. Diego and Ray appear like magic, holding the doors for us as I carry Krew and Sunshine pushes her twins in their stroller.
“I got this,” Ray takes over pushing the stroller once we step down off the patio and onto the gravel path toward our cabins. The ground is compacted snow over the gravel, so it’s not the easiest to push the baby mobile on wheels.
Sunshine grabs hold of Opal’s hand, I follow, and Diego brings up the tail end of this crazy train. Once we are all inside the third of five cabins, Sunshine flips both the door lock and deadbolt, before also checking the patio door over in the living room.
“Let me guess,” I say with a laugh as I start taking of mine and Krew’s coats. “Your guys gave you the third degree about locking all the doors and not going outside too?”
“You know it.” She laughs then drops her voice down a few octaves. “Lock the doors. Text us when you get inside. Don’t go outside unless the house is on fire. Call a Prospect when Duchess leaves. Blah blah blah.”
Now I really let myself chuckle. “I didn’t get the house on fire waiver, but kudos to them for putting a spin on the directions when giving you the same speech we’ve all heard probably fifty times.”
“That was a Ring addition,” she tells me as she types a quick text to who I am assuming is her husbands. They won’t get themuntil they are out of Church, same as Whiskey, but if they don’t see messages waiting when they do get out, it will be us they holler at until the cows come home.
I let Krew down and he’s off like a rocket, running as fast as his chubby legs will let him. He loves his cousin Opal and would follow her everywhere if she’d let him. Once they reach the living room, she boosts him up onto the couch beside their dog, Teddy, and the three of them snuggle down to watch whichever princess movie Opal picks.
Sunshine unbundles Joey from his winter gear while I unwrap Ryder. While it’s not a very long walk from the clubhouse to cabins, it’s winter in Wisconsin which means it’s fucking cold. With temperatures often in the single digits, we don’t risk kiddos and frostbite.
“So, what’s new with you?” Sunshine asks, with Joey on her lap as we sit at the dining room table.
With Ryder on my lap, I turn just far enough to make sure that the little ears in the living room are distracted and not eavesdropping on our conversation. Opal is a horrible secret keeper, so having her overhear would ruin my plans faster than you can say Texas tornado.
“Can I tell you a secret? You can’t tell anyone yet. Not even your guys.” Even though I’m ninety-seven percent sure I was quiet enough, I still doublecheck for noises across the room.
Sunshine leans in a little. “Of course. Is something wrong?”
