“You ready to party, pretty girl?” she asks me, sensing my relief at her touch.
“Abso-fucking-lutely!” I wink back.
“You owe me a dollar, Mama,” I hear from the side of me before looking back at Aunt Kay, before we both let out an amused laugh.
“That’s my girl,” she nuzzles her nose against mine.
Looking over towards where my daughters voice sprung from, I spot Maverick leaning against a table with a whiskey in his hand, looking sheepish at the both of us. I offer him a shy smile before looking for my daughter.
“Uncle Jake, stop… That tickles!” she squeals, as I spot her with my favourite person ever.
“But I’m the tickle monster!” Jake roars back, raising his hands to her sides and tickling her as gentle as he could in a playfight. I shake my head as I let out a snorting laugh. I’d watch these two forever, if I could.
Ellie may not have a permanent dad in her life, but she sure isn’t short of men who stand into that roll, and for them, I’m forever thankful.
Moving away from the table and into their direction, I pick the pace up into a light jog as I brace myself for impact.
“Don’t worry, Ellie-belly, Mama’s on your side,” I shout before launching myself onto Jake’s back and tickling him in the same spot he’s trying to do to my daughter.
“Ahh! Stop! I’m being ambushed,” he screams as Ellie breaks free and tickles his other side with me. Jake’s still screaming like a man whose balls haven’t dropped yet into my ear.
“Dude, seriously?” I hear, looking up from the awkward position I’m in on Jake’s back and see my girls walking towards me as I continue to help my daughter attack her uncle.
“This isn’t a fair fight,” Hope starts before looking at Iris with her famous smirk.
“Yeah, I reckon this needs some more manpower,” Iris finish’s before diving straight onto Jake’s back, inches from landing on top of me instead. Hope takes the front and joins in, I let out a huff, giving up, I roll onto the floor off his back in a beautiful fashion, rendering myself breathless from the effort, more than happy to let them take over.
Rolling onto all fours, feeling the grass dig into my knees, I lean back onto my legs and let out a wheeze.
“Y’all are getting tooold for this!” Colter shouts from the patio.
“You’re getting too old in general!” Iris shoots back at him with a wink, still attacking Jake from the side of him.
I roll my eyes at her and snicker at her response, still trying to catch my breath.
What are we gonna do with those two?
Leaning back on my legs, I take a seat on the grass and the pile up is finishing, Jake admitting defeat, calling mercy and Ellie victorious with our help.
“Nice dive,” I hear, snapping my neck in the direction toward the voice. Maverick’s standing his tall frame over me, holding out a hand for me. I smile up at him. “Thanks, had plenty of practice.” Taking his hand as he pulls me to my feet, the bolt shooting its way up my hand at his touch.
I brush myself down and quickly rearrange my shirt that’s decided to ride up in the fight, showing my stomach.
I was never self-conscious about my body, but having Ellie took its toll, causing stretch marks and stubborn fat that no many how many Pilates session’s I attend, have helped.
Maverick watches me adjust the white flowing top back over my stomach in a hurry and gives me a look I’ve not seen for a while, concern sweeping over his face. “Mabel, you don’t...” he starts beforeI hear my mama call for me. I hear the crack in his voice.
“Hey, honey, give me a hand please?” She shouts down from the porch. I look from my mama and back at Maverick. I shrug at him.
“Sorry, duty calls.” I shrug out before walking around him and heading back up to the porch, still adjusting my top so no one needs to see the part that I hate about myself most. And Irun away from whatever he was about to say.
Twenty
Maverick
Holding my hand out to Mabel to help her up, I feel the electricity run through my hand at her touch as she takes my hand, pulling her back to her feet.
I watched from the sidelines as she helped her daughter attack my brother in a tickling session that he’d lost miserably. I find myself remembering all the time that we used to do that, with our parents and with each other.
