“Me,” Beau answers, leaning up to kiss his lips. “Let’s go. The baby and I are hungry.”
I watch the smile stretch out on BB’s face and grin. Yeah. I’m all for Izzy handling me just like Beau. Right now, it sounds like the best life ever—especially if it means Izzy is pregnant with my baby …
12
CASSEROLES, CHAOS, AND GETTING IN OVER MY HEAD
CANDYMAN
I’m second-guessing myself the entire ride here. It’s not far from the club, but still. I know Izzy is going to lose her mind. I follow BB’s truck up the drive and park my bike up behind them. I’m off and waiting by BB’s truck by the time they get out. “This your parents’ house?” I ask BB for no real reason other than to force conversation.
“No, that’s why I made the U-turn by the Marathon station. Apparently, little Etta just went down for a nap, so they moved dinner to King and Gabby’s new place.”
“Gotcha,” I murmur, following behind them.
The house is gorgeous. It’s a log cabin with a large chimney made of river rock that sits between two sets of patio doors that lead out to a huge ass deck. It’s big. I’m thinking King must want twenty kids, and I’m not sure this house would have a bit of trouble fitting them all in.
“Sorry, we’re late,” BB says as he and Beau walk in.
“There’s my favorite daughter-in-law,” a woman with blonde hair and almost red highlights says, coming in and hugging Beau at once. I can only imagine this is BB and Izzy’s Mom. She has Izzy’s beauty for sure, though Izzy has eyes that stop my breath. She must have gotten those from her dad.
“I’m your only daughter-in-law,” Beau points out.
“Nah, if I had ten, I’d let my man deal with them, and you’d still be my favorite.”
“Sorry, Katie-did,” Torch says, coming up behind the woman and kissing her temple. “But I claim Beau. You can warm up to whatever man Izzy brings home. Let’s just pray it’s not that football guy, Kai, that she was so hung up on. That asshole was never good enough for our daughter.”
My body jerks as if someone physically hit me. Kai? God, I hate that fucking name. It sounds like a preppy kid with shirts that have annoying collars and buttons on them. Slacks that are neatly pressed and hands smooth as a baby’s ass because he hasn’t worked a day in his life. He’s not the kind of man Izzy needs. She needs someone to take care of her. She’s hell on wheels, but at the end of the day, she needs a man who will take control and pamper her, show her that she matters above anything or anyone else. She needs me.
“Dad, let it go,” Izzy says, coming up to join us. “Beau, you’re just in time. We need your help in the kitchen.”
“Sure, but why?” Beau asks.
Izzy looks over at me briefly. There’s something in her eyes. I expected anger, and there’s probably a touch of that, but there’s more. She appears nervous—almost scared. Is she afraid of me?
Shit. Is she running away from me now that I’m here?
“We need you to work your magic on Aunt Beth’s casserole while BB, Dad, and Skull distract her.”
“My magic? I don’t think I can help that casserole, Izzy.”
“You sure as hell can’t hurt it,” Torch mutters.
“My sister is many things, and ninety-nine-point-nine percent of them are all good. Cooking is something she lacks. She can manage a no-frills breakfast, but the rest …” Katie shrugs.
“I can help,” I speak up, and everyone looks at me shocked as hell. It doesn’t bother me at first, but it’s starting to get to me. Although I do like the surprise in Izzy's eyes. I want to keep her on her toes. There’s a lot about me she doesn’t know.
“You?” Torch and BB say almost in unison.
“Well, yeah. I don’t want to brag, but I grew up rough. I learned how to make about anything good enough to eat.”
“Anything?” Izzy asks, her gaze narrowing on me in disbelief.
“When you barely got one meal a day, trust me, you learned to make it so you could at least eat it.”
I’ve long grown past the age when I worried about people learning how I grew up. So, I spoke without thinking, but seeing the way everyone was staring at me right now—especially Izzy—I find myself wishing I had kept my mouth shut. Desperate to get the attention away from my past, I force my lips into a smile. “Show me to the casserole and let me wow you with my skills, ladies.”
“That’s some strong words, C,” Izzy murmurs, her gorgeous eyes sparkling.
