Tonight we are headed out for ‘family’ dinner with the Corps Crew at Heavy’s. This is also something that we have all started to do at least once a month. It seems as though these men get broody when they go too long without their bonding over beer time. It works out perfect for the girls in the group. Let’s face it, there really is only so much time you can spend on the phone with the same girls on group calls yelling over each other.
We are the last ones to arrive and squeeze into the table. Our seats end up directly across from Izzy, Axel and Nate. Next to Izzy is Dee and on the other side of Axel is Coop. I have pushed up to Maddox when I sit down and get a lift of his chin in greeting. Emmy is on the other side of Coop, next to Greg. Cohen leaves our side right away to sit next to Nate. Even though Nate is only a freshly turned one year old, he is Cohen’s best bud. When Cohen is around, Nate’s face never leaves his.
“Izzy, what do you want to bet those two are already taking notes on future ways to give us gray hair?” I laugh when their heads go close and Cohen starts babbling at a smiling Nate.
“That I don’t doubt, girlfriend. You look happy today.” She nods her head at Greg and gives me a wink.
“Oh yeah, I’ll fill you in tomorrow, okay?” She smiles and looks over my shoulder across the room.
I turn to see what holds her attention and watch in shock as Beck leans over to give an attractive woman at the bar a kiss. Well, that explains the look on Dee’s face.
Turning back around, I catch Izzy’s gaze with wide eyes. I have heard from her and Emmy that his way of pushing Dee into admitting she does, in fact have feelings for him is to make her jealous. Izzy gives me a small shake of her head and immediately changes the subject to everyone’s plans for Halloween.
I look over at Dee while the rest of the table talks about having some kind of party; no thank you . . . I hate Halloween. Her eyes haven’t left Beck, even when he returns to the table and squeezes in between Greg and Emmy. She just continues to give him her death rays. After a few minutes, she takes a deep breath and joins the conversation around her.
Crisis averted apparently.
“Daddy!” It takes me a second to realize that that was coming from our table. When I realize that everyone has stopped talking around us, and Greg had curled his hand that is resting on my leg tight, that yes, that voice has indeed come from our table.
“Yeah, buddy?” He asks Cohen.
I take a second to look up at the faces around the table. Dee looks confused, which is understandable since I’m sure her mind is still processing Beck’s latest attempt at calling her bluff. Izzy already has tears rolling down her cheeks. Axel, Emmy, and Coop all have the same shocked but happy face. Beck is still glaring at Dee, so it’s a safe bet him missed it. I finish my rotation and look to my side at Maddox. For the first time since I’ve met him, his face has a blinding smile, the kind of smile that completely transforms his face from unapproachable to sinfully handsome.
Wow.
“When I get big like you, will my wiener be big too?”
Jesus Christ. Really, way to end a moment there kid.
Greg, even though he did try, can’t hold in the laughter at Cohen’s question. Soon the whole table is laughing. I see Maddox lean over, motion Cohen forward, and then I watch as he whispers something in his ears. Cohen smiles and shakes his head rapidly a few times. His little hand shoots up and meets Maddox’s large paw in a five before he returns to his ‘conversation’ with Nate.
“What did you say?” I ask Maddox softly when he leans back into his seat.
He turns his black eyes on me, with that blinding smile still present. “Told him to eat all his greens, and be a good little boy, and he would have the biggest wiener in town.”
I sit there with my jaw on the ground, completely shocked that I just got not only a smile, but also a joke from this man, before I throw my head back and laugh. Greg wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. It takes me a while to stop laughing and be able to sit back and enjoy our family dinner.
We didn’t stay long, but when we go to leave, I get a long hug from Izzy with demands for a phone call first thing in the morning. Axel and Greg did that man hug for a few minutes, and I can see Axel’s head turned speaking into Greg’s ear. When they break apart I see Greg’s hand go up and wipe his eyes. I’ll let him have his moment. I know how much this day has meant to him, so having Cohen call him out in the middle of the people closest to him has to be hitting him emotionally.
We make it to mom’s house with enough time to give Cohen his bath for her and tuck him into bed. While Greg is reading him a story, I fill my mom in on the day we had. She has tears in her eyes when Greg returns but doesn’t say anything. We make plans for dinner in a few days, and leave shortly after Cohen falls asleep. When she gives me a hug goodbye, she whispers in my ear how happy she is that Cohen is finally getting a daddy worth having.
The ride home is silent but comfortable. And when we get home, the silence continues until Greg has me naked, straddling his hips, and screaming out his name.
The perfect end to a perfect day.
CHAPTER 25
Melissa