Nodding, I kept an eye on my watch then flipped the steaks like he instructed. At first, I was simply nervous that Kirk might hit me at any moment. The coldness in his eyes reminded me of my dad.
Kirk lit a cigarette while watching me flip the food. When the steaks were finished, I placed them on a plate then added new ones to the grill. He gave him an approving nod and I relaxed. Kirk Johansson was scary as hell, but he wasn’t my dad. Besides how to take a punch, my father never taught me how to do shit. In the half hour with Kirk, I learned how to handle a grill along with the signs of a good slab of meat.
After Jodi filled the plates with more food, Bailey and Sawyer brought them to everyone. Kirk and I remained at the grill, working on extra burgers.
“My boys will want thirds. Maybe fourths,” Kirk said, giving me a grin. “Bailey said you’re into bacon.”
Smirking, I rolled my eyes. “One time I stink like bacon and she thinks I’m an addict.”
“My baby loves bacon. She’s fond of you too.”
Feeling awkward immediately, I focused on the tattoo across Kirk’s bare chest. Jodi’s face looked back at me, smirking with a cigarette hanging from her red lips.
“Did Aaron do that one?”
Kirk glanced at the tattoo then nodded. “I got most of my tats before Aaron was out of elementary school, but I never trusted anyone to do Jodi. Right after Aaron started his shop, my buddy got a tat of his dead kid. It was like looking at a picture. I knew then Aaron could do justice to my woman’s beauty.”
We looked at Jodi who noticed our eyes on her. She winked, causing Kirk to get a look that made me think they would fuck soon. To prove this point, he left me at the grill to help his wife with something inside.
On the other side of the deck, Bailey talked wedding plans with Maddy. I kept an eye on my watch and flipped the food as instructed. I never minded being on my own and usually felt more comfortable alone. I didn’t remain alone for long.
Sawyer sized me up. “I saw you fight once. The guy punched you in the face a bunch of times and you didn’t die or cry. That was cool.”
“Thanks. Not crying is one of my talents.”
Sawyer stood on a chair so she was closer to looking me in the eye. “I’m not a crybaby either.”
“Planning to be a fighter one day?”
“No, I’m too pretty and rich for that. I’m going to be a chef like Gordon Ramsey. I want a show like Hell’s Kitchen where I have high standards and call stupid people donkeys.”
“I’d watch that.”
Sawyer smiled then her gaze latched onto a scar near my elbow. “Someone hurt you when you were little. Mom told me.”
I just nodded.
“Was it your dad?”
Again I nodded.
“Want me to have him killed? I know people.”
Smiling, I flipped the steak. “No, I’m good, but thanks.”
“Okay, but I wasn’t kidding. Bad people need to die, so they don’t hurt good people. Pop told me.”
“He’s not wrong. I just never think about my dad,” I lied.
Sawyer tore a hot dog in half and threw one part to a nearby dog. “My sister isn’t a whore.” When I frowned at her, Sawyer shrugged. “I heard people say she was and sometimes I throw things at them. Once I bit a guy who said that, but biting is bad because you can get a disease or something.”
“I think Bailey is perfect.”
Sawyer smiled. “She needs someone to take care of her. She’s stupid, you know?”
Laughing, I glanced at Bailey who was eyeballing us. “I don’t think she’s stupid.”
“Well, she’s not smart.”
I couldn’t help laughing harder when I saw the expression on her young face. Sawyer laughed too until she saw Bailey coming our direction.
“She cries easy and whines a lot,” Sawyer whispered. “She really likes you, so don’t break her heart. I can’t stand more whining. Seriously.”
“What’s she saying?” Bailey demanded as her laughing sister ran away.
“She wants me to be nice to you.”
Bailey’s angry expression faded and she smiled at Sawyer who was now fighting for Cooper’s attention.
“Oh, well, Farah’s been training her to be less evil. It’s working too,” Bailey said, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Was Pop nice to you?”
“Yeah, he taught me how to grill.”
Nuzzling my chest, Bailey sighed. “He likes you because you’re awesome and you’re mine.”
“Just like that?”
“No one has ever made me happy like you do. I’m glad I waited for you.”
Staring into her beautiful blue eyes, I knew I loved this amazing woman. As much as this realization scared the shit out of me, being with her and the Johanssons felt comfortable. For the first time ever, I didn’t feel like an outsider.
Chapter Twenty One ~ Bailey
The Thunderdome was one of three good ideas Tucker ever had. The other two were Maddy and Scarlet, but those were more about luck.