I handed it to her. “Yep. I wanted to contribute to the dinner.”
Moaning, she wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I love you right now. This is one of my favorite dishes. Why don’t you stay with me while the men are in the living room reliving the game?”
I glanced up at Jaxon and he smiled. “Have fun.”
He waltzed off and grabbed a beer out of the tin bucket on the counter. There were two other women in the kitchen, who both smiled when I walked in; it just so happened they were twins. “Summer, Lara, this is Bristol Thomas, Jaxon’s girlfriend.” Hayden gestured to each as she introduced them, then looked at me. “And yes, they’re twins.” She laughed.
Summer was Evan’s wife, the one Jaxon had tried to steal away. She was gorgeous, so I could see why any man would want her. Luckily, her hair was slightly different from her sister’s, more golden, whereas Lara’s highlighted hair was a bright blond.
Lara extended a hand and laughed. “Well, I’ll be damned, I never thought the day would come when Jaxon settled down.” I shook her hand. She pointed toward the living room at a guy with tousled blond hair. He glanced back at me and waved. “That’s Luke, my fiancé.”
I waved at Luke and smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Summer stepped forward and held out her hand. “I’m Summer, Evan’s wife. You probably met him earlier today.”
Nodding, I shook her hand. “I did. Jaxon told me all about you two.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s shocking.”
“I know, but he promised to be honest about everything. I didn’t want him keeping secrets from me. Besides, I was bound to find out anyway.”
“True,” she agreed. “I just know we’re all happy he’s seeing the error of his ways.”
“Which is good,” Hayden added.
Summer nodded. “Yes, it is.” A sound caught my attention and it took me a second to realize it was a baby crying. There was a monitor on the kitchen counter with a screen that showed the little one. Summer picked it up and waved. “Ladies, I’ll be right back. Don’t eat without me.”
Lara snorted. “Don’t worry, we will.”
Hayden nodded toward Summer before she disappeared down the hall. “She and Evan just had a daughter a few months ago. I swear, she’s the cutest thing.”
“And the sweetest,” Lara cut in. “I love babysitting that little munchkin. Hopefully, one day when she’s older and Luke and I have kids, they’ll take over the Carolina Tavern.”
I gasped. “You own the tavern?”
She beamed. “Sure do. Well, Summer and I do. It’s been one hell of an adventure.”
Hayden laughed incredulously. “Adventure doesn’t seem to cut it. We all have some pretty crazy stories to tell, but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk about them.”
Luke strolled up and was about to grab some beer from the bucket, but his phone rang and he rushed outside. “What does he do?” I asked Lara. “I don’t remember seeing him on the field.”
She snuck a cookie off the dessert tray and popped it into her mouth. After chewing it, she said, “He’s a motocross racer. He got hurt really badly not too long ago and I thought I’d lost him, but the dirt’s in his blood.” Luke walked back in and joined us in the kitchen. “And when he retires, I’m going to put him to work at the tavern. Right?” she asked him.
He put his arm around her. “That’s right, babe. I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon, but if my sponsors don’t design me a better bike I might not have a choice.”
“What’s wrong with what you have?” I inquired, curious.
He shrugged. “It needs some improvements. I keep telling them what it needs, but the fuckers can’t get it right.”
I glanced over at Jax, who was busy talking to Evan. It was good seeing them getting along. “I might know of someone who can help you.”
Luke’s eyes brightened. “Who?”
I looked at him and then nodded toward Jaxon. “He graduated with a mechanical engineering degree. You should see his motorcycle designs. I know you race dirt bikes, but I bet he could build you what you need.”
“Well, holy shit,” he replied. “I had no clue. I’ll go talk to him about it.” He hurried off and slapped Jaxon on the back before taking the seat across from him. Jaxon had a talent and he needed to use it. I just hoped he didn’t get mad that I’d offered up his help. Judging by the grin on his face, he seemed to be doing just fine.
Hayden grabbed a bottle of wine and held it up. “Anyone want any?”
“Sure,” Lara and I said at the same time.
She poured two glasses and handed them to us. “Thanks,” I said. “Aren’t you going to have any?”
Lara popped another cookie in her mouth and waved at us before retreating to the living room with the guys. Grinning from ear to ear, Hayden shook her head. “Can’t. I’m pregnant. Just found out a couple of weeks ago.”
“Congratulations! That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty excited. Derek will make a great dad.” We both looked out at the guys who sat on the couch, laughing and carrying on. “He loves you,” she said, indicating Jaxon. “You should’ve seen him a few weeks ago when he knew he needed to tell you the truth. I’d never seen him that upset over a girl.”
“So he doesn’t bring all his girlfriends around you?” I asked, hoping to get a little more insight into Jaxon’s dating past.
She snorted. “Oh, goodness no. He’s never even had a girlfriend from what I can recall. You’re the first one.”
I liked that answer. “Nice.”
“He’s a good one, Bristol. He may have a bad rep, but that was all in the past. Ever since he started seeing you I’ve noticed a change in him. I really like it.”
Jaxon noticed me staring at him and winked. “I like it too.”
Chapter 21
Jaxon