Fucking sassy woman.
I open the door to find Adalyn, Smalls, and Racer waiting to be let in. Emma cutely asked me the other night if we could have a little dinner party to break in the new dining room table and honestly, I can’t deny that woman anything, so I agreed. And it didn’t seem like that bad of an idea, although I was nervous about Emma inviting Logan, but since she didn’t mention his name on the attending guests list, I assumed she didn’t ask him to come over. Smart move, because I don’t know how long I could fake being nice to that douche.
“We’re here,” Racer says, shaking a bottle of wine in my face. “Wine is from me.”
Smalls smacks Racer on the back of the head. “Wine’s from me, asshat. Is that why you offered to carry it in?”
“Of course.” Racer hands me the wine and then says, “We picked up this little lady in the driveway as well. I’m assuming she belongs to Emma, either that or we found a lurker and invited her to dinner.”
“Hi, Adalyn. Glad you could come.” I step aside for her to enter with the boys. I slug Racer in the shoulder as he passes and say, “Don’t call Emma’s friends lurkers.”
Racer rubs his arm. “Damn, did everyone’s sense of humor take a trip to the shit pit? Or are we supposed to act all proper because we’re having a dinner party?”
“Little class, man,” Smalls mumbles as we step into the kitchen. Emma and Adalyn are already hugging when I finish closing the door.
Adalyn pulls away and gestures to Smalls and Racer. “Going to be honest, I’ll be staring at those two all night.” She turns to the guys and continues, “Listen up, boys. I’m not going to be sad if you eat with your shirts off. Just a suggestion, take it or leave it.”
Racer pats Smalls on the back. “Trust me, sweetheart, you don’t want this guy taking his shirt off. His pancake nipples will scare you for weeks. I still have yet to put a flapjack in my mouth, too scared I might be eating Smalls’s nipple.” He nudges Smalls in the side with his elbow. “Talk about nipple confusion.”
Smalls shakes his head. “You’re fucking twisted, man.” Smalls takes off into the dining and living area and from the kitchen you can hear him say, “Damn, it looks nice in here.”
Emma nudges me with her elbow and kisses my jaw before turning back to the cheddar broccoli soup she’s been working on. “Should be done soon. Table is set, Tucker, so if you want to pour that wine for everyone, that would be great.”
I cringe. “Want me to pour it into the day-of-the-week mugs? We really don’t have any glasses besides two.”
“You don’t have wine glasses?”
“Babe, I had two mugs when you moved in. Do you really think I have wine glasses stored away somewhere?” The boys normally bring beer.
She chuckles and shakes her head. “Dumb question. Well, mugs will have to do.”
“Aw, you two are so cute,” Adalyn coos. “Can I help with anything?”
“I think we’re all set,” Emma answers as she stirs the soup.
“Good, because that was just a polite offer.”
Racer snorts and puts his arm around Adalyn. “I like this girl. Why don’t we go enjoy some wine in a coffee mug while trying to stare through Smalls’s shirt to see his pancake nips?”
“Sounds like a fetching idea.”
They walk out into the living area with the mugs and wine in hand leaving me a little worried about what might be blossoming between those two.
“That can’t be good.”
“I’m not worried.” Emma takes a sip of the soup and makes a cute little noise of approval.
“Why aren’t you worried?”
“Racer isn’t Adalyn’s type. If anything, they’ll become best friends.”
“Why isn’t he her type?” I ask, feeling slightly defensive for my friend.
“They’re too similar.” She points to the bowls on the opposite counter. “Can you bring those over here please?”
“Nothing wrong with being similar.” I place the bowls next to the stove where she starts filling them with her soup that I’m looking forward to trying.
“Not at all, but Adalyn needs someone broody, a challenge. Racer is too easygoing for her. Don’t get me wrong; if they ended up having sex, I wouldn’t be surprised. But a relationship? Never going to happen.”
“Well there goes double-dating,” I tease as I wrap my arms around her and kiss the side of her neck. “Smells fucking fantastic, babe.”
“Tastes even better.”
I lightly nibble and lick the skin along her neck. “I couldn’t agree more.”
She turns in my grasp once she’s done filling up the bowls and says, “Do not get a boner right now. I wanted to have a nice dinner party. No boners allowed.”
“Yeah, no boners allowed, dude.” Smalls walks in with a mug of wine.
Emma startles and steps away from me as if we were just caught by her parents. I don’t let her get very far and pull her back into my chest. “Do you need something?” Emma asks, trying to be the polite hostess.
Smalls tilts the mug in our direction to show us the wine. “This shit is fucking nasty. Apparently I’m polite, but can’t choose a wine to save my own ass. Got beer, man?”
“In the fridge on the top shelf. Help yourself and grab one for me too.”
“You’re not going to drink the wine he brought?” Emma asks. “You don’t want to be rude, Tucker.”
I lower my hand to her ass, lean forward and press a light kiss on her lips as I squeeze her behind. “And I also don’t want to drink the sludge he brought, so being rude doesn’t faze me.”
Smalls hands me a beer. “If it was Racer who brought the wine, Tucker would be drinking it because we both know Racer would bitch and complain about it until the bottle was gone.”
“True fact.” We bump our bottles together and Smalls takes off into the living room again.
Looking around the corner to see if he disappeared, Emma whispers, “Do you think I have to drink it?”
“I think you’re going to have to bite the bullet, babe.”
Gripping the beer around the neck of the bottle, she brings my drink to her lips and says, “If I have to drink the crap wine, so do you.”
Taking down half the bottle, she places it on the counter and then starts bringing the bowls of soup into the dining room.
Damn.
Funny thing is, if Emma asked me to drink the crap wine, I would, because it seems I’d do anything for this girl. She’s quickly become everything to me. She makes me feel real, justified, like everything I’ve done in my life leading up to this moment was meant to be. That I walked through hell and finally came out on the other end slightly burnt but fucking happy.
Funny thing about true happiness, though. You never know it’s inside you until someone pulls it out.
Chapter Twenty-One
EMMA
“I really appreciate you driving me home, Sadie. Adalyn forgot she had to help babysit her sister’s kids so she left me stranded at school.”