“I fuckin’ love it.” He whirled her around and kissed her deeply.
She giggled. “Your lips wear my lipstick nicely.” Even though fighting was a part of Chas’s world, she never considered it a part of hers, so she wasn’t proud of the fact that she’d kicked Brianna’s butt. She could only imagine what would’ve happened if Cherri and Belle hadn’t been there to break it up. “She said she’s going to take me to court.”
“She’s not gonna do shit. She’s always had a big fuckin’ mouth. I told her she’s not to come over to our house ever again.”
“I mean, if Jack wants contact with her, I don’t want to forbid it.”
“Jack doesn’t want anything to do with her. She was a shitty mom and he knows it. He adores you, and he’s been happy ever since she went away and you came into our lives. She’s just doing this shit because she thinks it’s gonna get her and me back together. That’ll never happen, babe. You’re stuck with me for life.”
“And you’re stuck with me.” Placing her hand on the back of his neck, she drew him close and kissed him deeply.
“Let’s take the kids and go out to dinner,” he said as he cupped her ass.
“I can’t. Tonight’s ladies’ night out, remember?”
“Fuck, I forgot.”
“I made a casserole and salad for you and the kids. You just need to warm it up and put some dressing on the salad.”
“I’m gonna miss you.”
“I won’t be late. Make sure Jack finishes his book report.”
“Okay. You wearing a new perfume?” Chas tugged her to him.
“I bought a gingerbread latte spray at the drugstore. It was cheap, but I really like it.”
“So do I.” Chas began to slip his hand under her top. “You smell good enough to eat.”
Addie smiled while gently pushing him away. “I have to get going.”
Nipping her neck, he said, “You can’t leave me like this.” Taking her hand, he put it on his erection.
Shaking her head, she chuckled. “We can have some fun later on, but I have to go.” She swept her lips across his, then turned back to the mirror to reapply her lipstick.
On her way out, she gave Chas the instructions for heating up the casserole, told Jack to finish his homework, and kissed Hope goodbye. She opened the garage door and the icy air swirled around her. Cranking up the heater in the car, she backed out and headed to the restaurant.
Country Kitchen was a newer restaurant that served home-style cooking with a Southern accent. Delectable fried chicken and melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk biscuits were what kept diners waiting over an hour for a table.
Entering the eatery, Addie was grateful for the roaring fire in the brick fireplace filling the back wall. The smoky scent from the logs blended with the warm hickory aroma seeping from the kitchen. Framed paintings of rolling hills, small shelves stacked with homemade preserves and spices, and random farming tools adorned the wood-paneled walls. Blue gingham tablecloths gave a pop of color under the low lighting from brass lanterns that hung from overhead wood beams.
Addie saw Clotille, standing up and waving at a large table toward the back of the packed restaurant. She waved back and went over to the table, joining Cara, Belle, Cherri, Baylee, Kimber, Kylie, and Bernie.
“Long time no see.” Belle smiled.
The women ordered several bottles of chardonnay and toasted each other on getting everything together for the upcoming fundraiser. They placed their dinner orders and settled back. After the day Addie’d had, she guzzled her wine and refilled her glass. Turning to Baylee, she asked, “Has Axe come around to having a baby?”
“A little. He’s not as sulky as he’s been, and he mentioned we should probably move out of the apartment. It’s not like he’s ecstatic and beaming all the time, but he’s beginning to talk about it. That’s good, right?”
“It’s huge, especially for a young guy who didn’t expect to have a baby. Add in the outlaw factor and he’s definitely coming around,” Belle replied. The other women murmured their agreement.
Kylie picked up her wineglass. “I’m in a different situation. Lately, all Jerry can talk about is wanting a baby. Actually, several babies. We agreed we’d wait before we started a family. I’m not that old, and I really don’t want a baby right now. I do want a family, but I’m only twenty-three and I have time. I want to finish grad school and teach for a while before starting a family.”
“Did you tell Jerry that?” Baylee asked.
“Yeah, but it’s like he doesn’t hear me,” Kylie said.
“That’s a man for you,” Kimber added. Sniggers circled around the table.
“The thing is I’m not sure if he’s saying he wants to start a family because he really does or because he wants me to quit school. My gut’s telling me it’s all about my studies. He was cool when I was in college, but me being in grad school has sorta flipped him out. It’s like he’s threatened by it. I don’t know. It’s weird.”
“A lot of men are threatened by the unknown. Maybe he’s afraid you’ll go in a different direction from him, meeting new people, and the two of you will drift apart,” Cara said.
The waitress placed a plate of steaming fried chicken in front of Kylie. Her blue eyes lit up. “Yum… this smells delicious. I’ll be hitting the gym harder tomorrow, but tonight, calories don’t exist.”
“Amen,” Bernie agreed as she picked up a chicken leg.
All the women but Cherri ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and baskets of biscuits. Cherri opted for the pot roast and a side salad.
Addie wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “This is awesome. Good choice of restaurants, Clotille.”
“When we came here for dinner, we were blown away. Rock and Andrew said it was the best fried chicken they’d had since they moved west. I had to agree with them. I have to admit that we come here a bit too often.”
Kylie looked ready to burst before she blurted, “I’m not sure how to handle Jerry’s insecurity about me and school. He’s been accusing me of being bored with him and wanting a guy who’s gone to college. He tells me I never have time for him anymore. I try and juggle everything, but it’s damn hard. It’ll be cool during the winter break, but when school starts back up, it’s tough to party all the time. Grad school is a million times harder than college, and he just doesn’t get it. And my dad getting in his face about it didn’t help.”
“The minute your father told me you were upset, I knew he’d get in Jerry’s face.” Belle shook her head.
“He knew what he was getting into,” Kimber said, pouring wine into Addie’s, Cara’s, and her wineglass.
“I know, but I wish my dad would back off a little. It just causes more friction between me and Jerry.” Kylie frowned.
“Then don’t tell Banger about it,” Bernie offered.