Page 70 of A Little Naughty

I step over to shake his hand. “I appreciate it. You’ve always been more of a dad to me than my own.”

“Just repaying my debts.” His brow softens. “Your momma took care of me more times than anyone should’ve. She had a good heart, and I’ve always seen a lot of her in you.”

My jaw tenses, and I release his hand. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

All the way to town, I do my best to make it okay. I do my best not to think about jeopardizing what I’ve built up with Bender, Jemima, the memory of my mom.

I think about the old timers and the kind of things they had to do to achieve their goals. Hell, even Alex Stone couldn’t be where he is without his family’s bootlegger past. Everyone has to color outside the lines a little.

It takes money to make money, and at this point, I only have one option. Sometimes you agree to do things you wouldn’t want exposed to the light of day. Then later, you have to be a man of your word and stick to it.

Everything’s going to work out.

But nothing can go wrong.

* * *

Jemima’s waitingfor me on the sidewalk when I pull my dad’s old truck up to the Pak-n-Save. She’s wearing a long-sleeved gray T-shirt tucked into jeans with a bow on the front. Her hair hangs in curls around her shoulders, and she’s holding two large cups.

She looks like someone worth risking everything for, and heat tightens my stomach.

I step out, and she steps closer, shaking her head. “I have to warn you, everyone is waiting for us at the gazebo.”

“Who’s everyone?” I glance across the street at the white structure in the middle of town square.

When she texted me about meeting her and Nikki here for slushies, I thought it would be just the three of us. Now I see Nikki running around the grassy field with Piper’s son Ryan and Owen Stone.

Britt’s bloodhound sits on the gazebo steps watching them, and inside it are Piper and Britt and the drag queen who came here and got Jemima before Christmas.

“I’m not worried about them.” I walk to the back of the truck and open the tailgate.

“Who is this?” Her voice rises, and she reaches out to run her hand over Porkchop’s head.

I snap a leash to his collar. “Jemima, meet Porkchop.” He immediately tries to bolt to where the kids are playing when I help him out of the back, but I’m ready for him. “He’s not used to being on a leash. Or being in town. Or pretty much behaving ever.”

“You named himPorkchop?” She passes one of the large cups to me.

“He stole a pork chop off my daddy’s plate one night, and Bull named him that. I’d have named him Lucky, because if my dad had caught him…”

She doesn’t need to know the rest of that story.

“Well, it’s definitely unique.” She slides her hand into the crook of my arm, hugging her body to my side and speaking low. “They know we’re engaged, but only Monay knows why. They all think I’m pregnant, and I’m just letting it ride.”

A tiny explosion goes off in my brain at the thought of Jemima pregnant with my child. In its aftermath is an unexpected sense of pride. I picture her walking around here, her belly growing round with our baby. I think about lying in bed with her coming up with baby names.

It’s something I didn’t even know I wanted, but I like the idea. A lot.

“We might have to work on that.” I glance at her, and she bites back a grin.

“I like practicing with you.”

Heat surges below my belt, and I lean closer to her ear. “You’d better stop teasing, or I’ll have to take you around back and spank that ass.”

“Oh my gosh.” She fans her flushed face, and I hear Piper in the gazebo.

“That’s what I thought. Pregnant.” She stands, walking to us. “You were supposed to do a business profile, not dothe business.”

“Stop saying that.” Jemima gestures between me and the other two. “Raif, I think you know everybody except Monay.”

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