Page 48 of Tempt Me

“How dare you bring up my terrible six-month-old baby picture?” Carys gasps, stuck between fake rage and laughter. “I had a big head. It’s not my fault. My parents are both large-headed people.”

“My head isn’t large,” Siobhan announces.

“Yeah, because Mom cheated on Dad with a tiny-headed motherfucker. That’s why you don’t look like anyone else in the family.”

At this point, Carys is laughing so hard she can barely get out her final lie. Siobhan also giggles her ass off. After all, they look so much alike that people often get them confused.

Natasha shakes her head at their teasing. “You’re all so beautiful.”

“Shut up, you blonde bitch,” Carys snaps, changing gears immediately. “You’re at the pretty part of pregnancy. Look at you fucking glowing and farting puffs of floral while I’m over here oozing a weird smell.”

I lean over and sniff Carys. “You smell nice.”

“Thanks, baby,” she says and turns off her bitchy vibe. “I haven’t gotten laid in weeks because I’m too uncomfortable. Without Pork Chop’s dick in me, how can I feel pretty?”

“Look in a fucking mirror, moron,” Siobhan replies immediately. “You were beautiful long before that man stuffed your clam.”

“I love you,” Carys says and reaches for her sister.

Shaking her head, Siobhan dodges Carys’s hands. “I’m not falling for that move.”

Carys laughs and tugs me closer since her sister won’t play along. “Tack is a great guy, but he’s going to be a terrible father at first. Just prepare for how he’ll struggle. He was the same way with his dog. Oh, and when he got his room at the second farmhouse, he didn’t put anything except a bed inside. I swear his parents didn’t prepare him for anything in this world. But once he gets the hang of something, he’s great.”

“I’m worried he doesn’t really want kids but will lie for my benefit.”

“He’s like Sync and Bear,” Carys says as she wraps me closer to her. “They weren’t interested in kids. Sync used to look at Hicks like my sweet boy was a gross thing. Then, he had the twins, and they were his, and he just went goofy over them. You’ve seen how Bear has warmed up to Hector and Jacinda. Tack will be the way with your baby. But you have to show him how to love a tiny thing that can’t really love him back.”

Resting against Carys, I try to imagine a future where all this madness is behind me. I try to see Tack and me together with his dog and a baby.

Except Tack will never be safe. His dangerous lifestyle was a roadblock for a long time. I want to go all-in with Tack. However, I worry about starting a life with him, moving in together, having kids, and then losing him.

On one hand, I see Aunt Fred and Elvis who’ve spent forty years together and are still going strong. On the other hand, Pork Chop’s brother was killed during a dentist appointment, leaving behind a wife and kid.

In the end, I know Tack is the only man I’ll ever love. My heart won’t allow me to switch gears and fall for anyone else. Even if he’ll only be mine for a short time, I’ll enjoy every day we have together.

TACK

Indigo, Bear, Pork Chop, Sync, and I walk to the renovated barn turned meeting hall where two dozen motorcycles are parked outside. Aunt Fred stands out front. Her brown-and-gray hair is swept up in a bouncy ponytail. She’s wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans just like Hunter. Her expression warms at the sight of me.

“I heard you haven’t eaten today,” Aunt Fred says and hands me a fat thermos. “This has potato soup inside.”

“We went ahead and mashed those potatoes down real good first,” Elvis adds as he wraps an arm around his wife’s shoulders and presses his lips against her forehead. He flashes me a smile. “We wanted to make sure it was suitable for your tummy.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“No, I’m using my grandpa voice with you,” he replies. “Is it too much? The kids love it.”

“Well, I’m over thirty, so maybe just talk to me like you would another adult.”

“Okay, but you’re missing out, kid,”

I take the spoon from a smiling Aunt Fred and enter the meeting hall. Inside, several rows of folding chairs are arranged. I take a spot between Bear and Indigo in the second row. Golden drops in a chair in front of us and next to Pork Chop.

In front of the chairs is a screen used for movie nights. The faces of the men from the garage attack are at the top. The mugger’s photo is at the side. I assume the men at the bottom are from yesterday’s attack.

While waiting for the meeting to begin, I eat from the thermos. The soup’s texture is like baby food, but the flavor is good.

I spot Zoot and Noble arguing at the other end of the meeting hall. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but they soon start shoving each other. Elvis gets in between his younger brothers and pats them on their heads. They both shove him before Aunt Fred arrives to settle them all down.

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