Page 72 of Tiny's Law

“Ugh. Fine.”

Tiny’s deep laugh is the last thing I hear when we hang up. Locking the office behind me, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pay more attention than usual as I walk out to my car, the ominous feeling like someone’s watching me crawling through my veins.

When I get to my truck, I check around the whole vehicle, looking for any random notes or anything amiss before getting in. I’ve seen enough in this field to know I need to be on alert. All my senses are heightened as I jump into the driver’s seat and gingerly start my car.

Jesus, Kourtney. Snap the fuck out of it. It’s not like they planted a bomb in my car or something. I roll the window down for some much-needed fresh air on my short drive home. I actually drive past my normal entrance to the neighborhood and use the next side street to make the drive longer, using the time to think.

Chapter 21

Tiny

“Mom, relax. She’s fancy, but not that fancy.” Mom has been fiddling nonstop with the damn flower arrangement she bought this morning from the store while also buying the ingredients to make Kourtney her famous ‘Marry Me Chicken Casserole.’

I’ve told her no less than ten times that Kourtney isn’t going to give a single shit about the way she arranged the flowers in the damn vase. “She’ll appreciate the flowers, Ma. You don’t have to make it look like the cover of Better Homes & Gardens.”

I’m feeling a sense of deja vu since the last time Kourtney came to dinner, Mom was losing it over my silverware drawer.

Mom blushes before brushing her hands down her lilac sweater. “I just want to make a better impression than we did the other night, Nathan. Don’t blame a mom for trying.”

I round the counter and pull her into a tight hug. The top of her head fits perfectly under my chin. “I promise she doesn’t hate you, Mom. Besides, I’m pretty sure she just wants to get to know you too. Without all the Aunt Evie drama.”

Mom lets out a soft chuckle. “I can get on board with that. I just feel so horrible for how Evie spoke to her. You told her I don’t believe what Matt says one bit, right? She doesn’t think I feel the same way Evie does?”

“I told her, but I think we should steer clear of the Matt talk tonight. Or even Evie, for that matter. Just pretend the other night never even happened, and this is the first time you’re meeting my new girlfriend.”

Mom’s eyes brighten at that, and she smiles softly while releasing a relieved breath. “I’ve waited years for this.”

“For what?”

“For you to find someone who makes you as happy as she does. The smile on your face,” she pauses, picking at a piece of lint off of the kitchen towel in her hands before continuing, “I haven’t seen anything make you truly this happy since you were a child.”

I squeeze her shoulder once more and smile down at her. “Don’t go getting tears all over my shirt. I have to go pick her up soon, and I don’t want another woman’s mascara all over me,” I say to break up the squishy feelings my mom is inflicting on me.

She swats me with the towel, flicking me off with her other hand, her mood brightening right away. “You little shit, go pick her up. It’ll be like the first time I’m meeting her.” She holds her fingers up in Scout's honor. “I won’t mention a single breath about the two you-know-whos.”

I roll my eyes and press a kiss to the top of her head. “Thanks, Mama. I really appreciate it. I’ll be back in thirty.”

Getting to Kourtney’s doesn’t take long at all. Pulling into her driveway, I’m surprised as hell to find her already sitting on the bench on her front porch, waiting for me.

I don’t even have a chance to stabilize my bike before she’s bounding down the driveway, coming to a stop at my right. I let out a whistle as I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me after taking in her full appearance.

She’s wearing a black skin-tight long-sleeve shirt tucked into her high-waist light-wash jeans that are tight around her belly and hips but flare out right under her asscheeks. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the girls at the club refer to these as mom jeans. If this is how Kourtney’s going to dress when she’s a mom, count me the fuck in. Her hair is pulled away from her face in a high ponytail with small curls framing her beautiful face, and a baby blue leather crossbody bag strapped across her chest completes her outfit.

Using my grip on her hip, I pull her closer to me and claim her mouth. Resting her hands on my shoulders, she gives me most of her weight and seems to sink into my hold as I devour her lips.

Within moments, she pulls back with a sigh. Where I expect to find a smile on her face, I find her brows slightly pinched and her teeth worrying on her bottom lip. “Everything okay, baby?”

Seeming to remember where she is, she shakes her head and gives me a small smile. “Yeah, just a really long day.”

I massage the back of her thigh and press another kiss to her lips. “Get on, Mom made her best dish for you. Maybe some comfort food will do you good.”

She gets on behind me effortlessly. It seems like just yesterday she was panicking at The Castle on how to get on properly. Now, she mounts like a pro.

The drive back to my house is uneventful, to say the least, and Kourtney being on the bike behind me calms my brain in a way that I can’t even begin to understand.

Being on the bike, in general, is a surefire way to help calm my racing nerves, but there’s something added to that when her arms are wrapped around my waist. I could get lost in it.

Her breath hitting the back of my neck.

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