Page 112 of Smooth Sailing

“Good plan.”

“So, nothing much, except moving some minor mountains before eight in the morning.”

Hugger smiled. “Yeah, nothing much, except that.”

Gulk.

“You got this,” Hugger stated before coming right in to press his lips tight to mine.

Coffee and morning breath was a no go for me to offer up for a kiss.

But I’d take a tight press from him any day.

He got up and headed to the bathroom.

I sipped my coffee and scrolled on my phone until I found Annie’s number.

And when I hit go, I hit go on making the effort to move a mountain.

“They’re gonna be really mad.”

The time was imminent, and by that I meant Hugger had gone down to escort Mr. and Mrs. O’Keefe up to see their daughter.

Rayne was with them.

I was with Madison and Big Petey in my living room.

Big Petey was providing support and presence. Madison was not fretting as much as she was freaking.

She’d agreed to this after I told her about the crying and choking up and needing a second phone call because they were so overwhelmed with emotion.

But I could tell she was having second thoughts.

“I don’t like how they go, they’re out,” Big Petey stated.

Madison and I looked to him.

“Hear me, girl?” he asked Madison.

“I caused all this being stupid, Big Petey, and I got myself?—”

“Garbage,” he cut her off sharply. “You didn’t do that first thing to yourself, Maddy, darlin’. Put that shit right outta your head. Now you hear that?”

“Yes, Big Petey,” she said quietly.

“They blame you, they’ll answer to me before I put them out,” Big Petey threatened.

Christ on a cracker, this was killing me, because it felt like I had to fight crying about five hundred times a day.

This time was because I wished my dad had acted like Big Petey after what happened to me.

Madison didn’t have a chance to respond to his threat.

We heard the front door open and Big Petey moved to stand in front, and just to the side, of Madison.

Worth a repeat, I really liked these men.

I moved into her, taking her hand.

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