Page 164 of Smooth Sailing

Because he was shit scared, that was why.

“It’s about her and you. Jackie and Harlan,” Tack’s gravelly voice growled. “It has never been about him. You were legacy because you were Jackie’s, Hugger. Now when you get home, that will be confirmed. I’ll sort it. You got me?”

You were legacy because you were Jackie’s.

“I was legacy because of Ma?”

“You’re ours, Hug. Born that way.”

Ours.

Born that way.

“You got me?” Tack repeated.

“I’m gonna be down here awhile,” he warned Tack.

“Yeah. Pete said you’re connecting with Diana. Glad for you, brother. ’Bout time on that too. You got a lot of good to give a woman.”

Okay, he had to end this because it was messing with his head.

Sure, that was happening in good ways.

But Hugger was discovering a man could take only so much good at once.

Especially if he wasn’t used to it.

And he was living right in it with Di. It was all around him all the time, so he could say now it was getting to be too much.

“Bring her up. Introduce her to the family,” Tack urged. “And we’ll sort this shit out so you can let it go.”

“Right.”

“Right.”

“Man, I just…” Goddamn it. “I never thanked you for lookin’ out for Ma. Back when and Chaos paying for her medical shit when she got sick.”

“Appreciate the gratitude, Hugger, but I see we been fallin’ down on the job. You don’t thank family for taking care of family. Now, win your woman and bring her up here so the other women can perform the initiation ceremony. Just be aware she’ll go back with about fifty pairs of shoes.”

A bark of laughter escaped Hugger because he had not missed the old ladies, all of them, liked their shoes.

“I don’t think she’ll mind.”

“They don’t.”

“I don’t think I’ll mind.”

“I hear you. Red in her skirts and heels do things to my dick even after I gave her two kids and got well over a decade in with her.”

“Good to know.”

“You find the right one, that never goes away. It might mellow for a spell. There’ll be highs and lows you gotta ride. But one way or another, it doesn’t go away.”

“Good to know that too.”

“We good?” Tack asked.

“Always,” Hugger answered.

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