Page 45 of Cash

“Thank you for noticing again, Axel. Now, un-notice before I have to hurt you,” I say.

“Did you not hear the question mark at the end of that sentence?” Axel sputters before tossing his sandwich down in disgust.

“I didn’t hear one. I only heard you calling Cash hot. Does Bailey know she has Viking competition?” Tessie inquires in a sweet voice.

“Of course you didn’t hear it! None of your senses work right, girl. You can’t see parked cars, center lines, street lights or—” Axel starts to list the many things that have challenged Tessie’s driving abilities when Dad cuts him off.

“The Aunts and Terry took Tessie driving and everyone returned safely. In fact, Lottie said she’d go anywhere with Tessie at the wheel.”

“Yeah, and it’s a well-known fact that Lottie’s bat-shit crazy, too!” Terry barks out.

“Here we go again,” Tessie mutters while I grin at the look on Terry’s face that says he’s gearing up for a rant.

“She’s a menace to society! We nearly sideswiped parked cars and ran more red lights than I can count! Pedestrians having the right of way is completely ignored and jumping the curb is a common occurrence! Those two old demons were hooting and shouting encouragement throughout the whole ride from hell! They had their damn arms tossed up in the air like they were riding a roller coaster! Probably the most daring thing they’ve done in decades!” Terry shouts.

“Not a single ding in the car, and we all arrived back here in one piece. Quit your whining. There’s no way you know anything about the red lights. Within two minutes of getting in the car, you were face down on the floorboards, holding your low hangers in a firm grip. Lola even told you to grab your ass instead, but you didn’t. All you did was cry, beg and toss out ridiculous promises to God if he’d let you live. You’re still alive, and yet you’re not honoring those promises, Terry. For shame!” Tessie ends all that with a small sniff.

“Enough, Terry,” I interrupt before he can respond, deciding now’s the time to stop this before it becomes a full-fledged battle.

“You cried, Terry? Like with actual tears?” Dad asks with a snort.

“Don’t judge me until you’ve ridden with her!” Terry shouts while pointing his finger at Dad.

“I have to side with Terry on this one. Tessie shouldn’t be allowed to drive anything with a motor,” Axel interjects.

“No one asked you!” Tessie shoots back.

“Jesus, you two. It’s like being around Axel and Mac all over again. Tessie, don’t waste your energy arguing with the over-sized man-child,” Vex advises.

“Man-child? Who’re you calling a man-child?” Axel demands.

“Is there anyone you don’t argue with, Axel?” Vex asks with a grin.

“I’m out. I already know the answer to that question, so I’m heading home,” Taja announces as she places Liam in his little seat with a small kiss on his forehead.

“Thanks for the help, Taja,” I rumble out.

“No, Cash. Thank you for letting me hang around. Liam’s put a lot of things into perspective for Vex and me. We know we’ll never completely heal from losing Jacob, but we now know it’s also okay to move on with life. He’ll always be in our hearts, but we have a lot of love to shower on another baby. It’s time to do that,” Taja says quietly as she gives me a quick hug.

Looking down into her face, I can still see the grief hiding at the back of her eyes. That will never disappear, but there’s also hope showing there for the first time in a very long time. Glancing at Vex, I see the love he has for Taja shining brightly in his, and I feel my chest tighten. Blessed is too small of a word for how I feel about having these people in my life I think as I ignore the battle raging around me.

Chapter 11

Livi

After my shower and a microwaved meal of something I believe was chicken, I flop on my couch and settle in with Snots. He’s spread himself across my shins and is snoring within a minute or two. I pick up my phone and call Cash.

“Hey,” he answers.

“Hi. Is this a bad time to call?” I ask while listening to Liam’s screams in the background.

“I think he hates me, Livi,” Cash answers in a low tone.

“He doesn’t hate you, Cash. His routine’s been changed up, and he’s trying to adjust,” I answer hoping I’m telling the truth.

“Fuck, I hope you’re right,” Cash mutters while obviously fumbling around with something.

“Look, I don’t know anything about babies, but I’m willing to come over and help if I can,” I make the offer before thinking it through.

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