Page 63 of Sinful Skulls
“They’re not as intimidating as they look,” Willow tells me.
“Don’t listen to her. All four of those people are terrifying.”
“And you’re not?”
Willow laughs again.
“Tell her, Willow. Tell her I’m just a big teddy bear.”
I raise an eyebrow because I know better.
“He is, but I have no doubt he’d rip the head off of anyone who did any of the ladies around here wrong.”
Jackson starts eating olives off of Brody’s plate. “Good way to get stabbed, my man,” Brody says, chasing his hand around with his fork.
The camaraderie here is wonderful. I see why Brody was anxious to return.
Another couple approaches our table, and Brody instantly hops up. He wraps his arms around the woman, picking her up off the ground. I recognize them from the pictures in their home. Her husband shakes his head and sits down across from me.
“I’m Raffe, and the woman in air jail is my wife, Rachel.” He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his.
Jackson laughs lightly.
“You can put me down now, you big brute,” Rachel says, patting his face lovingly.
Raffe looks at his daughter-in-law. “Did you get everything you needed for the baby?”
“That and more,” she gushes. “I’m glad we got her room done so we have a place to put it all.”
Brody finally sets Rachel on her feet. She stands on her toes and ruffles Brody’s hair before sitting down beside her husband.
“It’s nice to meet the girl who finally caught this guy.” She nods at him.
He kisses my temple. “She didn’t catch me. I caught her.”
I smile at him. “When he waved to me at the beach, I thought he was waving at someone else.”
“There were other people on the beach?” he asks, going back to his food. “All I saw was you.”
Rachel’s gaze bounces between the two of us. “You met on the beach?”
“Yeah, back when JD was chasing Elizabeth around the country,” he answers with a mouth full of food.
She tips her head thoughtfully. “You’re the one who brought our dragonfly home.”
I shake my head confused.
“The necklace you gave Lexie.”
“Oh, yeah. That was me. She and I exchanged gifts when we met. She gave me the cutest stuffed little dog.”
Brody leans back, stretching. “The creepy thing is on our bed right now.”
“It’s not creepy. It’s Totto from theWizard of Oz.”
Rachel glances around the gathering, her gaze resting on Elizabeth. When she returns her attention back to us, her brows furrow.
“You okay, hun? We can go home if you’re not feeling well,” Raffe asks her.
