Page 49 of Love and Other Trials
These kids? He had a feeling their motto was simple: try to hug them and die.
“You think you’ve got it pretty tough, don’t you?”
Marshall lifted his chin, glaring at him. “What do you know? You think you’re so perfect with your Navy uniform and your hot plane like in thatTop Gunmovie. Everybody loves you.”
“Yeah, people kiss your ass wherever you go,” Ripp broke in, stepping closer to his cousin. “Women throw themselves at you. Like Aunt Tiffany.”
He closed his mouth in shock. Not only had they taken his question totally wrong, they’d confirmed Tiffany had made a pass at him. Holy shit! And when all he’d done was try and be nice to them…
“You don’t know nothing about me.” Marshall’s face scrunched up in pure dislike. “Just like your stupid friend, Rob. I wish my mother had never met either of you. We were better off before.”
He started running. Ripp spat on the ground for emphasis before following. The other boys—God, he couldn’t remember all their names—ran off too. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stared out at the water.
He wanted to be anywhere but here, and that meant they had something in common. They were pissed off little boys. Maybe the neglect had turned them mean and disrespectful early, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Not his circus. This was going to be Rob’s life, though, and what sucked was Rob already had it tough. Dax started walking back to his cottage with a heavy feeling in his chest.
This whole family needed to be Roto-rootered of all their shit.
“Hey, dipshit!”
Steeling himself, he turned around to face his friend. Rob looked rough from a couple days of not shaving, and his face didn’t have the usualgood to see you buddylook Dax was used to. His probably didn’t either. Not after the altercation with Rob’s future stepson, who had major anger issues and way too much on his shoulders for a kid.
He punched up a smile. “Hey, asshole! How’s it hanging?”
“Pretty good.You?”
He heard the leading edge in his friend’s voice and knew what he was talking about. “You don’t want to go there.”
Rob jerked a shoulder. “Fine. I hear Ariel left you behind today when all the women went on some errand.”
Well, that answered Dax’s question. “There are a lot of errands.”
“You’re telling me. Tiffany is so stressed that I’m trying hard not to be concerned about her.”
Dax nearly sighed. Rob must really love this woman, or he wouldn’t be concerned. All he could hope for was that she didn’t break his friend’s heart. “Weddings seem to cause a lot of anxiety.”
“No shit. I don’t think my blood pressure would pass medical right now. So with the women gone, what the hell have you been up to? Tell me it’s something interesting. Because I’m losing my mind.”
He said it playfully, so Dax inclined his head toward the cottage. “Why don’t you come see what I picked up? You’ve got Italian blood on your mom’s side, right? Ariel heard a garlic wreath symbolized a happy home and good home cooking—or something like that.”
“Tiffany doesn’t cook.” Rob’s frown couldn’t be more sour. “Especially lately.”
Dax didn’t ask why that was a sore point. If Rob wanted to talk, he’d talk. But they needed to get back on good terms. Dax swung an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Well, princess, you’re going to help me make this fucking wreath.”
Rob shoved him away. “No way, man!”
Dax snagged him into a neck hold and marched him to the cottage, the kind of prank they’d pulled on each other hundreds of times. “You so are. I got all the necessary items. Think how it will impress Tiffany. Because it’s not like you’ve contributed much to the wedding.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” he bit out. “I just want to marry Tiffany. I didn’t know how important all this stuff was going to be to her.”
Dax let them inside, smiling as Sherlock looked up from his place by the fireplace only to put his paws over his head. “Ah, don’t bitch. Think of how much this will mean to her.”
Rob planted his hands on his hips and glared at him. “Fine, but I’m going to need some fucking whiskey. Jesus, the things you do for love. Clearly, you’re in deep like if you’re taking care of Ariel’s dog here.”
He didn’t want to talk with Rob about any of that because he didn’t feel good about where it might go. “Let me call the front desk and get us a bottle,” he said, not that he was going to drink and Rob knew it. “Too bad Carson and Perry aren’t here to help.”
The middle finger was his answer, and Dax smiled. He’d finally figured out a way to do his duty and rebuild their friendship.
They watched DIY garlic wreath videos on YouTube and bitched and moaned the whole time. When Dax lifted up his first braided garlic attempt, Rob said, “That’s pathetic, man. Your braids are totally uneven.”
