Page 46 of Gator

“Oh, damn,” chuckled Gator.

“Yea. My dick was sore for days. I was a happy man, but shit.”

“Well, it makes me happy to see her laughing. I never thought this would happen to me, Luke. I mean, I saw all of you and what you went through. I heard all the stories of the seniors, hell, even Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa. I just never thought it would happen to me.”

“Why are you boys so stubborn?” asked Franklin.

“What do you mean?” said Luke. “I mean, we all know we’re stubborn, but specifically, what do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s gonna happen to all of y’all sooner or later. You need to learn to just go with it. Everyone of ‘ya is gonna find love. There ain’t no single folks gonna live on this property unless they’re children.”

“Wait, we’ll all find love?” asked Gator.

“Yep.”

“Maybe we should check on Ham,” frowned Luke.

“You ain’t gotta check on him. Leave him and that little girl alone. They’ll find their way. I’m talkin’ about the rest of ‘ya. Her brothers left two days ago thinkin’ they would be single forever.”

“Are they leaving the teams?” asked Gator.

“They said they were thinking about it,” said Luke. “They’ll decide together, just like they do everything else.”

“Will they be safe, Franklin?” asked Gator.

“Now, you know I don’t have them kinda answers, boy.”

“Let me ask this,” smirked Luke. “Is my grandmother a witch?”

“Every woman is a bit of a witch,” said Franklin with a straight face and a wink. “Just like every man is a bit of the devil. But no. Your granny ain’t no witch. She’s no voodoo priestess, either. She’s somethin’ different. But it don’t matter what she is. She’s still your grandma.”

“I guess that means we won’t know what happened in that room with Sadie or how she healed Mattie,” said Luke.

“You don’t need to know. You just know it all worked out,” said Franklin. “Now, you boys best be gettin’ yer girls back home quick and put ‘em to bed, or you ain’t gonna be able to sit straight tomorrow.”

Gator just shook his head and walked toward Dylan. She looked up and ran to him, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Wow, what did I do to deserve this greeting?” he asked as she kissed his face.

“Take me home,” she whispered in his ear. “I need you, desperately.”

“Damn, baby, are you drunk?” he asked.

“Yep. Very. Now, take me home.”

Gator just walked out into the cold, the frigid air nearly knocking the breath out of both of them. By the time he walked into the cottage, Dylan was sound asleep in his arms. He could only chuckle, laying her on the bed and covering her up. When he walked back into the living room, Savannah was at the door, bringing Joey home.

“Didn’t you join the drinking club, Grandma?”

“Oh, I definitely did, but I ate more than I drank. Plus, I’m experienced, and I’ve been down this road before. You don’t play drinking games with Gabi. You don’t challenge Harper to a race, and you don’t have eating contests with Brit. I’ve never seen a woman that can eat so much in all my life.”

“She does pack it away,” grinned Gator.

“He’s a beautiful little boy, Ian. I’m so very happy for you, but I’m really, really proud of you. You’ve grown into an amazing young man, and it’s truly been a pleasure watching you become the man you are today.”

“I’m the man I am because of all the incredible men around me and the amazing women. You’re in that group, Grandma. I mean, I have a badass, blonde-bombshell pilot for a grandma. Who else can say that?”

Savannah laughed, hugging her grandson and kissing his cheek.

---