Page 33 of Running Winter

"Tattoo mad. I'm surprised that he has any visible skin left." Mom smiled.

"You're yawning too!" Pops said, pointing at Rafe as he walked in.

Raven walked in with him, her eyes shining with adoration. She wasn't just a Daddy's girl; she was a Grandaddy’s girl.

"Huh." Rafe nodded before catching my eye. "So you're not gay?"

Pops grinned and Dad snorted.

"The amount of time he spends in that girl’s room, it’s fucking doubtful."

"What girl? The friend?" Nanna asked, arching her brow as she brought in a plate of freshly baked cookies.

It was like a frenzy as we all dove in, but there's no point in competing—she always baked enough to feed ten thousand.

"Rayna," Dad said through a mouthful of cookies. "Decent looking girl too."

"Shit, Cale,” Mom scolded, rolling her eyes at Dad.

"So you're banging your best friend?" Raven bluntly asked me as I frowned.

"No."

"But she is hot and funny,” Raven pointed out as Pops looked at me with intrigue.

"Yeah, but she is just a friend. Fuck, when did this turn into The Chase Fallon show?" I grumbled, stuffing a cookie in my mouth before I said anything more.

Rafe was surprisingly quiet, and I noticed Pops watching us both carefully.

"What did you do last night then, Deacon?" Pops grinned, grabbing my Nanna as she passed him.

You'd never know they were grandparents—Nanna still turned heads in the street, and Pops was ripped.

"Fuck all. Had football today."

Raven began talking about some guy she knew, and suddenly she had everyone's attention.

Mom and Nanna looked at her sympathetically as she was grilled left, right and center, but Raven held her own.

"So, God of Love?" I asked as Pops turned his attention to me.

"Listen. I had no intention of falling in love with anyone, let alone my cousin's girl," Pops began, and my Nanna watched him with a bemused expression. "But I had no choice."

"Do you remember your first kiss?" Raven asked, tilting her head to the side with interest.

"One does not forget the first time you kiss your soul mate." Pops grinned, stroking my Nanna's hand.

"Still shady, though," grunted Rafe, running a hand through his hair. "Stealing your cousin's woman."

"Excuse me, but I wasn't anyone's woman," Nanna huffed.

"Uh, yeah, you were. You still are, too," smirked Pops before gazing at Rafe. "We weren't tight like you two."

Pops pointed at Rafe and me, moving his finger between us back and forth.

"He was a cunt."

"Nice," Dad drawled before standing up.

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