Page 45 of Hell's Claim

“Are you really interested?” I wondered if Sunny was humouring me.

“I believe in spirits, Callie. Several times, I have sensed Bullet watching over me. Stupid as it sounds, that has offered me comfort. And I’ve smelt whiskey, cigars, and his aftershave all together a few times. I’m sure that’s why Mom never moved on. She senses Bullet, too,” Sunny said solemnly.

“Bullet was your step-dad, right?”

“Lawfully, yeah. But emotionally, that guy was my dad. Blood didn’t mean anything to him. Bullet claimed me as his son, and that was all he cared about.”

“Tell me about him.”

“He was bigger than life,” Sunny began, and I listened as he described with love the man he’d lost when he was fourteen. “Bullet was someone I strive to be every damn day.”

“He would be proud of you,” I offered.

“I’ve tried to be the father to Liv that Bullet was to me. He was taken far too soon, but his lessons stuck with me,” Sunny stated. He collected our bowls and placed them back in the cooler, and then he pulled two empty plates out.

I watched as he opened the picnic basket and started laying finger foods on them. I began giggling as Sunny piled them high.

“Did you bring enough?” I teased as he fished out hummus and pita breads.

“Hope so, I eat a lot. This ain’t quite a steak, but it’s good fun.” Sunny grinned.

As we ate, we watched the sun set and the moon rise. The lights twinkled and helped the moonlight create a different scene of stunning beauty.

“This is far better than a restaurant,” I murmured, and Sunny beamed at me.

“Good.”

“Nobody has ever done anything like this for me. Hell, I didn’t even get to go to prom,” I muttered.

“That’s sad. My senior prom was a disaster.”

“Tell me,” I begged.

Sunny looked embarrassed but proceeded to make me laugh as he described the nightmare his prom had been. Chance and Bear had crashed it alongside Drake Michaelson, and his girl had ended up kissing Drake, and they’d got into a fight. Big Al had collected all five of them from the police station, where the girl’s father had banned her from ever having contact with Sunny again.

“And have you?” I asked, giggling.

He made a face. “I saw her when I moved back. At first, she didn’t recognise me. Boy, did I have a lucky escape.”

“Tell me!”

“You know those women who wear grubby nineteen-eighty shellsuits?”

“You mean those brightly coloured nylon tracksuits from the eighties?”

“Yeah.”

“No!” I squealed.

“Oh, yes! She wore one of those in faded purple and yellow. Her hair was unwashed and yanked messily back in a ponytail, and she’d piled on weight. I’ve got nothing against women with curves, in fact, I love curves, but this was unhealthy. Well, she caught sight of me and… yuck.”

“You can’t stop there!” I exclaimed, giggling.

“She hit on me. In that outdated shellsuit, she squealed and babbled like a breathless teenager again. It was nasty,” Sunny shuddered as I cried with laughter.

“Stop laughing, woman, it was a nightmare. I couldn’t escape her either, she grabbed hold of me, and she’d a grip Hulk Hoganwould appreciate. Seriously, I nearly called the club for an extraction.”

I howled even harder at the anguished look on Sunny’s face, and he began laughing with me.

---