Page 58 of Creed
I laughed as I answered, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Barking up the wrong tree, brother,” Jameson said, clapping Blade on the shoulder as we moved past him. “We’ll catch up with you later.”
Once we were a few steps away, I leaned into Jameson, lowering my voice. “You guys have your own doctor?”
He chuckled, that low rumble that made me feel it in my chest. “We do. Doctors. Lawyers. Computer gurus. We got a little of everything around here.”
“I had no idea.”
“See? Cool dude.”
“Oh, don’t start that again.”
He just grinned, squeezing my hand as we made our way further in. He motioned his head to the man at the bar as he whispered, “There’s Preacher.”
He was a rugged man with graying hair and a presence that made you stand a little straighter. He was talking with a woman I assumed was his ol’ lady, along with two other men. And two women sat nearby, laughing at something one of them said.
As we approached, Preacher’s eyes lifted, and the second they landed on me, a slow, knowing smile spread across his face. He set down his beer and wiped his hand on his jeans before holding it out to me. “You must be Devin.”
“Yes.” I shook his hand, hoping my grip didn’t give away just how nervous I was. “And you must be Preacher. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You can’t believe everything you hear, especially about me.” He shot a look over at Jameson before he said, “Glad to see you here. It’s been a long time coming.”
“You have an impressive place here.”
“Glad you like it.” He motioned to the woman beside him. “This is Tabitha.”
“Hi, Devin.” Tabitha reached out and pulled me in for a hug. I hugged her back and was surprised at how natural it felt. They stepped aside, and a burly man with an intense expression and unruly beard stepped forward. Jameson gave him a nod and said, “Grim.”
“Creed.”
Grim gave me a quiet chin lift, just as the woman next to him said, “It’s good to have you, Devin. I’m Jenna.”
She pulled me in for a quick hug, and then, it was on. They brought us both a beer, and we started talking like we were long-lost friends. In that moment, I was surrounded by people I didn’t know, but it was clear that they mattered a great deal to Jameson, and he meant a great deal to them. It was a realization that loosened something inside me.
Jameson leaned down and whispered, “See? Told you it wouldn’t be bad.”
I rolled my eyes, but the smile slipped out before I could stop it, and when I glanced up at him, he was already watching me with that look I was starting to remember all too well. Itgrounded me and made butterflies in my stomach all at the same time.
This man had a way of getting to me like no other man ever had or ever would. I didn’t want to admit it, but the love I felt for him back then hadn’t gone away. Not really. It was still there, idling on the surface, and with each stolen glance or brush of the hand, I found it reemerging even stronger than before.
I glanced around the room, and I couldn’t help but smile. The guys were loud. They laughed and teased each other, and they gave Jameson a hard time every chance they got. But there was this undercurrent of loyalty that lived beneath it all, and it made it clear they were more than just friends.
They were family.
Hisfamily.
And for the first time, I was finally able to see it for myself. I met Preacher and Tabitha, who treated me like they’d known me forever. Jenna and Tallie were warm and easy, and they both kept pulling me into conversations and making me laugh.
I found myself watching Jameson as he moved through the room, confident but not arrogantly so, and I was impressed with how he checked in with his brothers. They all seemed to look to him for a nod or a quiet word, and it was clear that they respected him. He was constantly aware of what was going on around him, stepping in when needed and letting others handle things when they could.
Thiswas his world, and for so long, it had felt like a wall between us.
But now, I was here, and I finally got a peek into the mystery I’d spent years wondering about. And suddenly, that wall didn’t feel so high anymore. And that felt good. Very good.
With all the laughter and stories, the hours slipped by faster than I expected. I’d completely lost track of time until Jamesonleaned in with his hand on the small of my back as he whispered, “We should probably call it a night.”
“Oh, so soon?”
