Page 7 of Hot Chicken
“Jack,” I whispered.
He stilled beneath me immediately and followed my gaze, and then he froze, too. He cleared his throat. “The… the cat. Lydia. She must’ve moved him. Again. When we were upstairs.”
I nodded. “Sure,” I said faintly, though I knew—and IknewJackknew—the cats were on the porch and almost definitely hadn’t evolved opposable thumbs and learned to open the door while we were upstairs.
“The rooster’s just a decoration,” Jack said firmly, though I wasn’t sure which of us he was trying to convince. “The whole idea of him being sentient was a… was a joke.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Obviously. He’s adorable. And possibly lucky. A cock of good fortune, if you will. But he doesn’t have, like,powers. He’s just a… a cute piece of pottery.”
“It’s not like I need to be under the influence of a magical cock to crave you,” Jack went on. “Or even to make love to you multiple times a day. It’s not like this was unprecedented.”
I nodded. He was right. It might not have happened in the past few weeks, but the potential wasalwaysthere between us. A low-level hum in my blood, a banked fire that could turn into an inferno at the slightest provocation.
“You’re everything to me. Always.” Jack lifted his hand to push back the hair that had fallen over my forehead. “Even if I haven’t done a very good job of showing that this summer.”
Warmth unfurled in my chest, and I felt my smile soften. “We’re a team, Jack Wyatt-almost-Sunday. That means there are going to be seasons where we have other stuff that’s occupying our hours.” I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. “But I need you to know, no matter how busy we are, that you are my forever Mr. Darcy. The best man I know.” I felt my smile go lopsided. “Maybe we needed the, ah, Cock of Good Fortune to remind us of just how lucky we already are?”
He made a thoughtful noise. “It might have been luck that we met in the first place, Hawk, but the way our relationship gets stronger every day, every year? That’s because we both work to make it that way. Because no matter what, there will never come a time when you’re not my first and last priority.” His smile turned into a leer. “And I don’t need the Cock ofGood Fortunebecause I already have the only?—”
“No,” I said severely. I clapped my hand over Jack’s mouth and absorbed his laughter into my skin. “Don’t you dare make a stupid joke about my cock being enough for you.”
“That’s not a joke,” he said, the words muffled by my hand. He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand back to kiss my palm. “But it’s kinda nice that you make the dad jokesforme, baby. I think this is how Knox must feel when Gage says something snarky.”
I nuzzled back into Jack’s neck. “Speaking of Gage and Knox… did you see them at the rummage sale earlier?”
Jack turned his head to give me better access. “Mmm. Sort of? Knox was helping at Betty Ann’s table, and Gage was doing some kind of science booth for kids, I think? I didn’t talk to them, though. They both seemed… distracted, I guess.”
Grumpywas the word I would have used. Which was pretty much on brand for my brother but not at all for Gage, who was usually sunshine in a bottle.
“I saw Gage fast-walking through the crowd, and Knox called after him, but Gage pretended not to hear.”
Jack laughed. “Can you blame him? Knox was probably sharing his thoughts on sock organization or some fascinating facts on lemur migration patterns he read about.”
I poked my beloved in the ribs, and he squirmed. “I’m sure people say the same thing about me and myPride and Prejudiceretellings, andyouseem to like them.”
“No, Ilovethem,” he corrected. Then he shrugged. He pushed me back just slightly so he could cradle my chin in his hand. “You’re not actually worried about Gage and Knox, are you? It was hot enough out there to make anyone short-tempered, but their relationship is solid. Besides, bickering is their foreplay.”
I nodded. All of this was absolutely true. So I wassurprised to find myself blurting out, “But I feel like they need the Cock of Good Fortune.”
Jack blinked. So did I.
“I… I don’t know why I said that.” I felt my face flush. “But it feelsright, doesn’t it? Gage loves quirky decorations, and… and Lydia clearly doesn’t like Pecky,” I reminded Jack solemnly. “She’s already attacked him once, and it’s only a matter of time before our murder feline finishes the job. So, really, it’s for his own safety.”
Jack tugged a lock of my hair. “Sure. Your brother’s had a bad day, and you want to give him a possibly sentient sex rooster. That’s reasonable.”
I gaped at him. “N-nobody saidsex rooster!” I protested. “Ew, Jack Wyatt! If anything, Pecky’s a good luck charm!”
He grinned hugely, enjoying our teasing. “I think you mean aget luckycharm.”
I tried to poke his ribs again, but Jack was too quick this time. He twisted so I was beneath him, the wooden floorboards cool against my naked back, one hand trapped in each of his as he loomed over me. I laughed breathlessly, half-annoyed and half-amused at how easily he’d pinned me.
Staring up at him, I saw everything I’d ever wanted reflected in Jack’s blue eyes. The setting sun picked out the gold flecks around his irises and the gentle crinkles at the corners that deepened when he returned my smile, and I was struck for the million-billionth time by how ridiculously gorgeous this man was.
Jack’s thumb traced along my collarbone—a barely there touch that made me shiver—and my pulse picked up. I saw Jack’s eyes flare hot.
“I cannot wait to marry you this fall, Hawk Sunday,” he said, his voice a deep growl. “I don’t want to go a single day without that smile. I cannot wait to make it official.”
My throat went tight. “It’s like when Elizabeth Bennet saidshe could not repress a smile at Darcy being so easily pleased,” I teased in a whisper. “Just having you with me, knowing you love me, makes it hard not to smile.”
