Page 58 of Thick as Thieves
“Hey, Papa, you gonna kill him for me?” A grinning James comes up the stairs, and he massages my shoulder to try to stop me trying again. I feel like a pressure cooker, steam firing up into the sky.
“Gabe, leave him alone.” He pats Gabe on the back. “He’s my dad as much as my other dad, so yes, he can speak for me and on my behalf. JS.” He cocks his head at us both. “It’s fine, Papa. Leave him, he’s just winding you up.” He holds onto my arm and kisses my cheek. “Come have a coffee with me. Now I’m up, may as well go out.”
Levi’s come up behind James, grinning like a loon at the entertainment on show. He pats me on the back. “Hey Papa bear, can you protect me like that? It got me hard.”
“Fuck you both.” I’m bristling with anger. They don’t take it, me, seriously. Well they better start. “Gabe, you better keep them away from him, otherwise I’ll send ‘em all packing.”
We all move away from one another to different sections of the kitchen, like boxers in a ring on the time out.
But of course Gabe’s not done. He huffs out, “You’ve fucking lost it, Xan. I liked you better when you were whipping people.”
I lunge to grab him, and Levi and James jump in between us.
Gabe is grinning like a lunatic. “JS,” he mocks, wobbling his head at me from behind the safety of his human shields.
“What the fuck is going on?” Marcus walks into the melee, grinning at me before going over to greet and kiss James.
“Papa”—Gabe points sarcastically at me—“is going to kill me cos one of the women I had with me went into James’s room uninvited. She’s left by the way,” he adds quickly as Marcus’s face turns from laughing to fury in a second.
“Exactly,” I say to Gabe, wafting my hand towards Marcus’s reaction, feeling vindicated.
“Gabe, sort it out. We told you they need to know the score or they don’t stay here. If you want them with you, you’ll have to find another house to live in.”
Marcus and I have our hands on our hips, facing off with Gabe, but we all turn to look at Levi, who’s crying with laughter.
“Never thought I’d see the day when you two are having a go about women climbing into bed.”
“Not if it’s uninvited, Levi.” I’m exasperated with the entire situation, but I can’t help grinning at him. He may be right, but things are different now, totally different.
“I’ve told them all James is off limits,” huffs out Gabe. “And obviously Shelly has just gone, so…”
I turn around as Evie comes into the room and stops dead, raising her eyebrow at us all standing around looking very guilty.
Gabe rushes over to her to explain, taking her hands in his, clearly in case she tries to throttle him. “We had an issue with one of the girls, but she’s gone now. Seems James is more irresistible than his dad ever was. I’ll let James and these two tell you.”
He drops her hands, kisses her cheek, and edges out of the room. Maybe he’s not so daft. He doesn’t want to deal with Evie on the rampage.
Before he’s completely out of sight, he leans back in the doorway and tells her, “Oh and Texas has asked if she can go out with you and the twins again. I think she likes them more than she likes me.” He grins back at Evie and starts to walk quickly for the stairs.
“Not much competition for the twins,” says James and punches Gabe as he sprints past, scrubbing his hair.
Evie is looking from one to the next, and slants her eyes at Marcus.
I grin. “Coffee was it, James? We’re off for coffee,” I tell them all and we move towards the stairs, following the fleeing Gabe.
As Marcus starts to get the grilling, Levi follows us down the stairs. “He’s legally married to her, let him deal,” says Levi laughing, going into the lounge on his floor.
Texas is standing at the bottom of the stairs. ”Did Evie say I can go?” she asks Gabe hopefully as we arrive at the doors.
“She never said, but, to be honest, Tex, I never gave her a chance. Give it a minute, then go up and see. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Gabe replies.
I stand and look intently at the tall beautiful brunette, trying to gauge her intentions.
“Oh, God,” says Gabe, looking at my face. “Xander, calm the fuck down, man. She just wants to spend time with the twins and Evie.”
“Really?” I draw out the word. “Because you couldn’t stand Evie not so long ago. Tried to get her thrown off the tour.” I know she apologised, but Becky used to apologise all the time, and she was a liar. I won’t have anyone near my wife and kids who doesn’t have their best interest at heart. And the jury is still out on Texas in my mind.
“I talked it over with Evie, and she’s been fine with me,” she insists. “I’ve met her out and about with Valentina and joined them.” Her body language is all over the place, her nervous twitching winning out. “I’ve enjoyed it, Xander. I know I wasn’t that nice, but that was before the twins and everything really. I know I was wrong. If Evie can forgive me, can’t you?” She’s hopping from foot to foot, worried about my reaction.
