Page 80 of Every Now and Then
Annabelle grins, full of sass and spice. “Kitten. I like it, Claire. Maybe even more than Bambi.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, stifling a laugh.
“That’ll be—”
I cut Grace off. “Jesus Christis not a swear word.”
“According to some, it’s even worse than a swear word, Hayes. I’m pretty sure religiously offensive terms are an automatic $5 fee. House rules.” She crosses her little arms and stares me down. This time I can’t hold in my laughter.
“Yeah, but it’s my house, Gertie.”
“Shit, you weren’t lying. She is a little spitfire,” smirks Josh, watching us happily.
Turning to Josh, Grace observes, “Good thing you chose the unlimited plan, mister.”
The rest of the evening unfolds naturally, with lots of laughs and shared stories, many of which are at my expense. But seeing the smile on Annabelle’s face makes the embarrassment worth it.
Annabelle, and Grace to an extent, look a little shellshocked by all the fanfare, but Claire eats up the attention, talking a mile a minute and flashing her dimples to everyone. She's taken a shine to Rowdy, spending much of the evening sitting on his lap, petting his beard, and laughing with him. He looks like a big teddy bear, so I’m not surprised Claire feels comfortable with “Wowdy.” But I am surprised at how quickly Rowdy has taken to her. Maybe he’s coming around to the idea of being a girl dad.
I know I have.
As is customary when we’re at the ranch, everyone headed out to the firepit after dinner. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, we always sit around the firepit, drinking and reminiscing about the good old days. Luckily, while it’s cold as shit, the precipitation has held off.
I sent Annabelle out with the others while I stayed back to get the girls down for bedtime, giving her a night off. She turns toward me when she hears my footsteps on the gravel path. Annabelle sits with a hot toddy in her hand and a fuzzy blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looks so relaxed sprawled out on the lounge chair. Thoughthe exterior lights are off, the fire is roaring, washing Annabelle’s features in jumping hues of red, orange, and yellow. When she sees me, she aims a dazzling smile in my direction.
Damn, my woman is a fucking smokeshow.
“Hop up, Yankee.” She stands and I sit before pulling her down onto my lap, adjusting the blanket over our bodies.
“James, are you doing my job for me?” I ask, nodding to the fully assembled pink and aqua bicycle that stands not far away, leaning on its kickstand.
Rowdy interjects, “I brought it down after you took the kids to bed, and you know how James likes to tinker.”
That I do. I think it’s a thing with drummers. They’re always keeping their hands busy. Whether it’s doodling on a pad of paper during business meetings, spinning his keys while we chat, or pantomiming drumming while we watch sports, James is always moving his hands.
Leaning around Annabelle, I touch my bottle of beer to his. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem.”
We discuss the schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Annabelle apologetically warns everybody that the girls will be up at the ass crack of dawn to open presents on Christmas. Bailey and Rowdy are excited, believing it to be a preview of what their future Christmases will entail.
It isn’t long before the conversation rolls around to the album release. When four out of the six people present work together, work is surely going to be a topic of conversation. Especially since we all love our work.
“Charlotte emailed the dates for the video shoot. Gonna be the second week of January.”
“I think it’s the third week, man.”
"Pretty sure, it's the second week, Dumber."
“Whatever. It’s on whatever date Char said in the email.”
“What video shoot?” Annabelle questions, turning slightly to look at me over her shoulder.
“We’re shooting the music video for one of the album’s singles,Room 112,” Josh explains.
“Room 112?” Annabelle’s eyes widen, a knowing expression crossing her face.Yep, she remembers the number of the motel room we stayed in at Tank’s.“Room 112is the name of one of the songs on your new album?”
Rowdy side-eyes me, confused. “You haven’t had Annabelle listen toAlcohol and Orgasmsyet?”
