Page 18 of Property of Riptide
“I eat healthier, but it’s because I’m predisposed to heart problems via my mother. I watch what I eat, but I don’t hold back because I’m afraid of how I’ll look if I don’t. I like who I am,” Van states.
Satisfied with her answer, I tackle my meat like a true Texan. I grab it with my fingers and go to town. Each bite has me salivating for another. I’m a sucker for ribs and Van loaded my plate down with them. The potato salad and macaroni will have to wait until I can use both hands because I’m right handed and since little man is now laid across that arm, it’s useless.
After handing off little G, I finished my meal and moved us over to the bonfire. Icer is knelt down helping Elodie roast marshmallows as the rest of us watch. The West Texas brothers are slack jawed because they’ve never seen this side of him. Even as kids he was the one on the outside looking in, never joining in our antics.
I hide my chuckle when one of them isn’t paying attention to his hands and leans his beer to the side and it empties out on his boot. “Shit, that’s alcohol abuse right there,” I point out. Rio laughs in the background because there’s not much that has our men losing their composure. Van’s eyebrows are drawn in, not understanding why everyone is tuned into Icer the way they are. So I break it down for her. “Icer isn’t known to be a touchy-feely kinda man. He grunts more than he talks. I have a friend that’s a chemist and I had him make me a special pill that will make him more compliant, for lack of a better word. The world hasn’t been kind to my brother, so he tends to act first and ask questions later.”
“Meaning he doesn’t like people?” she asks.
“Exactly that,” I admit. “Deep down, he’s a good man who’s been through some shit and doesn’t trust because of it. With him, you have to read between the lines, if you catch my drift.”
“I had amazing parents even though they had a rough time due to their ages keeping up with me and being active participants. When I look at my son, I can’t understand how you can make a child and hurt them. Our kids are the best parts of us,” Van says, her tone sad.
“Unfortunately, you’ll find that’s the case with most of my crew. Not all of them are like Icer though, they’ve found ways to move past their childhoods and lead productive lives. Some of us feel we haven’t touched the iceberg of what Icer endured.”
“He’s protective over the younger ones, isn’t he, Riptide?”
“Yeah, he is, Van. As you pointed out, they’re the better of us and need nurturing. He’s not a hen about it, but he’s a bulldog when it comes to keeping them safe. He’s keeping his distance for now, but when he gives into the urge and spends some time with your little guy, he’ll have a protector for life.”
“Which explains more than what you told me earlier about why he threatened to track me down,” Van states, her eyes now misty. “At least we know I’ll be moving to the same town y’all are at so you can all spend some time with Gagey.”
“Little G and you are stuck with us,” I tell her, bumping her shoulder blade with mine. “My men that stayed behind are going to be tripping over themselves trying to earn the uncle title. Icer won’t share Elodie with them. At least not willingly or if Zoey puts her foot down and demands he shares.”
“I bet he has attachment issues like I do, Riptide. It’s hard for those of us who’ve felt abandoned in one way or another to let go after being shown true friendship.”
“You’ve got us now, Van,” Zoey interrupts. “I didn’t have the best influence growing up, my parents are zealots but their beliefs are twisted. They were behind my rape, I know they were.”
Van’s jaw hits the ground as she stares at Zoey with wide eyes. “They did what?”
“I can’t prove it, but when the man who raped me had me kidnapped, that belief was pretty much confirmed in a backhanded way,” Zoey confesses.
“You were what?” Van whisper-shouts, trying to keep her composure. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“With my grandmother and Indiana’s help, I’ve put it behind me as best as I can. I keep my eye on the future and my mind away from the past. I may not have got our girl under the circumstances I’d have preferred her be conceived under, but she’s the best gift I’ve ever received,” Zoey acknowledges.
“The world is mysterious,” Van muses. “In our darkest times, we’re given something that shows us the light. Elodie is your bright star.”
“And Indiana is my moon,” Zoey adds, leaning into Indiana who wraps his arm around her and tucks her into his chest, laying his lips on her temple while closing his eyes. He still has issues with what happened to his woman back in the day and would like nothing more than to scour the earth and track down every Dragon then eliminate them. We all have problems knowing that there’s a threat out there that we can’t get rid of. At least, we haven’t been able to as of yet. “Elodie and I orbit around him.He came into my life when I needed him the most and has been there every step of the way while I fought my demons.”
“The moon and stars go hand-in-hand. I’m glad you found that, Zoey,” Van praises.
The need to touch her overwhelms me so I reach out and place my hand over her free one. When she doesn’t move hers away, my body eases. I was worried she’d reject me but when she flips her hand around and laces her fingers with mine, my breaths come out in pants. There’s an electrical charge between us, I just hope she will give me the chance to explore what it means.
CHAPTER
TEN
Van
A few days have passed since I went to the Triple R ranch and spent some time with the Kings. I’ve seen the guys and women sporadically, but they’ve been busy finalizing the sendoff for my ex. That’s the reason I haven’t taken their absence personally. I get random text messages from all of them and have even seen Icer sitting in the parking lot watching over us. I’ve wanted to reach out to him and invite him in, but Riptide didn’t think that was a good idea. He says Icer needs to feel comfortable enough to make that move first. I promised to give him a chance when that time comes. And I mean it. That man needs to be surrounded by people who are willing to look past his rough demeanor and not judge him when he needs to take a step back to catch his breath.
My little guy is teething so he’s a bit crankier than usual. I dug through his diaper bag and couldn’t find his teether to sooth his gums so I had to improvise. I soaked one of his baby wash rags and stuck it in the freezer. While he gnaws on that, we’re goingto walk down to the pharmacy and get him some gel to ease the ache.
I struggle to get his stroller unfolded with him squiggling in my arms. He’s an unhappy camper who doesn’t want to be let out of my arms for even a moment to get the task done. “I’m trying, baby boy,” I say in a soothing tone. “Mom’s gonna have to set you down so I can find out what has your stroller stuck, kiddo.”
“I can take him,” Icer says, causing me to gasp before yelping. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Can I have him now?”
“Hang on,” I say around a gulp. “Let me get my heart rate back to normal first.” I’m a bit shaky because I didn’t hear him approach. He appeared out of nowhere like an apparition. For a large man, he sure is stealthy.
