Page 63 of Reckless
Theo saves me. Like always. “Well, Winter and I spent a lot of time talking about how to bring this up, but I should have known to just leave it to you, Harv.”
Sloane is sitting straight across from me, hand on her chest, pretending to be shocked. Bless her.
“Thank you,” I mouth to her.
She shakes her head and waves me off.
“Wait.” Sweet Jasper looks genuinely confused. I owe Sloane a flat of Buddyz Best lager for keeping this secret as close as she has. “The only thing I remember about you two is that entertaining spat you had in the driveway.”
“Yes!” Willa’s eyes light up as she jabs her finger in Jasper’s direction, her voice full of energy. “That was a good one!” And based on how memorable that altercation seems for everyone else, I must have made a real ass of myself.
Harvey gives a derisive snort. “Come on. Don’t you kids know anything? You ever seen a tomcat fight a female?”
Willa’s body is taut with barely contained laughter, while Cade groans and scrubs a hand over his beard.
“They start off scratching and screaming at each other—”
“Dad, please stop.” Cade braces his forearms against the edge of the table, staring at his place setting.
“And then before you know it...” Harvey carries on, undeterred.
“Dad.” Now even Rhett is trying to make him stop.
“Before you know it what, Harv?” It’s Jasper who gives the older man the final shove he needs, ignoring the light slap Sloane lands across his chest.
Harvey shrugs matter-of-factly. “Before you know it, they’re breeding. Kittens everywhere. That saying about cats in heat didn’t come from nowhere.”
A chorus of groans ring out around the table.
“Lord, help me,” Beau mutters. But miserable as he’s been, even he can’t keep his lips turned down at his father’s antics.
When I glance at Theo on the other side of Vivi’s highchair that separates us, he has his palms pressed into the sockets of his eyes, body shaking with silent laughter.
“Seriously, Theo?” I hiss at him, trying to sound menacing, but a giggle slips into my voice.
“Sorry. I just need a minute after that.” He looks up at me, wiping tears from his eyes, thick dark lashes clumped together as he shakes his head in disbelief.
I push my shoulders back and meet Harvey’s glittering hazel eyes at the end of the table. “Thank you for that explanation, Harvey. When Vivienne gets older and asks how we met, I’ll be sure to drop her off with you.”
“No,” Cade jumps in. “Don’t give him any ideas. Young, impressionable minds do not need the Harvey Eaton version of the birds and the bees.”
“I think when Grandpa told me about the birds and the bees, he used rabbits instead,” Luke adds innocently.
“Yeah.” Harvey laughs. “There’s a saying about rabbits too, ya know?”
I see him startle a bit as his eyes shoot over to Cordelia, who clearly kicked him under the table.
“But ...” His eyes gauge the large group of people staring back at him in varying states of amusement. “That’s not appropriate dinner conversation.”
Luke, all of seven years old, scoffs before saying, “Yeah, Dad will lose it if you say ‘fucking like bunnies’ in front of me again.” His eyes go round as saucers, and he slaps a small hand over his mouth like he might be able to shove the words back in.
Cade’s chair screeches as he shoots up to standing. “Lucas Eaton, outside. Now.”
Luke drops his eyes and shoots Willa a playful little grin from under the fringe of his new longer hairstyle.
“You too, Harvey.”
Willa leans across the table and whispers loudly, “Shit, Harv, you’ve made Daddy mad now.”
