Rock Bottom (Dawson Family 6) - Page 1

Chapter 1

Dean

Then…

“Where’s Kara?”

I knew the question was coming, yet Mom’s words still cut through me, making me pause in my step as I move toward the fridge to get a beer that I desperately need.

“At home. She’s exhausted from staying up late working on homework.”

I hate that the lie rolls off my tongue so easily. It’s not hard to believe my wife is actually at home resting after pulling an all-nighter working on her master’s degree in education. In truth, we got into an argument over Sunday night dinner at my parents’ house.

But that was only part of the issue.

“Poor dear,” Mom says and grabs a Tupperware container from under the cabinet and thrusts it at me. “Don’t forget to get her a plate to go.”

I smile, forcing the pain away, and thank Mom. Setting the Tupperware on the counter, I open the fridge, get out two beers, and go through the kitchen to the backyard.

“Help me up,” my sister says as soon as I step onto the patio. “I have to pee.”

Laughing, I set the beers down and extend a hand. Quinn takes it and dramatically groans as she hefts herself to her feet.

“You look like you’re about ready to pop,” I tell her.

“I feel like it.” She rests both hands on her stomach. “I’m three days away from my due date and am dying.”

“You’re the one who wanted to have another baby.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waves a hand in the air. “Save the speech for Archer.” She looks across the yard at Archer, her husband and my best friend, who’s pushing their two kids on the swing set. “I know how much you like being reminded that he’s the one who knocked me up.”

“Gross, Quinn.”

She laughs. “You make it easy. Now I see why Logan and Owen gave you so much shit when we were kids. I feel like I missed out by trying to be the peacemaker.”

I let out a snort of laugher. “You, the peacemaker?”

“Yeah. I was. And still am.”

“If you say so.” I grab my beer and pop the top. “But that’s not how I remember it.”

“And how do you remember it?” Quinn rubs her belly and makes a face. “Stop kicking my ribs, baby. That doesn’t feel good.”

“I was the peacemaker and basically the middle child. I’m between two extremes. There’s Weston, who was always a rule follower and incredibly boring, and Logan and Owen, who are, well…Logan and Owen.”

Quinn laughs. “What does that make me?”

“You were the little princess of the family,” I remind her, laughing as well. “You could do no wrong.”

She just rolls her eyes. “I really have to pee now.”

I grab the other beer as she slowly makes her way into the house and walk across the yard.

“Uncle Dean!” Emma squeals, reaching her arms out. I smile at my niece and feel the rest of my anger start to melt away.

“Hey, Squirt!”

“Will you play chase with me?” she asks, madly kicking her feet to try and get the swing to stop.

“Hey,” Archer says to me, grabbing the back of the swing to slow Emma down. “You ready to lose again tonight?”

“Psshh, you wish,” I laugh. “You’ll be on?” Archer has been my best friend since college, and while it was weird for a bit when he started dating my sister, he’s part of the family for real now and things couldn’t be better.

Except…they could be.

“Yeah,” he says, and sets Emma down. She takes my hand and starts pulling me toward the slide. “But don’t let me stay up too late,” he laughs. “The baby will be here any day now and we won’t get much sleep.” He goes back to Arya, who cries as soon as she sees her sister climbing up the steps to go down the slide.

“You ready for another?” I hold out my hand, spotting Emma as she climbs.

“We already have two. What’s one more?”

I laugh. “So you’re all set?”

“As much as we can be. But the cats have been sleeping in the crib.”

“Your kids are all damned to be crazy cat ladies like Quinn.”

“Probably.” He gets Arya out of the swing and she stops crying right away. “Though my money is on this one being a boy. Quinn had really bad morning sickness with both girls and it hasn’t been that bad this time around. And she says the curse was broken after Paige was born.” Archer makes a face. “Something about the balance of girls and boys being equal in the Dawson family,” he chuckles. “It’s crazy but makes sense at the same time.”

“What was your boy name again?” I ask causally.

“Hah. Nice try. Quinn would kill me if I told anyone. Even you.”

“It’s Dean, isn’t it?”

Archer laughs. “I can tell you it’s not, at least. And I know it was my idea to wait to find out what we’re having, but it’s driving me crazy now.”



Tags: Emily Goodwin Dawson Family Erotic
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