I couldn’t watch, so I covered my eyes with my hand and started begging anyone who was listening not to take my cat away from me.
“Two…”
“Well, shit,” Benny snorted. “The fucking thing’s coming down.”
Lowering my hand slowly, I noticed that he was, in fact, making his way down.
“You’re not all the way down yet, boy, so don’t even think I’m going to stop counting.” Jackson pointed at a spot in front of him. “I want your ass here.”
“I’ll go,” Gabby breathed, so I reached around to pinch her arm skin. “Ow, you fucking bitch. That hurts.”
“He’s off-limits, but he has a twin,” I offered, my eyes looking out Marcus, who was sitting with his head back while he glared up at the clouds. Almost like he was pretending he wasn’t part of his family and had no clue what was going on around him.
“Identical?” Gabby whimpered, biting her fist. When I pointed to Marcus, she groaned and bit down harder.
“Two…”
“Your man got problems with numbers?” Malcolm asked seriously, and I realized Jackson had said the same number twice.
With no reasonable answer to the question, I shrugged my shoulder. “He’s studying forensic science, so I hope not.”
Just as he opened his mouth to say one—hopefully—this time, Milkshake launched himself at him, landing with his claws out, and hooked them into the front of Jackson’s t-shirt. He most likely got his skin, too, but I hadn’t heard any screaming, so maybe that wasn’t the case.
“Well, fuck me. He did it,” Malcolm muttered through his smile.
Sam was glaring at my cat with the remainders of the large shrimp clutched in his fist, but everyone else started clapping like he’d just saved Milkshake from a burning building.
Holding his arm up in the air, Jackson made his way back to the house and shut the cat inside it with the door firmly shut after lecturing him for a moment, and then made his way over to where we were standing.
It was Malcolm who held his hand out first. “I’m her cousin, Malcolm. Wasn’t sure I’d like you, but any guy who can make a total twat out of himself and walk away with his head held high, is all right by me.”
Then it was Gabby’s turn. “Gabby. You’re, like, really hot.”
Jackson’s cheeks turned red as he looked at me, but all I could do was to shrug and hold my hands out like ‘whatcha gonna do?’ type of motion.
Finally, it was my quietest cousin’s turn. “Benny. I should be lecturing you on ever fucking her over or breaking her heart, but I don’t think you’d do that. You also look like a good guy, so I need to ask—are you sure about this one?” he gestured with his thumb at me.
Smacking him on the shoulder, I hissed, “I’m the adjusted one in the family, thank you very much. Want me to start sharing some stories?”
Benny didn’t say anything, he just glared at me.
Yeah, I had some great ones about him, so he didn’t want them getting out.
And just like I knew they would, the rest of my family, who all made up my best friends in the world, my ride or dies, all fell in love with the man who was now in the same category as them.
It was later, after all of the food was consumed, after every last one of us had loosened the waistbands of what we had on our bottom halves, that my cousins leaned in to talk to me.
“Never thought we’d say this, but you guys are made for each other,” Malcolm whispered, getting frantic head nods from the other two.
That was sweet, but something was niggling at me. “Why didn’t you think you’d ever say that?”
“Sweetie,” Gabby said gently, “you’re unique. Everyone is in their own way, but you’re unique in all aspects of your life. To find someone who loves that about you, who appreciates the shit out of that about you, and who matches you in their own way? It didn’t seem possible.”
Blinking back the tears, I looked over at where Jackson was talking to his brothers, laughing as he rocked Bronte, who was fast asleep with her head on his chest, drooling happily as her uncle held her safely.
They were right. Every last word they’d just said was correct.
And I fucking loved that.
Chapter Fifteen
Sasha
6:15 am the next morning—according to the clock, which was twenty minutes behind because I kept forgetting to change the time. I also kept forgetting it wasn’t the right time…
The arm slung over my waist tightened, pulling me back into the firm, muscled chest. There was a rigid pipe nestled between my ass cheeks, and I couldn’t quite figure out if that was a bad thing, a weird thing, or a good thing?
“Morning, baby,” Jackson whispered, stirring the hairs on the back of my neck and making me arch slightly into him.