“I have not.” My eyes barely shift to the man at my side before I realize what I’ve done.
My Nanna’s brows lift and she turns her attention to Gypsy. “It’s about time she found a man who appreciated her.” She grabs him in the same tight hug I just received. “You must be Cody.”
The name still sounds strange to me. Not that it’s a bad name. I’ve just never heard anyone call him that. Not even Jill, and she calls all the men by their real names.
That means she doesn’t know it.
The first person Gypsy gave his real name was my father.
His eyes are on me as he hugs my grandmother back. “I am.”
My Nanna reaches up to pat him on the cheek. “You’re a handsome thing aren’t you?”
Gypsy blushes.
I’ve never told him he’s handsome. Mostly because it pissed me off.
Everything about him pissed me off.
Who gets mad because a man is handsome and thoughtful and patient?
Me.
Nanna wraps one arm around Gypsy and leads him into the house. Everyone is already there. Probably alerted to my visit by Richie. Ready to do their brotherly duty of inquisition and intimidation.
I’m going to end up in a brawl before the night’s over.
My grandmother parks Gypsy at the front of the small island in the center of her kitchen. Her blue eyes narrow on my brothers. “You boys better watch yourself.”
Richie, Scott, and Drew stand shoulder to shoulder on the opposite side of the island. A united front of opposition as they size up the man I was stupid enough to bring home.
This was a terrible idea.
At least it wasn’t mine.
But Gypsy doesn’t seem to notice the horrible turn his plan of a visit home has taken. His stance is relaxed, his smile easy, as my grandmother introduces him to the crowd gathered for Saturday night dinner at her house.
She goes through my brothers and their wives, then moves onto the small humans running wild through the space.
Finally, after everyone has been identified, she leaves his side, turning my way as she goes and giving me a wink.
I can’t let him stand there alone like that. Facing down my brothers without any back-up.
When I step into the spot my grandmother just left, his arm wraps around me, pulling me close as he presses a kiss to my temple. “I’m sorry it took us so long to get down here for a visit. It’s been tough for me to get away from work.”
And just like that everything is laid out for my family.
For me.
My dad steps in closer to my brothers. “What kind of work do you do, Cody?”
“I run a warehouse that offers temporary storage options for retailers.” He leans against the counter, clearly not the least bit intimidated by the three men still staring him down from the other side of the island separating us. “We also serve as a distribution location for manufacturers who don’t want to maintain their own center.”
“You been doing that long?” My dad sips at his beer but his attention doesn’t waver. He’s clearly interested in what Gypsy has to say.
“Been there almost ten years, been in charge for one.” Gypsy pauses and only I know why. The question bridges his past and present in a way that he can’t avoid.
My dad looks impressed. “That’s a long time.”
“It is.” Gypsy glances at me. “I didn’t like it at first, but there’s been a change in ownership and now I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
“Good for you. Liking what you do is important.” My dad leans on the counter at his back, looking down the row of my brothers. “Go on boys, I know you’ve got questions for him.”
Richie’s eyes flick to me for a second. Probably trying to decide how fast I can get across the counter. “What are your intentions with my sister?”
“Seriously?” I try to lunge for him, but Gypsy’s arm stays tight around me, holding me firmly in place. “Did you Google cliché questions to ask your sister’s...”
“Boyfriend.” Gypsy finishes the sentence I can’t and continues on without even blinking. “And my intentions are up to her. I’m here as long as she wants me.”
All the eyes in the kitchen swing my way.
Am I supposed to say something? Tell them all what I want from Gypsy when I haven’t even really admitted it to myself?
Not happening.
I stand tall, ignoring the unsaid question trying to smother me with its weight. “What’s for dinner?”
My Nanna grins. “Good girl. It’s none of their business anyway.” She points at my brothers. “Go get your kids so they can eat.” Then she turns to Gypsy, effectively dismissing the three men still scowling at her back. “I hope you like meatloaf, Cody.”
“I like everything.” He gives my Nanna and easy smile. “But meatloaf is my favorite.”
Is he being serious or just kissing my grandma’s ass?
I don’t imagine he’s much of an ass-kisser, so that means I had no idea what his favorite food was even though Gypsy knows all of mine.
Fuck. Maybe I deserved to be dumped all those times, because I’m not turning out to be a very good girlfriend.
Which is what I am?
I think?
I turn to Gypsy. “What kind of potatoes do you like better? Mashed or baked?”
Something flashes across his eyes. There and gone before I can identify the emotion. “Baked.”
“Then it’s your lucky day.” My Nanna passes him a large platter piled with foil-wrapped potatoes. “Put those on the table, please.”
Gypsy gives her the easy smile that used to make me crazy, before turning to make his way around the kids sprinting away from my brothers, hoping to get a few more rounds off of their Nerf guns before being forced to sit still.
“That man’s in love with you, Fel.”
I try to let out a breath, but it sticks on the ache tightening my chest.
No man has ever loved me besides the four I’m related to. “Why would you think that?”
My Nanna snorts. “Because I have eyes.”
“So do I and I’m not sure I see it.”
“Because you’re too chicken to look.” Nanna hands me one of the platters of sliced meatloaf. “Stop being scared and just do it.”
How many times has she said that to me in my life?
The first time I raced.
The first time we jumped out of a plane.
When I left home, thinking I had to be different to have the things I wanted out of life.
I’ve carried those words with me up until the day I met Gypsy.
Before him I jumped into everything with both feet. Tried to win. Went after what I wanted without fear or apprehension.
It served me well in many aspects of my life. Relationships were not one of them.
Because men didn’t like me any more in Memphis than they did here. In Cookeville I was always locked into the friend zone. The kind of girl boys liked to hang out with and talk to about cars and bikes and mudding.
And other girls. Pretty girls, who wore make-up and curled their long hair. Polished their nails and dressed in something besides jeans and boots.
So after I moved that’s what I did. I wore dresses and make-up and nail polish.
And men paid attention to me. Wanted me like they didn’t before.
But they never kept me.
Because at the end of the day I was still the same girl.
Too bossy. Too demanding. Too strong.
Too much.
“Get that on the table before the kids start fighting.” She winks at me. “Or your brothers think they can handle that man of yours.”
I watch through the doorway as Gypsy sets down a platter and immediately joins my brothers in the challenge of trying to get all my nieces and nephews fed at once. Each of my brothers has three kids of their own, and every one of them is clearly a member of this family. Bossy, opinionated, and loud.
I walk in as he’s helping my younge
st niece with the foil on her potato. She’s watching him with wide eyes. “You have long hair like a girl.”
Gypsy smiles. “That I do.”
Tabitha reaches up to swipe her fingers through Gypsy’s hair. “It’s pretty.”
“Thank you.” He gives her a wink. “You want sour cream on your potato?”
Tabitha nods. “Are you my uncle?”
Gypsy’s hazel eyes lift to find me as I set the meatloaf at the center of the giant table my brothers had to make specifically for Saturday dinners. “You will have to ask your Aunt Felicity that question.”
“Her name is TeeTee.” The indignation in her voice is impossible to miss.
“Nuh-uh.” Gypsy shakes his head. “Her name is Beanie.”
Tabitha breaks out into the kind of laughter only a five-year-old can make. “That’s not her name.”
“That’s what I call her.” Gypsy gives me a little smile as he loads up her potato with sour cream. “Because she likes green beans so much.”
“I like green beans too.” Tabitha points across the table where her mother has set the bowl of beans. “Get me some.”
“Yes ma’am.” Gypsy reaches for the bowl.
Anna, Tabitha’s mother passes it. “How about you remember your manners, young lady.”
Tabitha lets out a dramatic sigh. “Pu-lease can I have some beans Uncle Cody.”
It’s still not a question so much as it is a demand, but Anna looks pleased.
Not as pleased as Gypsy though.
“Absolutely you can.” He scoops her out a kid-sized serving and passes the bowl to Scott, who’s trying to juggle two of his own kids.
Gypsy sits in the chair next to Tabitha and I sit in the chair next to him. The rest of dinner is as uneventful as Saturday night dinners ever are. Two glasses of spilled milk. One launched potato. Three kids cry.
By the time it’s over everyone is full and exhausted.
Except Gypsy. He looks as relaxed as he always does.
And strangely content.
Even when Tabitha comes back with a bucket of Barbie brushes and starts in on his hair with the tiny plastic tools. He sits perfectly still, chatting with my father about cars and bikes and anything else my dad brings up.
Like he belongs here.
No one else I tried to date could have done that. They would have been so far out of their element they might have had a coronary. Especially when three little sets of hands started clipping flower barrettes into their hair.
Not Gypsy. He hasn’t flinched once, and I know for a fact that shit hurts. I’ve been in his spot more than once.
Because he does belong here. With my family.
With me.
Stop being scared and just do it.
I glance at my Nanna who is watching me closely. She gives me an almost imperceptible nod.
She’s right.
I’ve been afraid long enough. Too long, probably.
It takes less than a half hour to get everything cleaned up. As soon as it is, my Nanna is pretty much shoving us out the door.
“I’m so glad you joined us for dinner, Cody.” She has one arm around each of us and walks toward the door. “Maybe you can come for lunch tomorrow before you head back home.”
“Yup. We can do that.” I open the door. I’ve been fighting myself for weeks and now that I’ve decided to stop, all I want to do is run full-speed ahead. Get back to the hotel. Be alone with Gypsy.
Do all the things I’ve worked so hard not to do.
I stop in my tracks.
Shit.
Do I only have two settings?
Full-on or not at all?
Nanna gives me a quick hug. “Love you.”
“I love you too.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath as she squeezes me tight.
I think I do only have two settings.
But I’m not the only person in this.
Gypsy takes my hand as we walk to the car. “Relax, Beanie.”
“Okay.”
His brows go up. “That was easy.”
“I’ve decided to try to be easier from now on.”
He chuckles. “That’s unfortunate.” He leads me to my side of the car, but instead of opening the door, Gypsy presses me against it. His lips hover just over mine. “Because I like it when you’re difficult.”
“I didn’t say I would be successful.” I start to hold back the truth I want to give him. It’s a learned behavior. One I forced on myself.
But I don’t want to hold back with him anymore. I don’t know that I can. “I’m not like other women, Gypsy.”
His eyes move over me. “That’s why I want you, Felicity. Because I’m not like other men.”
That is a truth I would never have disagreed with. Not even on my worst day. When having him so close but needing him far away was about to make me lose my mind.
Might even say it did.
“Most men don’t like me.”
Another truth.
“I’m not most men.”
“Most men think I’m too much to handle.”
“Maybe for them.” Gypsy’s hands slide up to cradle my face. “Not for me.”
Now that the truth has started pouring out I can’t seem to make it stop. “My Nanna thinks you love me.”
“Your Nanna is a smart woman.”
That shuts me up for a second. Leaves me hanging on a ledge I’ve never been worthy of standing on.
“That’s not something you need to worry about right now though.” Gypsy barely brushes a kiss over my lips. “Okay?”
I nod. “Can we go back to the hotel?”
Gypsy glances up toward the house. “Probably a good idea.”
I follow his gaze just in time to catch my brothers ducking down.
“They are just—”
“Your brothers. They want to be sure you’re safe.”
Guilt tugs at my stomach. My safety was all Gypsy ever wanted too. “I’m sorry I was so difficult.”
I made this man’s life so much harder than it had to be. Made my life harder than it had to be. All out of fear.
Something I’ve faced down more times than I can count. Always for myself. To prove I could.
Now I can do it for him. To prove I deserve all he does.
Gypsy opens my door and I climb in, ignoring the nerves biting at my skin as he rounds the car and gets in beside me. I have questions. Things I pretended I didn’t want the answer to before.
Now I want them all.
“Why don’t you tell anyone your name?”
For the first time tonight I see his calm demeanor shift. The set of his jaw tightens a tiny bit and the line of his spine stiffens. “My mother had a son before me. His name was Cody.”
“Was?”
“Childern’s services took him away and a family adopted him. Changed his name.”
“You were her second chance.”
He shakes his head. “I was a replacement. A way for her to pretend it never happened.”
“Did children’s services take you too?”
His hands tighten on the steering wheel. “I wish they had.”
I force myself to swallow. Maybe I don’t want all the answers. Losing my mother before I can really remember has definitely affected me, but I grew up with people who loved me. Took care of me. Protected me.
That probably isn’t how Gypsy’s life went.
I pull up the armrest between us and scoot close. Saying I’m sorry will only make him have to tell me it’s okay.
And it’s not.
I rest my head on his shoulder and hold one of his hands in mine. No one says anything else the rest of the ride to the hotel. Not until Gypsy parks in a spot near the entrance to where our room is located.
Then he turns to me, his face more serious than I’ve ever seen it. “I want it all, Felicity.” He reaches out to slide my hair behind my ear, letting his fingers trail over my cheek as he does. “What your brothers have. That’s what I want.” His touch is soft as it
slides down my neck. “Is that something you’d be willing to consider giving me?”
I might be willing to give him anything. “You aren’t scared of having kids?”
Gypsy smiles. “Of course I’m scared. Kids are lunatics.” His hand moves down my arm to hold mine. “But sometimes facing down something that scares you is the best part of life.”
Something settles into the deepest part of me at his words.
Words so close to the ones I’ve lived by it’s a little crazy.
Crazy enough to make me tell him the whole truth.
“You scare me.”
14
I’M NOT SURE how I managed to get the door open, but somehow we’re tripping into the hotel room, Felicity’s body tight against mine as I try to make sure I’m the one taking the impact as we knock into walls and dressers.
I knew coming here was a good idea.
Knew it would be the way I could show Felicity I’m serious. That I’m not scared of her.
Even if she’s still a little scared of me.
Not that she’s acting like it now.
Her hands are everywhere, like she’s trying to make up for lost time. Wrestling with my shirt as it tangles in the strands of necklaces around my neck.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” She uses her grip on me to pull my body from the wall. “These are so hot, but right now they are in my way.”
I try to help her but before I can, my shirt pulls up, taking my arms with it.
Felicity lets out a breath as the garment finally makes it over my head along with a couple of my necklaces. “There.”
I expect her hands to be back on me. Instead Felicity takes a step back. “I tried not to look at you.” Her blue eyes don’t leave my skin as she takes it in.
“I know.”
“But you were naked all the time.” She holds my shirt in her hands, twisting it a little as she continues to stare at me.
When I chuckle her eyes snap to mine. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew you wanted me. I was trying to tempt you.”
She licks her lips. “It worked.”
“Finally.”
Felicity smiles softly. “I didn’t want to want you. Not at all.”
“How’d that work out for you?”
Slowly she walks toward me. “I guess we’ll find out.” Her hands find the waistband of my pants and start working the fly open. She hesitates once the zipper is down. “I’m not sure how to—”
Gypsy Soul: A Bad Boy Protector Romance (Lost Boys Book 3) Page 12