Truly, Madly, Whiskey

by Melissa Foster

  “Because we’re having lunch with your parents.” She hooked her finger into the waist of his jeans. They’d been through so much together, this should be easy, but it felt like another very big step. “Dixie will be there, right?”

  “Yup, along with Bones and Bullet. But all that really matters is that I’m there, and I adore you. Have faith in me, and let’s get out of here.”

  She grabbed her bag, and he draped an arm over her shoulder as they descended the steps. “You realize none of this matters, right?”

  “Of course it matters. I’m a little nervous about talking with your dad.”

  “Don’t be. Just be yourself.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “I’m not very good at holding my tongue. And I love Dixie, so I can’t promise I won’t say something he’ll hate.”

  “Babe, I love you, and I won’t ever ask you to be someone you’re not. You say whatever you feel like saying. I’ll always back you up.”

  After everything he’d been through lately, the last thing she wanted to do was say the wrong thing around his family. He couldn’t know how much hearing that helped to tamp down her anxiety.

  “Thank you, but I’m still a little nervous. Just keep in mind that if your father is as old-school, or club-driven, or whatever it is that causes him to think women aren’t supposed to have certain jobs, then you’d better not begin taking after him. Because then I’d have to kick your ass.”

  He opened the passenger door of his truck. “Careful. I might enjoy feisty Crystal.”

  Between stolen kisses and lascivious comments, he kept her smiling the whole way to his parents’ house on the outskirts of town. Bear drove down a long tree-lined driveway and parked behind two motorcycles and Bullet’s truck. Crystal took in the modest two-story brick home with a deep, welcoming front porch bordered by beautiful gardens. The house reminded her of the house in which she’d spent the early part of her childhood, giving her a sense of comfort.

  At least that’s what she told herself as they walked hand in hand toward the voices coming from the backyard.

  A loud bark caught her attention as a large brown and black dog bounded toward them. Bear sank to one knee and opened his arms. The dog went paws on shoulders, nearly bowling him over, and covered Bear’s face in slobbery kisses.

  “Hey, Tink.” Bear laughed, smiling up at Crystal. “This is Tinkerbell, Bullet’s Rottweiler puppy.”

  “Bullet has a puppy named Tinkerbell? And are you sure she’s a puppy? She’s huge.”

  “She’s definitely a puppy, and if you make one crack about her name, I’ll make your boyfriend pay the price. Kennedy named her, and anything that little princess wants from her Uncle Bullet, she gets.” Bear’s brother pulled her into a hug. “How’s it going, sweetheart?”

  “Great, thanks. It’s good to see you.” Between Bullet’s size, tatted-up body, and eyes that seemed to be in a constant state of back off, he was as intimidating as they came. But when it came to Kennedy and Lincoln, he was soft as butter, and he’d always been warm with Crystal.

  Tinkerbell ran over to the garden and began digging.

  “Tink.” Bullet patted his leg, and the dog came to his side. He crouched and took the pup’s face in his hands. “Don’t you dig in Red’s garden, sweetheart. I worked hard to make it pretty.”

  Crystal felt her eyes widen, and she tried to hide her surprise. “You garden?”

  Bullet rose to his feet, hands on hips, scowling. “I suppose you’re going to give me shit about that like Bear and Bones do?”

  She held her hands up, unable to stifle a laugh. “I think it’s adorable.”

  He growled.

  Bear laughed.

  “Manly,” Crystal added. “That’s what I meant.”

  “Come on, Tink.” Bullet slapped his leg again, and the dog trotted alongside him toward the backyard.

  “There they are.” Bear’s mother waved from across the yard. Her hair was a shade darker than Dixie’s, cut above her shoulders in long layers. She pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head as she approached and embraced Bear. “Hi, honey. I’m glad you two made it.”

  She smiled at Crystal, and in his mother’s smile she saw Bear’s warmth, and his mischief.

  “Crystal, you look beautiful, honey.” She embraced her.

  “Thank you…?” She wasn’t sure what to call her. Wren? Mrs. Whiskey? Red?

  “Call me Red, honey. Everyone else does.” She winked at Bear and put an arm around each of their waists, heading for the backyard. It was easy to see where Bear got his loving nature.

  The backyard was beautiful, all grassy lawn and mature trees, with lovely gardens surrounding a large patio. A glass table set for seven with a vase of flowers in the center.

  “I want to know everything Bear won’t tell me,” his mother said.

  “Red.” Bear gave her a please don’t look.

  “You finally meet the woman of your dreams, and you want me to back off?” She turned to Crystal with an amused expression. “You’d think after thirty-three years he’d know me. Honey, why don’t you go see if they need help getting lunch ready?”

  “I’m not leaving you alone with her. You’ll give her the third degree.”

  Bullet tossed a ball for Tinkerbell and wrapped an arm around Bear from behind, putting him in a headlock and dragging him away. “Come on, bro. Help me play catch with Tink.”

  Crystal watched Bear maneuver out of the headlock and turn on Bullet. They began dancing around like they were boxing. “Should I be worried?”

  “Pfft. If I worried every time they played like that, I’d be much grayer by now.” Red pointed to a basketball hoop. “They’ll take out their aggression playing ball. Give ’em five minutes. And don’t worry. I’m not going to give you the third degree.”

  She breathed a little easier, although Red was so easygoing, she wouldn’t have minded if she did.

  “I know my big-hearted youngest son,” Red said. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and Dixie tells me he’s been trying to catch your eye for months. You’re also the first woman he’s brought home since high school. It seems to me, the boy who used to tumble into my bed at five o’clock Sunday mornings to cuddle, then wrestle with his brothers until they were sweaty from head to toe and starved for breakfast, has grown up and met his one and only.”

  Crystal felt herself blushing. “I love the man he is, and I’m happy to tell you whatever you’d like to know about me.”

  “Honey.” Red smiled. “There’s nothing you could say that would make me think you weren’t right for him. I trust my boys, and of all of them, Bear is the most in tune with his feelings. He’s with you, I’m with you.”

  Crystal’s throat thickened with emotion, and a pang of sadness moved through her. Red offered the unconditional love she’d wanted so badly from her own mother. Before she could respond, Dixie and Bones came out the back door carrying a tray of sandwiches and drinks. Dixie’s eyes lit up as she set the tray on the table.

  “Hey, Crystal.” Dixie hugged her, looking over at Bear and Bullet, who were racing around with the puppy. Their father had agreed to let Dixie take over the renovations and manage the bar. But Dixie being Dixie, had insisted on remaining part-time at the shop as well. She was a loyal, stubborn Whiskey through and through. “Welcome to Testosterone Central.”

  “A little testosterone never hurt anyone.” Bones embraced her. “Are you surviving my brother?” He gave her an assessing gaze.

  Bear had told her that his brothers knew something had gone down a few years ago, but he hadn’t told them what. She wasn’t surprised. Her man didn’t hide his emotions very well.

  “Bones!” Bullet’s deep voice sailed across the yard. “Get your ass over here. We’re going to shoot some hoops.”

  She bent to pet Tinkerbell, who was carrying her ball in her mouth. “Doing much better than surviving him, thanks.”

  “Good. Glad to hear it.” Bones pulled off his tank top, revealing a sculpted frame
and a tattooed chest he kept well hidden behind those professional dress shirts she’d seen him in. He tossed his shirt on one of the chairs. “Sorry, but I have to go show my brothers who’s boss.”

  “Told you,” Red said. Tinkerbell trotted over to Red and dropped the ball at her feet. She picked it up and tossed it in the direction of a big weeping willow tree.

  “If she digs up my gardens I’m not going to be happy.” Dixie crossed her arms, watching Tinkerbell.

  “I was shocked to hear that Bullet gardened,” Crystal admitted.

  “His father taught him,” Red explained.

  “My dad planted that weeping willow for me when I was seven,” Dixie explained. “He used to read me the story The Wind in the Willows. It was my favorite book. Do you know it?”

  “Yes. I read it in grade school. It’s a great story about friendship.”

  “Oh, honey,” Red said. “It’s so much more than that.”

  “‘Independence is all very well, but we animals never allow our friends to make fools of themselves beyond a certain limit; and that limit you’ve reached,’” Dixie quoted. “It was the backbone of our youth. I loved it so much. I still do.”

  Bear’s words came back to her from the night at Woody’s when he’d told her about helping that little boy who had been bullied. Love, loyalty, and respect for all runs as thick as blood through our veins. A blessing and a curse. She hadn’t understood what he’d meant about a curse, but as she’d seen him struggle with family loyalties and his desire to work for Silver-Stone, she’d figured it out. Still, she’d have given anything to have grappled with struggles of being too loved or too counted on, instead of the nightmare her mother had created. She took comfort in his family’s closeness, and it was clear that his decision to stand up to his father and take the offer with Silver-Stone hadn’t torn his family apart but seemed to have brought them closer together.

  “He built the bench beneath it, too,” Dixie said, bringing her back to the conversation. “And he planted the gardens around it. Now Bullet keeps them up, since Dad can’t.”

  “That’s really sweet,” Crystal said, thinking of her own father and the projects she’d done with him.

  “Before his stroke, my husband was a big gardener,” Red explained. “When Bullet came back to civilian life, he had a rough time of it. He’d seen awful things, and he needed to get out of his own head.”

  “I know a little about needing to get out of my head,” Crystal said.

  Red’s expression warmed. “Unfortunately, we all have our crosses to bear. Bullet pulled through, thanks to the support of his brothers and Dixie. And, of course, us.”

  Family. The one thing Crystal hadn’t been able to rely on for so long. But they were helping Jed move next weekend, and she had high hopes of rebuilding at least that part of the family she’d lost.

  “I’m surprised Bear didn’t tell you,” Dixie said. “He came over every night while my father and Bullet worked on the yard. He said it was because he wanted to learn how to garden, but you know that’s not true. He’d rather be elbow deep in motor oil than garden soil.”

  Crystal looked across the yard at Bear, who was laughing with his brothers as they played basketball. They all had their shirts off now. Bear’s arms were up, blocking Bones from making a shot. Normally she’d be lusting after her shirtless biker boy, but right then all she saw was a caring brother who had spent evenings doing something he didn’t really care about because he wanted to be sure the man who had taught him to fight, who had always had his back—the man he cared about—was okay.

  Tinkerbell bounded across the yard toward the house as Bear’s father came outside. Bear and his brothers headed for the patio. His father looked different than he did in the dimly lit bar. Older, and somehow kinder. Or maybe that was from the stories she’d been listening to. It sounded like he’d gone to great lengths to ensure his children grew up with strong morals, and to make Dixie happy.

  He walked slowly across the patio, using his cane for balance. Crystal fidgeted with the edge of her dress, unable to calm her nerves as he approached.

  He lowered his chin, looking at her with a stern gaze. Bear came to her side and put his arm over her shoulder. Tinkerbell stood by his feet, tail wagging, tongue hanging out.

  “Pop. Don’t give her the stare,” Bones said as he pulled on his shirt.

  Red patted her husband’s butt, smiling at Crystal. “He’s all bark, honey.”

  “Tinkerbell.” Bullet’s deep voice cut through the tension, and the pup trotted happily to his side.

  Biggs’s mouth curved up in a smile, lifting his thick gray mustache. His gaze softened and he reached for her with one arm, leaning on the cane with the other.

  “I’m just trying to live up to my reputation.” His speech was slow and slightly slurred. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and she exhaled with relief.

  “Now I see where Bullet learned it.” Crystal smiled at Bullet. “You had me shaking in my boots.”

  “No, I didn’t. You’re a tough cookie. I can see it in your eyes. I’d bet it takes a lot more than a look to make you shake in your shoes.” He winked at Bear and made his way over to the table.

  Lunch was delicious, and they fell into easy conversation. Red told stories about Bear burying—and holding ceremonies for—everything from his pet goldfish to dead birds he’d found in the woods. Each of his siblings did their best to embarrass him, and by the time they’d finished eating, Crystal couldn’t remember why she’d been nervous in the first place. She was drawn to his father, who took every chance he could to squeeze his wife’s hand, wink at Dixie, or give his boys a hard time. He was a bit stern, and Crystal could see an underlying darkness in him, the way she could in Bullet, but the love he had for his family was palpable.

  Bear’s family was everything she’d always wished she’d had.

  Crystal helped carry the dishes inside, and when she came back out, Biggs was sitting at the table petting Tinkerbell. He patted the seat beside him. “Sit with me a minute.”

  She heard Bear’s hearty laughter, which she loved so much, and as she sat down, Bear and Bones came outside.

  “Tell me about your family,” Biggs said.

  Bear sat beside her and pulled his chair so close their legs touched. He took her hand in his, watching her with a look that said he’d rescue her from the conversation, but she didn’t need rescuing. She needed to cross this bridge at some point. It might as well be now.

  “We lost my father when I was nine. My mother lives about an hour away, and honestly, she’s a mess. A drinker,” she said, surprised at how easily the truth came. “And my brother, Jed, is, well, he’s a good guy, but he’s been in some trouble. He’s trying to clean up his act, though.”

  Biggs’s gaze never left hers. He wasn’t looking at her with a harsh glare or with tenderness. He was simply looking at her, without judgment. “I’m sorry about your parents. And glad to hear your brother is finding his way. Sometimes we have to fall before we learn to stand on our own.” His eyes shifted to Bear. “And sometimes life throws us oceans of trouble, and it’s all we can do to keep our heads above water.”

  She couldn’t be sure if he was talking about her life, or theirs, but she lowered her eyes, feeling self-conscious. “Yes, that’s true.”

  He tapped the side of her leg with his cane, and when she met his gaze, he was smiling again. “You keep that head up, darlin’. You’re floating. Nothing can keep you down. But if life ever tries to drown you again, you’ve got Bear and all of us to pull you up. We take care of our own.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. She didn’t think as she rose from her chair and hugged the father who had taught the man she adored about family, loyalty, and respect. He’d taught him how to be a man—and how to love.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  CRYSTAL STOOD IN front of the bathroom mirror fixing her makeup and trying not to laugh at Bear, who was leaning on the doorframe watching her. His legs were crossed casually at
the ankles, but there was nothing casual about the wolfish grin on his face.

  “Don’t you have something better to do?” She set down her eyeliner and smoothed her black tank top, giving her hips an extra shake for his benefit. She secretly loved that he was always lusting after her. They’d been together for more than a month, or by Bear’s count, more than nine months. Either way, she was more in love with him than ever.

  He stepped behind her, nibbling on her shoulder the way he knew drove her mad. “Better than this? Are you nuts, silly girl?”

  “Bullet will be here in a few minutes. There’s no time to fool around.” They were helping Jed move into Quincy’s apartment today. Crystal was so excited she could barely stand it. She and Jed had been talking more often since the incident with their mother, and they’d gotten even closer after she’d told him what had happened to her in college. It reminded her of how close they’d been when they were younger. She missed those times. She missed him.

  She turned in Bear’s arms, and he lifted her up on the counter, pushing her legs open and claiming his spot in between. She was glad he’d stopped being quite so careful with her.

  “All I want is to touch you, sugar.” He nipped at her lower lip, his hands gliding up her bare thighs to the fringe on her shorts.

  Harley meowed as she came into the bathroom. She’d grown tall and slender, and Crystal swore she had developed a homing device for Bear’s advances.

  “There’s our little cockblocker.”

  She felt him smiling against her neck. He loved Harley so much he let her have her own pillow on their bed.

  She pushed off the counter and wound her arms around his neck. Guiding his mouth to hers, she kissed him until she felt him go hard.

  He groaned against her mouth. God, she loved that. She loved everything about her naughty biker boy. He’d been a happier man since he’d agreed to work for Silver-Stone, and she was looking forward to the days when he was no longer working day and night. But she was even more excited to know his dreams were finally going to come true.