by Toni Aleo
He shrugged one shoulder, a grin pulling at his luscious lips. “I try.”
He held out his hand and she took it, beaming up at him and knowing that whatever was going on downstairs wouldn’t matter or faze her a bit with this man at her side.
“Are we going to try to talk him into staying?” he asked, cupping the back of her neck.
She shrugged. “It would be best since I don’t want them to be flying home on Thanksgiving.”
He nodded. “Then let’s go talk them into staying, and then I need to put my father in time-out for hitting.”
Lacey giggled as they left the room and made their way to the kitchen where eight adults stood in tense silence. Zander and Flynn were watching TV, but as soon as they saw Lacey, Zander said, “So, they are trying to leave because someone hit someone. I don’t know. I want to stay.”
“I got you, buddy,” Karson said with a thumbs-up. “And then we’ll go out and play some ball.”
“Cool,” Zander said with a grin.
Flynn then chimed in, “Can we play hockey instead?”
“I like the way you think,” Karson said with a wink before they made it into the kitchen. When they entered, all eyes fell on them and Lacey took in a deep breath.
This was going to be interesting.
“Lacey Arielle, we are leaving,” her father said with his booming voice. “This was a bad idea to put us all together.”
“Yeah, it was. Fucking douche, your dad is,” Karl said back. “But we love you, Lacey.”
“No one is going anywhere, and no more name-calling,” Karson said, holding his hands out.
“Who are you to tell me anything?” Nate barked, but before Karson or even Karl could say anything, Lacey set him with a look.
“He is my husband and this is his family, Dad,” she said with her hands on her hips. “This is my first Thanksgiving as a married woman. I am making a damn turkey and you are going to stay, and all of you are going to get along, and we are going to enjoy this damn holiday. If anyone has a problem with that, I don’t freaking care. You will deal because you are dealing for me! Don’t ruin my holiday,” she said, meeting everyone’s gaze.
“Damnnnnn, your wife is mean,” JT loud-whispered to Karson, but when Lacey met his gaze, he was grinning.
“Nah, she is spectacular.”
With her lips curved up, she met her dad’s gaze. “Now, there are soup and sandwiches if JT didn’t eat them all.”
“I left some,” he piped in but she ignored him.
“While you guys get something to eat, Karson will go put your stuff in your rooms. Then after lunch, I’ll show you around and we can enjoy this holiday. Got it?”
Nate’s eyes narrowed as Sabrina’s protest filled the room. “I don’t want to stay, Nate. I want to leave. I don’t trust these people.”
“These people are my family,” Lacey said sharply. “Yeah, they are rough around the edges, but they are good people as long as you are good to them. So get off your damn high horse, take a damn sandwich, and relax, okay?”
“I have never—”
“Yeah, I don’t care. Now eat,” she said, pointing to the food. Sabrina looked at Nate and Nate looked at Lacey. “Is that okay with you, Daddy?” she asked, her tone stern.
His nose was the size of Texas with little pieces of tissue coming out of each nostril. She wanted to laugh at how silly he looked, but she knew that would only cause more problems. She fully expected him to walk right out the door he had entered, but to her surprise, he didn’t. He nodded as his hand met the small of Sabrina’s back. “We came to spend Thanksgiving with Lacey.”
“But how can you trust these people?” she screeched, putting Lacey’s nerves on edge.
“We can’t, but again, we are here for Lacey, not them.”
“Nothing else will happen,” Lacey promised before looking back at where Karl stood with Regina. “Right?”
Karl nodded. “Oh, I got my lick in. I’m good.”
“He will be on his best behavior,” Regina promised.
Lacey made a face of disbelief, and Regina laughed as Kacey said, “I was thinking the same thing,”
She giggled as her husband’s arms came around her waist. “So let’s let go of the past and just enjoy dinner. Celebrate our beautiful marriage and our togetherness,” he said, kissing her cheek.
“I swear to God, it’s your fault he’s a pussy,” Karl muttered and Lacey couldn’t stop her grin if she tried.
“Dad! Not in front of them,” Karson complained, but Karl didn’t seem to care.
Grady laughed as he shook his head. “Karson, I’ll help you take the suitcases to the rooms. Rach, get the boys fed.”
“You want to stay?” she asked incredulously and Grady nodded.
“We were staying, no matter what,” he said simply as he came to Lacey. “Way to stand up for yourself,” he whispered before he kissed her temple.
She smiled as she nodded. “Thanks for coming.”
“Anytime. Come on, King.”
As she watched her brother and husband carry the bags of her family in order for them to stay, she almost couldn’t believe it. Everyone was staying and they were going to have dinner as a family.
She was slowly but surely getting everything she wanted.
It had been a tense afternoon, but Karson didn’t care.
Lacey was beaming.
She was so happy it was insane. She was basically bouncing through the house, making sure everyone was good, cleaning and cooking like Betty fucking Crocker. It was cute, and he was pleased that she was happy. He wanted to say it was because he’d made her come at least twice while they were upstairs, but he knew it was because everyone was getting along.
For the most part.
His father hadn’t said anything to Nate, and he hadn’t said anything to his father, which was probably for the best. They all sat in the same room, but it was pretty easy to assume who liked whom. It was the Kings on one side, the Martins on the other, while JT sat in the middle with a bowl of popcorn in his lap waiting for something to happen. He had been grinning like a kid in a candy store since Karl had almost broken Nate’s nose, and it irritated Karson to no end. Or maybe it was because he kept giving Kacey eyes. Karson wasn’t sure, but JT was lucky he was immobile or Karson would kick him the hell out.
While he wanted nothing more than for Nate, Sabrina, and Rachel to disappear, he had to admit that hanging with Grady was turning out to be like old times. He never thought he would be sitting outside with a beer in hand while a fire burned in front of him and Grady sitting at his left, but he was. And the best part was Lacey was tucked up under his arm, her arms wrapped around him tightly as her head rested against his shoulder.
JT sat across from them with Kacey to his left. The seat beside her was Rachel’s, but she was inside putting the boys to bed. Thankfully, his parents and Nate and his fiancée were already in bed. Karson had decided that Sabrina could fall off the face of the earth and he wouldn’t miss her a bit. She was a terrible woman. But what bothered him the most was that when Lacey was in the room, Rachel was sweet as honey, but as soon as she left, she was glaring at Karson.
She was up to no good, and there was no way he wasn’t going to keep his eye on her. He wouldn’t let her ruin what he had, which was everything he could have ever dreamed of. Looking down at Lacey’s profile as she grinned over at whatever the hell Kacey was running off at the mouth about, he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. She felt so good against him. So perfect and life was good with her in it.
“Zander is going places. Kid’s got a mean wrist shot,” Grady said, taking Karson’s attention away from his beautiful wife.
“Yeah, he got me in the shin earlier,” Karson laughed and Grady grinned.
“He reminds me a little of your game. He’s vicious, hungry, while I was always the laid-back one.”
Karson scoffed as he shook his head. “No, you were the nervous one, but it worked for both of us. He’ll be great.”
“Yeah, I think so, especially with me as his dad and you as his uncle.”
Karson knew that had to be hard for him to say, but it really meant a lot to him. “Absolutely.”
“Flynn, on the other hand, there could be six of each of us helping him and that kid won’t make it. He can’t even skate yet.”
Karson smiled. “He has heart. He’ll get there.”
“I sure hope so. I don’t want him to be a designer, but he loves decorating the house with Rachel. Kind of scary,” he said with a sheepish grin. “He’s a great kid.”
“He’s my favorite,” Karson admitted. “Zander is a bully.”
Grady laughed. “Yeah, he is. But again, good kid, just too damn competitive.”
“Have no clue where he got that from,” Karson said, and they shared a knowing look as they both grinned.
Sucking in a deep breath, Grady nodded. “Can I talk to you over there real quick?” he said, pointing to the garage.
Karson eyed him, a grin playing on his lips. “Wanna kick my ass?”
Grady laughed. “Shut up and come on.”
As he got up, Karson kissed Lacey’s temple as he untangled himself from her. “Be right back.”
“You okay?” she asked and he smiled.
“Yeah, Grady wants to beat me up,” he joked, but Lacey didn’t laugh.
“Don’t joke like that,” she warned and he grinned.
“It’s good. I’ll be back.”
Heading to where Grady stood, Karson crossed his arms, a little cold since he didn’t have Lacey’s body heat. “What’s up?”
“I want to apologize.”
“For what exactly? We have a pretty extensive history, Martin,” he teased and Grady nodded, a grin pulling at his mouth.
“First when I hit you for dating my sister. I was pissed ’cause I didn’t trust you to care for her. I didn’t think you could make her happy. I was wrong.”
“Accepted, next.”
Grady shook his head, a grin pulling at his lips as he continued. “I’m sorry for hitting you with my stick in the neck that one time.”
“Forgiven. Sorry for that time I slashed you in the back of the knee.”
“It’s okay ’cause that one time I ‘fell’ on you, I really was just trying to drop an elbow in your back.”
“Yeah, I felt it, but then I came back at you, slamming my stick in your back.”
“I had to go to the chiropractor because of that. It was bad,” he said with a laugh. “But that one time I slammed you into the glass, dude, sorry.”
“Man, I was sneezing blood for a week!” Karson yelled, but with a grin on his face. “But it’s cool ’cause that time I shot the puck at your face, I mean, I could have really hurt you.”
“Yeah, thank God, I ducked.”
“No shit,” Karson agreed and they both started to laugh.
As their laughter subsided, Karson took a long pull of his beer and he smiled. They had tried to kill each other for the last nine years. It was kind of stupid. They both loved the same girl; why couldn’t they just let go and accept it? More him than Karson, of course.
“But really, King,” Grady said slowly. “I’m sorry for keeping you guys apart. For helping my dad. I never knew what he did to you, and that was shitty as fuck. He kinda manipulated me until I realized what he was doing. I know he’ll never apologize, but I will, and I am sorry. I watched for nine years as my sister just went with the motions of life. She didn’t live. But then when I saw you two in her apartment, the way the color was in her eyes again, her face bright, I wanted to be mad, but it was hard when I could see how happy she was.”
“She completes me, man. I told you that back then.”
“Yeah, you did, and I’m truly sorry for the shit you two have been through. It’s obvious you two belong together.”
Karson grinned. “We do. I mean, after nine years, we still love each other like we were never apart.”
“That’s special, dude,” Grady agreed. “And I hope you can forgive me, but if not, I understand. Just know that you guys have my blessing, and I look forward to future blood-matches—I mean, holidays together,” Grady joked and Karson laughed.
Shaking his head, he said, “You have my forgiveness, dude, and let’s hope that over time, things will get better.”
He nodded. “I think they will.”
“As long as your dad lets us be.”
“Yeah,” Grady agreed. “I’ve tried to talk to him, but he’s gung ho on getting Lacey back in Chicago, where she ‘belongs,’” he said, making air quotes.
“I think Rachel might be there with him,” Karson said slowly, not wanting to piss Grady off but also trying to get the info he needed.
Grady shook his head. “She loves my father because she didn’t have a dad growing up, but she agrees that he was wrong for that he did. Plus she loves Lacey like a sister. She won’t try to hurt her.”
Karson wasn’t sure about that, but he shrugged. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” Grady said with a grin, cupping his shoulder. “I’m glad we cleared the air.”
“Yeah, for sure, man,” he agreed just as Rachel came out the door.
“Grady, can you come to bed with us? The boys are restless.”
He nodded as Karson asked her, “Do you need anything?”
She shook her head though. “Nope, they just need their daddy.”
“All right, baby, I’m coming,” he said before turning to Karson. Shaking his hand, he said, “Good talk.”
“For sure.”
With a nod, he called out to the group, “I’ll see everyone in the morning.”
Everyone said goodnight as the couple disappeared to their boys, and Karson walked to where his wife sat. Sitting beside her, he wrapped his arms around her as JT continued with the story he was telling.
“So then, Karson is drunk as shit, I mean, like, falling over the place, crying and snorting everywhere.”
“What the hell?” Karson demanded. “What are you talking about?”
“About how much you love me,” Lacey supplied before looking back at JT. “Go on.”
“This is going to be bad,” he muttered and Lacey giggled beside him.
“So then he’s like ‘Why did I leave? How could I do this? Oh my God, I love her, but she won’t take me back!’ Lacey, I shit you not, it was fucking depressing. I had known the guy, no joke, like maybe eight hours, and he was sobbing on me like we had known each other our whole lives. That was the first time I heard your name. ‘Lacey, my Lacey,’” he said, mimicking Karson.
“Aw, how sweet,” she said, batting her eyes at him, but he couldn’t even look at her.
“I hate your ass,” Karson seethed but JT just laughed.
“No, I can top that,” Kacey said as she slowly crossed her bare legs. It was damn near forty degrees out and she was wearing booty shorts. What in the hell? But that didn’t matter. If she was about to tell the story he thought she was about to tell, he was going to throw her in the fire.
“Don’t you dare, Kacey! I’ll throw you in the fire,” he warned but Lacey waved him off.
“I’ll hose you off, Kacey. Keep going,” she urged while Karson rolled his eyes.
“So anyway, we come home from school before he goes into the draft, and he is a mess. I mean, like totally dead inside. It’s kind of sad and depressing, and for the longest time I was convinced he was going to kill himself,” she laughed and Karson glared.
“Because me offing myself is funny,” he deadpanned, but even Lacey was giggling beside him.
“No, never, but it’s funny that you are so big and scary, yet cry like a child,” JT supplied, but again, Karson didn’t find any of this amusing.
“So to cheer him up, me and a bunch of our guy friends went to this bar, hoping to get him out of his funk. So I’m sitting there, drinking my underage drink since I got picked as DD, and I hear someone singing. Badly. I look up and Karson is on the stage singing ‘End of the Road’ by Boys II Men
, and I’m telling you, it was horrible!” she said but had to pause because she started to laugh though Karson was glaring. “He comes off the stage and no one claps, and then I’m like ‘Karson, tuck your crazy back in, buddy. You’re letting it show.’ So then he goes, ‘What? I am singing and I want to fucking sing this song, and you can’t do anything about it. You don’t know what I am going through,’ or something like that. He fell off the deep end. And now, it’s freaking hilarious, but then, I called my mom from the bar and told her to commit him.”
Lacey smiled up at him and held his gaze. “How sweet.”
“It was pathetic.”
“But we were pathetic,” she answered, still grinning. “I cried in the shower for six months straight.”
Karson nodded. “I did the same thing.”
“And I would look at pictures of us and I never took your shirt off. Even when I wore dresses.”
“I kept your underwear under my pillow for a year.”
“’Cause that’s not creepy at all,” JT muttered and Lacey smirked.
“Yeah, I can’t top that,” she admitted, and he grinned before pressing his lips to hers. “Is it sadistic that we are sitting here talking about how miserable we were?”
Karson shrugged. “Maybe, but I think it just reiterates how much we love each other.”
“I like that better,” she agreed before snuggling into his neck.
“Me too,” he said as JT made a big show of yawning. It was obnoxious and totally JT, but he couldn’t pay him any attention. Not when his beautiful wife was locked in his sights.
“Okay, I’m heading to bed. I have a full day of eating tomorrow,” JT then said, but still Karson couldn’t tear his gaze from Lacey’s.
“I’ll help you to bed,” Kacey said, but Karson was lost in Lacey’s beautiful eyes. He loved this girl something insane and couldn’t believe how happy he was. Those years of crying and moping around without her really didn’t matter now. All that mattered was her.
“Maybe into it too?” JT said and that did it.
Whipping his head to where his sister was helping JT up, he said, “What the fuck? No. I’ll help him.”
“Shut up and ogle your wife. He’s joking. I’m not having sex with him,” Kacey said with a shake of her head. “I mean, I have standards, and lumberjacks are not up to my standards.”