by Jordan Marie
“I understand the temptation to lie with pigs, son,” he goes on. “After all, I did it myself, but you can’t allow them to drag you down into their mire.”
I blink. For a second, I think I must have imagined what he said. Surely the asshole wouldn’t say that shit in front of CC—a woman who is apparently his own daughter.
“We can still spin this, Grayson. I’ll go out with you and we can present a united front. We’ll tell them that we were separated at the time…” Cammie chatters.
I’m barely listening to her, still going over what Riverton says, and I can’t control myself. I slam my fist into his nose, and even when blood is spurting out and he’s groaning in pain, I don’t feel better.
“You fucking loser! How dare you talk about CC like that! She’s worth ten of you and your crazy-ass daughter!” I growl, hitting him again just because I have more frustration and I can’t hit Cammie. I do turn to her, though. “And you! Are you crazy? ‘Separated?’ We were never together! Are you the reason the press thinks we’re an item?”
“I’ll sue you for this, Lucas. You won’t have a dime to your name when I’m through with you!” Riverton mutters through his blood-soaked hand which holds his obviously broken nose. “I’ll sue you right before I foreclose on your whore’s garage and burn it to the ground!” he spits. Before I can respond, the door opens with enough force that it slams against the wall.
“Like hell you will! You’ll tuck your head between your tail and leave my son and CC alone or you’ll regret it,” Ida Sue says while standing at the door. CC’s trying to pull away, but I don’t let her. I hold her close and together we turn to look at Ida Sue. I know my mother well, and there’s a fury behind her words, but that face is what I’m concentrating on. She’s got something big up her sleeve and I’m suddenly very anxious to see what it is. Hopefully she’s getting ready to hand Riverton his ass because if she doesn’t, I sure as hell will—one way or another.
I feel like I’ve been standing in the eye of a hurricane, every horrible thing I can imagine battering me over and over. Now with Ida Sue standing there looking like she’s about ready to commit murder, I’m afraid to move and I feel out of control. I’ve not been like this since Banger got so horribly sick. I’m not myself. If I was, I would have throat-punched Cammie. Instead, I’m left staring at Ida Sue, wondering what could possibly happen next.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Riverton growls, probably remembering being on the wrong side of Ida Sue in Kentucky.
“When I saw the paper this morning, I just had a feeling you’d be like the snake you are and come here slithering on your damn belly and bothering my kids.”
I could almost smile at her. The only thing to make it more complete is if she had a shotgun in her hand. But my stomach feels like someone just kicked it: Her kids?
“Is Ida Sue… claiming me?”
“She did that weeks ago, Cooper,” Gray whispers, squeezing me tight. I hadn’t even realized I said the words out loud. “How did you miss that?” he asks.
“We’re all claiming you.”
That comes from Gray’s family, who come in and stand behind Ida Sue. They say it in unison. There’s White, Cyan, Petal, Maggie, Jansen, and Green. What they are saying is so huge, I’m momentarily stunned.
How did I miss this? A warmth fills me that I can’t explain, mostly because it’s like nothing I have really felt before. But standing there among two people I hate more than anything in the world, I’m happy. I’m good because I’m standing with… a family. My family. Gray and his crazy bunch are my family.
“I’m not changing my name to Chrysanthemum,” I tell Ida Sue, and I have a few tears in my eyes, but I’m okay with these because even though I’m about to lose Banger’s garage—and my naked ass is plastered all over the world—at least I belong somewhere.
“Of course you’re not, dear, though speaking of Mums, I could always use some grandkids. Just make sure you don’t name him Skunk. That would never work.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I tell her, shaking my head.
“Though Sandy would work. We don’t have one of those in the family yet,” she says.
“What the hell are you all doing here? It’s like The Beverly Hillbillies visiting…”
Riverton doesn’t get to finish because Gray turns around and, as quick as lightning, punches him hard in the already-busted-up-and-bleeding nose. Riverton falls backwards and this time he’s down for the count.
“What have you done? Daddy! Daddy, can you hear me?” Cammie cries. She steadies Riverton’s head and helps him sit up.
“I’ll sue all of you assholes. I’ll bury you so deep, you’ll never see daylight!”
“I don’t think so,” Ida Sue says, walking over to him. “My daddy always told me if you had a snake in the henhouse, you should follow it back to its hole and make sure you cut its head off. I never much paid attention to that until I had kids. Then I discovered that I was a lot like a mama bear over her cubs. You ever seen a mama bear if she thinks someone is trying to mess with her baby, Mr. Riverton?”
“You’re crazy,” he growls, holding his face and standing up. It takes him three times to stand up, but he finally gets on his feet.
“I am crazy. You really should have factored that in. You mess with my kids and I’m going to fuck you up.”
“Lovey,” Jansen growls.
“It’s okay, Jan. The good Lord understands sometimes there’s only certain words you can use.”
“I meant, get it over with before Gray murders the bastard and we have bigger problems on our hands,” Jansen says, and that’s when I notice that Gray is tensed up beside me and looking at Riverton like he really is planning on killing him.
“Gray, sweetheart,” I tell him, pulling his attention back to me.
He gives me a smile, but it’s a strained one.
“I’m okay, Cooper. You and I are going to have a talk later, though.” I grimace at his words because I can only imagine what that’s going to be like.
“Fine,” Ida Sue says, reaching in the back pocket of her jeans to pull out a paper.
“What’s this?” Riverton says, looking at the paper as if it might bite him.
“A signed and notarized statement showing that CC’s loan is paid in full.”
“No fucking way. I wouldn’t accept payment.”
“Ida Sue,” I cry, completely blown away. She said she was working with the bank. How did she get the loan without me signing papers? She couldn’t have! Unless…
I look around for a place to sit down before I fall. I finally give up and just sit on the wooden coffee table. “Ida Sue, why?” I cry again, feeling horrible.
“Because you’re family, and family takes care of one another.”
“I guess I should have known you’d have your boyfriend pay your way out of trouble. Like mother like daughter, I guess.” Riverton sneers at me.
“I wouldn’t… I didn’t,” I cry, looking from him to Ida Sue and back up at Gray, afraid he would think I took his mother for a ride.
“You didn’t, sweet cheeks, but I did,” Ida Sue says. If I wasn’t knee-deep in fear and this sick feeling at having Gray’s mom shell out two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, I’d have to wonder about that nickname. Gray obviously takes after his mom. That could mean trouble for me, if he doesn’t kick me to the curb once he realizes how much money his mom is out.
“Whatever. I’ll use all the money I have to bury every damn one of you,” Riverton growls.
“That might be difficult,” Ida Sue says, and Jansen comes beside her and hands her an envelope. “Consider yourself served, Mr. Riverton,” she says, handing it to him. “Of course I don’t trust you to say you didn’t get it, even with all these witnesses, so the sheriff’s office will be hand-delivering one to your corporate offices this afternoon.”
“What are you talking about, you old bat?” Riverton snarls, tearing open the envelope. Gray makes a move to hit him again and Janson pushes him
away.
“He’s not worth it, son,” Janson says after pushing him back a few feet. Gray doesn’t look happy, but he steps back. “Besides, it’s my woman he’s going on about,” he adds, and then he grabs the back of Riverton’s collar and uses it to slam him head first into the wall. “You need to learn how to talk to a woman, son,” he says as Riverton falls to the ground, completely out.
Cammie is crying, and she looks down at her father and then back at all of us. “What’s in those papers?” she asks, apparently more concerned with that than her father. Of course David Riverton doesn’t exactly inspire family loyalty.
“Those would explain that I am now fifty-one percent owner of all stock concerning Riverton Industrial. They’ll also notify you and your daddy that there will be a stockholder meeting next week to talk about a change of leadership.”
“What? You can’t do that.”
“It’s already done. I’ve been talking it over with Cyan and he feels like he might enjoy restructuring the company.”
“Mom? How did you do all this?” Gray asks.
“You know those oil wells that Blue let them drill on that pasture along the Northside, just to alienate our neighbor?”
“Yeah?”
“He’s been giving me the money, and I’ve let Cyan handle investing it. Turns out, I can buy and sell Riverton.”
“There’s no way!” Cammie says, stomping her foot.
“But I did, Cammie darlin’. Who knew you and your father could be bought so cheaply?”
“Me. I definitely knew that,” Maggie says.
“Boys, drag this piece of trash outside,” Jansen orders, and White and Cyan jump to do his bidding.
“But if you do this? What will we do? What will happen to me? Gray! You can’t let them do this! What will I do?” Cammie cries as Maggie all but pushes her out the door.
“Try getting a job,” Maggie suggests, then closes the door once her brothers come back in.
“Now that’s what I call a family meeting,” Ida Sue says. “Now how do we take on the stuffed shirts over the tournament? Because come hell or high water, my boy will be knocking balls into holes tomorrow morning and doing it better than any man out there.”
Everyone starts laughing and all I can do is look up at Gray. He’s laughing too, and he seems okay, but he’s tense. I see it in everything he does.
Does he think I took advantage of his mom? How will I ever get the money to pay her back?
I close the door behind my crazy family and just stand there holding my hand against it for a few minutes, trying to get my emotions in check. It’s been a fucked up day, the least of it being the fact that my woman’s naked body was plastered in every gossip rag coming and going. Seth is working on that as we speak, but that will never go completely away—and that’s my fault. I failed her. Apparently I’ve been failing her a lot and didn’t even know. I don’t know how I feel about the fact that my mother knew CC was in trouble and I didn’t. Did CC feel she couldn’t come to me?
“Gray?” CC asks, ringing her hands from across the room. I don’t have to see her to know that’s what she’s doing; I know by the tone of her voice.
My eyes close and I try once again to rein in the fact that I’m hurt. That’s not truly what’s important right now.
“You didn’t tell me,” I say before I can stop myself. I turn around to look at her and I see the embarrassment on her face.
“I know.”
“My mother knew that you were in trouble and I didn’t.”
“That was by accident. She was at the garage when Riverton showed up…”
“He came to the garage?”
“He was just poking at me, wanting me to know he had me in a corner,” she explains, not quite meeting my eyes.
“He harassed you? The fucker came to your business and harassed you and you didn’t feel like that was something you needed to tell me? You let me conduct business with these people, CC!” I growl loudly, anger filling me at the idea of CC standing up against that twisted fuck by herself. What would it feel like to have the man who is responsible for your birth treat you like garbage?
“Now wait a minute. You went into business with them way before I even came into the picture. I don’t have anything to do with that.”
“I wouldn’t have gone into business with them if I had even an inkling of an idea that he was this twisted. If you had told me he was your father…”
“He’s not my father! He may have been a sperm donor, but under no circumstance has he ever been my father. I’ve only had one of those and he died.”
I swallow down the anger and frustration when I see the pain on her face. Right now, CC reminds me of a little girl, lost and…unloved. Except she is; she’s loved more than she could ever imagine.
“Okay. You’re right. You’re completely right. It’s just… damn it, CC. You should have told me what was going on.”
“Why?”
“Why?” I repeat in disbelief.
“Yeah, why? It’s my garage, my horrible past that was circling. Whatever happened, it didn’t affect you. It was my problem and my business. That’s it.”
“That’s it? What affects you affects me! You’re my woman. You’re part of my life. I thought we were building something here? I thought we were in a relationship. Instead, I find out that you’re going through all this shit and that my mother is the one who paid Riverton off and got rid of it.”
“I know you’re upset about the money. I mean, two hundred and fifty thousand is a lot of money. But you have to know I will find a way to pay her back. It may take me some time, but I will. I had no idea that she was going to—”
“Will you stop?! Do you honestly think I give a fuck about the money? I’ll give mom the money back tomorrow—if she’ll take it.”
“Gray! It’s two hundred and fifty thousand dollars!”
“So?”
“It’s a lot of money!”
“CC, how much money do you think I’ll make if I win tomorrow?”
“You don’t even know for sure if you’ll be able to compete.”
“I will. But it doesn’t matter. I can pay the loan back without even winning. Still, if I win, I’ll make over a million dollars.”
“Over a million?”
“Yes.”
“I… think I need to sit down,” she says, falling back on the coffee table.
“Are you okay?”
“You get a million dollars for hitting little balls all day?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that, Cooper.”
“If you guys make that kind of money, why do you wear such weird clothes?”
“Will you stop fixating on golf clothes? Jesus! We have things to discuss here.”
“We don’t. Not really. Your money is not mine. I’m going to pay your mom back.”
“Jesus Christ, Cooper. Will you quit talking about the money? It’s not important!”
“Spoken like a man who makes a million dollars for getting ducks all day.”
“Ducks?”
“You know, when you don’t make a hole-in-one, but you manage to get the ball in before the hole number, or something…”
“Are you talking about a birdie?”
“Whatever. They both have wings and beaks.”
“You are completely insane, Cooper.”
“I’m starting to feel that way…”
“You should have told me you were in trouble.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you! Jesus, it shouldn’t be this hard, Cooper.”
“You love me?”
“Of course I do! What did you think we were doing here?”
“I… I wasn’t sure.”
“CC, I love you. I want you in my life. Not just for a week here and there, or a month. I don’t want quick sex with you. I want to grow old with you. I want kids with you. Fuck, I want to spend every fucking day of my life with you by my side. I’m not doing this until I grow tired of fucking you, CC.
I’m here because I know in my heart that I will never get tired of you. I will never be happy unless you are with me.”
“Gray…”
“Please tell me I’m not alone in this, CC.”
“Gray,” she says, walking towards me with tears in her eyes. She pulls me near, going up on the tips of her toes so that our faces are close. “Gray,” she whispers again, her voice thick with emotion.
“What, CC? What?”
“I…”
“CC?”
“I love you. I just really love you,” she whispers, then brings her lips to mine.
“You love me?” I ask her when we break away from each other. My heart feels tight. I wasn’t sure how this talk would go. In the back part of my mind, I really thought she was going to break up with me. The fact that she told me she loves me seems completely unreal.
“I do. I love you with all of my heart.”
“If I knew this would be your reaction, Cooper, I would have cornered you a long time ago.”
“I’m not sure I would have been ready until right now.”
“You’re ready now? For everything? To go all the way?”
“Are we talking about sex here? ‘Cause we kind of already…”
“Not sex, you nympho, though we will be doing that. I’m talking marriage, kids, happily ever-afters.”
“I haven’t had many role models for parents, Gray. I might not make a good mother.”
“You have Ida Sue and Banger.”
“If Banger heard you refer to him as a good mother, he’d come back and gut you.”
“Quit busting my balls, CC. You get what I’m saying. Tell me you’re willing to go on this crazy ride with me.”
“What if I mess it up?”
“What if I do? There’s no guarantees except that we promise each other no matter what that we stick together,” I tell her, locking our hands together and threading my fingers through hers. I bring our joined hands up and kiss them. “Together, CC.”
She stares at our hands and then at me. “I’m ready,” she whispers.
The weight of those soft-spoken words curls inside of me and rips through my heart, pulling it apart and then stitching it back together in a way that I know this woman will always be here. I let go of her hand and then, without words, I pick her up in my arms and carry her into the bedroom. The next few moments are filled with nothing but heavy breathing and a blur of clothes being pulled off, ending only when both of us are naked and lying on the bed next to each other on our sides.