by Casey Peeler
“You better get out there before Davis comes knocking on the door,” she says as she buttons her shorts.
“He wouldn’t dare.” Kissing her once more, I walk toward the door. “Barger’s tonight, right?”
“Yes, Stella said her friend Dixie is coming in today. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Shaking my head, I start to open the door when she takes a step toward me. “Jeremiah, thank you for loving me.”
He smiles and kisses my forehead. “I think I’m the one that should be thanking you for loving a fucker like me.” She starts to laugh that beautiful laugh that has had my stomach in knots from the first time I heard it.
As closing time approaches, I finish cleaning up the shop and tell Davis and the others to go ahead and clock out. Landry walks out of the office and smiles my direction.
“Drake, you got a minute?” she says seriously. She never calls me Drake unless it’s serious.
“Yeah, let me finish sweeping up.”
Walking into the office, I see her sitting on the desk with her legs crossed and a smile on her face. “Round two?” I say with a smile and she shrugs her shoulders.
“I got you something,” she says and her cheeks flush as she hands me the package. My face goes pale, I’m sure. She starts to giggle. “You didn’t forget anything. I just wanted to surprise you with something.”
Taking the package, I quickly dig into it and when I get to the bottom, I pull out the smallest piece of fabric I’ve ever seen in my life. Confusion fills my mind. What is this? Is it a new type of towel for the shop? Taking it from me, she unrolls it and places it on her lap, moving the wrapping out of the way.
Taking a moment, my mind reads the words but doesn’t comprehend what is written. Reading it again, I realize it says Mayes Autobody Shop with our logo, but that shit’s tiny. Don’t get me wrong, Landry could probably wear it, but she’s only wearing it for me. Then I look to see it’s got buttons in the crotch. What the hell? I’ve never seen shit like that before.
“Jeremiah, it’s not for me.” I pause, looking at her but there’s no way. She starts to smile and bites the side of her lips.
“It sure as hell ain’t fitting me.” Taking the bag, she pulls out a picture and passes it to me. Looking at the back and white photo, I don’t see anything except one little arrow that says baby. “Is that for…a…baby?” She smiles again and I look back to it then to the photo. Holy fuck. We’re having a baby.
“We’re having a baby.” Without thinking twice, I pull her into my arms and kiss the hell out of her and when I put her back down, I look at the small piece of fabric.
“How far along are we?”
“Eight weeks,” she says and my life is completely perfect.
Landry
Arriving home, I get ready for a night at Barger’s. Over the past few weeks, I’ve felt like crap and finally realized what was wrong when I was late. I had no idea how Jeremiah would react, but I knew I had to let him know before we went to the bar. Let’s face it. That would be a dead giveaway.
Walking down the hall, I find Jeremiah sitting on the couch with the biggest damn smile on his face.
“You gonna look that happy all night?”
“Maybe. Are we going to tell them?”
“They will figure it out. Hello? Me with no beer?” I say as he stands and walks toward me, placing his hands on my stomach.
“I can’t believe there’s a baby in there,” he says, looking me in the eyes.
“What are you thinking?” I question.
“That I thought I couldn’t love you more than I did the moment I fell for you, but I was wrong. Every day I fall harder and harder. Life is better because we do it together. Landry Mayes, you’ve made me a better man, and I promise to take care of you and Carol Mayes Drake.” She gasps when she hears me say it. I’ve been thinking about it all damn evening. I want this child to have a strong name and between my mom and her Paw, it doesn’t get much better.
“How do you know it’s going to be a girl?” she questions.
“Carol can go either way, but I hope she’s a girl and just like her mom—completely independent and takes no shit from guys like me.” She smiles and wraps her arms around my neck.
“Jeremiah Drake, you never cease to amaze me,” she says as I bend down and kiss those plump lips.
Arriving at Barger’s, my nerves are tore slap up. However, Jeremiah can’t wipe the grin off his face and it’s adorable.
As we enter, I see Stella talking to a girl with long auburn hair while Everett is behind the bar. They turn to see us as we walk toward them. Stella gives a wave as everyone else takes a swig of their beer. Everyone is here and I’m sure Jeremiah is about to get a lot of shit from his brothers.
Everett goes to the cooler and grabs two beers, but I shake my head. He gives a questioning look and when he turns at Jeremiah, he looks between us then gives him a pound.
Stella looks to me and I can’t keep it to myself, so I nod. She jumps up and squeals. Beckett and Colby look at her like she’s lost her mind, and before I can wrap my brain around what’s happening, Stella is hugging me and jumping up and down.
When she calms down, she looks over her shoulder to the boys who are still clueless. “Hey, dipshits. Y’all are about to be uncles.” The two of them look to each other and then us.
“Shut the fuck up,” Colby says.
“She’s right,” Jeremiah says proudly. The guys all give me hugs and congratulate Jeremiah for having strong swimmers. I take a seat beside Stella and she introduces me to Dixie.
“Girl, thank goodness you’re opening a new salon. I don’t know how much more of Aunt Tootie’s styling I can handle,” and we all laugh.
As the jukebox begins to play “Simple Man,” Jeremiah walks over to me and extends his hand. He walks me to the middle of the floor and we sway to the music. When the song ends, he looks me in the eyes and falls to his knee.
“Landry, you’re the only woman to not take my shit, make me realize I’m worth more than I dreamed, but most of all, you’re the girl who’s meant to do life with me. Will you marry me?” he says and I nod as he stands, sliding a small diamond ring on my left hand that I know so well.
“Is that?” I begin to question and he smiles. It’s my Mimi’s.
“I love you, Jeremiah, and just when I thought I was the one full of surprises.”
He looks me in the eyes, “Life is full of surprises, but as long as you’re by my side, I’m ready to take life head on.”
Smiling to him, I look into those eyes and know that he’s right. This life I’m living is meant to be lived to the fullest with Jeremiah Drake by my side.
An Excerpt from Everett (Drake Brothers #1)
Chapter 1
Everett
Taking my duffle bag and what little bit I own, I walk off the aircraft and look at the world around me. It’s quiet, peaceful, the skies are Carolina blue, but everything inside me tells me that this isn’t the life for me. My life belongs on a base, floating out in the water, keeping this country safe, but there’s no hope. My time is done and now it’s time to find some piss ass job that will pay the bills and kill the time.
Looking to my left, I see Beckett standing there in Carhartts and a Ridge Volunteer Firefighter t-shirt. Damn, some things never change.
“What’s up, bro?” he says as I approach him.
“Hell, you didn’t have to dress up to come and get me,” I laugh as he gives me a firm pat on my shoulder. Beckett is my oldest brother, but if you were to see us out, you’d never guess it. We’re both over six feet tall, dark hair and emerald eyes. However, there’s one major difference—our fathers. Let’s just say he’s the bastard out of the four of us. He’s got skin that looks black as the ace of spades and his hair is coarse and kinky. I know why he keeps it cut short. That shit used to be as wild as we were back in the day. “Couldn’t talk the other shitheads into coming to get me?”
“You know. Colby’s got to run that damn h
ardware store and Jeremiah is working overtime while Mr. Mayes is in the hospital. He’s in real bad shape. Guess you’re stuck with me.”
“Yeah, guess nothin’s changed. So, what’s been going on at the station?”
“Nothing too exciting. I’ve had to go over to Molly Simpson’s once a week to rescue her damn cat. I swear I really think she just likes to look at my ass when I climb that ladder up the tree.”
“Dude, don’t count on it.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it. She’s hot as hell and have you seen those tits?”
Looking at him, I’m completely lost. I’ve been gone for six years. The day that I could enlist and quit being his responsibility, I did. I haven’t been back and hadn’t planned on it this soon, except for a damn honorable discharge that I believe is a complete crock of shit. Taking his phone, he punches a few keys and then flashes a picture of her to me. Damn is right. She’s no longer a mousy girl with a chest flat as a brick wall. She’s a fucking bombshell.
“She had to have bought those,” I say, stating the obvious.
“Probably, but I’m not ashamed to look.” Climbing in the truck, we roll the windows down and drive toward Ridge. It’s a town so small that if you blink you’ll miss it, but it’s home, or it has been since we were adopted by our parents, Carol and Paul Drake, when I was five years old. “There’s an opening with Bell Distribution and it’s got your name on it. All you gotta do is tell Jason you want it.”
“Sounds good.”
“Go see him tomorrow. I know the route near the house is open and hell, maybe that will score us some free beer.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Arriving in town, it doesn’t take long for us to arrive at the old farm house. It looks like it did the day I left, but it’s got a new paint job.
Stepping out of the truck, I grab my bag off the back and walk toward the front porch. Looking around, it’s like going back in time and right now, I’d give anything for my mom to meet me inside with a smile. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about them and wish it had been me instead of them in that accident. It was my fault they were on the road that day. I was the one that started the fight at the basketball game, and if it weren’t for that they’d have never had that head-on collision. That day changed all of our lives forever.
“Dude, you all right?” Beckett asks.
“Yeah, so what’s the deal? The other shitheads coming by or what?” He starts to laugh. “Somethin’ funny?”
“Oh, they’ll be by. In fact, we’re hitting up Barger’s tonight.”
“You mean they still let y’all in there?”
“Hell yeah, they do. Actually, James has been getting Colby to fix shit around there. He’s getting old and not able to keep the place up. He’s got a grandson, Seth, that helps, but he’s lazy as hell and on the first train outta here when given the chance. It wouldn’t surprise me if Seth put a for sale sign on it the moment he got a green light from his granddad.”
“Damn, that sucks. Wonder what will happen to it?”
“Word on the street is that there’s a new owner, or prospective owner in the works. Someone not from here.”
“Well, what in the hell would make them want to come to this piece of shit town?”
“Who knows.”
Walking to my old room, it looks exactly the same. I toss my bag on the bed and begin to unpack when I hear the door open and the hooting and hollering begins. Looks like it’s closing time at the store and shop. Leaving everything on the bed, I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen to see the other rascals. Jeremiah is standing there covered in greasy jeans and a Mayes Auto Body Shop shirt and Colby looks like he stepped out of a Field and Stream magazine.
“Colby, what the fuck happened? You look like a damn boy scout,” we all burst out laughing, including him.
“Gotta look the part, asshole. Plus, the ladies dig it.”
“Oh, I bet they do. Let’s see who gets the most play tonight,” I challenge them.
“Shit. You know you’re scared shitless when it comes to women. Always have been,” Colby shoots back.
Shaking it off, I grab a beer, twist off the top and take a long pull. “You keep tellin’ yourself that.”
“So what’s the plan?” Jeremiah changes the subject.
“Barger’s.”
“Sounds good. Let me get cleaned up and let’s roll.”
Looking at my watch, I realize that it’s time to forget about what brought me here and pick up where we left off because not one thing has changed between the four of us.
Discover the entire Drake Brothers Series
Everett (Drake Brothers #1)- http://amzn.to/2vX4ufF
Jeremiah (Drake Brother #2)
Colby (Drake Brothers #3)- Coming October 27, 2017
Beckett (Drake Brothers #4)- Coming November 17, 2017
About the Author
Casey Peeler grew up in North Carolina and still lives there with her husband and daughter.
Growing up Casey wasn't an avid reader or writer, but after reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston during her senior year of high school, and multiple Nicholas Sparks' novels, she found a hidden love and appreciation for reading. That love ignited the passion for writing several years later, and her writing style combines real life scenarios with morals and values teenagers need in their daily lives.
When Casey isn't writing, you can find her near a body of water listening to country music with a cold beverage and a great book.
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