Pranked

“Ah, good idea!” I cheered, writing it down on the list until Leo came over and started listing off ideas.

  “Masquerade night, but you may need added security. Masks and alcohol may make a few creepers brave,” Leo said, leaning over to make sure I added his note as well.

  “What are you doing?” Jasper asked, a dazed expression on his face.

  “Showing you that you can make more profit and open a kitchen like you really want?” I said, confused as to how he missed that whole conversation. This is one of those moments I wish I could read people better.

  “We could do a big New Years party,” Jax offered, biting his lip. He was still a bit hesitant but opening up a lot easier now. I wrote his idea down, the list slowly growing bigger until I had to rip another sheet of paper off the underside of the bar.

  “Wipe that look off of your face, Jasper King! This is what friends do,” Leo said, tossing a crumpled piece of paper at him. “You know if Ezra was struggling with something, you’d be right there trying to fix it. This is how we work in this town.”

  “This town is the best, I—” His words were cut off and a blush colored his cheeks as Corny and Sheriff King approached.

  “We’re heading out, good luck, Son,” Sheriff King said with a laugh, patting me on the shoulder until he noticed the list. “I knew I liked you.”

  “We’re trying to convince him to open up a kitchen here. He loves cooking and he’s damn good at it,” I said firmly, adding another random idea. “We need a planner.”

  “I have an extra one in my messenger bag, hang on!” Jax said, jumping off of the stool and stumbling into Sheriff King who steadied him and chuckled before Jax blushed again and ran off.

  “I swear that kid blushes at the simplest things,” Leo said laughing. I think it had a bit more to do with the present company than nerves.

  When he brought it back, we all fell into a quick banter, Talon joining us at the end and throwing ideas at us without hesitation. He was more reserved, unlike his best friend, but I loved that even he didn’t hesitate to jump in and help his best friend out. Sheriff King and Corny abandoned their idea of leaving, helping us perfect the next few months on the calendar as a trial run. Jasper even printed off an extra sheet of his monthly costs and baselines so we could compare at the end. He didn’t show that part to everyone, but tucked it into a file with the lists and planner.

  “I actually took some graphic design classes, I can make up some fliers?” Jax offered quietly.

  “That’d be awesome!” Jasper didn’t even hesitate, giving Jax a high five. I loved that he’d given up his shyness and took to us all so easily.

  “Hey, why don’t you invite your friends over for family dinner. It seems our family is growing,” Sheriff King said, nodding his head over at Jax, Leo, and Talon sitting nearby. I smiled, nodding that I understood. I’d have Jasper talk to them all when everything calmed down.

  The meeting ended when my stomach gave a long, pitiful growl, everyone laughing and Leo dragging me over to Corny’s for dinner. A warm feeling had settled in my soul after all of our planning. I loved that I could help Jasper with something and seeing everyone come together. I may not have a lot of blood relatives, but I couldn’t say I didn’t have a family. Maybe this family dinner wouldn’t be so bad, especially if I dragged Jax and Leo with me.

  Jasper

  The week had flown by after Ezra’s prank and before I knew it, it was Sunday again, which meant another family dinner. This time I was really excited about it though since Ezra was going to be there, though I wasn’t sure if excited was the term he would use given all the times he had mentioned it whenever we talked this week.

  Buzz.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket as I checked myself out in the mirror one last time. Swiping to unlock my phone I saw yet another text from Ezra had come through.

  Ezra: Are you almost ready? The cookies are done I just need to finish wrapping them. Should we meet you outside the bar or you come here?

  Ezra: Excuse Ez’s ramblings. We will be ready in 5, meet you outside.

  I chuckled as I read the back to back texts. Leo must have stolen the phone from him after seeing Ezra panic. Ezra had mentioned that my dad wanted us to bring Talon, Leo, and Jax along with him tonight. Apparently Dad had a new sense of the word family, and I couldn’t argue with that. Dad seemed to be changing lately, definitely for the better. It was hard seeing someone you looked up to, shut down and close themselves off. It seemed that he was ready to be open to the world again. I was just happy to have my dad back.

  Slipping my phone back into my pocket I reached over and turned off the bathroom light and headed toward the door. Patting myself down, I double-checked I had everything: spectacles, testicles, wallet, and watch. Nuns on the Run is such a great movie, I really need to watch it again sometime soon. I couldn’t help but chuckle at my random thoughts as I grabbed my jacket and hat off the hooks by the door, slipping them on as I stepped out the back door. Making sure I locked up I hurried down the stairs and made my way over to the bakery. Through the windows I could see Ezra rolling his eyes at something Leo was saying as he gestured wildly around trying to make a point, and Jax was sitting on the counter nearby shoulders shaking with his laughter at their back and forth.

  Not wanting to interrupt but needing to get out of the cold, I softly knocked on the door and Ezra scurried over to let me in. I took a few steps inside and looked them over. “You all ready to go?”

  Ezra nodded and almost looked at like a bobblehead, given that he didn’t seem to stop. Goodness he’s a bundle of nerves. I reached out and put a hand on either side of his face, forcing him to stop. I leaned down slightly and gave him a soft kiss.

  “Sweetheart, it’s going to be fine.”

  “I’m just nervous. This is your family,” he murmured against my lips and I chuckled softly.

  “It is,” I confirmed. “But my dad invited you and that’s it. What my dad says goes, in case you didn’t realize that already. Take a deep breath; everyone will love you.”

  I thought that over for a second and amended that statement. “Except Gideon. But Gid doesn’t like anyone so don’t take it personally. I have a feeling that Leo can handle him for us.” I chuckled at the thought of seeing Gideon put in his place by our sassy friend.

  I saw the others look over at the mention of my brother, but I ignored them and focused on the man before me. Ezra leaned back and searched my face and I just shrugged.

  “Every family has an asshole, right? Gideon is ours. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love him, but he’s an ass.”

  “Well this sounds like it’s going to be a fun night! Let’s go so we don’t miss anything.” Leo’s excitement made Jax laugh which caused Ezra’s lips twitch. I knew it… he’s right. This will be fun.

  “Fine, but I’m still nervous.”

  “Oh don’t worry, Ez, I’ll be gentle.” I winked at him and enjoyed the nice blush that spread across his cheeks at my joke. Ezra pulled himself away as I stood up slightly, and he went to grab his coat and gloves laying on the counter beside the box of cookies he’d made for my dad. I took the box from his hands as he made his way over to me and threw a smile at Leo and Jax as they followed behind. “Tonight’s going to be a lot of fun.”

  “You’re sure it’s okay for me to be here?” Jax double checked as he worried his bottom lip.

  Before I even opened my mouth Ezra reached back and pulled him into his side, a move Leo copied on his other side.

  “You’re family, Jaxtyn. I advise you to get used to it and apparently that means family dinners with the Kings,” Leo cheerfully informed him.

  I let out a laugh as we made our way to my truck and opened the door. It was an old thing, but it was my dad’s old truck that had run for years. A single bench seat which was only supposed to seat three people max, but given we were only driving a short distance out of town, and none of us were big guys, I figured we’d be okay.

  “I hope you’re okay with get
ting close, Leo and Jax. Sorry it’s a little tight, my car is in the shop at the moment.” Nobody argued with me, so I took it as them not caring.

  I helped the three of them get into the truck and handed the box of cookies off to Jax before shutting the door and hurrying over to the driver’s side. When I opened the door I found Jax sitting in the middle with the stick shift between his stretched out legs. Looking beyond him I saw Ezra sitting on Leo’s lap, watching me with a small smile, though Leo wore a huge grin.

  “What? We didn’t want Jax to become overwhelmed.”

  “I am very overwhelming,” Leo chimed in right after him, making me chuckle and slide into the seat. I slammed the door shut behind me, put the keys in the ignition, and buckled up before pulling out to head toward my dad’s place.

  Ezra

  There was already a full house when we pulled up, cars parked along the street and Talon leaning against a car in front of us. I was glad I wasn’t the only introvert at the party. I couldn’t count on Jaxtyn, he was just shy at first, but I had a feeling once he was comfortable, we’d have Leo 2.0 on our hands.

  “Hey,” Jasper called over, Talon simply raising his hand in greeting as he lazily stood up and walked over, his steps slow and steady like he had all the time in the world. Leo’s eyes flickered over him and a burst of hope bloomed in my chest. I wanted Leo to find someone that wouldn’t try and fit him in a box, he was far too crazy for that and I loved him for it.

  “Hey,” Talon greeted, giving each of us a nod before looking back at Jasper. “Apparently your dad was intent on a huge meal. He’s got enough food for an army and enough guests to fill his house.”

  “Who else is here?” Jasper asked, his brow furrowing as he took my hand and led me up to the front door, his hand hesitating while he waited for an answer.

  “Your sister and the girls, the asshole, your dad, then he ran into Micah and Hudson today and invited them along.”

  The fact that Sheriff King had invited so many people actually made me feel better. There was way less pressure if you weren’t the only focus of the party. Now I could just relax and take it all in. Hopefully.

  “There you are!” a guy I didn’t recognize called, rushing forward and pulling Jasper into a hug before stepping back and taking us all in. He gave us all a saucy wink and once over before introducing himself. “I’m Micah, carpenter extraordinaire, and you are?” His blue eyes sparkled as he grinned over at us, everything about him practically screaming that he wasn’t the type to take things too seriously. I’d learned how to read people easily growing up, and I couldn’t help but study him as he interacted with us.

  “Single. I’m Leo, this is Jaxtyn and Ezra,” Leo said, coming forward and giving him his best smile and batting his lashes. I held back a snort, apparently I was wrong about the Talon thing.

  “Stop flirting and come help me bring in some chairs,” another new face said, coming up and hip checking Micah, who gave him a sheepish grin, his cheeks tinting slightly.

  “This is Hudson, he owns a plumbing business and helps Micah out on projects when he needs them. They’re also roommates,” Jasper explained, gesturing to the new guy. Hudson looked more reserved, but not unfriendly. He just seemed the ‘sit back and observe’ type. His short sandy blond hair and deep green eyes made him look approachable, but the way he held himself made him anything but.

  “You guys came!” Sheriff King said as we walked in, his smile wider than normal, though I’m sure to someone who’d never met him he would have looked only mildly happy.

  “Of course we did, Sheriff King,” Leo said with a grin, marching in and taking a seat across from a guy who I had to assume was Gideon. He was a smaller version of Jasper, with blue eyes instead of green. He looked incredibly uncomfortable as Leo put extra sass into his voice.

  “Call me Liam. And are those cookies?” he asked as he turned to me, giving me an eager smile and holding out his hands. I deposited the box in his hands.

  “Of course, I’m not one to turn down a chance to show off my baking skills. There’s a separate bag in there just for you since you’d have to share the rest,” I said, hoping it earned me a few extra points. Judging from the laugh that bubbled up, I think he approved.

  “Uncle Jasper!!” A chorus of tiny voices started yelling as two girls ran into the room, sliding expertly across the hardwood and slamming into Jas, almost taking him down. He grinned down at them, crouching to get on their level as he kissed their cheeks and teased them. I grinned, the sight was way too cute not to appreciate. Jasper didn’t seem like a kid kind of guy to me before this, but he was a natural with the girls.

  “It’s disgusting how adorable he is with them, isn't it?” Talon asked, leaning down to whisper at me. I jumped, not even noticing that he’d walked up.

  “He really is,” I joked back, though I knew my smile showed how much I loved it. He gave me a wink and bumped his shoulder to mine.

  “He’s different with you and in general lately. I’ve never seen him this happy, not even when we were kids. Whatever you’re doing… keep it up.” I blinked up at him as I processed his words. Not expecting something from him, but maybe I had him all wrong. He just smiled before walking away and sitting down in an empty chair next to who I assumed was Jasper’s sister, who hadn’t been introduced yet.

  “Well since Uncle Jasper is rude, I’m doing introductions!” she finally said loudly, hip checking Jasper so he fell on his butt, pulling the girls down with him until they dissolved into a fit of giggles. “Which one of you is Ezra?” Her eyes flickered over Leo first, then me, then to Jaxtyn who was hiding in the corner. I frowned when I noticed him looking so left out, intending to fix it until she zeroed back in on me. “Definitely you.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Uh, y-yes. I’m Ezra,” I stammered, holding out a hand. She looked at it for a second, then at me, before a huge smile broke out on her face and she cracked up, lunging forward and hugging me tight. I didn’t know how to handle the awkward show of affection so I simply patted her back and glanced at Jasper for help.

  “Unhand my boyfriend,” Jasper demanded in a teasing voice, but she didn’t listen. She held on for a few more minutes just to bother him before letting me go.

  “You’re perfect for him,” she said, nodding in approval like I was a trophy to admire. His family is weird.

  “Uh, thank you?” I said, not really sure how to react.

  “Rein it in, Claire, you’re going to scare off our guests,” Liam said dryly; he was obviously used to reining in kids. She rolled her eyes as she let go of me, but sent her father a wide smile when she turned to look at him. “And you, get over here.” We all looked around at each other until he turned around and pointed at Jaxtyn, then the empty chair next to Gideon, who didn’t look happy about the intrusion. Jax squeaked before hurrying over, jumping to obey the order.

  “You’re going to scare him, Sheriff,” Leo said softly so only those close enough could hear him. Liam looked confused at the accusation, turning his eyes to Jax.

  “Forgive me, I’m used to having to keep my crazy family in line,” Liam explained softly, appearing unsure of himself for a quick moment. That’s a first. Maybe he isn’t as comfortable with this big of a crowd as he let on?

  “Who’s hungry?” Micah cheered, clearly trying to lighten the mood as he and Hudson finished bringing in extra chairs and went to make themselves a plate from the pizza boxes lining the counter.

  “Dad, you know I could have cooked if you wanted,” Jasper said as he came up to stand beside me. Sheriff, Liam, just ignored the offer and motioned for him to go ahead in line then he walked over to the table and leaned over Jax who went still at his attention. Interesting. Whatever he was saying was too soft to hear so I turned to Jasper to find him watching me.

  “I did warn you that my family was, well unique.” He gave me a crooked smile as he brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck.

  Was that a bit of nerves?

  “Let’s grab so
me food. I’m hungry,” I told him as I looped my arm through his and pulled him to the counter where the others were vying for whatever piece they specifically wanted.

  “Look Mikey, I don’t get why you have to be so uptight about this.”

  “My name is Micah, not Mikey, Hudson. I’ve told you that a million times,” Micah corrected Hudson, but there was no heat in the retort.

  Hudson turned to take in Jasper and me as we came up to them and tilted the box of pizza to us slightly in offering before starting in again on whatever it was they were talking about.

  “Whatever, Mikey, Micah. Same difference.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “We need to get started on that job soon. Mrs. Durso said we could start Monday at her place since she is heading out to visit her son for the holidays. After that, Jasper, you still wanted help with the bathroom, right?”

  “Yeah, but it’s the employee bathroom so it won’t affect my business hours. It’s really small so it shouldn’t take long.”

  While they were bantering back and forth I reached forward and quickly snatched three slices of pizza, all cheese and put them on my plate. But at Jasper’s comment Micah and Hudson turned their full attention to him and consequently, me, and spoke at the same time.

  “And you know lots about bathroom remodels do you, King?”

  “Wow that’s a lot of pizza.”

  Jasper just rolled his eyes at Hudson’s comment, but Micah’s comment made me feel uncomfortable, as if the memories I couldn’t escape lately were being pushed on me in every direction. As if sensing my panic Leo came over and maneuvered his way in between the two friends and grabbed an unopened box of pizza for himself.

  “Oh look, a Leo and flannel sandwich, I could get down with this.” He winked suggestively to them and they turned to stare at him with considering looks. Well what do you know, that I didn’t expect.

  “All right, Dad, what the hell is this?” Gideon’s hard voice cut through the atmosphere like a knife. “This is supposed to be a family dinner and it has somehow turned into a fucking free for all with all the queers in town.”