by J. E. Parker
‘Cause boy do I have some stories for you.
First, we’ll continue with Hendrix and Maddie. As everyone should expect, they’re still married, and have been living with me for the past twenty years.
They only ever had three babies, which sorta surprises me, but after Maddox, Maddie had been worn-slap out.
And understandably so.
The boy is hell on wheels.
Now a firefighter at the same station where his Pop-Pop retired from five years earlier, and whose command seat Hendrix had taken when he did, Maddox had grown to be a good young man.
He showed little interest in girls, though, not even when they were practically beating down the door, but it was only because he was waiting for the right one.
Just like his big sisters, he wanted a love like his Mama and Daddy’s; the kind that only happens once in a lifetime, and even then, only if you’re lucky.
At least, that’s what he’d once told me.
As for Melody, she just graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in social work and now works alongside her Mama and aunts at the shelter. She wants to make a difference in the world, and from what I’ve seen, she’s well on her way to doing just that.
Then there’s Maci, my librarian. When she isn’t glued to Carmen’s side, she has her nose stuck in a book. Softhearted and quiet, she’s also sweeter than sugar. And Lord, she loves her brother and sister.
The bond they all share is unbreakable.
Now, let’s talk about Anthony and Shelby.
Anthony, who is now Toluca’s Chief of Police, hasn’t changed much. He’s still as hardheaded and infatuated with Shelby Ray as he’s always been.
As for the Mouth of the South, not much has changed there either. She’s still more temperamental than a honey badger and as fierce as a pissed-off lioness. Both things went a long way in helping her survive raising Gracie.
’Cause lemme tell you…
Gracelyn Rose is pure damn trouble.
A wild one possessing a rebel’s heart, she dances to the beat of her own drum. As for rules, in Gracie’s world, those are only made to be broken. Why, I swear, I’ve had to spring her from the slammer more times than I can count. You’d think with her father being a cop, she’d be more well-behaved.
Not a chance.
Lucca, though, he’s as good as gold.
Quiet but brooding, he owns a tattoo shop in Charleston. He never gives his parents much trouble, but lord have mercy, if he doesn’t stop whorin’ his way through life, he’s gonna give ‘em a new grandbaby before he’s ready.
Then there’s Matteo.
After years of battling infertility, he’d been a welcome surprise to Anthony and Shelby. The rest of the family, too. Though he’s ten years younger than Gracie, he acts just like her.
Actually, I think he may be worse.
I wasn’t sure we’d survive his early years, which passed in a blur, but we did.
And we can’t forget ol’ Felix.
Still just as quiet as he’s always been, he spends most of his time in the apartment above Anthony and Shelby’s garage with only his cat to keep him company, or sitting on the front porch in his favorite rocking chair, watching the world go by.
He’s happy as can be, though.
And that’s what matters.
Up next to talk about is Evan and Hope.
I swear those two have broken my heart a hundred times over. But all the pain has been worth it in the end. Especially when, after all these years, they still look at each other with nothing but pure love.
As for Ryker, the boy is so obsessed with Lily Ann I doubt he can see straight.
The feeling is mutual, too.
As far as boys go, Ryker is all Lily Ann has ever cared about. Ever since they were kids, they’ve loved each other—just like Hendrix and Maddie had.
When Ryker left to join the Army, taking the wreckin-crew twins, Colby and Wyatt, with him, I wasn’t sure Lily Ann would survive his absence with her sanity intact.
I’d been wrong, though.
Like her Mama and Grandmama Dottie, she’s gentle but strong.
Which, speaking of strong, let’s talk about Brantley and Clara since those two share the type of love that books are written about.
And Clara?
She’s the kind of heroine you root for.
Over the years, I’ve watched her blossom from a timid little thing that feared her own shadow, to someone who takes no shit and can go toe-to-toe with the strongest of ‘em.
And Brantley, good heavens…
Him being easy on the eyes may be the first thing you notice about him, but how he looks at Clara as if she hung the moon and the stars is the second.
They’re perfect, and so are their kids.
Like Maddox, Liam had become a firefighter and was assigned to Hendrix’s station. He wasn’t dating anybody, but he sure does have eyes for one girl.
More on that in a minute.
When it comes to Declan, he just graduated from law school and is working with Brantley.
As far as I know, he doesn’t have a girlfriend either, but I know of a certain bookworm who wants that title for herself.
Real bad.
Next, we have Bella.
Obsessed with falling in love, she’s bounced from one relationship to the next, never seeming to find what she’s looking for.
But Beatrice, the hussy, told me she saw her riding through downtown Kissler on the back of some man’s motorcycle a week ago.
Heaven help us if that was the truth.
And let’s not skip Olivia.
Quiet and shy, she fades into the background at times. It’s only temporary; she’ll come out of her shell soon.
Of that, I have no doubt.
She is her mother’s daughter, after all.
Moving on, we’ve got Kyle and Carissa.
Still as much in love as when they first got hitched, they’re constantly up each other’s butts. I swear Carissa can’t even walk to the mailbox without the Hulk trailing her.
If he’s around, he’s at her side.
And Carissa loves it.
Since I’ve already told you about Lily Ann, let’s talk about Miss Dottie. She may have suffered more than any woman or mother ever should, but she came out the other side just fine. It took her a bit, but she’s seen the light.
And now, she lives in it.
Most days, she spends her time helping Carissa out with the house and cooking Tuck whatever he wants to eat, all the while spoiling Lily Ann rotten. Every Friday night, though, me and her head into Charleston to play Beach Bingo, and hand to God, she wins every time.
The woman has the luck of a saint.
Too bad it hasn’t rubbed off on me.
As for Ty and Heidi Bug, they too are in as much love as the day they got married. Like Kyle is with Carissa, Ty is more than obsessed with Heidi.
And when it comes to his daughters, Brielle and Trinity, he’s overprotective as can be. If a man so much as looks in one of their directions, he’s all over it.
Those poor girls.
Neither is ever gonna find a boyfriend.
Their Papaw Daryl doesn’t help the situation either. Now that he’s retired, sold the house he’d once called home, and is living in the basement Ty had converted into an apartment for him, the man has nothing but time on his hands.
I should know.
He visits me every single day.
Next up are Chase and Ashley.
Like everyone else, they are still head over heels in love, just as they were fifteen years ago. And ever since Chase retired from the NFL, he’s been home a lot more.
Now a high school football coach, he spends his days at Toluca High. Coincidentally, it’s the same school where Ashley Jo now works as an English teacher after getting her Master’s degree.
She’s come a long way, that one.
I’m so proud of her.
Her mini-me too.
Not only does Addie work at the
shelter with Melody and her aunts, but with Chase’s help, she’s started a non-profit in honor of a few women in our family.
Aimed at helping trafficking victims and those recovering from or fighting to escape sexual abuse, it’s an organization she pours her heart into.
One of the best parts? Its name.
Mended Hearts.
As far as Chase and Ashley’s only son, CJ, goes, he’s pure trouble too.
Just like Gracie and Matteo.
With a temper to rival the one his dad once possessed, he’s always getting in fights, both on and off the football field.
He’ll grow out of it, though.
That’s my hope, at least.
Now we’ve gotten to James and Carmen.
My heart swells each time I think about those two and all they’ve overcome. They’d both been so lost, so broken when they met, but now they’re busy spending their mutual retirement vibrant and full of life.
I can’t tell you how many times their combined laughter has floated out from their open windows and into mine.
It’s a near-daily occurrence.
They make each other that happy.
Know what else makes them happy? Spending time with their grandkids. Both of ‘em have spent the last decade and a half sugaring up to every kid in this family as much as humanly possible.
From constant gifts, to junk food, and extra helpings of dessert, they’ve spoiled ‘em rotten.
Faye and Amelia haven’t helped either.
Every time you turn around, Amelia is handing out ice cream bars for supper while Faye looks on from James and Carmen’s front porch, where her butt stays parked most days now that she’s retired too, a giant smile affixed to her face.
Because of them, I’m getting fat.
Then again, who cares?
I can be fat and sassy at the same time.
Which, while we’re discussing somebody being sassy, Jade has changed so much over the years.
She’s always been a little spit-fire, but after Shelby got her hands on her, it was game over.
Now a pediatric nurse, she’s the perfect mix of Carmen and Shelby, all fire and strength and possessing a spine of steel.
As for that steel spine?
Well, it attracted the attention of a man who is as dangerous as he is beautiful, and poor James did not care for that one iota.
It’s a story I’m sure you’ll hear soon.
And listen here, I know you’re getting all impatient and wondering when I’m gonna start gossiping about Alejandro. But I’ve got bad news, I ain’t doing it. The Kingpin’s story isn’t mine to tell.
Neither is Chris and Wendy’s.
Or Zane and Tasha’s.
Same for Hadley and Ari.
They’ll all be told, though.
I guarantee it.
But I will tell you this—Alejandro did come back to Carmen. Just like he’d promised.
And when he did, well, you’ll just have to wait to find out what happened.
Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, let me tell you all about that boneheaded son of mine and Charlotte.
Both are lucky they’re still alive since they eloped a month after James’ and Carmen’s wedding without inviting anyone.
I damn near killed ‘em both.
An Elvis impersonator, that’s who married ‘em. Can you believe it? Fifteen years later, and I’m still madder than all get out.
Why, I swear if I had known what they were planning, I would’ve pulled out my swatter and gone to town on their—
I jump in place, dang near stumbling backward and tripping over my chair, when the front door suddenly swings open, almost slapping me.
Assuming it’s Maddox’s temperamental behind, I open my mouth to ask him what in God’s name he’s thinking, but I stop short when Melody storms into the foyer, Liam hot on her heels.
“Hells bells!” I shout, eyes wide as they stomp into the living room, ignoring my sassy self. “I knew this was coming!”
Dropping back into my chair with a quickness I’d long since thought I’d lost, I right my footrests, disengage the parking brake, and push the lever forward, taking off after them, my newly permed hair blowing in the wind as I go.
Stopping at the entrance to the living room, I lean forward, peeking around the corner but staying out of sight. I’ve been spying on people for so long, I’ve perfected my technique.
Whirling on Liam, Melody jabs a finger into his broad chest, causing him to stumble back a single step.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Liam Nicholas Morgan!” she hollers, having what appears to be a dying duck fit. “I don’t belong to you!”
Uh-oh. This is going down the pooper faster than a bucket of golf balls.
“And if I want to go on a date with someone, it’s not any of your business,” she continued, voice rising with each word, “and you can’t stop me!”
I clutch my favorite pearls.
“You go on a date with another man, Melody,” Liam fires right back, erasing the space that his stumbling had created between them. “And they’ll find his body in a ditch somewhere.”
Well, would you look at that?
Liam is one of them possessive fellas.
Who knew?
Cupping her cheeks, Liam holds Melody’s face in his hands. “You. Are. Mine.” His nostrils flares as he exhales harshly, the clench in his jaw visible even to an old geezer like me. “And it’s about goddamn time you realize it.”
Before my granddaughter, Lord help her because I sure ain’t, can fire back a single dang argument, Liam steps back, bends forward, and shoves his shoulder into her belly.
Then Melody is airborne.
“Liam, put me down!”
Wrapping his big ol’ tattooed arm around the back of her thighs, he turns and heads for the front door. “We tried this your way, and it didn’t work,” he tells her, still not seeing me. “Now we’re doing it mine.”
Melody struggles against him. “You can’t—”
His hold on her tightens. “Watch me.”
Finally spotting me as he moves into the foyer, Liam winks as if carrying my granddaughter out of the house, her fussing and fighting him the entire way, is the most normal thing in the whole world.
“Later, Grandmama,” he says, reaching the still-open front door. “See you on Sunday for supper.”
He pulls the door closed behind him.
And just like that, they’re gone.
Stunned, my mouth gapes, dentures nearly falling out. “Well, shit-fire!” I holler to the now empty house. “It looks like our family’s story ain’t over after all.” I shake my head. “In fact, I think we might just be getting started!”
As always, my fabulous self is right.
Ready for Ari’s story?
If so, add Ruthless Queen to your Goodreads TBR now!
Blurb Sneak Peek
My name is Arianna Ivanova,
and the streets of Charleston belong to me.
Ruthless and cunning,
I live by one rule: submit or die.
On the promise of death,
no one dares challenge me.
At least, not until him...
Also by J.E. Parker
Redeeming Love Series
Every Moment with You (Hendrix and Maddie)
Every Breath You Take (Anthony and Shelby)
Every Promise You Made (Evan and Hope)
Every Tear You Cry (Brantley and Clara)
Every Wrong You Right (Ty and Heidi)
Every Kiss You Steal (Chase and Ashley)
Every Sin We Erase (James, book 1)
Every Wound We Mend (James, The Finale)
— Series Is Complete —
Fallen Kings Series
— Debuting 2021 —
Ruthless Queen (Ari)
Love & Whiskey Series
— Debuting 2022 —
All Our Broken Pieces (Chris & Wendy)
Love at To
luca High Series
— Debuting 2022 —
His to Keep (Zane & Tasha)
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About the Author
J.E. Parker is an American romance author who was born and raised in the great state of North Carolina. A southern belle at heart, she’s addicted to sweet tea, Cheerwine, and peach cobbler.
Not only is J.E. married to the man of her dreams (albeit a total pain in the rear), she’s also the mother of a herd of sweet (sometimes), and angelic (only when they’re sleeping) children.
Despite their occasional demonic behavior and bottomless stomachs, J.E. loves her little tribe more than words could ever express.
When she’s not busy making sure her husband doesn’t burn the house down or acting as a referee for her fighting children, J.E. enjoys reading, writing (obviously), and listening to a wide variety of music.