Chapter 16

Brant managed to stay away three entire days, three of the longest of his life. When he finally gave in and stopped by the shop, Molly wasn’t there.

“She’s at Magnolia House,” Lettie said. “They’re putting the final touches on Cricket’s wedding.”

He thanked her and drove off, regretting the way they’d left things at Tyrone and DeVonne’s wedding. But he’d brought his secret weapon: Jax. Molly couldn’t resist him.

When he knocked at the front door, Charlotte welcomed him, a big smile on her face. He’d expected the cold shoulder from Molly, and she didn’t disappoint. Without so much as a word, she walked to the window and faced out, arms crossed over her chest.

“Oh, for—” Brant stalked after her, ignoring the others. “The silent treatment? Seriously? You can do better than that.”

Swiveling on her heel, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I thought we should talk.”

“Now, after three days without a single word, you want to talk?”

“Well, I—Ouch! Holy Hannah, what’s wrong with you?” He jerked away, rubbing his ear.

She turned to her friends. “It’s probably best if Neanderthal and I take this discussion outside.”

As haughty as any queen, she marched out to the porch.

He stared after her, then turned to Cricket. “Before I go out there—and assuming I survive—how are you getting to the airport after the wedding?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that.” She pulled a face. “Maybe Sam has.”

“We have a car hauler coming this week. There’ll be a vintage Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and a ’55 Chevy on it. Either would make a sweet ride, and I’d be more than happy to play chauffeur. Let me know.”

Cricket stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Even if Molly’s still not talking to you?”

“Even if.”

“I ought to feel like a traitor, but—” She threw herself at him and gave both him and Jax a kiss. Then she caught sight of Molly on the front porch and pulled away.

“I know,” Brant said. “Problematic, isn’t it? Talk it over with Sam, see what he thinks.”

“I will. Thank you!”

“I’d better get out there.” Brant nodded toward them. These friends of Molly’s were all so different. Tansy, her red hair curling wildly, Cricket with all her eccentricities and that chopped, nearly white hair, and Jenni Beth, the “lady of the manor.”

“Do you want to leave Jax with us?” Tansy asked anxiously.

“No, ma’am. I figure she won’t hurt me if I’m holding the baby.”

“Make sure you don’t hurt her, either,” Jenni Beth warned.

“I’ll do my best.” With that, he left to face Molly’s wrath.

With her jaw set, Molly tapped the toe of another killer pair of stilettos on the porch’s refinished wood floor. “I’m busy.”

“Then I won’t take much of your time.”

She stabbed a finger at him. “You’re making judgment calls without all the facts.”

“And you’re being stubborn.”

She stamped her foot. “It’s my business.”

“I agree one hundred percent. I actually came to apologize.”

Incredulous, she stared at him, the wind momentarily taken out of her sails.

“Look, I, of all people, should know how complicated family can be. I don’t condone what your father did. I hate that he hurt you. That said, people do change. I think—”

“Hold that thought.” She nodded toward the drive. “You have company.”

His head swiveled at the sound of tires crunching on gravel. His brothers.

With a grin on his face, he hurried off the porch, holding Jax tightly.

Molly opened the screen door and whispered, “Girls, come out here. You have to see this.”

Tansy, Jenni Beth, and Cricket crowded around her on the porch.

“Whew,” Molly breathed. “Can anything top that for a view?”

“I sincerely doubt it,” Cricket said. “And I’m speaking as a very happily engaged woman.”

Molly sank onto the swing and slid over, making room for Jenni Beth. I’m not interested, she reminded herself. The man had stuck his foot in where it didn’t belong. Besides, she didn’t have time for a tall, handsome guy right now.

Still, a girl could look, couldn’t she?

A few minutes later, the guys walked up the steps, crowding the front porch.

“Y’all remember my brothers, right?” Brant pointed to his dark-haired sibling. “Tucker’s the old man.”

“Hey! Watch who you’re calling old.”

Brant laughed and pointed at his younger brother. “And this is Gaven. How’d you two find me?”

“When you weren’t home, we stopped by Molly’s. Lettie told us you’d come here.”

“I didn’t expect you till tomorrow.”

“We finished the ’55 T-Bird early, and might I take a moment to say she’s a thing of beauty.” Gaven plucked Jax from Brant and hiked him overhead. “How’s my favorite nephew, huh?”

“Tired. He needs a nap.”

“Ooh, Daddy, you sound grumpy,” Gaven teased, swiping at the drool collecting on Jax’s chin.

“Tell you what.” Brant smiled. “Since he’s your favorite nephew and all, and seeing as how you don’t get to spend much time with him, I’ll lend him to you one of these nights.”

Gaven paled. “Nah, that’s okay. Probably best not to screw up his routine.”

“I insist.”

“Come look what we’ve brought you,” Tucker interjected.

Brant followed his older brother off the porch.

“We trailered your motorcycle.” He folded back the tarp. “Thought you might want it. Although…” His gaze landed on Jax.

“Big boy Jax goes to day care now, so I can ride this beauty during the day.” Brant ran a hand over his Harley. “I’ve missed this.”

After a few more minutes of small talk with the women, the brothers piled back into their vehicles. Brant stuck his hand out the window and pointed at Molly. “You and me? Not finished.”

As he started down Magnolia House’s oak-lined drive, Brant checked his rearview mirror. Three of the women on the front porch waved goodbye. One did not. Seemed he still had a way to go in the apology department.

Tucker and Gaven followed him to his house while Brant tried to figure out how to make the small place work for the four of them. Annabelle’s would be okay, but it didn’t make sense for his brothers to spend the week there.

One of them could bunk on his couch. The other, though, would end up on the floor, because darned if Brant would share his bed. Been there, done that, growing up, and he’d promised himself never to do it again.

While he was hauling Jax from the car, he heard Gaven’s truck door slam. Tucker took the baby.

“Mom said you’d probably appreciate some clothes,” Gaven said, “so we tossed a bunch of your things into a couple empty storage tubs we found in your basement.”

“Bring my boots?”

“Sure did.”

Carting a tub into the house, Gaven spotted a picture and picked it up. “Tyrone Sterling?”

“Yep.”

He whistled.

“Molly helped with their wedding a few days ago.”

“So why are you wearing a tux?”

“One of those domino kind of things. Their families hijacked their wedding plans, so they ran away to tie the knot. Jax and I walked in during the preparations, and the bride took one look at the kid here and insisted he be her ring bearer. Since short stuff can’t walk yet, I provided his transportation down the aisle.” Brant paused. “This is where the two of you say thanks.”

“Why?”

“Because it netted the three of us fifty-yard-line tickets for a couple of the Falcons games next season.”

“No kidding?”

“No kidding.”

Tucker and Gaven gave him a thumbs-up.

“Molly didn’t look too happy this morning.”

Brant made a dismissive sound. “We had a little tiff.”

“Ah, trouble in paradise. The reason he’s out of sorts,” Tucker said to Gaven.

“I’m not out of sorts,” Brant grumbled.

“Good. Glad to hear it.” Gaven nudged the tub toward the wall. “Let’s go see what you’ve done at the shop while we busted our butts on that T-Bird.”

* * *

Too tired to cook after three days of back-breaking work at their new shop, the brothers pulled into the dirt parking lot of Fat Baby’s Barbecue.

Gaven grinned. “Look at that. They made pink pigs out of old propane tanks.” He pulled his cell from his pocket. “Let’s take a picture of us and send it to Mom and Dad. You can take one to Lainey this weekend. The four Wylder guys gone to the pigs.”

Brant and Tucker both groaned, but Gaven refused to go inside till they got the shot.

“I thought you were starving,” Brant reminded him.

“I am, so quit bellyaching and let’s get this done.” He made a “come here” motion to a young woman who was stepping out of the door. “Would you take our picture?”

“Sure.”

Gaven straddled the pig and held out his hands for Jax. With Brant and Tucker crouching on either side, they immortalized their first family trip to Fat Baby’s.

He hit Send. “The folks will get a kick out of that.”

Brant made a face, but Gaven was right. The picture would mean a lot to their mom and dad.

Tucker stepped inside the door and breathed deeply. “If the food tastes half as good as it smells, we’re in for a treat.”

“Tastes better.” Brant juggled the baby while he spoke to Lulu, their sparkly-eyed, gray-haired hostess.

“Look at that.” Gaven pointed to a winged pig that hung from the ceiling. White lights outlined it, and a fancy white fur hat perched on its head. “When pigs fly.”

With a pained look at Tucker, Brant asked, “How old is he?”

Halfway to their table, he stopped in his tracks, and Tucker bumped into him.

“What—”

“Molly, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Brant said. “Tansy. Gracie Bella. How are you?”

“I’m good,” four-year-old Gracie Bella chirped. “Mama let me get a soda. I ask for them all the time, but she always says tomorrow.” She threw her arms around Tansy. “But tonight I got one. Do you like soda?”

Tansy opened her mouth to shush her daughter, but Brant shook his head.

“I love soda, Gracie, but it’s best to only have it once in a while. That way it’s special.”

“Daddy Beck says that, too.”

“Your daddy Beck is a smart man.”

“He is, and he kisses my mama all the time.” She twisted a dark curl around her finger. “They don’t think I see.”

Tansy blushed, and Brant figured the pink crept clear to her toes. Laughing, his eyes met Molly’s. “Kissing can be fun.”

“That’s what Daddy Beck says.”

“Yep. Daddy Beck’s definitely a smart man.” Again he met Molly’s gaze. “And a man after my own heart.”

“Brant.” Molly shook her head in warning.

“Just sayin’.”

When Lulu tried to seat them a few tables away, he stopped her. “Could we have this table?” He pointed to the one beside Molly and Tansy. “The scenery here’s pretty spectacular.”

Their hostess grinned. “Sure.” Laying their menus in front of them, she said, “Since we’re short-handed tonight, what with Krystal off to a high school dance, I’m your waitress, too. What’ll you have to drink?”

The brothers glanced toward Gracie Bella and grinned.

“We’ll have what she’s having,” Tucker said.

Lulu raised a brow. “Clever.”

The women made a fuss over Jax, who ate it up. As he was passed from one to the other, Brant swore Jax sent him a smug “Don’t you wish you were me?” look. Brant’s eyes narrowed as Molly covered Jax with kisses. Maybe the kid was on to something.

When Gaven cleared his throat, Brant jerked his attention back to their table. “What?”

“Exactly my question,” he whispered. “You’ve got it bad, BT.”

“Do not.”

“Afraid I have to agree with Gaven on this one,” Tucker said.

* * *

Holy smackers! Molly wished she’d dressed in layers so she could peel off a few. Her stomach had started doing strange little dance moves when she caught sight of Brant with Lulu, and her temperature had risen to steamy.

She might still be a tiny bit perturbed with Brant, but when he and his brothers showed up en masse, the sexometer, handsome gauge, and testosterone level all went through the roof.

Molly had returned Jax to Brant earlier, but when he held out his arms to her again, she threw in the towel. The heart she’d fought to barricade broke free.

“May I?” She held out her hands.

“Absolutely.” He leaned toward her. “You want to hold Jax—or me?”

She shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

“Impossible to resist?”

Raising her hands to her throat, she mimed choking herself.

Straight-faced and ignoring her antics, Brant handed the baby to her.

Between eating, talking, and sneaking little bites of mashed baked potato to Jax, she relaxed. Tucker and Gaven were every bit as outgoing as Brant, and the conversation flowed easily.

When the checks came, Brant nabbed them from both tables.

“Brant, we’ve got it covered.” Molly tried to stare him down.

“So do I.”

As they collected their things, he leaned toward Molly. “Have any plans for the rest of the evening?”

“No. I’m headed home.”

“Did you drive?”

“I did.”

“Want to go to Duffy’s for some music and a beer?”

Despite the warning bells in her head, she heard herself say, “I’d love that, but that doesn’t mean you’re forgiven for interfering. Or for sticking up for my dad.”

“I didn’t stick up for him. I told you—”

“Uh-uh,” Tansy said. “Not here. Little ears.” She tipped her head toward Gracie Bella.

“Sorry,” Molly said.

“Me too.” Brant stuffed his hands in his worn-jeans pockets. “You’ll go?”

“Against my better judgment.”

“Since when did judgment have anything to do with it?” Tansy murmured.

Molly scowled. “Whose side are you on?”

Tansy flashed a wide-eyed, innocent look. “Me? Go on. Have fun.”

“You’ll have to drive,” Brant said. “I came with those knuckleheads.”

“Who are you calling a knucklehead?” Tucker challenged, strapping the baby into his seat.

“What about Jax?” Molly asked.

“Uncle Gaven will take him home and put him to bed.”

“Me? I never said—”

Molly didn’t miss a beat. “How nice of your brothers to give you a few hours off, considering you’ve had him for, what, two or three weeks by yourself?” She gave Tansy a hug. “We need to do this more often. Gracie Bella…” She opened her arms and the young girl threw herself into them.

After a hug and a kiss, Molly said, “Next time, it’s Dairy Queen for that strawberry sundae.”

“Hear that, Mama? Molly’s gonna buy me a sundae!” Gracie Bella clapped her hands.

“Wonderful! We’d better get home. Daddy Beck’s going to wonder what happened to us.”

Gracie Bella’s smile disappeared, and she placed her little hands on either side of her mother’s face. “Nothing happened to us, Mama. We’re right here.”

Tansy laughed. “Yes, we are, oh literal one. Don’t forget your sweater.” Molly’s friend winked at her. “Have a good time. And Molly, listen to your heart. Let it talk to you.”