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“All right. That’s good to know.”
“So, you’ve got this fight coming up, and my granddaughter tells me you’re training hard. How about you come and have a big T-bone steak with us this weekend?”
I thought about it. “Okay. I’d like that.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be heading over to River’s law office to see if I can get him to come out to the ranch, as well, and maybe he’ll even join us for steaks.”
River wouldn’t normally be into that, but he had a soft spot for Demi, so I figured he’d probably agree, seeing as this was her grandfather.
I offered him my hand, but he pulled me in for a hug, which shocked the shit out of me.
In a way, it felt like that bad chapter in our lives was finally being put to rest.
twenty
. . .
Demi
“This might bethe oddest group, going to the grandparents’ for a Sunday barbecue, huh?” River teased from the driver’s seat as he pulled into my grandparents’ long, circular driveway.
Romeo sat up front, and I was sitting in the back with Cutler, who only responded to Beefcake, so I was going with it.
“I think it’s a perfect group.” My grandfather had personally gone over to apologize to both Romeo and River and invited them over for lunch. He’d extended the invite to all the guys, but Nash and Kingston were working on a big custom renovation, and Hayes was on duty at the firehouse today. So, we’d brought Cutler with us, and he was thrilled about it.
“I think it’s perfect, too, Demi. And you said they have horses? I’ve only been on the back of Uncle Ro’s bike, and he wouldn’t let us go anywhere because it’s not safe for kids. I’ve never been on a horse,” the little guy said. He was so cute it was impossible not to smile around him. He was sporting one of the many T-shirts being sold in town to support Romeo, and this one read:
Magnolia Falls’ Golden Boy… He’s a real knockout.
Cutler had the shirt tucked into his dark jeans, a black leather coat, and some black Dr. Martens. I mean, this kid was as cool as you get. His hair was slicked back with a ton of gel, and his little cherub cheeks were tinted pink. He looked like a mini version of all five of these guys melded together.
“Yes. I can take you out for a ride if you want. And my grandparents are going to love you.”
“What’s not to love about Beefcake?” he said with a wink. I mean, the swagger on this kid was unbelievable.
Everyone laughed, and we got out of the car. River and Romeo seemed far more tense than Cutler, who took my hand and waggled his brows at Romeo, who reached for my other hand.
“Listen, I’m doing the whole lunch at the mansion thing for you, Beans. But don’t make me suffer through a pissing match with you two.” River smirked at Romeo and Cutler.
“I know she’s Uncle Ro’s girl, but he said she could be my girl, too.” Cutler came to a stop and gaped up at the large house in front of him. “My dad told me to use my manners, and now I know why. This is a giant house.”
“You use your manners no matter the size of the house. You know that,” Romeo said, raising a brow.
“Yep. That’s right. But big houses need big manners.”
I shook my head and laughed as we walked up the steps, and I pushed the door open. “Hey, Gramps and Grammie! We’re here.”
Sheila came to the door. She’d worked for my grandparents since I was a little girl, and she took Cutler’s coat, as the rest of us were not wearing one. The weather was starting to get nicer now, and the sun was shining today.
“I like your shirt,” Sheila said to Cutler.
“It’s for my Uncle Ro. He’s got a big fight coming up.” He flicked his thumb at Romeo and beamed up at him with so much pride.
“Oh, I know. It’s all anyone in town is talking about,” she said, and I introduced everyone to her.
Romeo tried to act like all the attention wasn’t getting to him, but I knew differently. Leo had pulled some cheap shots this week. He’d somehow found Keith Knight’s mug shot from when he’d been arrested for his third DUI and was later sent to prison. He’d blasted it on every social media platform and said the only way Romeo would make it one round of this fight was if he did something shady, which he’d said ran in the family. The caption read:The small-town golden boy will be praying for jail time when I put his ass in the hospital.
I hated this guy with a passion. I’d never felt this kind of disdain. It made no sense to me that he’d all but bullied him into agreeing to fight him, only to taunt him every single day since.
