AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hate to be the bearer of unwelcome news. Raider, but your mom can argue over anything. You better come up with a plan B,” Gator says with a straight face but then he and Buzz both start laughing.
“Gator has a point there, Raider,” Buzz adds. Damn, they’re both right.
“Let’s get out of here. I need a shower before I go to Billie’s. I know that both of you are right, so I just hope I don’t need to go to Conroe at all.” We all get up and walk out the door.
11
Raider…
I stopped and picked up flowers for both Billie and Frannie. I brought dessert and a good bottle of red wine. My mom taught me to never show up to dinner with empty hands.
I’ve calmed down since this morning. I know our meeting was intense, and the vote was serious. The rest I blame on my nerves from having the little incident of different opinions with Billie earlier this week. We see one situation from different perspectives and I made a big deal of it. I need to relax when it comes to Billie and my mom. I know my mom can take care of herself when she goes to her signing events. She’s been doing it for a while now and nothing has happened. She not only can take care of herself, but she took very good care of me while I was growing up. She is the best mom a boy could have. I am blessed with her as my mom and for that reason alone, I know I need to relax and let her do her thing.
I feel as nervous as a damn teenager. I look at myself in my rearview mirror and give myself a once-over. My teeth are clean. I blow my breath in my palm—fresh and minty. My hair is in the right places. I have a clean button-up shirt on with a new pair of jeans, my cut, and my cleanest pair of work boots. It’s the most dressed up I’ve been in years. I like comfort and not glamour as my mom would say. I get out of my truck and I bring the bottle of wine under one arm. The cake is in a box in a bag so I pick it up and I still have room to carry the flowers in one hand.
I walk up to the back door and realize I should have thought this out a little better. Everything is full and I can’t knock. I improvise by knocking on the door with my boot. Frannie opens the door and takes the flowers out of my hands. “Those are for you and Billie as a hostess gift. I also brought a red wine to go with the steaks and a cake for dessert,” I tell Frannie as Billie makes her way down the stairs. She’s the most beautiful creature I have ever laid my eyes on. She’s in a soft pink dress that shows off her curves, with ballet slippers on her tiny feet. If she’s wearing makeup, it’s minimal. She looks like a little sprite and she’s all mine.
“I can’t wait until I meet your mom. She’s raised her son the right way with all these manners. Come in, Raider, and make yourself at home. We’ve been preparing most of the afternoon,” Frannie tells me.
“You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble. I’m easy to please. I was taught to eat whatever was put on the table and to be appreciative for it. I still think peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is a great meal.” We all laugh at that. Billie makes the rest of the way over to me and we hold hands and just look at each other.
“I’m just going to leave you two time to say hello,” Frannie says and walks out of the room. I pull Billie to me and give her the kiss I have been dying to give her all day. I miss this woman every time I’m away from her. I hear a throat clear. I don’t know how long we have been kissing but we both look up.
“Am I going to need to clear my throat every time I come into a room now?” Maggie is standing there with her hand on her hip, making her way down the stairs. She comes over and stands in front of us. “It not nice to see my sister sucking face with some man we just met.” Billie laughs.
“It’s what girlfriends and boyfriends do,” Billie explains to Maggie.
“Not in this house they don’t, especially since he is no boy. Are you trying to steal my sister away from our family, mister?” Maggie asks me.
“No, Maggie, I’m not. I just want to borrow her from time to time. I’m here to visit with everyone tonight and get to know you. You are right. I am a man and I’m your sister’s man.” This eight-year-old is too much. I don’t know whether I should answer her seriously or laugh at the situation. I’ve never been caught making out with a woman by her little sister. I think having Frannie lurking around is more comfortable.
“Mrs. Parker says that any girl making out in front of people is inappropriate and she calls the girls floozies. Billie is no floozy, mister. I am telling mom.” She starts to turn and leave but I catch her by the arm.
“I brought chocolate cake with strawberries on it just like Billie said you liked.” Maggie looks me up and down. She puts her pinkie finger in my face.
“Pinkie swear and you will be swept into the seventh ring of hell if you lie.” I grasp her pinkie finger with mine. I smile at the girl but she keeps giving me her mean look. “Good to know you know who to bribe. My silence can always be bought with a piece of chocolate cake.” Billie gasps and I know she’s fighting not to laugh like I am. Maggie turns and starts to skip away and then looks back over her shoulder and stops again. “Make sure I get the biggest piece when the time comes and this will all be forgotten.” Then she’s gone out of the room. Billie and I both laugh.
“Is she the family extortionist? She is something else,” I say while still laughing.
“Just be glad that it was Maggie and not Ryan. His silence costs a lot more these days. Beware, Maggie is going to tell Ryan that you’re an easy mark. Ryan is our muscle so he breaks kneecaps.” I guess this is normal for Billie’s family. The Nesbit family is so normally crazy. This is all new to me but I like it. I want to be part of it but Maggie’s timing needs to get better. I kiss the top of Billie’s head and step away from her and grab her hand. This crazy family is sucking me in and I’m not fighting them on it.
“Billie, you’re needed in the kitchen,” Frannie calls out.
“You can either come into the kitchen with us or you can go into the family room with Ryan. He’s playing some video game in there. You want something to drink while you wait?” Billie asks me. “We bought some beer in bottles just like you like.”
“I wouldn’t mind a beer, and they’re called longnecks. I can come and get it and then join Ryan or stay in there and talk to you and your mom. Doesn’t matter to me.”
“Maybe, you could spend some time with Ryan. He craves male company. The females out vote him every time.” Billie eyes plead with me.
“Sounds like a plan,” I tell Billie. I walk to the kitchen and Billie gets my beer. I kiss her on the tip of her nose and go find Ryan. The house I’m walking through looks like a huge old farmhouse on the inside but the inside is nothing but homey. The floors are solid wood but the entertaining center piece is the fireplace in the family room. It’s beautiful with all the antique lamps and different furnishings. Family pictures of different generations hang on the walls. It’s the kind of room I would enjoy having in my home one day. I think about it, and if everything goes the way I want, then one day this will be Billie’s and my home. That’s hard to get a handle on—marrying a woman who makes more money than I do. Don’t get me wrong, I have no shortage of money, but this house and farm are worth big money. I don’t even want another thing for me to worry about. I keep walking down the hallway until I find Ryan yelling at a game. “You want some company?”
“Sure, you want to play? I can find the other control,” Ryan tells me and sits up straighter on the sofa he is lying across.
“Nah, I’ll watch. I don’t have a lot of time to spend playing video games. I’d just slow your progress. I just thought I would have a little talk with you while you play.” I want Ryan to like me, and I have an important question to ask him.
“I haven’t done anything wrong, have I? Did Billie send you to give me a talking to, or Mom?” I see the apprehensive look on his face. He’s done something to get caught, but I’m not here to give him shit for it.
“None of that. I was shooed out of the kitchen so they can finish dinner.” Ryan relaxes.
