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Thankfully, he saves me from myself and shakes his head. “No, we’re just friends. Best friends, like it’s always been.” His casual shrugs are entirely too fucking casual. “She’s having a baby. She needs support, she needs her family. I won’t be a burden for her.”
“Damn.” I don’t even know if I’m happy or heartbroken for him. “You’re a good man, Jimmy. A better man than me.”
“I’ve been telling you that for years, fucker.” He picks up one of my dropped cases with a laugh and slaps my back. “Let’s go. I wanna see my girl.”
“Your girl? You just said–”
“I wasn’t talking about Iz.” He stops behind Kit and taps her shoulder. Spinning, she squeals and throws herself into his arms. “Hey, Princess. How was your honeymoon?”
“Oh my God, Jimmy.” She presses a juicy kiss to his cheek. “I missed you more than I should.”
“You were gone way too long, baby girl.” He sets her on her feet and pulls her in for a squeezy hug. “Our family’s back together again.”
“Babe.” I pull her to me and squeeze her under my arm. Lifting the last of our bags, we turn as a group and head for the exit. “Tell him the best part.”
Iz walks beside Jim and rubs tiny circles into her belly. “What was the best part?”
Kit rolls her eyes with exasperation. “He got to go on stage at the Moulin Rouge.”
“TheMoulin Rouge?” Jimmy chokes on a laugh. “With the dancing babes and boobies flying everywhere?”
“Yeah. He was pulled up as part of the audience interaction part. It was lame.”
Jim snorts like a pig and helps me load the bags into the Jeep. Taking Iz’s hand gently in his, he helps her into the passenger seat and closes the door, and on his way past me, shakes his head. “Mind your own business.”
“Where’s everyone else?” Kit asks as Jim drives past the parking station and onto the road. “Where’s Jack?”
“He’s at home,” Jim answers easily. Windows down, music on low, hat pulled low over his eyes, the wind whips his hair over his ears and makes him look truly young again.
Jesus, I didn’t even realize how different he was in the last weeks before we left. I knew Iz’s news fucked him over, but I had no clue how much it aged him until now. “Everyone’s at home waiting for us to bring you back,” he continues. “They wanna know what’s in the giant box that came from London.” He snorts. “Jack reckons it’s a gift for him. You have no idea how many times I had to smack him down to keep him away.”
Hair whipping in the wind, Kit smirks and leans forward. “How many times did you try to peek?”
“I didn’t!”
“He did!” Izzy laughs. “You did, don’t lie. You guys have no idea how many timesIhad to smack him down to keep him away.”
“Well, it’s not for either of you.” Kit rolls her eyes. “It’s Bobby’s bagpipes.”
“You bought bagpipes?” Iz whips around to look at me. “Seriously, you should be cooler, B. But you’ve got the dad humor shit down pat.”
“I’m gonna learn on YouTube.”
“Ten bucks says he doesn’t even try.” Jim smirks at me in the mirror.
“Twenty bucks says hedoestry, but he sucks at it,” Iz returns.
“Whatever, fuckers. You’ll see.”
* * *
An hour of driving and giggling girls goes faster than any heterosexual man might expect, but before I realize it, we pull into our driveway and I smile at the extra cars parked out the front. Jon’s here, Aiden’s here, even Tink’s little hatchback is parked behind the Rav.
“Come on, kids.” Jimmy climbs out of the Jeep and moves around the front. “The gang aredyingto see… their gifts.” He laughs and helps Iz out and sets her on her feet. I run around to Kit’s side and pull her to me, and stop her giggles with a hungry kiss.
I set her down on her feet as the front door slams open and bounces off the wall. “Kit’s home! Kit’s home!” Tink zips down the front stairs and launches herself at us. Her legs literally wrap around us and her arms pull us into a three way hug that has our faces squished together. “Jesus, woman. I missed you. You’re never allowed to leave me again.”
“Get off me!” Kit laughs and cries at the same time, but instead of pushing Tink away, she pulls her in and hugs her tight. “I missed you, Case.”
“I missed you guys so much.”
“We missed you, Tink. But get off.” I take her weight from Kit, and though she pouts when I set her on her feet, I press a kiss to her forehead and turn her frown upside down.
“Did you guys have a good time?”
“Yes, it was amazing! Let’s go inside and we’ll tell you all about it.”
I hug them both and move toward the front stairs. “Hey, Babe. Tell her the best part…”
