The 'Burg: Hold On Part 112

"Baby," she whispered, moving closer. "You were here at Christmas with those two. I get you're worried. But there's no way you could watch them and not see they're completely, desperately, crazy in love."

f.u.c.k, he couldn't say anything to that either.

Because it was true.

Mike wrapped an arm around his wife and he pulled out his phone.

He held her as he slid his thumb over the screen.

He put it to his ear.

Jonas answered on the third ring.

"Dad."

"Got some news for me, No?"

Apparently, he didn't because there was silence.

"Jonas," Mike prompted.

"It's her, Dad. She's young, but I don't give a f.u.c.k. It's her. It just is."

"Yeah, neither of you hid that from your family last time we saw you and you haven't been hiding it from the population at large, the crazy s.h.i.+t you've both been playing out publicly."

"You know Addie. She's about drama."

His son sounded like he liked that.

Then again, he married it, so he did.

"That isn't the issue," Mike said. "The issue is, I read about it on a G.o.dd.a.m.ned tablet."

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing," Jonas muttered.

"I figured that part out," Mike told him.

"We're gonna have another ceremony when we get back," No a.s.sured him. "One we'll have with our families."

"I can do without going to another wedding, No. What I'm not a big fan of is reading something like this rather than hearing it direct from my son. You're famous. I hear a lot about you that's truth and a lot that's lies. But when it's important, when it means you're happy, I wanna hear it from you."

"I'm happy, Dad," No said quietly.

Mike drew in breath.

"I'm glad, son," Mike replied quietly.

Dusty pushed closer.

"She's happy too," Jonas told him.

"I'm glad about that too," Mike replied.

"We've been dodging calls because we've been busy and because I wanted you to know first. You know now, so I gotta call Rees."

"Yeah, your sister can bust your a.s.s for depriving her of a celebrity wedding."

"Last five books on the New York Times list. I'm not the only celebrity in the family."

"Lucky for me, she's got someone in her life who keeps her grounded, not someone who busts up hotel rooms."

"Addie broke a vase. It was blown out of proportion by the media."

"She broke it throwing it at you."

"She's excitable."

Mike did not want to go there.

"Call your sister," he ordered.

"I will," No said, a smile in his voice. "And Dad?"

"Yeah, Jonas?"

"Love you."

Mike sighed.

Then he said, "Same. Give our love to Addie. And hope to see you both soon."

"Love back to Dusty, Mandy, and Austin."

"Right. Later, son."

"Later, Dad."

They disconnected.

Mike threw his phone on the counter.

Dusty snuggled closer.

"All good?" she asked.

"He sounds happy."

His woman smiled.

"Really happy," he whispered.

"Then it's all good," she whispered back.

He looked into her eyes.

She was happy too. Happy because she was happy, and happy because his son was.

"Love you, Angel," he murmured.

"Yeah, gorgeous, it's all good," she replied and rolled up to her toes.

Mike took her mouth.

Their daughter Amanda at a friend's house, their son Austin at basketball practice, the house was empty.

So after Mike took his wife's mouth, he took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

Then he took something else.

Benny December, Two Years Later Benny turned to his wife, who was sitting on the edge of the hotel bed, strapping on a high-heeled sandal.

"Come again?" he asked.

She tipped her head, her thick, dark hair sliding down her back, and gave him her eyes.

"That's what Vi told me over coffee this morning."

"Angie is dating Jack Colton," Benny stated.

Frankie bent down to finish with her shoe, confirming, "Yeah. They live across the street from each other. They grew up together. They wrestled in the gra.s.s at barbeques when they were kids and they've been dancing around each other at parties with the grown-ups now for years. Vi didn't miss it. I didn't. No one did but Colt and Cal. It's like Colt and Feb, part two. Except hopefully without the heartbreak."

"She's not old enough to date," he told his wife's bent head.

When she straightened and looked at him, she was grinning.

"She's seventeen," she reminded him.

"That's not old enough," Ben declared.

Francesca burst out laughing.

Then she pushed up from the bed and walked on her high-heeled shoes, in her skintight dress, his way.

Ben watched. f.u.c.k, they'd been together seventeen years, she'd given him three kids, and still, watching his wife strut his way, he wanted to bag this wedding, put the do not disturb sign on the door, and spend the afternoon f.u.c.king his wife.

She fitted herself to his front.

And he wanted that even more.

He wrapped his arms around her and stopped thinking about his cousin's daughter.

"How bad you wanna go to this wedding?" he asked.

Her eyes got hot, her face got soft, but her mouth said, "You miss your nephew's wedding, Carm is gonna lose her mind."

She would.

His sister would do that.

And they'd flown all the way to California to do this, so they should probably do it.

Frankie fiddled with his collar. "And you know, just on the heels of Violet's news about Angie, you should prepare. Because Ales told me she has it on good authority from two sources that that Rio boy, who plays wide receiver on the football team, is gonna ask her out."

Ales was his daughter.

Which meant he had a say.

So he said it.

"Ales definitely isn't dating," Ben declared.

"Baby, she's fifteen."

"Exactly. Way too young."

Frankie smiled at him.

"And she's absolutely not dating a kid named Rio. What the f.u.c.k kind of name is that?" he asked.

"I think it's cool," Frankie remarked.

"You're wrong," Benny returned.

She slid her hand to his neck, her lips tipped up. "You're hot when you get all irrational-dad."

"And you're hot all the time. If you don't stop touchin' me, lookin' like you do in that dress, with your t.i.ts pressed to me, we're gonna be late to my nephew's wedding."

Her eyes dropped to his mouth.

"Can't have that," she murmured.

His hands dropped to her a.s.s.

"Babe," he warned on a squeeze.

She lifted her gaze.