“Can you elaborate?” he asks, pulling into Owen’s driveway.
“I might as well wait until we get inside. I don’t feel like repeating this story a million times.”
“There are only four of us,” he reminds me.
“Yeah, but add in Mom and Dad, and the girls, and I can see me having to retell it over and over again. Not to mention, I’m not telling you all everything. I’ll give you enough to understand why I want to kill him. The rest is her story to tell.”
“You think she’ll ever tell it to anyone but you?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. They’re here all alone. Their parents are in Memphis but from what she tells me, there is no other family.”
“No, shit?” he asks, grabbing his keys from the ignition. We climb out of the truck, and I follow him up the porch steps and wait as he knocks. “I guess I need to start doing this at your place now too.” He smirks.
“Might be a good idea.”
“Well, Marsh and I still have open doors,” he says, opening the door when someone from inside yells out to come on in.
“Only a matter of time, Con,” I tease, following him inside.
“What did we miss?” Royce asks as we step into the living room.
“Oh, you know, this guy—” Conrad points at me from where I stand next to him. “—he’s all shacked up.”
“No, shit? Aurora’s moving in? That’s great.” Royce walks toward me with his hand out for me to shake.
“No, she’s not moving in. She stayed at my place last night.”
“Minor details,” Conrad replies.
“Details are important, Con,” Sawyer speaks up.
“Where is she?” Layla asks.
“She went home. Aspen picked her up. They’re coming to dinner tonight at Mom and Dad’s.” I don’t even bother hiding the smile that graces my face, knowing I get to see her again soon.
“Ugh, there.” Marshall points at me. “The goofy lovesick grin is in full swing.”
“Yep.” I’m not going to hide what she means to me. Especially not after what that douchebag put her through.
“So, tell me,” Conrad says.
“Tell you what? What did we miss?” Marshall asks.
“Nosey fuckers,” I mumble.
“And proud of it.” Sawyer winks.
“Aurora, she’s had it rough. Her ex did a number on her. You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” they all agree.
“Her ex is a total fuckstick. I won’t tell you everything, but I can tell you that he tore her down. She thinks her weight is an issue, among other things.” My hands ball into fists when I think about the way he must have treated her. Mentally and emotionally abusing her and taking never giving.
“Calm down there, hulk.” Owen chortles.
“Stop.” Layla, who is glued to his side, smacks him lightly on the chest. “What can we do to help her, Grant?”
“You got lucky with this one.” I point at her, keeping my eyes on Owen. “You too,” I tell Royce, pointing at Sawyer.
“We know,” my two older brothers reply at once, making the girls smile, despite the roll of their eyes.
“Tore her down, how?” Layla tosses out another question.
“Her self-esteem is shit.”
Layla nods slowly. “I’m all over it.” She glances at Sawyer, who nods as well. They hold an entire conversation with just a look. I don’t know what they’re saying, but from the looks of it, I’m not the only one who’s going to be showering my girl with love.
“The girls and I will take care of it.” This comes from my mother, right behind me. I turn to look at her. “Momma’s on it, son.” She winks, and we all laugh.
Reaching out, I pull her into a hug. “Love you, Mom,” I say, kissing her cheek.
“You were always my favorite,” she says, her voice loud, which has my four brothers protesting.
“Oh, hush, you’re all my favorites, you two as well.” She points to Layla and Sawyer. “Now, I believe we have wedding details to go over. Get busy.” She claps her hands, and we all jump into action.
We spend the next couple of hours moving furniture around Owen and Layla’s living room. The Riggins women couldn’t seem to make up their minds, but we didn’t mind. Anytime we get the opportunity to all be together is welcome. I just wish Aurora were here with us.
I rode with Conrad to Mom and Dad’s with the hope that I could catch a ride home with Aurora and Aspen. If not, one of my brothers will take me home, but I’m hopeful that it’s Aurora that I leave here with.
“Boy, you keep watching the driveway, you’re going to stare a hole in it.” Dad laughs.
“You need to work on your jokes, old man,” I counter, moving away from the window. He’s not wrong. If stares could cause holes to form, there’d be many forming in their driveway right now. Aurora texted me almost twenty minutes ago and said they were on their way.
“Things are going well with the two of you?” Dad asks.
“Better than I could have imagined.”
He nods. “You know what that is, right?”
“Love?” I ask, knowing damn well what he’s talking about.
“That too.” He grins. The lines around his eyes are more prominent as he ages. “It’s the magic, Grant.”
“Come on, Dad. I know you preached that shit to Royce and Owen, but do you really believe in magic?”
“I do.” He nods. His face is stone serious. “Your momma…” He shakes his head. “That woman is my heart.” He taps his chest. “She helped me build an empire to leave to you boys, and then there’s the five of you. She gave me that, and her love.” He swallows hard.
It’s not new to see my father get emotional when he’s talking about Mom. I’ve never seen a love as strong as theirs, well not until Royce and Owen fell in love. They’ve quickly adopted Dad's magic logic.
“There’s someone here for you,” he says, as the sound of Marshall greeting Aurora reaches us in the living room. “Before you go, when you look at her, tell me you don’t feel the magic.” He looks around me. “Hey, sweetheart,” he says.
I feel Aurora step next to me before I see her. I reach out and slide my arm around her waist and press my lips to the top of her head. My heart skips a beat from just having her in my arms. I look up at Dad, and he’s smirking.
“Good to see you. Is that sister of yours with you?”
“You as well. Yes, Marshall took her into the kitchen.”
Dad nods. “That’s where I’m headed. I need to see if my Lena needs any help.” With those parting words, he walks away and my lips descend on Aurora’s. “I missed you.”
“Yeah?”
“You can go ahead and bank on the fact that if I’m not with you, I’m missing you.”
“You’re a smooth talker, Grant Riggins.”
“No, I’m speaking from the heart.”
“I like your heart.”
“Yeah?”
She nods.
“Well, you’re in luck because I love yours.” I lean in for another kiss.