4 – Shotgun Blues

This was such a bad idea. And not even for the obvious reasons.

It was the unobvious ones that had my stomach tied in knots.

Standing next to Tray, a quick look in his direction told me he was as nervous as I was.

Albeit, for very different reasons.

~o~O~o~

Three weeks earlier…

“Amelia’s pregnant.”

“What?” I asked, feeling my eyebrows hit my hairline and turning towards the sound of Tray’s voice.

I’d known he’d been seeing – and by ‘seeing’, I meant fucking – Amelia the-Broad-talks-Way-too-fucking-much for the last few months.

And by ‘few’, I meant four.

At most.

Which I guess made me an idiot for being as surprised as I was to hear him tell me she was pregnant.

“That’s what I said when she told me,” he chuckled.

“Umm…congratulations?” I hesitantly offered, before following it up with a chuckled, “I’m sorry? I’m not sure what the proper response is here.”

“Well you’ve got a few weeks to figure it out,” he smiled. “And while you’re at it, whether or not you want the beef, chicken, or the vegetarian tofu nightmare that I’m sure will be on the menu.”

“You’re getting married?” I heard myself ask, wondering if my face would be permanently frozen in a state of shock.

A part of me thought he was fucking nuts to marry her so soon.

The other part of me was jealous as hell that it wasn’t me.

I wonder if Sookie would notice if I switched her birth control out with Tic Tacs…

With how often I was putting my ‘X’ in the center of her box, it wouldn’t take long before I would win in the game of Tic-Tac-Toe.

“I am,” he confirmed with a nod. “I’d been thinking about it, but we made it official as of last night, not long after the plus sign appeared on the piss stick.”

Then turning towards me, he patted me on the shoulder and grinned, “And you’re gonna stand up there with me in case I pass the fuck out. You’re the only one I trust around here that’ll take care of me, without stopping to take pictures of your dick next to my open mouth.”

I’d call him paranoid, but…yeah…

Probies learned the hard way what happened when they passed out drunk around any of their fellow firemen.

“Sure, man,” I smiled in return. “I’d be honored, but…are you sure getting married is the right thing to do here? I mean, you two haven’t been together for very long.”

“I know I could still be a father to the baby without it,” he shrugged. “But I can see her bustin’ my balls twenty years from now. Besides, I want my kid to have both parents around, but with what we do on a regular basis, there’s a good chance I might not be here twenty years from now, much less tomorrow. If something happens to me, I want them to be protected and if we’re married, then Amelia will get all of the survivor benefits and none of the hassle if we were just shacking up instead.”

“Shut the fuck up, man,” I glared. Everything he’d said was absolutely true, but that didn’t stop me from adding, “Everybody is coming home.”

It was our mantra – our promise to one another – every time we got called out to a fire.

We hadn’t lost one of our own in my time on the squad and I would do everything in my power to keep that record going until the day I retired.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” he smiled, but the sound of the alarm blaring through the firehouse, alerting us we had a call to go out on made us both take notice.

Standing up, he slapped me on the back and said, “In the meantime, your only concern should be beef or chicken. Ames is bound and determined to get hitched before she starts to show, but with her dad’s money and connections and her uh…fuck it – with her mouth, I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t have this thing thrown together by next week. Any idea on who you’re going to bring as your plus one?”

“Nope,” I answered a little too quickly, but I already knew I’d be going stag.

There was no way Sookie would be willing to go with me, even though I knew she would be going too.

Amelia the-Broad-talks-Way-too-fucking-much was her best friend.

As if the thought of being around Sookie in that environment with just the guys from the firehouse wasn’t bad enough, Tray himself was a rare breed.

He was what could be called a two-natured.

He’d spent ten years on the police force before crossing the line over to our side. It hadn’t been an easy transition for him to make – not that he couldn’t handle the physical or mental aspect of the training, but the other firefighters had made it harder on him due to his background – and he’d had to work twice as hard as any other probie to earn his place. But once I’d gotten to know him, he’d become one of my closest friends and it was because of him that I had a better appreciation for our arch enemies in blue.

When I’d asked him one night what made him switch sides, he explained, “When you’re a cop, you’re a cop twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. When your shift ends you take it home with you whether you mean to or not. You’re always armed. You’re always on alert. Your brain can’t really turn it off. When we’re fighting fire, we’re fighting against a force of nature. It’s an unknown quantity – an unknown level of danger – and arguably a more dangerous line of work because firing a bullet into the flames isn’t going to stop it. But when I leave here and go home, I’m just me. I can count the number of times I’ve had to don my fireman’s hat off duty on no hands because it hasn’t happened. Cops deal with human nature – both good and bad – but as a general rule, the people you deal with aren’t happy to see you and public perception is that cops are only out there to harass them. Case in point: we drive the rig that gets two miles to the gallon to the grocery store and we get thanked for the job that we do by the people we come across. When I was still out on patrol, I sat in a parking lot writing up a report and got a complaint called in to the station claiming I was idling.”

His explanation had certainly put the differences between our two sides into perspective for me, but Tray getting married to anyone was going to put me in a precarious position.

Because Me + Sookie + closet relationship + red and blue in attendance + open bar = Trouble.

Wondering how in the hell we wouldn’t end up giving ourselves away in front of everyone we knew, Tray inadvertently added to the combustible mix, when he turned to me with a smile and said, “Don’t worry if you can’t come up with a plus one. Ames has a lot of hot sorority sisters. I’m sure you’ll be able to find one who will suit your needs.”

I doubted it.

Sookie wasn’t one of her sorority sisters and she would cut a boo-boo bitch if any one of them came near me – much less came on to me.

But that thought gave me an entirely new perspective on his upcoming wedding, so Tray took my smile to mean something wholly different – just like he had no clue the true meaning of my words – when I said, “I look forward to it.”

Because if her green-eyed monster ended up giving us away, I was more than okay with it.

~o~O~o~

My eyes inadvertently scanned the crowd in the church and spotting the Stackhouse clan all in attendance had me wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, with my fingers automatically tracing the ring I was carrying in each pocket.

The one in my right pocket was for Amelia.

The one in my left pocket was for Sookie.

But only one of them was guaranteed to get slipped onto a finger today.

Seeing the other faces I recognized to be on the police force, sitting in the pews, I couldn’t help but notice even here – in the sanctuary of a church – the lines were still visible by the way they all sat together.

Rows of red and rows of blue.

And seeing the physical reminders of our last meet still showing in the bruises, cuts, and scowls being worn on their faces, I hoped for today – at least – there would be an unspoken truce.

~o~O~o~

Nine days earlier…

“How is it the glory hunters are already here?” Jake complained loud enough for the cop standing on the sidewalk to hear.

The cop being none other than Hoyt Fortenberry.

His eyes narrowed and his spine straightened, while he adjusted the belt that held his gun to his waist, and he only looked more peeved hearing Chow chime in with, “There’s a Krispy Kreme right around the corner, so he didn’t have to travel as far.”

We’d been called out in the early morning hours for a rescue. From what I had gathered, some guy had called 911 saying he was stuck in an air vent at one of the local liquor stores – which was only unusual in that it was barely six o’clock in the morning – but it wasn’t unusual for the cops to respond to rescue calls too.

Although the four patrol cars lining the street seemed a bit much.

We didn’t call them glory hunters for nothing.

As we approached with some of our gear, Fortenberry looked like he was trying to block our entrance with nothing more than sticking his chest out, which only made Jake move to step around him as he said, “Step aside and let the real heroes do their job.”

Putting his hand out, from the angle I was standing at, I couldn’t tell if he’d shoved Jake or if Jake had run into him, while he barked, “You can’t go in yet. This is a crime scene.”

Now that we were directly in front of the store, we could see a few cops through the window all standing around inside – Jason Stackhouse among them – looking up at the ceiling and laughing.

But it was what we could hear through the open door that grabbed our attention.

“HELP ME! I…I CAN’T…BREATHE!”

The biggest cop in the bunch – both in size and, I knew from experience, asshole personality – John Quinn laughingly shouted back, “You’re in an air vent! Just inhale!”

“Hey man,” I began, about to tell Fortenberry to just let us get the guy out and check him over and then they could do whatever the hell they wanted with him.

Because death seemed like a harsh punishment for breaking and entering, if that was how the guy ended up getting stuck in the air vent sometime in the night.

He sounded like he was close to having a panic attack and, if he was large enough to get stuck in an industrial sized air vent, then he could end up giving himself a heart attack.

The street was crowded enough already.

There wouldn’t be anywhere close by for the coroner’s van to park.

I’d forgotten all about the fact his hand was still on Jake’s chest to stop him from going in, but Jake hadn’t.

And I was quickly reminded of it when Jake used it to shove him backwards and growled, “You can call it whatever the fuck you want, but we were called out for a rescue and we’re going in!”

It was enough for the others inside to finally notice our appearance and Fortenberry coming back at Jake was enough for both sides to start swinging punches in defense of their own.

And that was how I came to be arrested by Sookie’s brother.

The charges were eventually dropped, but still…

It was a story we could one day tell our future grandchildren.

But first, their future grandmother would have to tell her present family about us.

~o~O~o~

Hearing the processional music begin to play, I swallowed hard, with my eyes automatically going to the other end of the aisle.

Bridesmaid.

Bridesmaid.

Bridesmaid.

Jesus fucking Christ…

How many were there?

I hadn’t taken any notice at the rehearsal dinner because I didn’t have eyes for anyone but Sookie.

It had been a feat in and of itself, considering I’d done what I could to not look at her at all.

Bridesmaid.

Bridesmaid.

Pay dirt!

As the maid of honor, Sookie was the last one to walk down the aisle before the bride and my mouth went dry, with my throat tightening up seeing her. I couldn’t help but imagine seeing her in the exact same scenario, only with her being the bride and me as the groom, while my hand automatically traced over the ring in my left pocket.

One day…

The ceremony itself was a blur because I couldn’t stop myself from staring at Sookie, which was how I knew she was in the same boat as me.

At this rate we were going to give ourselves away before the bride and groom could even say their ‘I do’s’.

We were so caught up in our own silent conversation that both of us were fumbling when it came time to hand over the wedding rings, but luckily I reached into the right pocket.

Right, both in location and correctness.

Had I reached into the left one, we would’ve been toast before there could even be a toast to the new couple.

But tackling Amelia to get Sookie’s ring back would’ve made for an epic wedding tale.

Once the priest pronounced them husband and wife, I had to lock my knees to keep my feet from moving towards her, but it wasn’t until Sookie slipped her arm through mine so I could escort her back down the aisle behind the bride and groom, that I felt like I could breathe again.

“This could be us, you know,” I whispered, so only she could hear. “You only have to say yes.”

“We can’t get engaged at someone else’s wedding,” she whispered back, with a smile in her eyes that said otherwise. “That’s as tacky as this dress I’m wearing.”

“Say the word and I’ll alleviate you of that problem,” I smiled in return, with my head pulling back slightly. “Just one tug on that zipper and you’ll be mine, right?”

“You pull down that zipper in this crowd and my father will own your ass,” she laughed.

“Worth it.”

It would be.

Taking pictures after the ceremony was its own special kind of hell. Not only did we have to pose a thousand fucking times, half of the time I wasn’t standing next to Sookie.

Yes, that meant for the other half I was standing next to her, but I was in a glass-half-empty kind of mood.

Everything about the day only served as a reminder of what I didn’t have with Sookie.

What I wanted with Sookie.

With any luck, Bridesmaid Number Four – it was easier to remember their numbers than their names I couldn’t care less about – would be bold enough to do more than the simple eye-fucking she’d been aiming my way all afternoon.

Because Sookie was most definitely keeping her eyes on her.

But I knew better than to fan the flames by giving Number Four any reason to think I was interested. Not only because I didn’t want to have to deal with putting her off all night long, but because I knew Sookie would see right through it and pay me back in kind.

My green-eyed monster was on a much weaker chain than hers, so if I saw her flirting with anyone, it would snap in an instant.

I trusted her more than I trusted anyone and I didn’t think for one second she would ever stray, but not being able to tell the world we were together had put a chink into my normally otherwise pristine armor.

It made my normal asshole-self turn into an über asshole.

Arriving at the reception we were once again paired up and announced to the guests as we made our way into the ballroom, with the catcalls from the crowd at our appearance making my hackles rise up.

The entire room was filled with an overabundance of red and blue testosterone, so I knew I’d be fighting them off of Sookie all night long.

And I only felt marginally better hearing Jake’s voice yelling out about the catcalls, “Looking hot Northman!”

Asshat.

“You really do,” Sookie purred at my side once we reached the dance floor to wait for the bride and groom to be announced. “I hope you weren’t kidding earlier because if I can’t control myself, we’re going to end up with the Tacky Hat Trick of the night – getting engaged at a wedding because we were caught fucking at the reception, with this tacky dress up around my waist.”

Tacky or not, I would be the happiest asshole on the planet if she agreed to marry me at someone else’s wedding and her teasing smile became more heartfelt, when I looked down at her and earnestly replied, “I love you, Sookie and I’ve never been kidding about wanting to marry you. Say the word and I’ll drop down to one knee right now.”

The first time I’d asked her had been a spur of the moment thing, so I wouldn’t have had a ring to give her if she had said yes.

Having rectified that in the days that followed, she had yet to see it – much less know that I’d bought one – even though I carried it around in my pocket all of the time.

Her lower lip wobbled a bit and her eyes glassed over with unshed tears, but hearing the DJ announcing the bride and groom at that moment reminded us both we weren’t the only people in the room.

So she reined in her emotions and only shook her head, leaning towards me and whispering, “Like the sight of you in a tux isn’t enough, you had to go and add sweet to your sexy.”

“I hope you’re not waiting for me to apologize,” I smirked in return, knowing she needed me lighten things up before she ended up bawling.

This definitely wasn’t the time or place for that, never mind the fact I couldn’t stand to see her cry.

If our screwing around ended up giving us a daughter one day, I was so screwed.

And being karma’s bitch, we would likely have nothing but daughters.

I was okay with that though.

It wasn’t until Tray and Amelia were halfway through their first dance that we were able to talk again, when the bridal party was asked to join them on the dance floor.

And even then I couldn’t form a single coherent thought, hearing Sookie say, “I’m not waiting for you to apologize, Eric. But I’m sorry for making you wait for me. You deserve so much better than that. I certainly don’t deserve you, but…”

The music was still playing, but neither one of us were moving anymore. If anyone had asked, I would’ve sworn on a stack of bibles the entire world was standing still at that very moment – God knows my heart and lungs had stopped moving – when I managed to ask, “But?”

“Mind if I cut in?”

The voice I couldn’t place right away sounded vaguely familiar, but right as I turned to tell them fuck off – I was almost positive I was in the middle of getting engaged – I bit it back, seeing Sookie’s dad at our side.

So…I was still karma’s bitch.

“Of course,” I managed to smile.

The last thing I wanted to do was piss off my future father-in-law.

He was going to pissed enough finding out I was going to be his future son-in-law.

Handing Sookie off to her dad, I noticed Number Four’s eyes grow hopeful as she began pulling away from her dance partner, so I made a beeline for the bar.

This called for a drink.

Hopefully I would find out sooner rather than later whether or not it would be in celebration.

The scent of an unfamiliar perfume hit me right before Number Four sidled up next to me and asked, “Can I buy you a drink?”

Even though I was sure she was just teasing – it was an open bar, so the drinks were on Amelia’s dad – I was still caught up in my interrupted engagement, so I knew I sounded like a complete dick when I stared back at her and snapped, “No.”

“Aww,” she smiled, not put off in the least by my dickishness. “Lighten up. It’s a wedding. You should be having a good time.”

Then giving me a look that was as explicit as her next words, she let me know her thoughts were dickish as well – in a different sort of way – when she added, “We can have a good time together all night long.”

“I’m spoken for,” I glared at her.

Glaring more so over the fact I didn’t know for sure whether or not Sookie was telling her dad about us at that very moment, but Number Four was right there, so she bore the brunt of my glare.

But whether or not Sookie was ready to tell her family about us, I was positive had she been standing there she definitely would have spoken up.

After all, I’d added sweet to my sexy ass and gift wrapped it for her in a tux.

There was no way Sookie would’ve stayed quiet.

“Oh,” she replied, looking genuinely surprised. “Amelia said you were single.”

“Well, Amelia doesn’t know everything.”

But that broad really did talk way too fucking much.

And maybe I was talking way too much too – counting daughters before they hatched, so to speak – by admitting I was seeing anyone in a room full of our friends.

So I would blame the scotch if it all blew up in my face later on.

As much as I would rather Sookie just stood up to her family and told them about us, I understood her hesitation.

I wouldn’t out us on purpose.

But I ordered another scotch just the same, so I would have a quasi-legitimate excuse in case I inadvertently just did.

And a quick look in Sookie’s direction, still on the dance floor with her dad, I had a feeling she would end up cutting her own throat by cutting Number Four’s throat for hitting on me.

If looks could kill, she would already be dead.

“You’re with Sookie?”

Uh oh.

I guessed I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Sookie’s staring and glaring, but Number Four’s question had the potential to put me hip deep in a pile of Number Two, so I did what I did best.

I was an asshole.

“It’s none of your fucking business who I’m with. All you need to know is that I wouldn’t touch you with his dick,” I snarled out, gesturing towards Jake who had just come up to the bar.

“What about my dick?” he asked with a grin and then rubbed up against me, adding, “It’s because I told you, you look hot tonight, isn’t it? Hot is what I do, lover boy.”

“Oh,” she gasped out again and then nodded, with her apology of, “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

And then seeming to recall my assholery, she added, “But you didn’t have to be a dick about it.”

Storming off, I only shook my head and ended up laughing when Jake asked, “Was it something I said?”

“No,” I chuckled. “It was something I said.”

Straightening up, he smoothed out the front of his suit and said, “She’s kinda hot. Maybe all she needs is a little Jake for the night.”

“I don’t know if little Jake will be able to get anywhere near her,” I laughed. And then I laughed even harder, seeing the look of horror dawning on his face, when I’d answered his questioning expression with, “She thinks we’re gay.”

For the rest of the night, karma seemed to be having a grand old time at my expense because I couldn’t seem to get Sookie alone to finish the rest of our conversation.

My entire future rested on ‘but’.

I know she loved my ass, but this was really taking it too far.

Something I gathered she’d known by the looks she would aim my way.

One look in particular made me grateful my tux came with a pocket square.

It could be repurposed into a gag to keep everyone from hearing her when we ended up fucking in the coat closet.

Since we were in the bridal party, we sat at the head table, with Tray and Amelia sitting in between us. I’d been to plenty of weddings, but I never realized just how long they were until I was stuck – with Tray and Amelia sitting in between us – for-fucking-ever.

Toasts were given to the bride and groom by Sookie and I.

Dinner was served to several hundred guests.

The cake was cut, with Tray proving just how whipped he was when he didn’t smash it into Amelia’s face.

Assholes tapped the rims of their glasses, so the bride and groom would stop and kiss.

Kissing – among other things – is what got them here in the first place.

Did everyone want to see them fucking too?

But all of it only served to prolong the night and all I wanted to do was get Sookie alone, so we could finish our conversation.

Among other things…

In fact, at the moment other things were gaining ground over finishing our conversation.

Sookie’s eyes had been stroking my dick all night long, but she should’ve known better.

It was all fun and games until I put somebody’s eye out, just making my way to the bar.

She was slowly but surely killing me and yet I could guarantee there wasn’t a cop in the room who gave a damn.

I hadn’t made enough trips to the bar that I was drunk – per se – but I was definitely feeling it, more so from the shots I got roped into doing with whoever happened to be standing there. I’d booked a room at the hotel the reception was being held at, more for the time difference in getting Sookie naked than because I knew I would be drinking, so I hadn’t been keeping track of my alcohol intake.

The same couldn’t be said of my bladder.

When I’d left for the restroom, I’d seen Sookie on the dance floor with Amelia and a bunch of other girls, so that was where I expected to find her when I came out.

I sure as hell didn’t expect to find her in the deserted hallway, cornered against a wall by John Quinn.

“Come on, babe,” he slurred. “Let’s take this party up to my room.”

“Move, Quinn. You’re drunk,” she snapped out, pushing against his chest, but he wasn’t budging.

“You’re hot,” he purred. And under any other circumstance I probably would’ve found his next words funny, but I only saw red when he said, “I know you said you only like girls, but I’ve been called a tiger in the sack…”

Unable to silently watch for another second, I stepped forward and shoved him away from her, growling, “Just because you admit you’re a pussy, doesn’t mean she’s interested.”

There could have been any number of ways how he might have heard the lesbian rumors Sookie had started about herself, but the only one I could imagine was that she’d started it because of him hitting on her at her dad’s bar.

I wanted to kill him, chop him up into little pieces, and feed those pieces to a real tiger.

And then burn the shit he came out as.

Quinn might have been bigger than me and on any other day I could admit he would probably be able to take me in a one on one fight. But size had nothing on the blind rage of a man defending his woman.

Even if he was the only one to know she was his woman.

The amount of alcohol he’d consumed didn’t help him any when he tried to regain his balance, so it took him a moment to get his footing before he bowed up and snidely snarled, “Me and her go way back and you don’t even know her, but I can tell you she sure as hell isn’t interested in you, so…”

I didn’t hear much of anything after his claim they went way back, thanks to the blood rushing through my ears. All I know is one minute I was standing in front of Sookie and her hands were pressed against my back and the next I was flying at Quinn.

With my fists pressed against his face.

Repeatedly.

I don’t know how long I was pummeling his face before I was pulled off of him. Nor do I know how many people had been a witness to it all.

But the once deserted hallway was filled to the brim when we were finally separated.

“What the fuck is going on?”

The question snarled into my ear let me know it was none other than Jason Stackhouse who had my arms twisted up behind my back.

And a quick glance at the crowd told me Sookie’s dad was a spectator to it all too.

Fucking karma had fucked me in the ass again.

“I was on my way to the bathroom when Quinn cornered me against the wall,” Sookie spoke up from somewhere behind me. “He wouldn’t let me go and Eric was just defending me.”

His grip on my arms disappeared as soon as he’d heard his sister’s version of events. But I knew Quinn must have gotten a hit or two of his own in when my mouth hurt with my smile, seeing Stackhouse appear at my side right before he stepped forward and punched Quinn in the face himself, growling out at the same time, “I told you to leave my sister alone.”

I would probably end up getting the same punch to the face at some point, when he learned I hadn’t – in fact – been leaving his sister alone, but I didn’t care.

It would be worth it.

Quinn was hauled off by a few of his fellow men in blue – and getting his ass ripped by them while they did it – but I’d had enough celebration for one night and went up to my room, rather than return to the reception when all was said and done.

It was nearly an hour later when Sookie knocked on my door, with a sad smile on her face when she got a good look at my face.

Quinn had gotten in more than one or two punches.

“My hero,” she softly smiled, wrapping her arms around me and laying her head against my chest.

But I’d had an hour to not only decompress, but to stew too, so there was no smile on my face as I asked, “How many times has he done something like that to you before?”

While I knew she got hit on and she knew I got hit on, it wasn’t something we usually discussed in detail.

Pouring salt onto wounds.

Fueling a fire.

Pick your metaphor, it was all the same.

Painful.

“Enough that I had to switch teams,” she sighed and then turned to look up at me to add, “So it’s a good thing you love me enough to dress in drag.”

“Sookie,” I stared down at her warningly.

I knew she was just trying to lighten the mood, but before tonight I just thought Quinn was an asshole.

Now I viewed him as a threat to her safety.

For all I knew, even if we were out with our relationship, he wouldn’t give up his pursuit of her.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t think to look for his body in the woods behind her Gran’s house.

“So,” she began in a way that told me she was about to change the subject. “My dad was looking to buy you a drink after the hullabaloo.”

Fuck.

Fucking Sookie and her effective subject changing skills.

“Hullabaloo?” I heard myself ask with a teasing grin.

With her arms still wrapped around me, she didn’t need to move much to pinch my ass in warning, but only said, “Yep. He said you weren’t so bad…for a drip stand.”

“I guess that’s progress,” I chuckled.

“It is,” she agreed and then turned to look up at me again. “So I’m going to give it a few days and then tell them about us.”

“What?”

My ears were deceiving me.

I was sure of it.

“I would have done it tonight,” she smiled. “But on the off-chance it’s not well received, I figured one fight at the Dawson wedding was enough. You’re all over Instagram. There’s a hashtag and everything.”

“What?” I repeated, ignoring everything after she said she was going to tell her family about us.

“I’m tired of hiding,” she pouted. “I’m tired of waiting. I want us to be able to move forward.”

Then her eyes narrowed as she ended with, “And I want to be able to slap a bitch when I see them trying to pick you up at a bar and say ‘That’s MY man!’”

“Saw that, did you?’ I chuckled and then added, “Don’t worry. She thinks I’m with Jake.”

“I’ll slap him too,” she threatened, without missing a beat.

And it was only a beat later when she seemed to disappear.

The tug on my pants was what alerted me to the fact she’d dropped down to her knees.

“What are you doing?” I heard myself ask in an unrecognizable voice.

She’d managed to free my dick from my pants at the same time and it sprang out, christening her forehead when it did, and her laughed out words only solidified in my mind the fact she was – in fact – perfect for me.

“It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.”

That’s all I wanted.

A lifetime of fun and games with her.

I hadn’t doubted we would get there eventually, but hearing her say she would be telling her family about us sooner rather than later made it feel like it was Christmas morning.

But, as soon as she wrapped her lips around me, Christmas morning wasn’t the only thing I was feeling.

A lifetime with Sookie wouldn’t be long enough.

But I would take it.