Hugh
Apparently, taking your aggression out on a wooden slab with a target painted on it was something Americans did. Or at least these Americans. I’d lived here for a few years now, so you would’ve thought I’d know all of the intricacies of what it meant to be an American man with a temper. But apparently I hadn’t.
For instance, I hadn’t realized how fun it was to toss an ax towards a target while you were thinking about somebody you hated. For instance, Post-it Note man. I didn’t know his name, didn’t know his face, but every time I imagined that little hoodie-wearing Post-it loving man at the end of that target? I hit near or on the bullseye.
I was kicking ass, if I did say so myself.
“Where did you learn how to throw an ax? I’m a little worried.”
“You should be worried,” I said to Kane as I tossed another ax and hit dead on.
The siren went off and we all laughed before I sat back down at the picnic table, and watched Kingston go up for his round.
“I really wish Daisy could’ve been here for this,” Crew said as he sat beside me, sipping his beer.
I nodded, as the others spoke up in protest.
“We had already scheduled this,” Ford said.
“I invited her. She told me to fuck off,” Noah laughed.
“That’s our Daisy,” Gus said, leaning back against the wall.
“I know we said it was guy’s night, but she could have come.” Ford grimaced. “Does that sound like I’m saying she’s one of the guys? Hell. Why do I feel like we fucked up more than just today?”
I cleared my throat, playing with the label on Crew’s empty beer bottle. “She’s with the girls tonight. They’re doing a pre-bachelorette party for Raven or something.”
Everyone stared at me and I sighed. “We all know by now that Daisy and I are seeing each other. Let us not make it a thing, shall we?”
They looked at each other and then back at me. “I didn’t say a thing.” Ford cleared his throat.
There was a thing that happened when a group of men who were all related, especially with Montgomery genes, just stared at you. They knew things. They didn’t have to say a damn thing, and suddenly you were under the spotlight and there was no getting out of it.
“Would you like us to ask what your intentions are with our cousin?” Kane asked, sipping his beer so casually it had to be fake.
“No, I really don’t want that.”
“I don’t know, I feel like we should say something,” Kingston added, meeting Kane’s gaze before they both turned to me as one.
I held back a shudder. “You know, sometimes I swear the two of you are twins.”
Noah laughed. “People say that often, though technically they’re second cousins.”
“We just like to scare people. We always dress alike on Halloween, mostly to annoy our family.”
“Oh, we are annoyed,” Noah said with a sigh.
“Seriously though. From what I can see, you and Daisy seemed to have known each other before I hired you. You want to talk about that?”
I just sipped my beer as Crew chuckled beside me.
Damn man.
“No, I’d say ask Daisy, but I don’t want to have to kick your ass. Although she could do it herself.”
“Damn right,” Crew mumbled into his beer.
“Now you say something?”
“Hey, I’m best friends with a Montgomery who happens not to be here, you just can’t get away from them.”
I nearly choked on my beer. “Wait, there’s another of them?”
They all laughed as I stared incredulously.
“Which one are you friends with?”
“Lex. Don’t worry, he’s not here. He has better things to do than to deal with all of you.”
“Oh. Then why are you here?” I asked.
Crew just grinned. “Because I wanted to see what happened when you got surrounded by the Montgomerys. You know they wanted to ask you about Daisy.”
“There’s nothing to ask about.”
“You seem to be super protective and touchy with my cousin,” Kane said.
“And I don’t really think it’s any of your business.”
“Wrong move there,” Crew mumbled.
“And on that note, I have to get home. I left my pregnant wife to see this interrogation, and it’s taking too long. Text me the results?” Gus asked as he gave us a two-finger salute and headed out.
“He’s giving up so easily? Fatherhood has weakened him,” Kane said with a laugh.
“Nothing about becoming a father makes you weak.” I shook my head, then checked my phone. Lucy was hanging out with Nora again tonight, but I was just having one beer and a quick dinner before I picked her up. I missed hanging out with my kid, but she was making a whole group of friends. It seemed like I was doing the same thing. Odd. I hadn’t planned on that, but here we were. Life was changing, we were fitting in. And I was currently being interrogated by some of Daisy’s family. Apparently by only a small slice, which was a bit worrying.
“Is she at Alex and Tabby’s house?” Kane asked, and I looked up.
“Are they your aunt and uncle?” I asked, trying to fit the family tree together again.
“Close enough,” Kane replied, and everybody laughed. “Technically, Daisy and I are first cousins, if that helps.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “And Lex?”
“A whole other set of Montgomerys,” Crew put in. “Really, don’t think about it. Just know they think of themselves as cousins in a generation, and go with it.”
“Do you have a family tree on a wall somewhere?”
“Actually, my grandparents do,” Noah said. “It’s a tapestry that Aunt Tabby made.” Noah cleared his throat. “Tabby is Sebastian’s mom. You know, the house your daughter is currently playing at?”
I nodded. “That makes sense. Tabby seems like the craftiest Montgomery.” I frowned. “That sounded a lot more malicious than I meant,” I said with a laugh.
“No, no, you’re right,” Noah said. “It’s true. We’re all a bit crafty in our own way.”
“Some more than others,” Crew mumbled into his beer.
“It’s just so odd to me that you guys are all so close. That you all seem to get along.”
Everybody looked at each other, then at me. “You saw the fight we just had? Yes, Daisy might’ve forgiven us, but it’s still going to be around for a while. We’re going to have to grovel.” Kingston shook his head. “We get along. We love each other. But sometimes we don’t like each other. And that’s okay.”
“Some of us have moved away and come back; not all of us live here right now. We just happen to like it here. And we like working together. There’s always going to be conflict in jobs. When you add family to it, it gets a little more complicated.”
“It’s just what we do,” Noah added.
“And when you add in people like me who have big families of my own? It gets even worse.”
There was something in his tone that worried me, and I leaned forward. “Are you okay, Ford?”
Ford tipped the rest of his beer back and shook his head.
“Not so much. If you think Montgomery family drama is big? That’s nothing. They’re sweet and happy even as they’re burning down the world to save each other. Mine just likes to tear at each other. That’s the Cage family for you. Full of secrets and drama, and it makes me want to pull my fucking hair out.”
“Don’t do that, babe. You wouldn’t like it. I guess you would look sexy bald, but I like your hair.” As if proving his point, Noah pushed Ford’s hair back from his face and smiled.
“I guess a bald Ford wouldn’t be too bad,” I added, and Ford’s lips twitched.
“That ginger hair of yours seems to be working on Daisy.”
“It’s the accent,” Kingston added.
“I can’t help it that I’m a catch,” I said with a laugh.
“Single dad? Check. Ginger? Check. British accent? Check.” Kane counted on his fingers. “It’s actually a little annoying. Thankfully you found a family member to hook up with or whatever, so we aren’t competing for the same women.”
“There wouldn’t be a fight,” I said so casually that Crew nearly snorted beer out of his nose.
“Oh, I like you. I’m glad I don’t have to punch your face in.”
I looked at him and then the others, who all looked oddly serious.
“You’re not serious, are you?” I asked.
“You hurt Daisy, we kick your ass,” Noah said with a shrug. “I mean, she could probably kick your ass harder, but maybe she’d let us have a piece.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
“Should we ask what your intentions are then?” Ford asked.
I frowned. “Is it any of your business?” I asked, my voice low.
“See, that’s going to be a problem. Of course, it’s our fucking business. She’s family.”
I sighed and rubbed my temple. “Like I said before, whatever is going on between me and Daisy is just between us.”
“That’s a lie,” Crew said.
I looked at him, surprised. “Really, you’re going to be the one to say something?”
“When Daisy and I were dating? They were all up in our business. When we broke up? I had to deal with the testosterone thing, but because Daisy and I are still friends and remained friends throughout the breakup, it wasn’t a big deal. But you have a whole lot to lose. I haven’t met your kid, but you seem to be a good dad. I don’t know why you’re here, why things are working out the way they are. But I know Daisy’s childhood. She’s told me enough of it. And they all know it. You wouldn’t risk your daughter for something that’s casual.”
My stomach tightened and I swallowed. “You’re right, I wouldn’t.”
“And Lucy has met her? I mean, I assume so because Lucy said something at the park and it passed along the phone tree,” Kingston said.
I sighed and rubbed my temple. “I’m not good at the single dad thing.” I paused. “I didn’t have full custody until recently. My ex did. We were married for just long enough for me to get citizenship, but that’s not why we got married.”
“Shit,” Kane said with a wince. “Lucy?”
“Yep. We thought we’d try it out, it didn’t work out. My ex got full custody. Until she decided to get married again and start over and didn’t want her daughter anymore.”
The look of raw anger over every single face here calmed me. Because they got it. None of these men would ever do that to their kid or anyone they loved.
“I know why you moved out here. At least about closing up your business. Didn’t realize the whole story.”
I looked at Noah and raised a brow. “Like you don’t do a background check.”
“Background checks don’t have feelings. Emotions. I knew about Lucy, of course. Though I didn’t know the circumstances. But as you’ve already seen, we Montgomerys reel you in. It seems like Nora’s doing a good job with Lucy.”
I laughed. “I swear those two are thick as thieves, and Nora’s friends are bringing her in too. I was so worried my daughter wasn’t going to be able to make friends or figure out how to live in this new state and this new world, and yet here she is, with best friends forever, as she puts it.”
“And you’re hanging out with us. And seeing Daisy. You’re fitting in too,” Kane added.
I snorted. “I don’t think it was supposed to be like this.”
“It never is,” Crew said at my side.
“So, you going to tell us how you met?” Kingston asked.
I shook my head. “Oh fuck no. Not even a little. Sorry.”
We laughed a bit, and my phone rang.
I pulled it out and chugged the last of my water.
“It’s my kid. I should go.”
They all said their goodbyes, and I felt a little closer to the group, not as awkward as it had been. I had guy friends before, of course. But this felt different. In that more adult way where friendships came and went, but some of them stuck.
“Hey,” I said as Alex Montgomery’s face slid over the screen.
“Hey, there’s someone who wants to speak to you.” The bearded man slid off to the side, and Lucy’s face filled the screen.
“Hi, Daddy!”
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Is it okay if I stay the night? I know I should’ve asked before, but then Nora and I are here playing with a fort with her grandma and grandpa and it’s so much fun. Can I?”
“I don’t want to take up so much of their time. You’ve spent the night with Nora three times now and we haven’t reciprocated.”
“Next time then at our house.” She smiled so widely I was afraid I’d gotten caught in a trap. Perhaps I had. She was learning the ways of the Montgomerys and I needed to catch up.
“It’s really okay,” Tabby Montgomery said as she came on the screen. “We’d love to have her. We always have extra things for all of the kids. I probably should’ve called you privately before she got on the phone, but I misjudged the timing.” She laughed as she said it, and then I saw her lean back into her husband’s arms. The two seemed just as in love as they must’ve been when they first met. It was nice, seeing so many functional families around Lucy.
“That’d be great, and I’ll talk to Sebastian and Raven about Nora. Well damn, I guess I should probably talk to them before the wedding, since I don’t know the plans for that.”
“We’ll keep in touch and make it work. Nora’s staying with us during their honeymoon, and we’d love the help.” She winked as she said it.
I just smiled. “Well, thank you.”
“Thank you, Daddy. I love you and goodnight.”
“I love you too, bug. Be safe, okay?”
“Always. Love you to the moon.”
“To the stars,” I whispered as she hung up. I rubbed my hand over my heart.
I loved that kid. She stressed me out, made me worried, and I knew would do the same until the end of my days, but I loved her so damn much.
I slid my phone into my pocket and realized I had a whole night off and I didn’t have to work tomorrow until later in the evening. We had a night off, and that meant I had the morning off; instead of Saturday cartoons and Lucy’s fun mornings, I could do whatever I wanted.
So that’s how I found myself in the car driving towards Daisy’s house without even thinking. She was probably still out with her friends. I should probably text her and check in.
I wanted more. I needed more.
A part of me needed to keep her safe too. Because someone was threatening her. Even if it was just a fucking Post-it Note. I needed to figure out who it was before they hurt her. I’d be damned if that ever happened.
I pulled into her driveway, happy to see that her living room light was on. Of course, that could’ve just been a security measure, but I hoped she was home. And because I knew she had cameras up, she would know I was here before I even got out of the car. Good.
Because I wanted her, but I didn’t want to worry her.
When I got out of the car, I wasn’t surprised she opened the door before I even reached it.
“And what are you doing here?” she asked, a glass of wine in hand and a brow raised.
“Lucy’s with Nora’s grandparents for the night. I seem to find myself alone.”
She smiled and tilted her head back as I hovered over her.
“That sounds like a predicament.”
“I have a whole night free. Whatever shall I do?”
And then my mouth was on hers, and the door was closing behind us, and I let myself breathe.
Just for the night, I let myself be.