Derailed (20 page)
Authors: Gina Watson
“She needed a better lawyer. If you were to give Ryder a tat, you wouldn’t go to jail. But I do think ten is a little young for one, do you not?”
“Oh no, I do. Especially a superhero tat.” She giggled. “I don’t think he’d be happy with that when he was thirty.”
“No, I don’t either.”
They laughed as she wiped away the excess ink. She continued to touch up his arm and when she was finished she cleaned the area to reveal her masterpiece. She inhaled deeply. “Okay, it’s finished.”
Everett jumped from the chair and skidded over to the wall mirror. Fiona stood wide-eyed behind him, chewing her lip.
What if he hated it?
She herself was pleased with how it had turned out, but the realization of her name on his arm permanently made her nervous.
He turned to face her, his mouth agape. Slowly he shook his head, “It’s beautiful. I’ll cherish it always.” He hugged her. “Let’s go pick up Ryder.”
***
“Is this the biggest cinnamon roll you ever saw?” Ryder asked.
“I do believe it is.” Everett forked a large bite into his mouth. “Mmm, he chewed, and then washed it down with tea. “Best tasting too. That’s delicious.” He pointed with his fork. “Fiona, have you tried this thing?”
“Yes. It’s superb.” She smiled at his giddiness.
His eyebrows rose in an unvoiced question and she took the bait. She cleared her throat, “So uh Ryder, we have some news.”
“What?” He looked back and forth between them.
Fiona held out her left hand. “That’s a nice ring, Mom. Did Everett give it to you?”
“He did. Do you know what that means?”
“What?”
“We are engaged to be married. We’re gonna be a complete family.”
Ryder looked at Everett for confirmation, “Really? What about Boston?”
“We are a family now. I resigned from my job to move back to Baton Rouge, forever.”
Ryder smiled. “So we’re all gonna be Davids?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Even me?”
“Of course you,” Everett said. “You don’t want to keep your last name?”
“No, I want to be a David.” Everett nodded. “You will definitely be a David. You already are at heart.”
“Do you want Miller as your middle name?” Fiona asked.
“Why?”
“Ryder, your namesake is part of who you are. Certainly exposure can change that and you can become part of another clan. Miller is your birth name. You may one day decide you want to be part of both the Davids and the Millers. If you keep your birth name, your name would be Ryder Jay Miller David. Or you can just be Ryder Jay David. Think about it, and then you can let us know.”
Ryder nodded, seemingly understanding the importance of the decision.
“And this is a cummerbund. You wrap it around your waist”—Everett clipped the sash together behind Ryder’s back—”Once it’s in place you can tighten it.” Everett pulled the sash to tighten it. “There you go. Check it out.”
Ryder turned in the mirror, admiring his cummerbund.
“Now for the bowtie.” Everett placed his tie around his neck and placed another black tie around Ryder’s. “Pull the ends down so that they’re even. Good. Now do the crossover.” Everett watched Ryder closely. “Looks real good, Ryder. Now we make the first bow. Hold it there with your finger and prepare for the big loop—over and under. Great job. And now we make the second bow and just tuck it right into the loop.” Everett helped Ryder a little just to get it straight. “You have to give it a wiggle-wiggle. There it is.” He turned Ryder toward the mirror. “What do you think?”
“I’m fancy.”
“You are fancy.”
They put their patent leather shoes on and donned their jackets. He wanted Fiona to see Ryder in the full getup. Everett went into the bathroom to check his hair one last time in the mirror and put on aftershave. It was always something he did last in his dressing sequence. However, this time a pair of blue eyes watched him.
“What’s that?”
“After shave.” Ryder seemed very interested in the bottle. “Would you like a little?”
He cupped his hands together and Everett splashed a little onto them. He watched as Ryder mimicked his every move. When he smoothed his hair down, Ryder did the same. “That’s the end of it. We are two handsome dudes. Let’s go find your mom and see if she agrees.”
Fiona was sipping tea in the kitchen. She turned when she heard their voices. When she saw them her hands cupped her face. Everett wondered if something wasn’t quite right.
“Fiona?”
She inhaled through a stuffy nose. “Oh my God, Ryder.” Tears fell fast and furious down her face. “You look like a gentleman.” Her eyes locked with Everett’s, “Thank you.”
He went to her and pulled her into his chest. “Our appearance wasn’t supposed to make you cry. You may give us a complex. Here we thought we looked hot and we’ve made you cry.”
“You do look hot. I’ve just never seen Ryder in a tux before. You two handsome lads took my breath away.”
“Now that’s more like it,” Everett cockily smiled. “Ryder don’t forget, mum’s the word on the engagement for now.”
“It’s our family secret.” Ryder winked and walked ahead of them out to the SUV.
“Oh geez, he’s winking now. He’s just going to be a miniature version of you, isn’t he?”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it’s a wonderful thing.”
“PumPecApple cake.”
“Puppypull cake.”
“No pum—pec—apple cake.”
“Pum—pec—apple.”
“There you go.” Ryder made a grand gesture by clapping his hands together when his little brother Anthony got the name right.
“Mom, you’re my sous-chef.”
“Yes, and I’d like to thank you for this high honor by offering you a gift.”
“Awesome, you know I love gifts.”
“I do, baby.”
She passed him a soft package wrapped in brown paper. He ripped it open and pulled out the apron. Embroidered on the lapel was:
David Seafood Company
Ryder Jay David
On the chest was an embroidered crawdad.
“It’s perfect, Mom.” He leaned over and hugged her into his side, kissing the top of her head. He was six-feet tall now and towered over her five-foot frame. “Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome. I know you’re excited to start working with Parker.”
“It’s so cool. I can’t believe we’re opening a David family restaurant.”
“Your idea was a great one.”
“Mommy, we’re gonna make a puppy pull cake.”
“Puppy pull?”
“That’s not how we practiced it Tony.”
“Pum—pec—apple.” Ryder ticked the names off on his fingers and his six-year-old brother attempted the same.
“Pum—pec—apple cake.”
“Where’s Ryder?” Everett asked.
“Dad?” Ryder watched his father scarf down a kolache.
Everett pointed at the pastry, “Best kolaches ever!” He reached for another, but Fiona swatted his hand away. He pouted.
“You’ve had enough. Ryder’s making a pum—pec—apple cake and we’ve still got to leave room for your brother’s fried crabs, Julian’s turducken, and I think your father is out on the porch smoking a turkey.”
Everett smiled proudly. “Just another Thanksgiving day at the David’s.”
“Ryder, before you get started, I’ve got something for you. Why don’t you follow me?” Fiona smiled knowingly.
Ryder followed Everett out to the driveway where a brand new Chevrolet Silverado truck sat. Everett pressed the key fob prompting a series of digital beeps, and then he jiggled the keys. “I know you’ll need a truck for your new job. Your mother and I talked about having you help with the gas, but we’ll settle on that later. Merry Christmas, son.”
“Dad, I …” Fiona knew her son well enough to know that he was trying not to cry.
Everett, who was crying and not afraid of letting it show, pulled his son into a tight hug. “I love you, Ryder.” His voice cracked with the admission.
“I love you too, dad.”
Fiona watched from the sidelines, not wanting to disturb their moment. She got much joy out of watching the two of them interact.
“Now tell me, what the hell is a pum—pec—apple cake?”
They laughed deeply. “It’s a pumpkin pie baked in a spice cake, a pecan pie baked in a devil’s food cake, and an apple pie baked in a caramel-flavored cake. Three pies, three cakes, stacked together and iced.”
“Holy hell. It’s the turducken equivalent dessert.”
“Needless to say, it’s the only dessert we’re having this Thanksgiving.”
“I should think so.”
Fiona approached and they made room for her in the middle. With her son on one side and her husband on the other, life was complete. Almost. “We left little Anthony in the kitchen with your icing. He and Maura are licking the bowl, so you may be short for the cake.”
The men chuckled.
“I have some news,” Fiona said.
They both looked at her, patient and waiting. She looked at Ryder, “You’re going to be a brother again”—and then she turned to look at Everett—”And you’re going to be a father, again.”
They group hugged and shared some tears.
“Mom, that’s great. Another brother, or maybe this time we could get a sister in the mix.”
“I’d like a girl too, but not because boy’s aren’t the best,” Everett clarified.
“Boys are the best,” Fiona confirmed. “This is the best Thanksgiving of my life.
“You say that every year,” they both mumbled in unison.
“That’s because every year it’s true.”
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed
Derailed: David Family Saga, Book Three
. I loved, loved, loved, little Ryder Jay Miller. Up next and just in time for Halloween is
The Haunting of Ashton David
. He’s the crazy demented billionaire cousin of our seafood loving Davids. I want to do something for my devoted readers and so I am offering the book for .99 cents. Make sure to pick up a copy for a spooky good time.
What about Courtney David, Parker, Julian, and Everett’s feisty little sister? Her story will be available November 2014. I’ve been waiting for this one. It’s entitled
Dirty
. You may recall Courtney had a little dream on the couch about a guy named Sawyer. It’s basically your rich little daddy’s girl meets a rough around the edges blue-collar worker (I have one of those and I love him). Sawyer has many secrets and he is going to be difficult to get to know, but I think Courtney can handle him.
As an author, I love feedback. Candidly, you are the reason that I explored Parker’s future and now we have the Davids. So, tell me what you liked, what you loved, even what you didn’t like. I’d love to hear from you. You can write me at
[email protected]
and visit me on the web at ginawatson.net.
Finally, I need to ask a favor. If you’re so inclined, I’d love a review of
Derailed: David Family Saga, Book Three
. Loved it, didn’t love it, long, short, words of encouragement—I’d just enjoy your feedback.
Reviews can be tough to come by these days. You, the reader, have the power now to make or break a book. If you have the time, here’s a link to my author page on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/author/ginawatson
. You can also find all of my books at http://ginawatson.net/books/main.php. To make it easier, I’ve only listed this one platform, but you may review it at Barnes & Noble, iBooks, wherever you purchased the ebook. Additionally, if you didn’t purchase the book at Amazon, but do have an Amazon account, you can leave your review there—just click the link above.
Thank you so much for reading
Derailed: David Family Saga, Book Three
and for spending time with me.
In gratitude,
The Haunting of Ashton David
Excerpt
Excerpt has not been edited. Content may change upon final publication.
Chapter 1
“Harmony, Ashton’s waiting! Get your butt down here already!” Her brother hollered from downstairs.
Her mom placed the last pin in her hair, and then she stood in front of the mirror to check her look.
“You look beautiful, darling.” Her mother kissed her cheek, careful not to mess up her hair.
“I can’t believe I’m attending junior prom.”
“I attended junior prom with your father when I was just a freshman. Just think, you’ll get to go all four years.”
Harmony smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Now your father and I talked, and despite our advanced age”—Mom rolled her eyes—”we know a thing or two about what goes on at prom and the party after. We’d like for you to use these.”
From her pocket she produced an assortment of condoms. “Oh, my God, Mom! I don’t need those!”
“Now, now. I’ll just place them in your bag in case a situation pops up.” She giggled.
“Nothing’s going to be popping up.”
“Okay, darling. The men are waiting. Shall we?”
She descended the stairs carefully as she was prone to falling—her grace and coordination were akin to a football player standing in for the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Her copper chiffon dress whispered as her knees and legs traversed the stairs. The dress was strapless and trimmed in a faint gold ribbon and bow around her waist. She felt feminine, even if she didn’t look it. The shoes were precarious, however and she tripped over her feet on the last stair, and toppled into the arms of her lover—Ashton Benjamin David.