Winter's Touch
Page 42
Coward! she silently fumed, as she listened to how Aisha thought boys were stupid. Sadly, she agreed.
“It’s not bothered you before, how the boys flirt with girls—”
“I don’t care who Noah or Chance flirt with.”
“Oh, so it’s just John you’re angry with?”
“You should have seen him, Mom.” Aisha’s hurt expression, tugged on Winter’s mothering instinct. “He never looks at me the way he did Robin today.”
“How does he treat you?”
“He thinks I’m like one of the guys. They all do,” Aisha answered. “Not one of the boys invited me to go to the spring dance, and Ema got asked by three.”
“That might have something to do with Viper. All the boys at school know how protective he is. It can be a little intimidating.”
“Uncle Cash had his brass knuckles on when her date came to pick Ema up. His father tried to talk him out of taking her, but he did anyway.”
Cash had always been excessive where Ema was concerned. Hell, all the men were. Even Lucky made one of his daughter’s boyfriends go to bible school before church before he would let him talk to his daughter. Winter searched her mind for a way to soothe her hurt feelings. Unfortunately, Aisha came up with her own plan before she could.
“Could you ask Sex Piston if she will cut my hair and go shopping with us?”
Winter blanched. Viper wouldn’t even let Aisha wear mascara. No way would he let the woman give his daughter a makeover.
Thankfully, Viper came jogging down the steps at that moment. “Dinner ready?”
“Yes.”
His appearance had bought her time to make up an excuse for why Sex Piston would never be allowed to work her magic on Aisha. Men had been known to propose after a woman had been given the Sex Piston treatment.
Winter was filling the soup bowls, when someone knocked on the door. Her hands were full, so she expected Viper to answer the door but he sat down on the stool next to Aisha.
“Get that for me, sweet girl?”
Aisha immediately slipped off the stool at her father’s request.
Winter set the bowls down on the counter, seeing Shade followed by Noah, Chance, and John.
“Something smells good,” Razer complimented.
“I made some vegetable soup for dinner. There’s plenty. Would you all like to stay for dinner?”
“No, thanks.” Shade patted his lean stomach. “We’ve had dinner. We’re on our way to the ice cream parlor for dessert. The boys wanted to know if Aisha could go with them.”
The boys looked at Aisha expectantly.
“We usually go on Sundays, but Dad said we can go tonight. You want to come?” John asked, shoving Chance out of the way as he tried to get in the door.
Aisha’s face lit up. Turning to her parents, she asked, “Can I go?”
“Yes, but don’t forget you have homework so come right home when you get back. No sneaking off to Beth or Lily’s to play video games,” Viper cautioned.
“Thanks, Dad. Love you both. Bye!” Aisha ran out the door, with the boys excitedly calling which seat they wanted in the van.
Shade waved. “Thanks for letting her go. We’ll make sure she won’t be gone too long.”
Winter waved back at Shade as he closed the door. Then she lifted a brow at Viper as she set his soup in front of him.
“So, Shade decided to take the boys for ice cream?” She gave him a skeptical look as she moved from behind the counter to stand in front of her husband.
“I may have dropped a suggestion or two.”
Winter flung herself into Viper’s arms.
“And I may have been a little too hard about threatening John when I saw he had a crush on Aisha.”
“A little? You showed him your new tattoo, telling him the five was how many men you killed in the service—”
“I didn’t want to traumatize him. I just wanted to scare him.”
“It worked.” Winter rolled her eyes. “You got that tattoo to show off breaking your record.”
Viper nuzzled her neck. “You would rather have me tell him the truth?”
“No,” she admitted. “Lily didn’t talk to me for a whole week. She said John had nightmares. Then, to make matters worse, when you found out he wanted to take her to the dance, you talked him into working out with you—”
“He said he needed to do strength training for football. I only helped him out,” Viper cut her off remorselessly.
“He couldn’t move for days.” Winter rolled her eyes. “And he wasn’t able to go to the dance.”
“But he can bench press two-fifty.”
Winter laughed into Viper’s shoulder.
“You told Aisha she can’t go on vacation with Shade and Lily this year, and you always let her go. She loves seeing Vida, Sawyer, and Penni’s children. John has never even shown Aisha he likes her. He’s too shy to stand up to you.”
“Still waters run deep.”
Winter raised her head. “What does that mean?”
“I didn’t like the way he watched her play tennis.”
“He was helping her with her serve.”
“I’ll serve him—”
Winter placed her fingers on his lips. “Then why did you change your mind and get Shade to take them out for ice cream?”
“I couldn’t let my sweet girl think she wasn’t as pretty as the other girls.”
“Aw… I love you.” Winter slid his soup away. “For that, I’m going to make you that steak I have hidden in the back of the freezer.”
“I thought you said I had to watch my cholesterol.”
Winter had been proactive about Viper’s health since his cholesterol level had begun inching higher. He was still below normal, but Winter wanted as much time as possible with her handsome husband, planning for them to lead a long and healthy life.
Viper pulled the soup back. “Never mind. The soup is fine. I’m going to need to keep my strength up to keep John in line. Shade told me that he’s up to bench pressing 260.”
Winter ran her hand suggestively down Viper’s thigh before going to the bottom drawer in the fridge and pulling out a chocolate pie. She cut a big piece and placed it on a plate. She carried the remaining pie back to the fridge, taking out the whipped cream. After squirting a huge mound on top of the slice, she reached into a drawer for a fork.
“I’m still not going to let her date until she’s sixteen.”
“I knew you were a big softie. I’ll have to tell Knox he’s not the only one who watches out for squirrels.”
Viper ate a bite of the pie.
“Are you gonna share?”
Viper’s eyes narrowed. “Did you save whipped cream for later?”
Winter took a bite of the pie Viper held out to her, licking the cream off her bottom lip. “What do you think?”
Epilogue
Three
The silence in the house was deafening. Putting on a brave face, Winter went out the back door, seeing Aisha sitting under the tree Viper had planted the year he had built their home. She quietly approached her sixteen-year-old daughter, sinking down onto the grass beside her.
“It’s not bothered you before, how the boys flirt with girls—”
“I don’t care who Noah or Chance flirt with.”
“Oh, so it’s just John you’re angry with?”
“You should have seen him, Mom.” Aisha’s hurt expression, tugged on Winter’s mothering instinct. “He never looks at me the way he did Robin today.”
“How does he treat you?”
“He thinks I’m like one of the guys. They all do,” Aisha answered. “Not one of the boys invited me to go to the spring dance, and Ema got asked by three.”
“That might have something to do with Viper. All the boys at school know how protective he is. It can be a little intimidating.”
“Uncle Cash had his brass knuckles on when her date came to pick Ema up. His father tried to talk him out of taking her, but he did anyway.”
Cash had always been excessive where Ema was concerned. Hell, all the men were. Even Lucky made one of his daughter’s boyfriends go to bible school before church before he would let him talk to his daughter. Winter searched her mind for a way to soothe her hurt feelings. Unfortunately, Aisha came up with her own plan before she could.
“Could you ask Sex Piston if she will cut my hair and go shopping with us?”
Winter blanched. Viper wouldn’t even let Aisha wear mascara. No way would he let the woman give his daughter a makeover.
Thankfully, Viper came jogging down the steps at that moment. “Dinner ready?”
“Yes.”
His appearance had bought her time to make up an excuse for why Sex Piston would never be allowed to work her magic on Aisha. Men had been known to propose after a woman had been given the Sex Piston treatment.
Winter was filling the soup bowls, when someone knocked on the door. Her hands were full, so she expected Viper to answer the door but he sat down on the stool next to Aisha.
“Get that for me, sweet girl?”
Aisha immediately slipped off the stool at her father’s request.
Winter set the bowls down on the counter, seeing Shade followed by Noah, Chance, and John.
“Something smells good,” Razer complimented.
“I made some vegetable soup for dinner. There’s plenty. Would you all like to stay for dinner?”
“No, thanks.” Shade patted his lean stomach. “We’ve had dinner. We’re on our way to the ice cream parlor for dessert. The boys wanted to know if Aisha could go with them.”
The boys looked at Aisha expectantly.
“We usually go on Sundays, but Dad said we can go tonight. You want to come?” John asked, shoving Chance out of the way as he tried to get in the door.
Aisha’s face lit up. Turning to her parents, she asked, “Can I go?”
“Yes, but don’t forget you have homework so come right home when you get back. No sneaking off to Beth or Lily’s to play video games,” Viper cautioned.
“Thanks, Dad. Love you both. Bye!” Aisha ran out the door, with the boys excitedly calling which seat they wanted in the van.
Shade waved. “Thanks for letting her go. We’ll make sure she won’t be gone too long.”
Winter waved back at Shade as he closed the door. Then she lifted a brow at Viper as she set his soup in front of him.
“So, Shade decided to take the boys for ice cream?” She gave him a skeptical look as she moved from behind the counter to stand in front of her husband.
“I may have dropped a suggestion or two.”
Winter flung herself into Viper’s arms.
“And I may have been a little too hard about threatening John when I saw he had a crush on Aisha.”
“A little? You showed him your new tattoo, telling him the five was how many men you killed in the service—”
“I didn’t want to traumatize him. I just wanted to scare him.”
“It worked.” Winter rolled her eyes. “You got that tattoo to show off breaking your record.”
Viper nuzzled her neck. “You would rather have me tell him the truth?”
“No,” she admitted. “Lily didn’t talk to me for a whole week. She said John had nightmares. Then, to make matters worse, when you found out he wanted to take her to the dance, you talked him into working out with you—”
“He said he needed to do strength training for football. I only helped him out,” Viper cut her off remorselessly.
“He couldn’t move for days.” Winter rolled her eyes. “And he wasn’t able to go to the dance.”
“But he can bench press two-fifty.”
Winter laughed into Viper’s shoulder.
“You told Aisha she can’t go on vacation with Shade and Lily this year, and you always let her go. She loves seeing Vida, Sawyer, and Penni’s children. John has never even shown Aisha he likes her. He’s too shy to stand up to you.”
“Still waters run deep.”
Winter raised her head. “What does that mean?”
“I didn’t like the way he watched her play tennis.”
“He was helping her with her serve.”
“I’ll serve him—”
Winter placed her fingers on his lips. “Then why did you change your mind and get Shade to take them out for ice cream?”
“I couldn’t let my sweet girl think she wasn’t as pretty as the other girls.”
“Aw… I love you.” Winter slid his soup away. “For that, I’m going to make you that steak I have hidden in the back of the freezer.”
“I thought you said I had to watch my cholesterol.”
Winter had been proactive about Viper’s health since his cholesterol level had begun inching higher. He was still below normal, but Winter wanted as much time as possible with her handsome husband, planning for them to lead a long and healthy life.
Viper pulled the soup back. “Never mind. The soup is fine. I’m going to need to keep my strength up to keep John in line. Shade told me that he’s up to bench pressing 260.”
Winter ran her hand suggestively down Viper’s thigh before going to the bottom drawer in the fridge and pulling out a chocolate pie. She cut a big piece and placed it on a plate. She carried the remaining pie back to the fridge, taking out the whipped cream. After squirting a huge mound on top of the slice, she reached into a drawer for a fork.
“I’m still not going to let her date until she’s sixteen.”
“I knew you were a big softie. I’ll have to tell Knox he’s not the only one who watches out for squirrels.”
Viper ate a bite of the pie.
“Are you gonna share?”
Viper’s eyes narrowed. “Did you save whipped cream for later?”
Winter took a bite of the pie Viper held out to her, licking the cream off her bottom lip. “What do you think?”
Epilogue
Three
The silence in the house was deafening. Putting on a brave face, Winter went out the back door, seeing Aisha sitting under the tree Viper had planted the year he had built their home. She quietly approached her sixteen-year-old daughter, sinking down onto the grass beside her.
