Page 69 of Not Your Romeo

“You did it already, didn’t you?” I pressed, unable to keep the smile from widening.

Griz worked his mouth with his hand, his shoulders subtly shaking with restrained laughter.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Sean clipped, and somehow, I sensed that he was aware of just how transparent his gig had become.

He hung up, and Griz laughed. He swatted Cane’s upper arm and asked, “You reckon if I tattoo a wolf on my throat, they’ll call me Fenrir in the streets?”

I groaned while Henny and Griz cackled.

“His name was Rory, dumbass. You know, like roar– Lion?” I stared blankly at Griz. It was hard not to be endeared by his ignorance as much as one found themselves annoyed by it at times.

“Fine.” He spat, a glint taking his eyes before he conceded with a grin, “They can just woof at me then.”

“Yeah, I’ll woof at you, big boy. Come ‘ere.” Cane sprang toward him, catching Griz in a headlock.

“God help us all,” I groaned, watching them playfully go at it before the rooster had even crowed.

Griz threw a jab that caught Cane in the ribs, and he let go with an appreciative groan.

“I hope you fought better than that in the joint,” Henny teased.

“Sometimes he did,” Capone added to the roast.

“Fuck all you bastards,” Cane laughed, “I’m gonna go down to the Deuces’ neighborhood and see what’s up with Sauce already.”

“Appreciate you.” I saluted him with my chin.

When he turned to go, I called after him, “Hey, Cane.”

He paused in the doorway and looked back at me.

“I mean it, thanks.” He was the best assassin we’d ever had, and I wanted him to know, I didn’t blame him for losing Sauce.

“You bet, Zig,” he returned, as he shot out the door.

“Alright, which one of you assholes are buying breakfast?” Henny looked between Griz and Talon.

Talon flubbed his lips, “Don’t look at me. Thats what the fuckin’ prospects are for, ain’t it?”

“You guys go on, I’m gonna enjoy the morning with my wife.”

Griz was putting the cables on Capone before they were out the door, reminding him that gratuity was twenty percent or better these days.

“It isn’t over,” Ro quietly warned.

“No,” I calmly agreed, taking her hand in mine.

I drew her to my lap and kissed the side of her head when she surrendered her weight to me, “I imagine we’ll be alright for a while, though. Just you and me, and the babies.”

I placed my hand on her stomach, and she rested her hand on mine and smiled softly.

“I can live with that.” I sighed.

She tried to muffle a giggle, and I instantly dropped my chin to look down at her.

“What?”

“Thought you weren’t no Romeo?”

I smirked and smoothed the hair from her brow. “You’re going to make me admit it aren’t you? Alright then. I’ve discovered a thing or two after more than forty years on this Earth.”

“Discovered what?” She laughed, the smile meeting her pretty eyes.

“A little rose with thorns goes a long way in turning a savage like me into a Romeo.”