Tyler happily groaned as Tom’s balls emptied. He felt Tyler swallowing, coaxing, trying to get as much out of him as possible. After a moment, Tom started laughing as he tried to pry Tyler’s mouth off him. “Okay, buddy, enough. I’m too sensitive.”
Tyler released him with a soft, wet pop. He wore a handsome smile as he rested his cheek against Tom’s thigh. “Did I do good, Sir?”
“Buddy, you did fantastic. Come here.”
Tyler crawled up the bed to him. Tom reached over to turn off the bedside lamp before wrapping his arms around Tyler and spooning with him. Tyler pulled the sheets up over them. He kissed the back of Tyler’s neck. “I love you, buddy. You’re my guy. Always.”
Tyler hugged Tom’s arms tighter around him. “And you’re mine, love. Forever.”
Chapter Five
Thursday
Nevvie slept fitfully, even with little Harley curled up in bed with her. She never slept as well as she did when comfortably sandwiched between her two men, their warm bodies an almost guaranteed defense against any bad dreams wanting to disturb her sleep.
She looked at the little dog, who always managed to snuggle tightly against her. Despite how Adam sneakily brought him into their family, in retrospect, she was glad he had. She’d come to love the little dog and wished she hadn’t put off getting one for so long.
Her sleep wasn’t helped any by the fact that she turned on the TV in her room, the volume set low, and had the Weather Channel playing all night. What precious little sleep she managed had been plagued with nightmares about evacuating from Katrina with Alex, interspersed with waking up to see Edgar’s track inexorably bearing down on Tampa, which had instituted mandatory evacuations of a record-breaking magnitude.
Unfortunately, people weren’t responding as quickly as emergency management wanted. Too many of them remembered the unnecessary evacuations of 2004, when Charley was supposed to hit Tampa and swerved east at the last minute to veer up Charlotte Harbor to the south.
Edgar, however, was no Charley. Far larger in size, with hurricane and tropical storm–force winds extending at least three times farther from the eye than with Charley, and moving much slower, this monster destruction machine wouldn’t be making any last-minute course changes to spare the area like the smaller and vastly more nimble Charley. It would also push a massive wall of storm surge water ahead of it into Tampa Bay.
Nevvie sat up in bed and hugged her knees to her chest, with Harley clinging to her side, as the Weather Channel went live with the 5:00 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. From the stunned looks of the staff behind the man at the podium, she knew this was bad.
When the update ended, the Weather Channel switched back to their newsroom, where they summarized the storm’s latest position and track. Then they switched to live traffic cameras in Tampa.
Even though not quite daylight yet, miles of headlights inched northward on I-75 in both the north- and southbound lanes.
The never-before-used contraflow traffic plan had been put into effect.
“…and emergency management officials are warning all residents who plan to evacuate that if you haven’t completed your preparations in advance of leaving, you need to do so immediately. The weather will continue to deteriorate throughout the day. Officials plan on closing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge at 7:00 p.m. tonight, possibly sooner if sustained winds top thirty-five miles per hour before then. Also, the Courtney Campbell Causeway, Howard Frankland, and Gandy bridges across Tampa Bay will be closed starting…”
She grabbed her laptop, booted it, and loaded the website for one of the Tampa television stations. They carried a live feed of their newscasts.
I shouldn’t be doing this. This is stupid. It’s not going to change a damn thing. She didn’t know why she was torturing herself like this. There was nothing she could do but wait and pray with the rest of the world and hope her family remained safe.
The soft knock on the door startled her. “Come in.”
Peggy walked in, carrying a mug of coffee. She closed the door behind her. Then she handed the mug to Nevvie and picked up Harley before joining her on the bed.
“They’ll be okay, sugar,” Peggy softly assured her. “Everyone’ll be just fine.”
Nevvie leaned against her, enjoying the comforting feel of Peggy’s arm around her shoulders as she stared at the screen and sipped her coffee. “How many storms have you been through?”
“More than my fair share. We don’t need to worry about flooding here. We’re on high ground. Not to mention, years ago Adam cut back the trees close to the house so we didn’t need to worry about any landing on the roof. I am going to ask Clay and the twins to come here to ride out the storm, though. I doubt there will be any flooding where they are since it’s coming at us over land, but if they lose power, it could be awhile before it gets restored. I’d feel better having them here.” Years earlier, Tom had installed a whole-house generator at Peggy’s, like the one they had in Florida, in case of power outages.
“Do I smell cinnamon rolls?”
“Andy’s already up and baking,” Peggy confirmed. “We had a feeling you and Laurie will both want to be glued to the TV today.”
“I’ll try not to be.”
“Honestly? I’m glad she’s here. It’s one less worry for John and Kelly right now. She’s such a sweet girl. And she looks just like you.”
Nevvie had an idea. “Would you mind watching the boys for me today?”
“I still want to laugh every time you ask me that. Of course I don’t mind. But why?”
“I think Laurie and I need a girls’ day out. I know I could use one. Get our hair and nails done and go shopping.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea. It would keep you both occupied.”
With a sigh, Nevvie shut down her laptop. Then she turned off the TV. An amused giggle escaped her.
“What’s so funny?”
She looked at Peggy, the giggles still bubbling out of her. “You and I can both be Mrs. Kinsey-Paulsons.”
“We’ll see, sugar. We’ll see. You never know.” Nevvie didn’t miss her playful smile.
* * * *
After her shower, Nevvie joined Peggy and Andrew in the kitchen, where a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls had just emerged from the oven. Laurie shuffled into the kitchen in her pj’s, her hair tousled, and rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“Good morning, sugar,” Peggy greeted her.
“Good morning, Grandma.” She gave the three of them hugs before slumping into a chair at the table.
“You’re up early,” Andrew said.
The girl shrugged.
“Listen,” Nevvie said. “I have an idea. You and me, girls’ day out. Mom said she’ll watch the boys for us. What do you say? We’ll get our hair and nails done and hit the mall.”
The ghost of a smile curled her lips. “Okay.”
“Good. You eat, then grab a shower.” She could tell from the girl’s body language that Laurie was as close to tears as she herself was. Once Laurie had finished breakfast and headed for the bathroom, Nevvie called John and Kelly.
“Good morning, early bird,” John teased. “How’s Savannah? Anything new in the world?”
“Yeah, Dad, cut the small talk. We’re all worried about you.”
“Don’t be. We’re heading over to your house in a couple of hours. Whatever happens, happens. We’ll be fine.”
“You stay safe. But why I called was I’m going to take Laurie out today. Do girl stuff. Buy her some stuff. Take her mind off what’s going on, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Well, that’s why I called. I want to get her a cell phone, if it’s all right.”
“Let me get your mom.”
A mixed thrill ran through Nevvie at that phrase. Another giggle wanted to burp through, but she stifled it.
After a few minutes of discussion with them both, Nevvie had the green light to do it. It wou
ld help take Laurie’s mind off things.
Not to mention Nevvie welcomed the distraction.
* * * *
They headed out a little after nine, following Nevvie calling home to check in. Tom and Tyler agreed with her plan. “Let’s consider this shopping trip an early birthday present,” Nevvie told Laurie with a smile. With four weeks until her thirteenth birthday, Nevvie didn’t feel guilty about wanting to spoil her little sister, considering all the years they’d missed. “I can make up for all the birthdays we weren’t together.”
Laurie smiled. “I’m glad you’re here for this one.”
“Me, too.”
Hair and nails first. Then lunch at the food court before their shopping began in earnest. Nevvie didn’t just shop for Laurie, but for herself and her sons, too. She bought them clothes, a new video game system to replace the aging one at Peggy’s, along with several games the boys and Laurie would enjoy playing together.
On a whim, Nevvie asked, “How old is your laptop?”
“A couple of years old. It’s Mom’s old one. Why?”
Nevvie grinned. Easier to get forgiveness than permission. “Consider this an early Christmas, too.” She took them to an electronics store where, after looking at several models, Nevvie bought her a mid-line unit that would last the girl a couple of years, at least.
Then they headed to their last stop. “I asked Dad and Mom about this, and it’s okay with them,” she said as she pulled up in front of the cell phone store. “They are going to have rules on when you can use it, but this is an extra special present from me to you. Okay?”
She leaned over and hugged Nevvie. “Oh my god, thank you!” she squealed.
An hour and one new iPhone later, they were back home at Peggy’s. “Goodness gracious,” Peggy commented. “Did you buy out the whole mall?”
Nevvie grinned. “After what happened in Yellowstone, Tyler pretty much gave me a license to spend.”
As the women watched Laurie schlep her purchases into the house to her bedroom, Peggy leaned in close to Nevvie. “She doesn’t look as worried as she did this morning. Good job, sugar.”
“How bad is the storm? Have you been checking on it?”
Peggy’s lips pressed together in a thin line. “I wish the boys and your folks were up here instead of down there. But I know Tommy would never risk anyone’s safety. If he thinks y’all’s house is safe, it’s safe.” She looked at Nevvie. “Still, it wouldn’t break my heart to have all y’all up here for good, either.”
* * * *
The twins and Clay arrived not too long after Nevvie and Laurie returned. The twins had decided to get their stuff that afternoon because the weather would quickly deteriorate by the next afternoon as Edgar’s outer bands approached their area. After they were settled in their rooms, they gathered with Peggy at the kitchen table.
“I’m not looking forward to this,” Elle said as she stared at her glass of iced tea.
Danny nodded in agreement but didn’t speak.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you this afternoon?” Clay asked.
“Not that we don’t want you to go, Dad,” Elle said, “but Mom will start in on us whether or not you’re there. It might be worse if you are. You know how she is. I just want to get our stuff and get out of there with as little grief as possible.”
“I could go with you,” Andrew offered. “I wouldn’t mind.”
Danny and Elle exchanged a glance. Nevvie stepped in. “He can drive my Pilot. We’ll put the seats down so you can fit more stuff in. It’ll go faster with three people than with two, right?”
“Are you sure, Grandpa?” Danny asked.
Nevvie didn’t know if Andrew, Peggy, or herself brightened more over his comment. Nevvie suspected at the rate the family was adopting Andrew that if Peggy didn’t eventually marry him everyone would turn on her.
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“I know I’d really appreciate it,” Clay said.
“Then it’s settled,” Andrew said. “We’ll go get this done and over with and enjoy what we can of the weekend. It’s liable to get a bit wild outside by Saturday.”
The twins went to get ready. Peggy hugged Andrew and gave him a kiss. “Thank you, Grandpa,” she said, smiling.
“It’s quite all right, love.”
“I’ll get you my keys, Dad,” Nevvie said, unable to contain her pleased grin.
* * * *
After the three of them left, Nevvie went out to the shed with Clay in an attempt to help him straighten it up to make room. As Nevvie soon discovered, he wouldn’t let her help. Instead, he insisted she sit down and stay out of the way.
“Nevvie, if I let you help me and something happens to those babies, Peggy, Tommy, and Tyler will all kill me. You just sit there and keep me company.”
“I’m not an invalid!”
“I know, but I don’t care.” He shuffled boxes of Christmas ornaments around into a neater pile. “You don’t need to be doing this kind of stuff.” The storage shed was actually more of a barn, large enough to hold several cars if it hadn’t already been half full of other things. “Besides, they won’t have that much. And Danny and Dad can help when they get back.”
Nevvie involuntarily giggled.
“What?”
“You called him ‘Dad.’”
He paused, thoughtful. “Yeah, I guess I did, didn’t I?” He sighed. “It’s been years since I’ve seen Peggy this happy. I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
“Thank me? For what?”
“Well, for starters,” he said as he shifted another box, “for not holding what happened against me or against Danny and Elle. I wouldn’t have blamed you one bit if you had. And secondly, for introducing Mom and Andrew to each other.” He moved another box. “She was heartbroken after Adam died.” He paused, deep in thought. “The twins barely remember him. They were so young when we lost him.”
“I guess it wasn’t easy on anyone, was it?”
“No. But she refused to lean on us. We tried. You know how stubborn she is, though. She just pushed us away. Put on that big-girl-britches front she has. Didn’t want us fussing over her. Tom even wanted to leave school and come home, and she forbade him to do it. We all hoped one day she’d meet someone else, but she never did. Not for lack of us trying to fix her up.”
“Let me guess. That didn’t go over very well?”
He snorted and turned to look at Nevvie. “What do you think? She wrapped herself up in her work and in the family and refused our attempts to get her to live for herself.” He stared out the large bay doors at the house, where Peggy sat on the porch with Harley, Adam, and Mikey. “She’s a good woman. I’m proud to call her ‘Mom.’”
“Me, too.”
Less than an hour later, the trio returned, backing their vehicles up to the shed. Nevvie stretched and walked over to where Andrew was getting out of her car. “How’d it go?”
“Ha!” Elle said, looking glum. “You don’t want to know.”
Nevvie looked at Andrew. He shook his head at her. She knew that expression. I’ll tell you later.
“Well, what can I do to help?” Nevvie asked.
Everyone trundled her out of their way, both annoying and amusing her at the same time. Andrew gently grabbed her arms. “You, house. Now, young lady.”
Nevvie snorted. “Young lady?”
“Yes. Go. We’ll be along shortly.” He waved her away with a wink.
Knowing they would all overrule her, she gave up and headed to the porch to sit with Peggy. “I’ve been run off,” she said. “They won’t let me help.”
Peggy laughed. “I would hope not, sugar. They ganging up on you?”
“Of course they are.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. The breeze carried the sharp smell of impending rain.
“Nice having family to help, isn’t it?”
Nevvie smiled. “It sure is.”
* * * *
Tyler fought the urge to pace t
hrough the house. Their preparations were complete. All he could do was watch the weather. Writing was out of the question with his nerves shot and the house feeling more like the Fortress of Impending Doom than a home.
By four o’clock, he couldn’t take it any longer.
“I’m going to run check the mail one last time,” he said as he grabbed a cloth grocery sack.
“Right now?” Tom asked.
“It’s barely raining,” Tyler snapped a little more sharply than he’d intended. “Just some drizzle and a little wind,” he said, his voice gentling. “We might not be able to get back over there for days.”
Tom carefully eyed him, but didn’t object. “All right, buddy. Just be careful.”
“I will.”
Ironically, other than last-minute lines at gas stations, the streets of Tampa seemed eerily still. The traffic was far lighter than he could ever remember seeing it that time of day.
The air, muggy and sticky despite the stiffening breeze, felt oppressive, dangerous. With relief, he found the post office lobby still unlocked. He hurried in to their box.
As he thumbed through the mail, he stopped at an envelope from the state of Florida. When he ripped it open, a broad grin creased his face.
He dumped the rest of the mail into the sack, locked the box, and returned to his car. There, he carefully tucked the concealed weapons license into his wallet, between his car insurance card and his voter’s registration card, so it was hidden from view. He’d have to look into getting one for Georgia, too, as soon as he could. He knew from the information the state provided him that Georgia allowed for reciprocity, but he didn’t want to do anything to run afoul of the law in case they changed that status.
He popped the truck lid, walked around to it, and removed the gun from its locked case. He removed the trigger lock, loaded a full clip into it, and tucked it into the holster that clipped to the back waistband of his pants. Back in the car, he put the gun and holster into the center console. It would be uncomfortable to wear while driving.