Chapter 13

I’m staring at three pots that all look fit to overflow any minute now. I curse the food network for leading me to believe I can cook a whole damn meal without supervision. I know I’m a grown ass man, but my cooking is hit and miss. Which isn’t a problem when you live alone, you just eat the shit you made and move on with your life.

But I want to surprise Ana. I want to woo her with my amazing cooking skills and show her I want to look after her. I think aside from her mom, who lives half a world away, she’s had to look after herself, and I want that to be my job. I want to have dinner on the table for her when she comes home from the office after a long day. I want her to relax as I take care of her. I want to be able to cook for her when she’s busy feeding our babies, when we have them. I want it all with her.

“Holy shit, why’s it so steamy in here? And why the fuck does it smell so bad?” Swinging around I see Pops standing in the doorway, the V of his knit sweater pulled up over the bottom half of his face. I look at the spatula in my hand and contemplate hitting him with it, but then I remember he’s elderly and slightly nuts so he wouldn’t think twice about fighting dirty.

“I’m trying to cook a nice meal for Ana. She’s working late tonight, so I thought I’d take care of dinner.” Pops eyes up everything on the stove and the mess on the countertops before gazing back at me with a bushy eyebrow raised.

“Riiiiight. Have you ever thought that this isn’t your strong suit and maybe you should have outsourced?”

Rolling my eyes at him, I turn to the stove to turn down the heat on some of the overflowing pans.

“No. I want her to eat something I made.”

“Do you want her to have the shits too? Cos I feel like this is where it’s headed, son.”

“Look, if you have nothing nice to stay, go home. I’ve already had to deal with your other grandchildren pissing me off at work.”

“You’re a grumpy fucker, you know that? Anyway, I’m not here for a pleasant visit, because you’d be the last person I’d see for that. I’m actually here because your mother-in-law has arrived and I’m guessing Ana forgot all about her.”

With that he turns and with a flourish escorts a small, brown woman with a deceptively youthful face, and shoulder length curly black hair into the kitchen. I can feel my eyes are fucking huge in my face as I stand here, in an apron with naked tits and hairy pussy on the front that Tav gave me for Christmas; pots bubbling like crazy behind me and a spatula in my hand.

“Oh, shit! Fuck! Sorry, shit, I mean, hello! It’s so nice to meet you! I’m so sorry one of us didn’t come to collect you, if I had have known-”

“Bah, Kei te Pai, it’s no worries. I mean, I wasn’t supposed to be here until next week, but then an earlier flight came up and I thought ‘Bugger it!’ I’d surprise you. Tadaaa!” With this, her face breaks out into a huge grin as she chuckles and waves jazz hands at me.

My eyes slide to Pops and then do a double take as I see he’s gazing down at her with a twinkle in his eye. No, no way is that happening. Pops has to be at least 15 years older than this woman. Not to mention he’s Pops, and I can’t guarantee that he’s going to be on his best behavior. I was meant to sit the whole family down at Wednesday family dinner and warn them to not be their usual selves. Looks like it’s too late for that now.

“Oh, well, call me surprised! Shi- I mean, shoot, I’m Gus” I throw the spatula somewhere and step forward with my hand outstretched, but Ana’s mom has a different idea. She draws me in for a hug, her deceptively strong arms wrapping around me and holding me tight, like only a mother can.

It’s been a long time since I had a hug like this. She pulls back and grips my biceps while she looks me over. I stand a little straighter to impress her and hope like hell she didn’t hear mine and Pops’ conversation.

“I’m Deborah, but you can call me Debs. Or Deborah. Doesn’t worry me either way.” Her eyes take in the mess of my kitchen before looking up at me, a twinkle in them. “So, Gus, what are you cooking us for dinner?”

I let out a huff, my shoulders sagging as I detail my failures so far. I can tell she wants to laugh, her lips pursed, the soft curve of her cheeks making her eyes look squinty.

“It was meant to be cannelloni, but, well,” I wave my arm at the mess, ignoring Pops’ exclamation of “what the fuck?” when I said “cannelloni”.

“What time is my baby home?” Debs asks, her eyes wide as she looks around.

“She won’t be home until 6ish, so I have two hours to perfect this.”

She glances around again before giving me a look that says “not a chance, buddy.”

“Look, that is just enough time for me to teach you how to make fish and chips. New Zealand delicacy. I’ll write a list of things you’ll need. You pop out and get them while I clean this up and Pops keeps me company.” She looks at Pops, who has a broad smile on his face. She turns to look back at the mess I’ve made and Pops catches my eye when he tips his head toward Debs and then waggles his eyebrows. Oh, fuck no.

“Pops, maybe you can help me with Deb’s luggage?” With that, I grab him by the bicep and drag him through my front door.

“Back soon, sweetheart,” he yells on his way out, the tinkle of Debs’ laughter following us out the door.

“Listen here you, I will not, I repeat, will not allow you to woo Ana’s mom. Got me? She’s only here for a visit, and the last thing I need is you all over her.” He gives me his fake innocent face.

“Who, me? I can’t help it if she finds me irresistible,” he smirks up at me and then tries to look over my shoulder to get another glimpse of her.

“Jesus, Pops, you’re old as hell. Sexual relations at your age could cause a heart attack!”

“Ah well, son, if she dies, she dies. I can’t help it if she has a weak heart and I have the famous Tombs prowess.”

He pats me on the arm harder than he needs to and swans back into my house, leaving me speechless on the front porch. I run my fingers through my hair a couple of times to calm down. I swear to God this family will be the end of me. Not the MC, not the Bratva, not some random dude watching me. It’ll be this family that takes me out through stress.

I take a couple of deep breaths, then look down at Debs’ luggage, pick it up and deliver it to the spare bedroom. I step back into the kitchen and marvel at how, in the two minutes since I left her in there, it is now under control and tidy. That’s mom power right there.

“OK, Debs, do you have the grocery list for me?”

“Sure do Gus, here it is. Be a good boy and pick that stuff up while I wash and chip the potatoes. Then when you get back, I’ll show you how to put it all together, yeah?”

I nod my head and thank fuck I’ve gotten so used to Ana speaking that I actually understand what her mother is saying. Her accent is thicker than Ana’s and if I’m honest, I think I’ve only understood half of what’s going on because she talks so fast. What I do know is that I’m off to the grocery store and I will be buying and learning how to cook fish. I better get extra in case I fuck it up.

Bursting through the front door of our house with mine and Roman’s meeting running through my head, I kick my shoes off in the small entryway and look around the open-plan kitchen living area. There’s something delicious emanating from that direction and my stomach lets out a growl.

“Gus? Are you home?”

A muffled noise coming from the bedroom has me freezing next to Gus’s manly leather couch. I’m certain I heard a female voice. This is the exact situation women find themselves in when their marriages have gone wrong.

I feel physically ill. My stomach has dropped straight out of my arse, and my fists are clenching at my sides. I knew at some stage this was going to be too good to be true. Taking a deep breath, I realize there are two ways to go about this. I can just walk straight out that door never to look back and thank God or whoever else is in charge that I walked out before this got too serious; before I lost my heart.

Or, I can be the bad bitch I know I am, walk straight into that room with my head held high and ask the man that only this morning wrung orgasm after orgasm out of my body, what the fuck is going on. I decide to be the bad bitch, so I storm toward the spare room, about ready to kick the door in when my body freezes, coming to an abrupt halt.

“Mum?”

Mum and Gus are sitting on the bed in the spare room, Mum showing Gus something on her tablet. Her head snaps up at my voice before she chucks the tablet at Gus, hitting him in that fine package of his, and then she throws herself at me, her arms wrapping around me in one of her strong hugs.

“My baby girl!” She rocks me side to side, pulling back to squish my face between her hands, covering me in her kisses.

Laughing, I try to pull my face out of her hands so I can lean back and look at her. At 67 years old, she’s looking a little older than the last time I saw her, but she’s still the most youthful 67-year-old I’ve ever seen. Her hair, still predominantly black in soft ringlets around her face, her wide smile and twinkling eyes, has mine misting over.

“It’s so good to see you, Mama.” I hug her once more, reveling in her familiar smell and her softness, before I push her back quickly and with more force than I intended. “Hang on, what the hell are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to be here until next week! Did I get my dates wrong?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Nah, I just heard there was an earlier flight, so I figured I’d hop on that and surprise the hell outta ya. You should have seen Gus’s face!” She cackles and I join her, knowing full well Gus would have had a coronary and shit his pants at the same time.

“Well, I will leave you ladies to catch up and I’ll get the fish on” He kisses me on the nose, then looks at Mum and winks. We both watch as he walks out the door before I spin back around.

“What was that? What are you two scheming?” I ask the woman I trust with my life, jabbing my finger into her shoulder.

“Never you mind” Mum boops my nose and then pulls me down on the bed.

“I can’t believe you’re here! Like how? Why?” I squeeze Mum’s hand in mine.

“Well, like I said. An earlier flight came up, and I thought ‘bugger it!’. I’ve spent my life in New Zealand so it was time for an adventure, and whoowee! What an adventure! On the way here, I made the Uber man take me to Walmart for a look. That place is massive! And everyone has guns! Just like hanging off their pants!” Her eyes go wide and I throw my head back to laugh. I have to admit, that was one thing that surprised me, too.

“It’s like the TV, huh?” I say as I smile at the look on her face. She bobs her head up and down a few times before she pulls her hand from mine and waves both of them about.

“Anyway, enough about me. I wanna know EVERYTHING. Start talking babe and leave nothing out when it comes to that tall glass of water. Holy shitballs! Did you see how hot he is? And clearly it runs in the family because Pops, phew!” Mum fans herself and I stare at her, speechless. “Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.” She points her stubby little finger at me.

“No, I haven’t noticed, because he’s a pensioner! Mum, he’s like, 80 years old!”

“And aging like a fine wine, if you ask me.”

“Oh. My. God.” I whisper out, closing my eyes so I don’t get any mental images. “But, but, what about Dad?”

She gives me a sad smile and pats me gently on the leg. “Your dad was the love of my life, but he wouldn’t want me to wallow. He’d want me to live. And I’ve been alone long enough to know that I would like a little company.” She gifts me with another sad smile and I feel terrible bringing Dad up. She’s a vibrant woman who deserves all the happiness in the world.

“I’m sorry Mum. It just feels like yesterday that we lost him.”

“I know, baby, but it’s been almost 20 years. And it’s not like I haven’t been on a date here and there. It’s just, I’m on this adventure, so you know, who knows what type of trouble I could get into on this wee holiday of mine?” She smiles at me, a wee twinkle in her eye. I should be more worried. I mean, she just mentioned trouble and we all know Pops is that with a glaring, neon lit capital T.

“You’re not worried that maybe Pops is too old for you?” Yes, good work Ana, try to put her off with the whole age thing. I mean, I want my mum to be happy and have a good time, but I don’t want to give Gus a heart attack. Or myself, for that matter. Pops is certified crazy, I’m sure of it. Unfortunately, mum seems to have taken a shine to the man and Debs Taylor is not a woman to change her mind once it’s been made up.

“Too old for what? To chat with and enjoy each other’s company? 13 years isn’t that big a gap Ana. Sheesh, you need to be a little more open-minded.” She rolls her eyes at me before placing her soft hand around mine and jiggling it.

“OK, now back to you. How is married life with Gorgeous Gus going?” With a grin, she throws herself back on the bed until she’s sprawled on the pillows, waiting with raised eyebrows. I let out a massive sigh before throwing myself down next to her.

“How long have you been holding on to that little nickname?”

She snorts “Since I met the man. I mean, you’re a stunning woman, Ana, but you’ve always only ever gone out with losers. Pasty looking men with no practical or common sense, so I wasn’t really holding out much hope for this one.”

“Hey! I didn’t go out with losers!”

“Ah, yeah you did. You know you did. And you also know why you did it.” She raises her brow at me.

“I went out with them because I liked them. They were nice guys.”

Rolling her eyes, she points my direction “You went out with them so that when they inevitably left to ‘find themselves’ or road trip with their band, or go back to their wives-” I cringe a little at that one, “- you wouldn’t be heartbroken. Gus though, he’s a dangerous one. He’s everything you would want in a husband.” She grins at me.

“Hmmmph,” I grunt out, feeling a little like a teenager again.

“Oh, don’t be a baby. You know it’s true.” She nudges me with her elbow before continuing. “I’ve only spent a couple of hours with him, but I like him. He’s solid. Safe. And he loves you -”

“Ah bah bah bah” I slap my hand over her mouth to stop her going down that line of thought, her eyes smiling mirthfully over the top of my hand. “Nope. We are not going there. It’s only been about a month, month and a half max. There is no love there. We are just two people who are friends and who like each other -”

“- and sleep together -” Mum’s muffled voice adds from underneath my hand that is still across her mouth.

“- NO! Well, yes, but we’re not talking about that. Ever. Got me?” I stare into her large brown eyes that twinkle with laughter as she nods her head up and down. I take my hand off her mouth, but not before she gives me a quick lick, my hand shooting back as if she’s burned me.

“Ewwww! You’re a child, you know that?”

“You love me,” she smiles sweetly before patting my cheek. “Come on. Let’s go see how much trouble Gus has gotten into and we can continue catching up.”

A huge smile splits my face, and I grab Mum’s hand to pull her to standing. We hold hands, swinging them as we walk down the hall, both coming to a stop to quietly watch Gus in the kitchen. He’s in low-slung jeans and a plain gray tee. His hair is an absolute mess from where he must have been running his fingers through it. I watch as his flour covered hand comes up and runs through the strands before he quickly pulls it back, looks at it like it has all the answers in the world. He curses under his breath, then heads to the sink to wash his hands again. I love seeing him like this, all flustered. For as long as I’ve known him, which admittedly isn’t that long, his moods seem to be fairly standard. Serious, grumpy, impatient, in total control or frustrated. This side of Gus, this unsure, flustered man, tugs at my heartstrings because I know this is all because he wants to impress my mum. Who, let’s face it, is already impressed that he’s nothing like my previous boyfriends. He’s at the sink muttering away to himself before his eyes come up and catch sight of me and Mum.

“Ladies! Um, hi, dinner is looking good, everything is under control so if you want to go back to relaxing and, uh, chatting, I can call you in when this is all done,” he looks flustered as hell but he tries to casually gesture behind him as if he does, in fact, have everything under control. I side eye Mum while she side eyes me back, then gives me a grin.

“Gus, you’ve been slaving in here since before I arrived. Why don’t you and Ana pull up a seat at the counter and keep me company while I’ll take over for a little bit, hmm? Just relax, you’ve both had big days at work.” She heads over to Gus and then bumps him out of the way with her large hips.

“Wait, you aren’t tired or jet lagged?” She’s the only mum I’ve got. I don’t want her running herself ragged. Instead, she waves a dismissive hand at me and then points to the bar stool across from where she’s standing for me to sit.

“Nah. I actually arrived yesterday. Booked into that fancy hotel in town to sleep it off and then I spent today watching people at Walmart.”

“Wow, when she goes on holiday, the girl goes wild,” I say, rolling my eyes at her. Mum quickly grabs the tea towel off the counter, spins it with shocking speed, and flicks me with it. She nods her head in satisfaction when I yelp, an evil smile on her round face.

“Babe, your mom is awesome,” Gus whispers in my ear before dropping a kiss on my neck, causing a shiver to go through me.

“Yes, yes she is.”