I squeezed her side. “You sure did, sweetheart, but this guy is never going to change who he is. It’s a lost cause, trying to argue with him.” I stood and looked for Frank and Franny.
“They walked away,” Addison said.
“Oh, thank God.”
“Personally, I’d love to watch Olivia take him down,” she said with a glint in her eye.
“See? Someone appreciates me,” Olivia said.
“I appreciate you plenty. I just don’t think Maddox would appreciate having to break up a fight and hauling your ass to jail.”
“It’s all good, Liv; I’d get you out,” Addison said.
“Don’t encourage her,” Maddox said. “Tommy’s right. There are plenty of people who still don’t like me around here. And you know how rumors fly.”
Addison put her hand on her husband’s arm. “My poor baby.”
Maddox scowled.
“But Maddox is right,” she said. “When the former sheriff resigned and left town, there were rumors that he was killed by the mob and that he ran away to elope. Neither of which is true.”
“Don’t worry, Maddox; I won’t get in a fight. I know those two aren’t worth it,” Olivia told him.
“Attention, everyone,” a man with a bullhorn said from the middle of the football field. “It’s time for the annual flag football game.”
The crowd cheered and laughed.
“Since this game is free and we don’t make any money off it, I’m going to let you all pick your teams. You can start gathering on each side of me in a minute. But try to keep the numbers fair. If one side is larger than the other, I’ll move some of you over. But until then, I think you are mature enough to handle it.”
I held my fist out to Maddox. “I think we can win, no matter who is on our team.”
He bumped my fist as Olivia snickered.
“What’s so funny?”
“You thought you two were going to win last time, and…”
I grinned. “But this time, you’re going to be cheering me on. Right?”
“I suppose.” She smiled back at me.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?”
I groaned, and the four of us turned to see Frank and Franny standing only a few feet away.
I’d gotten too comfortable these last few months of being a civilian. Always check your six.
Since Olivia promised no fighting, I nodded. “Hello.” I was going to keep this short and civil.
“Shit, there’s two of you,” Frank said, looking at Maddox.
I raised an eyebrow. Sure, we were both tall and muscular, but that was where the similarities ended. Maddox was blond with green eyes. I was dark-haired with brown eyes. But I supposed to Frank’s not-even-six feet—if I guessed correctly—we did stand out to him.
“What are you two doing here?” Franny asked.
“Visiting friends,” I said.
“Yeah? We’re visiting our cousins. You know the Donaldsons?” Frank asked.
I looked over at Addison, who was shaking her head ever so slightly in a way that told me the Donaldsons were bad news. “Can’t say that I do.”
“All right, folks, it’s time to pick your teams.”
Thank God for small favors.
“Sorry to cut the conversation short, but we gotta go and play.”
As Maddox and I headed over to one side of the field, I heard Franny tell her brother, “Go play against them.”
“Good idea, sis.”
I looked at Maddox and rolled my eyes. Flag football or not, Frank was going to get his ass handed to him.
A couple of other guys followed Frank, and Maddox leaned over to me. “Those are the two Donaldson boys. They don’t know how to stay out of trouble. My deputies are always picking them up for something. Usually minor and always misdemeanors, but it’s like they can’t not break the law. If Frank is anything like his cousins, I can see why he picked a fight with you at the airport.”
I shook my head. “Must be a family thing.”
The announcer lifted the bullhorn in the air. “Since this is a make-no-money game, we also don’t have uniforms. If you’re new here, we do shirts versus skins. This is your chance to vote which team is which, folks.”
I leaned over to Maddox. “I suddenly feel like a piece of meat.”
He chuckled.
Bullhorn pointed to the opposite team. “Everyone in favor of this team being skins?”
There was a good amount of cheering.
Bullhorn waved his hands in a manner that signaled for everyone to be quiet. He pointed to our team. “Now, everyone in favor of this side being skins?”
The cheering before was nothing compared to what it was this time. Addison put her fingers between her lips and whistled.
“Your wife is trouble,” I said in Maddox’s ear.
He grinned. “Don’t I know it.” He nodded toward his wife. “Olivia’s not much better.”
I followed his gaze to see her cupping her hands, and she whooped to the crowd.
“This team it is. Take off your shirts, fellas.” He eyed the two women on our team. “Ladies, you are free to leave your shirts on. Just don’t forget they’re your teammates, men.”
“We got it,” one of the women yelled.
They stripped off their shirts to show they had sports bras underneath.
“Smart,” I said.
“They play every year and come prepared,” Maddox said. “We’re lucky to have them,” he said loudly enough for our whole team to hear.
“Thanks, Maddox,” the woman said. “Now, strip.”
Maddox and I laughed as we yanked off our tees and threw them at Olivia and Addison.
“Let’s kick some ass,” I said.
About an hour later, we did just that. I watched Frank walk off the field with his head down. I hoped that it was finally the last time I saw him and his sister.
34
Olivia
I sighed with contentment when baby Thane fell asleep on my chest as I lay on Addison’s couch, watching a Disney movie. It almost made me want to have one of my own. Addison and Spencer were cuddled up on the recliner, and I had a wistful feeling I was missing something in my life. I had always thought I was married to my job and wouldn’t have time for a
