Backseat Driver (Wilkins Brothers Book 3)

Chapter 18

JASPER

“Hey Tate, what are you doing in here?” I was getting ready to head upstairs to see Landry on my lunch break when I saw Tate sitting in Gruff’s office clicking away on the computer. I took a seat across from him with maybe a bit of intention of bugging him.

“Not much, just looking at the price of hotel rooms in Vegas.”

“Vegas? You never said anything about going to Vegas! You know I love that place.”

“Yeah, I know,” he says without moving his eyes from the screen, “but I figure with Landry being due soon, you weren’t really going to want to go. Plus, you like Vegas because you get to hook up with a shit ton of chicks that never want any more than a few days. Didn’t think you’d be into something like that these days.”

“Hmm, I guess you’re right on both parts. When are you heading out? You’re not having some mid-life crisis because all your brothers and settling down and having families, are you? You know we still love you.”

He momentarily glanced up from the computer, “Shut the fuck up.” Tate was tied with Gruff for the most serious of the bunch. With family, he’d tease around, but outside of the immediate family, he was pretty even-keel and not a lot changed him emotionally one way or another. That was a positive for me since I was all over the fucking place. Tate kept me out of more than one fight growing up.

“So many pleasantries. Seriously though, what’s going on?”

He leaned back into Gruff’s chair and crossed his hands over his chest. “There is an automotive show going on in Vegas in a couple of weeks and I think it would be a good chance to meet up with some potential buyers for this Johnson car. Two of the guys I’m in contact with will be there and it makes a hell of a lot more sense for me to meet them both there than travel to Cali for one piece and Montana for the other.”

“That makes sense. What’s wrong though? You seem a bit annoyed rather than happy.”

“You’re going to think I’m a loser.”

I wave him off, “Don’t be silly, I already think that.”

He gives me the smallest of grins and shakes his head, “Fucker. Anyway….I don’t want to be out of state when the baby is born.”

“Awwwww, Uncle Tate wants to hold the wittle itty bitty babies!”

“See, this is why I didn’t want to say anything. Mom understands!”

“Of course she does, that’s going to be her grandbaby, and if she had a say all of their birthdays would be a national holiday.”

“And why can’t I have that same level of excitement for my new niece or nephew?”

“You can. I guess it just feels a bit different, didn’t think you all were going to be….well you know?”

“Did you think we weren’t going to act like this baby was part of the family?”

I nod, “Yeah, something like that. I know we come from a blended family and Gruff has their blended family going on, but I didn’t know. I was hoping since everybody seems so supportive of the two of us, but you never know.”

“I know it is different, but honestly even if you weren’t with Landry I think we’d all be acting the same. Every since those girls became friends, it is pretty much impossible to not see them all as sisters.”

“I have no problem not seeing Landry as a sister,” I smirk, and Tate cackles.

“Okay, you make a great point and that would just make the two of you being together creepy instead of the perfect match. So what are your plans? Are you going to sign the birth certificate? Be daddy to Baby Wilkins?”