Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You didn't have to punch his jaw!" I said exasperatedly to Sam who had caught up to me and was now walking next to me as I headed to the school. He was pouting because he felt guilty, but seriously. I said he pinched my ass, not got me pregnant.

"Yes, I did, or else you wouldn't have told me about it." He said trying to put some rationality behind his ill-tempered actions.

I was hoping for more of a smack to the back of the head kind of reaction, but I know my brother better than that, so maybe he is a little right. I really hated having all these men trying to overprotect me at all times, but still, it's a scary amount of fun to have that sort of power. "You had already won the battle with the death look you threw at him before the punch."

"Parker," He started, using his all business voice. I knew what was coming and mouthed the words along with him as he spoke. "You are my baby sister which means I and the rest of the brothers will protect you against every little thing that will—"

Oops caught me. I tried to look shamed, but it came out as a giggle. 

"Parker! I will also still take you over my knee!" He threatens, giving me the look. I finally give him a contrite smile and bow my head.

"Sorry Sammy." I glanced at him and saw his small smirk and knew I was off the hook. "I am just saying you've known Paxton for like 50 years."

Sam snorted, shaking his head. "How old do you think I am geez Parker?"

"You're like sixty this year, right?" I said jokingly, laughing at the shocked look he gives. I took off running, which was difficult considering I was dressed in a skirt and heels, and almost got away from him. However, the outcome was me being swept up over his shoulder and dropped back on my feet again only after an apology and when we were inside my classroom in front of 10 giggling ninth graders.

"Alright, alright you little monsters, I hope you all did your reading. Since I got a lift in, I am feeling extra quizy." I said smiling when the chorus of groans came as a reply. Music to a teacher's ears. 

"Miss. Stanley!" I stopped dead in my tracks turning around to see Principle Young rushing towards me with a huge smile on her face, making the other side twist in a sort of grimace. I am not being mean, a wolf actually attacked her a few years back. A pup was drowning in her pool when it crawled under the cover she had on it. She got in to save it and mama wolf came and took it as a threat. Although it is now believed she was only marking Aria as their own, because the wolves now move freely over her property, leaving game on her front step and growling at anyone who enters the property.

It's funny how things seem to happen.

Not funny, however, those look on her face right now though. Uh oh, that usually means she wants something from me. "Principal Young, how can I help you?"

I gave her a moment to catch her breath and compose herself. As soon as she did, she started right with the point. "There is a new teacher coming into town. He will not be staying with us, but needs a year on his tag record." I rolled my eyes. 

Lord forbid a teacher is known as a small-town teacher. They were the lepers of the teaching community, since a lot of the schools are so poor and the dropout rate because of poverty was so high. However, if you DID happen to have it on your record, you looked brave and caring. So, a lot of teachers pass through for a year to get the name on their record before moving on to a richer school. It was disgusting.

"You need him to be my shadow?" I said making a face.

"Please? It's only for this year and I will even let you degrade him by giving him the Teachers Aid title." I smiled at the offer and shrug nodded.

"Alright, send him over to my classroom in the morning." I said, turning back to my room.

"Thank you, Parker, I really appreciate it, oh and Miss. Stanley?" 

I turned again, getting impatient knowing that the longer my back was to the kids, the harder it will be to settle them down for the day. "Yes, Principal Young?"

"Maybe you can lend out your methods for entering a classroom?" She said with a secret smile. "You have some of the other teacher's jealous I think."

I laughed hard, shaking my head. "Tell them they can have that one and I have four others just like him at home!"

"So, they are just going to give you some loser from the city to follow you around?" Clair asked annoyed on my behalf later that night as we set the table for dinner. She was going to be a heartbreaker when she grew up with dark Native hair, but Jackson's blue eyes. 

I laughed, handing her the plates to set out. "He is another teacher, not a loser and yes, for the rest of the year." I lean close to her face, smirking with mischief. "I am sure he is a big nerd anyway and Principle Young says I get to call him my Teachers Aid all year."

She giggled, finishing the table place settings. "Can I call him Sparky?"

"Sparky?" I asked, laughing confused.

Claire was leaning against the counter laughing hard now. "That's what dad calls stupid kids at the skate park."

I snort, nodding my head smiling. Yeah that sounded like Jackson. He was convinced he was old the second he became older than 25. "Because he is so old?"

Claire grinned nodding. "Right, he is like 100 already!"

"Who is like 100 already?" Jeremy asked, walking into the house, kissing Claire and I each on the cheek.

"Daddy thinks he is like 100 already." Claire said, grinning at her uncle. She was quickly replacing me as the baby when she was around, which was good. If only I could get here full time to take the boys' focus off of me sometimes.

"I am glad that that isn't true! If he was 100, then I am even older than that!" Jeremy pouted playfully, winking at Claire. She winked back and picked up the book she was reading for school and headed to the living room. "Forever young, Uncle Jay, forever young!"

Jeremy did a fist pump into the air. "Damn Straight!"

"Would you not teach my daughter those things?" I looked to the screen door that led to the backyard where Kimberly stood with her arms crossed and glare set in place. She looked like her usual Kimberly self with her tight tank top and skin-tight jeans and she had knock-off Jimmy Choo's on that she tapped impatiently making her over accessorized arms jingle annoyingly. She looked straight out of Jersey-Shore, not a tiny nowhere town in Washington.

"Kim?" I frown as I shoo Jeremy behind me so I can pretend at least that I can control his temper.

"Mom?" Claire came into the kitchen confused, looking between me and her mother. "Why are you here?"

"Looking for you, come. Get your shit, we are leaving." She said, stepping back from the door slightly.

"But… we haven't even eaten." Claire's voice shook. "It's Daddy's day." She said, her voice was thick with emotion.

Her shaking voice was what did it for me and I put a hand on Claire's shoulder and took her bag from her, setting it down again. 

"Kim, you need to come back when we are finished with dinner. This is a court ordered day that Jackson gets, you have no right to be here right now and you are not even allowed on this property. I suggest you leave, before I call the police. You well know that they will be here the second I call."

"Jackson isn't even here! I have to leave town for a while and I have to leave now or else it will be nighttime when we are on the road. I hate driving at night." Kim said, poking the screen with a French tipped nail. "You don't tell me what I can and cannot do with my daughter, bitch. Just because you're surrounded by these animals at all times, doesn't make you better than me."

I snorted in reply. Nope, just too easy.

Jeremy grabbed my hips pulling me back to Claire before he headed to the door, pushing it open. "Kim, I don't care about what booty call or what drug run you might have set up, but this is my brother's night. If you can't wait that long, we will be happy to let Claire stay here while you are away." He was walking forward, forcing her to walk backwards. "If you can wait, then do it somewhere else and we will drop her off, like we always do, when she is done with her dinner."

"Now fuck off." Jackson said, coming up behind Kim, making her jump in surprise. Behind him stood Ash and Ember, their arms crossed as they looked down at the retreating form.

Kim gasped indignantly and stormed off towards her car tripping slightly on her knock off shoes. Jackson went inside to check on Claire but Jeremy, Ash, Ember and I watched Kimberly until the taillights were no longer visible anymore. Ash threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me inside.

I was going to cook, but given that Kim was waiting for Claire, I ordered for delivery, since I knew that would take longer, plus I told them to take their time. Forty-five minutes later we were all sitting together eating pizza and talking about our days.

"So, they are just going to give you some loser from the city to follow you around?" Jackson said, shoving almost an entire piece of pizza down his throat. Claire giggled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, basically that is it. It's only for the year though, so it won't be too bad. I am meeting him tomorrow." If I wasn't as sure what was coming next, I would have laughed at the comical way Dad, Sam and Jeremy all looked up at the same time.

"Him?"

I rolled my eyes and waved my hand at them. "Stop it. Yes, the new teacher is a man, probably some young sexy model just off of the L.A. strip." I said, smirking.

"That isn't funny to tease your brothers like that, Parker." My dad said, trying to frown at me.

My jaw dropped, and I stood pointing at Sam. "Sam punched Paxton in the face this morning! They are a tad bit on the overprotective dad!"

My dad's disapproving look went to Sam. "What did he do?"

"Dad! He did nothing, he was playing around!" Oh crap, maybe tattling wasn't the best approach.

"He pinched her ass."

"What?!" Definitely not the best approach.

Daddy pinned me with a look that was close to Sam's and I sat back down. "He was joking daddy, and I told Sam to just play around but I didn't think he was going to punch him in the jaw! They have been friends since they were prepubescent!"

"I don't know, we went through puberty kind of early." Paxton said walking in without knocking, right behind him was Jake. I tried not to wince outwardly when I saw the dark bruise forming on Paxton's jaw.

"Paxton Aimon you are lucky I don't shoot you where you stand for the stunt you pulled this morning." Dad said standing slowly glowering at him.

"Dad, I think he has learned his lesson." Sam patted his arm.

"Yeah, chief, relax, you're going to get that blood pressure all up and turn that lovely shade of purple you get when you're about to freak out." Jake said with a huge grin.

"Jake, you shut up because you learned this very lesson when you kissed Parker at the school dance you guys went to when you were both in the seventh grade." Daddy snapped, not looking away from Paxton.

Jake's smile dropped fast as he nodded vigorously. "Yeah, two inches north and my name would be Jane right now."

Paxton put his hands up and walked to the counter grabbing a slice of pizza. "See the difference between me and Jakie-Poo right here is I am not scared of you guys. No offense, I respect you in every way, especially you, Sir. So, with the highest amount of respect possible, I do as I fucking please."

They could have pushed me over with a feather. Paxton and the boys have fought before and it was always pretty intense because, well the boys and Paxton were intense, but I have heard no one in my life speak to my father like that and the respect was written all over my dad's face briefly before he shook his head and walked into the living room to turn on the TV. 

The boys went to talk amongst themselves and Sam continued to frown at Pax.

I was dragging my feet this morning. It brought an unusual silence between me and my eldest brother as he walked me to my classroom. We had left early since I had to meet the new teacher today and I wanted a chance to speak with him before all the kids arrived.

When we reached my classroom, I actually stopped walking for a moment. There, sitting at my desk, was a man that I could only describe as… Pretty. He was leaning over the class roster, studying who was who I was guessing, which was giving me a moment to study him uninterrupted. He had longish hair that was pulled back, showing the underside of it neatly shaved and he had a light stubble beard and was spinning a pencil distractedly.

Sam cleared his throat, and I jumped at the noise, laughing, embarrassed before walking in the classroom. "Hi, I am Miss. Stanley." I said quickly, holding a hand out for him to shake, completely forgetting to introduce Sam who was still waiting by the door.

Rude much Parker?

He stood and walked over to me. I almost gasped as he got closer. He had the most beautiful green eyes that made me literally weak in the knees. His mouth curved into a half smile and took my small hand into his warm large one and his voice came out in a deep gravelly southern drawl. "Ms. Stanley, it is my enormous pleasure and honor to get to meet your acquaintance. I am Mr. White. Byron White."

My lips copied his in a slow smile. "Parker Stanley. Parker, if you please."

"And I am Samuel Stanley."

We both jumped, turning to look at the door. Oh crap, I know that look.