Page 57 of Cannon

“I ban you from the main room tonight and you can sit with my dad in the room next door. No electronics, no way to see the karaoke stage and think the rest of the evening about how you should have just said sorry to your mom. Growing up means knowing when you need to say you’re sorry.”

Lyle and Richy both looked at Ellie and half-heartedly said they were sorry.

“Okay folks, as an apology for the delay, we’re going to have the next round of snacks delivered free. And pink might just be my new signature color. I’m pretty sure I rock it. Whiskey, who’s up next?”

Jesse thought for Hennessy not having kids, he’d handled the boys great. She hadn’t been around the boys and Ellie much besides Sunday lunches. They seemed to be on their best behavior there. Nothing like she heard they were from Ellie.

Cannon stood on the stage. After Hennessy corrected the boys, they’d had a couple other acts by people Cannon didn’t know. Now he and his brothers at the MC were up next. They cleared the microphone stands and just picked up the handheld mics. None of them wanted to trip. When Flick had come up with his idea, he’d thought Flick was crazy, but he would do anything to put a smile on Jesse’s face.

The music started, and Flick walked over singingCall Me Maybe. War joined him, then Roam. Then it was his turn singing and dancing along with Bear and Scoop. He could see Jesse grinning and dancing along. Then halfway through, the music changed, and they all jumped to the floor and started singingShut Up and Dance. When they got on the floor, the Nelson cousins joined them, along with Baron, Rascal, and Locks. Flick had them learn a line dance. Keeping all of them in step since they hadn’t practiced together beforehand was a miracle. Dancing and singing were harder than he’d thought, but he didn’t fumble on any of the steps. Once the music ended, he could enjoy the rest of the evening. They finished the song to screaming and yelling from all the women.

He walked back over to a smiling Jesse. He sat down beside her, sliding his arm around her. It had been a whirlwind since Hank had come into their lives ten days ago, but Cannon wouldn’t change anything. He was going to make sure each of his kids had everything he’d never had as a kid.

Once he held his little girls and then Hank, he couldn’t fathom how his father had treated him and Hank the way he had. His therapist had said Cannon’s dad had an illness. At least now, his illness was going to be kept contained. Instead of going to trial, he’d accepted a plea deal to turn over everyone he bought from. He’d still serve ten years with his charges that had been outstanding. Hopefully, by the time he got out, he’d be an old man incapable of hurting others. The only time Cannon planned on thinking about him was if he needed to show up for a parole hearing.

Cannon chuckled as Jesse leaned against him with tears running down her face as Peck, Burt, and Bill sang the old songs from Hee Haw,Pfft! You Were Goneand then went intoGloom, Despair, And Agony On Me. The rest of the competition was entertaining but watching everyone relaxing was good.

They were keeping the compound locked and although some of the guys had ridden motorcycles to the bar, the kids and some of the adults were in the fortified bail bonds vehicles.

“So the only way we can close out our first annual competition is by announcing the winner, then asking everyone to sing along with our last song. The winner is Kayla. Just so you know, she is a senior at the community college and plans on continuing her education in Wichita. I know the prize money will help her follow her dream.”

Cannon enjoyed seeing how happy the winner was. It was getting late, and Cannon knew they all planned on getting on the road soon.

“Final song of the night. Please sing and dance along with Vivi’s rendition ofA Bar Song.”

Cannon stood up and pulled Jesse into his arms on the dance floor. Baron and Regina joined them, along with the other couples. He sang to Jesse as they danced. Hennessy went and pulled Ellie onto the dance floor. Her sons were sitting, singingalong, which was something. He was enjoying this time with his honey before one of his kids kept him from sleeping all night. But he didn’t have anything to complain about. He wouldn’t trade a full night’s sleep for anything because he was blessed.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Cannon slipped on his costume and hopped in the side-by-side and headed to pick up his family. After he picked up his family, they were all meeting at the orchard for Bluff Creek’s Halloween trick-or-treating and party. They’d wanted something safe and fun for their kids and invited all the Nelsons too. Peck, Burt, and Bill had even said they’d run a couple of the games.

He walked in the house, and Hank ran into the room, growling. Hank had wanted to be a tiger for Halloween, so Jesse had done theme outfits for all of them. Cannon had on a circus lion tamer outfit. Since Hank wanted the girls to be lions too, Jesse had asked Sarah to sew little lion manes for them. Cannon picked Hank up and hugged him.

“Where’s Mommy?”

Hank growled again but pointed toward the girls’ room. He paused in the doorway. The girls were already buckled into their car seats. He’d ordered extra bases to install in the side-by-sideand not have to keep unhooking them. Jesse turned around and smiled at him. How the hell was he supposed to keep his dick soft tonight when his wife was dressed in a clingy leotard with a short black jacket identical to his?

“C’mon circus people. We can’t be late.” He handed Hank to Jesse, brushing a kiss against her cheek before picking up both the girls in their car seats. “Let’s go trick-or-treating.”

In no time, they were buckled in and rolling across the compound. They pulled up just as Scoop and Sarah did. Sarah and Scoop had plain white T-shirts over jeans. He wasn’t sure what they were. They all headed into Roam and Sprite’s because those without kids were helping. War and Remi walked in with jeans and red T-shirts on. At least, everybody could tell what his family was.

Bear and Winnie came in with their kids, followed by Clara. Then Beth walked in. She had on an Incredibles leotard with a short black wig on. Roam and Sprite’s kids were in all sorts of costumes—a dinosaur, a princess, a lion, a butterfly, and a ghost. Once everyone was there, Sarah looked at Remi and nodded. Remi, War, Scoop, and Sarah pulled their T-shirts off. Scoop had a bag of ice on his black shirt, Sarah had a bag of ice on her black shirt and little footprints low on her belly. Funnily enough, War had the same on a blue shirt, and Remi’s shirt was identical to Sarah’s. Call him stupid but for the life of him, he could not figure out why War and Scoop had bags of ice on their shirts.

“Oh my gosh, are you both pregnant?” Beth asked.

“Why would you ask that?” Roam asked.

“Duh, their costumes. Ice, Ice, Baby?”

Now it made sense. He congratulated War and Scoop. He’d congratulate the women once the Franks sisters along, with Clara and Sprite, quit screaming and yelling.

“Okay, we can continue celebrating later. Let’s head over. I’ll be taking bets along the way to see who figures out our costumes first,” War said.

“I’ll take that bet. Ten bucks says it’s Regina, Stella, or Meg.” Cannon said.

Jesse rolled her eyes at him and started pushing them out the door.

“Let’s go people. We’ve got trick-or-treating to do,” Jesse yelled.