chapter 4
Kara smacked Tyler’s chest playfully after I took Hank and pointed at him. “You’re in trouble, mister.”
“I’d better make myself useful before she actually gets mad at me. Can I start unloading the car?”
I frowned. “I can get it, Ty. You don’t need to do that.”
He frowned right back at me. “I’m fine. I can lift a few bags.”
“Let him. If you don’t, he’ll spend the rest of the night lifting heavy things to prove a point.” Kara waited until Tyler was gone with my keys to look at me and shrug. “He really is doing so much better. He’ll wear himself out and spend the rest of the day in bed, pretending he’s fine, if I’m not watchful of him, though.”
I tried to hand Hank off to her, but she shook her head. “Kara, let me go help him.”
“No, you’ve been driving all day. I’ll help him bring your stuff in and you go check on my kids. Make sure they’re not killing each other.”
“Fine, but neither of you do too much. I can carry all of my crap in later. Alone.”
She waved me off and vanished out the front door. I sighed and went in search of the twins to make sure no blood had been shed. I found them in their playroom, fighting over a game. Instead of saying anything, I just walked in and sat in their hanging egg chair.
Casey stopped arguing and stared over at me. “Aunt Mal?”
I cradled Hank to my chest and raised my eyebrows. “You done fighting?”
Taylor walked over and ran his hand over the braided rope that held the chair in the air. “Are you going to stay for a while?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Is it okay with you two if I’m here?”
Casey laughed. “Yes! We don’t want you to leave.”
“Mom needs you here.” Taylor suddenly looked twenty years older. “She’s been sad.”
Casey elbowed her brother. “You’re not supposed to tell people that.”
I reached out and stroked both of their cheeks. “I’m not people. I’m your aunt. And your mom has had a lot going on. But I’m here now. I’ll help with whatever she needs.”
“Is Daddy dying?” Casey’s big blue eyes welled up with tears that she didn’t let fall.
Taylor hit her in the arm and scowled. “Don’t even say that.”
“You asked me!”
“Yeah, well, that’s different.”
“Enough, you two. Your dad isn’t dying. He was sick, but he’s getting better.” I stood up and switched Hank to my other arm. “If the two of you can get along for more than ten minutes, I have something for you in the car. From the city.”
“From the candy shop?” Taylor was instantly ten again. “Say it’s from the candy shop!”
I laughed and nodded. “First one to the car is a rotten egg.”
Casey took off at a sprint and then yelled. “Hey!”
Taylor crept forward dramatically. “I’ve never been a rotten egg!”
I passed both of them on the way down to the car, happy to have stopped the charging through the house for a moment, at least.
Murder.That’swhatI was going to commit. My sister was as good as dead when I got my hands on her. I couldn’t believe the gumption of her. The nerve!
Tyler looked up from his paper and winced. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
I scowled. “I’m going to shoot your wife, and then I’m going to bring her back just to do it again.”
Hank screamed at me from his highchair and reached desperately for more of his breakfast. I jumped into action and airplaned another bite of his food into his hungry little mouth.
“The party is ridiculous enough. Hank is just turning one. He’s never going to know any of this happened. But the setup! It’s my second day here. What is she thinking?”
“That you’re a little high strung and could use a good lay?”
I scoffed at Tyler and then laughed. “I hate you.”
He grinned. “You know Kara never means any harm. She’s worried about you and how alone you’ve been. You know she just wants the best for you.”
I puffed out a big breath and shook my head. “I’ve been alone by design. I don’t need to be set up. I don’t need a good lay. I had a good lay once, and it got me this beautiful little boy that I’d never regret, but he’s enough.”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” Tyler straightened his paper and put it aside. “So. The birds and the bees.”
“Go to hell.”
“Condoms, Mallory. Use condoms and you can have all the good sex you want to have without worry.”
I fought another laugh. “I really don’t like you.”
“You love me. And you love your sister. Which is why you’re going to meet the mystery man tonight and pretend to have a wonderful time. Because you don’t want your sister to have one more thing to worry about. Right?”
“Hey, that’s emotional blackmail, I’m pretty sure.”
“Well, I never claimed to be good. I’m not above getting dirty to make sure my stressed-out wife relaxes for even one second.” In an uncommon moment, Tyler grew serious. “Lord knows I’ve caused her enough stress for a lifetime.”
I fed Hank another spoonful and sat in the silence for a moment, wondering what to say to Tyler to make him realize that Kara would’ve lived through a thousand times the stress of him being sick if it meant she got to love him for a second more.
As usual, though, Tyler didn’t let the moment stay pensive for more than a second. “Anyway, I’ve seen Isaac. He’s a fucking fox.”
Taylor happened to be coming into the kitchen just as his dad swore. “Dad said a bad word!”
Casey appeared like magic. “Ten bucks to the swear jar, or eight to us. You choose.”
I gaped. “Are you shaking down your dad?”
Tyler pulled out his wallet and pretended to be angry. “I’m raising a bunch of crooks if you ask me. Real mobsters. Here. Take my last few dollars and go.”
I watched as they grabbed the money and ran, already discussing what they were going to buy. “Well, that was fun.”
“I saved two dollars, to be fair.”
“Is the swear jar a thing? Because I don’t keep a lot of cash on me.”
“Only if the twins hear you.”
“So, yeah, it’s a real thing.” I sighed. “They hear everything.”
“Try having sex in this house. It’s damn near impossible.” Tyler wagged his brows at me. “You could have sex in Isaac’s house, though. No listening ears there.”
“You’re impossible!”
With a lot of grunting and swearing of her own, Kara came through the front door and made her way into the kitchen. She dropped an armful of grocery bags on the floor and looked up at me with her hands already raised as if I was pointing a gun at her. “I got your messages. I know you’re pissy about Isaac, but it’s fine. He’s such a good guy, Mallory. And it’s not like you have to marry him. I’m just asking that you talk to him.”
I glared at Tyler and then sighed. “Fine. I’ll talk to him.”
“I’m serious, Mal. He’s the nicest guy. And so handsome. He’s—” She cut herself off. “Wait, what?”
“I said I’ll talk to him. I’m not wearing that stupid dress you picked out for me, though. I’ll look like a whale in it.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“You know most people get a big win and then back off with the little battles.”
“I just figure if I got you on the big battle, why wouldn’t I try for the little ones?” She grabbed my face in her hands and leaned into me. “And don’t you dare talk about yourself like that. You’re beautiful.”
Groaning, I focused on feeding Hank and trying to brace myself for what was sure to be a long day. “Beautiful enough to convince you to calm this thing down?”
Kara snorted. “You know better than that.”
By the time the party started, I was in the dress she’d picked out. My hair and makeup had to be done to match, of course, according to my sister, and heels were somehow going to make my ass look magnificent. For my one-year-old’s birthday party. Fighting Kara about it all had been too overwhelming, so I’d just given in and then settled into a chair at the kitchen table with Tyler next to me while guests that I didn’t know moved through the house.