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She speared me with a narrowing of her eyes. “I saw you two weeks ago, you big baby.”
Sheila laughed, then approached with her arms open. “I’ll give you a hug.”
“Thanks.” Over the top of her head, I nodded at Cameron and Ivy, who were deep in the middle of an intense-looking chess game. After Sheila patted my face and walked away, I went to stand next to Cameron. “I don’t know why you keep playing her,” I said. “She always wins.”
Cameron set his chin on his hand and studied the board. “Some day, I’ll beat her.”
“Not today,” Ivy said smoothly.
He flicked a heated glance in her direction, and I shook my head.
“Brought the whole family over, huh?” he said quietly.
“Honest to God, Cameron, I’ll punch you in the nuts if you make a single comment like that at the dinner table.”
Ivy gave me an amused little smile. “Just ignore him. He’ll let it go eventually.”
“Will he, though?” I muttered.
Cameron laughed good-naturedly.
From the kitchen, Sheila wrapped her arms around Sage’s shoulders and showed her where the games were, if she wanted to pick something while we waited to eat.
“I might need an Uno rematch,” Sage said. “My mom cheated.”
“I did not,” Harlow tossed back. “Mom’s prerogative to end the game early, okay?”
Sheila laughed. “You were playing games before you came over?”
Sage nodded. “And doing moisturizing face masks.” She beamed in my direction. “See how nice Ian’s skin looks? He did one too.”
The room went quiet, a stunned silence that had my stomach dropping somewhere into my feet.
Fucking. Hell.
Poppy slapped a hand over her mouth, and Adaline choked on her water. Harlow bit down on her bottom lip, her smile spreading immediately. Cameron merely sat back in his chair and sighed happily. “Oh, Sage, you have no idea how glad I am you’re here. Why don’t you come tell me more stories?”
As I stomped to the fridge to get a much-needed beer, Harlow lost her battle, her peals of laughter getting lost among my mom’s and my sister’s. It felt like the first time in weeks and weeks that the sounds of happiness filled the room, and even if it was at my expense, I found myself smiling when no one was watching.
Chapter 10
Harlow
Everything was fine, until he brought out that effing book. It sat on the kitchen table for a full day, and I eyed it every time I walked past. Then on the second day, the angle changed.
It had been moved.
Ian didn’t say a word about it, content to torture me with the knowledge of his awareness. Because it was a Sunday morning, the start of the day was a slow one. I luxuriated through my coffee on the couch. Sage was lounging next to me, her eyes glued to whatever game was playing that morning.
That was when I noticed a tiny little dog-ear in the book.
My eyes narrowed, and I took a loud sip of my coffee. Ian was outside working on something in the barn, and when he came inside, he whistled a slow tune that I didn’t recognize.
Sage’s phone beeped, and she glanced at the message waiting on the screen. “Mom, can I go over to Aunt Rachel’s to play?”
My sister’s kids were eleven and thirteen, and even though Rachel and I had a bit of oil and water aspect to our relationship, I liked my niece and nephew. They were funny and sweet, and they’d embraced Sage wholeheartedly, just as excited to have family around as Sage was.
“You don’t want to hang out with me today? I wasn’t planning on working at all. We could go see a movie or go shopping or something.”
