“Odd. I’ll be in the office tomorrow bright and early. Let me look into things, okay? Give me a day, maybe two, and I’ll get back to you.”
“All right, thank you.”
“Brogan? Thankyou. Not every man out there would step up for a niece he’d never met, especially when he was estranged from his sister. You’ve proven you’re every bit as wonderful as Connie claimed.”
He dropped his head with a gruff laugh. Why wouldn’t anyone believe him? He was not wonderful, and he wasn’t hero material. He knew the truth even if no one else did.
Erin said, “If your email is the same, I’ll send you the info I need to get your paperwork ready. I’ll also send a form for a contingency guardian. Fill that out and get it back to me, and you’ll be covered for now.” She added with some gravity, “Connie believed in taking every precaution.”
“Then I will, too.”
“One last thing, Brogan. You need to figure out what you’re going to do with Connie’s house.”
He bit back a groan. “I know.”
“She didn’t want her parents there,” Erin insisted. “She was clear about that. The house is legally yours and Shayna’s, but the longer you let them trespass, the more difficult it’ll be to evict them.”
“It’s next on my list to do.” Right after cementing his relationship with Pixie, which, okay, was fairly new to the top of his list, but it was there now and it mattered. A lot.
“You need to ask them to leave. Of course, that won’t work, so then you’ll have to begin a legal eviction.”
“What does that entail?” Brogan asked. “I signed a lease to be here for four months, and I don’t like the idea of driving back and forth to Illinois.”
“Actually, I can handle it if you want. In fact, I’dloveto take care of it. It’s a matter of filing an unlawful detainer action and representing you in court.”
“That’s not your legal specialty, is it?”
“No, but I’ll do it for Connie. Trust me, I never liked the way her parents treated her.”
Pixie smoothed her hand up and down his arm. “It’s a good solution.”
He’d be free to concentrate on Shayna—and Pixie. “All right. Go for it. And seriously, Erin, thank you. For everything.”
After they hung up, Brogan sat back against the couch, wondering when Ruth would pop up next. “Thanks for giving me a push. I’m glad I made the call.”
Pixie curled into his side and put her arm around him.
They were in the position of a couple familiar with each other, used to embracing and getting comfortable together.
Brogan was far from comfortable as he carefully gathered Pixie closer and pressed a kiss to her hair. In fact, he felt strung tight with conflicting emotions—and a torturous type of lust because it wasn’t just sexual. It was some powerful combination of physical, emotional, and sexual need.
She smelled like sunshine and flowers, and she felt perfect in his arms.
He wanted more, of course. From her and with her. In every way imaginable.
Wearing a smile and looking far too innocent, Pixie looked at him. “This feels like progress, right?”
Unsure whether she meant Erin’s next move, or the fact that he could feel her heart beating, he nodded. “Sure.”
“I’m not sleepy yet. You?”
No, he was far from sleepy. “What did you have in mind?”
“A movie. You’ve rarely had time to just relax, and I almost never have time to watch TV. What do you think?”
At that moment, he’d have been happy to do whatever she asked. “Sure.”
“Great. Settle back and get comfortable while I find something.” She started to move away from him.
