Page 111 of Smitty

I knew I would, so I carried her to the living room. After I got us settled, I opened the book and started talking in a low, steady voice. “Here we go, peanut.”

She didn’t fight me, but she didn’t exactly give in either. She was fighting it with all she had. She’d rub her eyes and yawn so hard I thought she’d pass out, then she’d perk right back up. Yeah, she was a stubborn little thing, and my God, I loved her for it.

She toyed with the collar of my T-shirt, her fingers absently twisting the fabric as she listened to me read. I kept reading, but I wasn’t even sure she was listening. I smiled and leaned down with my mouth close to her ear. “You know you’ve got me wrapped around your little finger, don’t ya?”

She blinked up at me with those bright blue eyes that looked so much like mine it still made my chest ache. She answered with a sleepy grin.

I shook my head and whispered, “Yeah, you ain’t even gotta try.”

I kept rocking her back and forth, listening to the old floorboards creak beneath my boots. After the last few weeks, the quiet didn’t feel real. There were no emergency meetings. No wondering who the Coyotes were gonna come after next. Chains was six feet under, along with every threat he’d tried to leave behind.

His kid was with his mother, and that was that.

Benson was free, and we made sure he was well taken care of.

Everything seemed to be back to normal, which gave me more time to spend with my girls, and I couldn’t have been happier about that.

Anslee let out another tiny yawn, and her little fingers finally let go of my shirt. I knew I had her then. Her eyelids fluttered once, and then she finally gave in. I kept rocking and just watched her sleep.

A couple months ago, I'd been worried about proving myself worthy of wearing a Fury patch. Now, I was a brother. I'd found the woman I'd loved since I was barely more than a kid. And I'd discovered I had a daughter who somehow managed to make me love her more every day.

There was only one thing that could make it better. Being careful not to wake Anslee, I stood and carried her down the hall, easing open the nursery door with my shoulder. I laid her gently in her crib, tucked the blanket around her tiny legs, and stood there for another minute just watching her sleep.

Before I walked out, I leaned down and whispered, "I love you, Peanut."

I quietly pulled the door almost closed before making my way back to the kitchen. Brooke was still in the kitchen, but she’d moved from the dishes to the utensils. She was so enthralled in putting them in exactly the right place that she didn’t even notice I’d come up behind her until I slipped my arms around her waist.

“Hey, beautiful.”

“I wondered how long it’d take you.”

“You can’t rush perfection.”

“I’ll try to remember that.” She laughed softly, leaning back against me.

“Anslee finally asleep?”

“Um-hmm.”

“You know, she has this new sixth sense that lets her know whenever we’re fooling around.”

The last few times Brooke and I tried to do anything more than kiss, Anslee had woken up crying, putting an end to any thoughts we had of messing around. “Is that what it is?”

“It appears that way.”

“Or she could be starved for attention.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

I laughed as I asked, “How long do you think we have before this new sixth sense kicks in?”

I grinned against her cheek. “If we’re lucky, we might have a solid half-hour. Maybe more if you’re quiet.”

“If I’m quiet?” She turned in my arms, smiling up at me. “You’re the one who does all the growling and huffing.”

“Says the one who chants my name when she comes.”

“Okay, mister.” She gave me a playful nudge. “Are you going to stand here wasting time, or are you going to kiss me?”