Page 42 of Chasing Honor

I stepped closer and took advantage of our rare moment of privacy and kissed her. “Thank you.”

“Wow. If I get kissed like that every time I help Carson with a project, I’m helping more.”

“Honor!” Carson yelled. “I need help. Come quick.”

“Duty calls, handsome.”

Honor jogged up the stairs to help Carson, and, not for the first time, I was stunned. My daughter had called for Honor—not me. Even after Honor and I talked about it, I still couldn’t find the right words to express how I felt. I certainly wasn’t jealous of her. I wanted Carson to forge her own relationship with Honor. I wanted them to have something special between them. But it didn’t make the twinge in my heart any easier to take.

My phone beeped in my pocket, and I pulled it out to find Carter had texted.

Carter: Where the fuck are you, jackass?

Me: Christ you’re impatient. Be there in 20.

Carter: Hurry up. I’m dying to meet your woman. Fair warning, Mom is planning a full-court press. She’s pulled out all the stops to cement Honor to the fam.

Me: Fucking hell. What’s she up to? Will there be a minister to marry us too?

Carter: Marry? That was a jump, brother. Something you’re thinking about?

Me: Fuck off. See you in 20.

Marry Honor?

It was way too soon to even think about marriage. I grabbed a water from the kitchen and thought about it some more. Why was thinking about marrying her so crazy when a few days ago, I admitted I wouldn’t mind if she got pregnant. I was so confused, I needed my head examined and I needed to stop allowing my brother to crawl in my mind and play his games.

“Ready,” Carson announced.

On the drive to my parents’ house Carson continued to give Honor a rundown of our family. By the time Carson was done even I was confused about who was who and I knew all of them. I had no idea Carson knew so much about our family history. She even knew my mom had been taken by bad guys, and my dad had had to save her. When the hell had my mom or dad told her that story? They didn’t tell me and Carter the story of how they met, separated, and reunited until we were teenagers.

The block was full of cars by the time we pulled up. My cousin Nick was getting out of his truck, helping his wife Meadow down when he noticed and waved.

“That’s Nick,” I told Honor. “His wife is Meadow.”

“Meadow has a scar on her face,” Carson added. “She’s so brave. A bad, bad woman hurt her really bad, and Cousin Nick saved her. He’s brave, too. He’s a Special Agent.”

Honor fidgeted for a moment before she turned to me.

“FBI, right? He was working a serial case and Meadow was a victim, turned witness, turn victim again. They used to live in Virginia.”

“Correct.”

Honor turned in her seat and gave Carson a high five.

“Bam! I remembered.”

Both of my girls giggled, and I cut the engine.

“Ready?”

“Yep.”

“I am. I want to go swimming,” Carson added.

Nick and Meadow were waiting for us when we made our way to the front porch.

“Ethan. Good to see you. I heard you made an arrest on the liquor store robberies.”